Friday Funnies

Blog Chain - Author Advice

Today's blog chain topic was chosen by the lovely Cole who said :

Christmas is a time of gift giving. If you could gift aspiring authors with one piece of advice, 

what would it be?

I always have a hard time with this because I want to say something witty and wise. But really for me, I think it's quite simple. I actually have two little tidbits for you. And I know writers hear this a lot (probably because it's true) ;)

Follow your gut - and - Don't give up

The first one I've learned over many years of writing and editing and getting critiques and revising and repeating the process over and over. I get a lot of good crits from my crit partners. They catch A LOT of mistakes, help me patch a lot of plot holes, brainstorm with me and really help make my manuscripts shine.

But sometimes I think you can have (to use an old cliche) too many cooks in the kitchen. I remember one instance where I got a crit back, I revised incorporating the suggestions I'd received, sent that out to a new person for another crit only to get suggestions that advised changing what I'd just changed back to what I had before.

At some point, you just have to listen to your gut. YOU are the author. It is your book, your creation, your story. You know what's best for it. Now, if everyone is telling you there is a problem, you might want to listen :) But always follow your gut. It's usually right.

For the other - well, it's self-explanatory :) Don't give up. Yes, being an author is hard. If it wasn't, everyone would do it. Many people say they want to write a book. Some even do. Fewer write one and rewrite it and polish it and revise it again and make that baby actually publishable. Fewer still actually get the book published (though there are so many wonderful options out there for authors now that are enabling more books to hit those physical and virtual shelves).

If writing is what you want to do, don't let anything stop you. If being published is what you want, keep at it. Don't ever give up :)

I hope everyone has a very very happy holiday! Don't forget, I'm over at Kate Evangelista's today giving away a copy of To Trust a Thief!! Head over and enter!

Also be sure to stop by Alyson's blog tomorrow and head to Lisa's blog to see her advice. To follow the chain from the beginning, head over to Kate's :)

Kate Evanglista's 24 Days of Guest Posts and Giveaways!

I'm over on Kate's blog today sharing my top 5 favorite stocking stuffers AND giving away a copy of my soon-to-be-released novel To Trust a Thief (previously Treasured Lies)!!!! Stop on by and enter!! 

Friday Funnies and an OA Giveaway!

Today I bring you our regularly scheduled funnies, but also, the ladies over at OA decided to start gearing up for the New Year's Revisions Conference by doing a little giveaway! :D Just fill out the rafflecopter below or head to OA for more details :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And now, for funnies :) Have a great weekend!

Who I Dedicated To Trust a Thief to and Why...

I'm sharing who I dedicated To Trust a Thief to over on OA today! Go check it out :)

Entangled Under the Mistletoe Winner!!!

And the winner of my Entangled Under the Mistletoe's blog hop giveaway (a copy of To Trust a Thief) is.....

Eva!!

Congrats!! I'll be contacting you to get all your deets :)

Thanks to all who entered and if you didn't win, stay tuned because the release festivities for To Trust a Thief will be commencing in just a couple short weeks. There will be lots more opportunities to win copies of the book along with TONS of other really fun things. Starting with another celebration I'm participating in, the 24 Days of Guest Posts and Giveaways with Kate Evangelista. I'll be giving away a copy of To Trust a Thief on her blog on the 24th!!

Friday Funnies

Here's a little funny for your Friday :) And don't forget! Today is the last day to enter the Get Entangled Under the Mistletoe blog hop! TONS of awesome authors giving away an amazing amount of stuff :D Go to Entangled's blog for the full list of participating authors (and scroll down to enter mine!)

Blog Chain - Do You Like the Dark Side?

You know, it's really embarrassing that I've now missed two blog chain posts in a row seeing as how I'm the person who makes the schedule *facepalm* I blame the deadline :D Anyhow, won't happen again, promise!

This round's topic was chosen by our lovely Christine who says:

I've been described as a writer of highly emotional and dark stories. So much so, that some could not read Transcend saying that while it was "beautifully crafted and written", the story was just too dark. So I ask you...How dark is too dark for your asthetic? And is writing "dark" and "emotional" a "bad" thing?

For me personally, I tend to lean toward romances and comedy. I also really enjoy mysteries, but I like them to have a good spark of humor. I do occasionally go for dark (depends on my mood) but it also depends on what kind of dark you are talking. Transcend didn't bother me. I enjoyed it, very much. For me, it's sort of a case-by-case scenario.

I don't think writing dark and emotional is at all a bad thing. However, there are a lot of people out there who won't want to read it, just because that is their personal preference, as it is usually mine to stay more toward the light-hearted end of the spectrum.

For me, personally, I read or watch movies to escape and relax - and delving into dark worlds doesn't usually allow me to do that. Again, I have my moments and there are some dark books and movies I simply love. But for the most part, when I can carve out a few moments, I want to laugh and fall in love. :)

How about you? Do you enjoy the dark? How dark is too dark for you?

Be sure to check out Lisa's and Alyson's posts and if you want to follow this chain from the beginning, head over to visit Kate :)

Happy Birthday to the Amazing Elana Johnson!!

Today is the birthday of the absolutely fabulous Elana Johnson. And that simply must be celebrated :) The equally fabulous Christine Fonseca and Ali Cross have put together a party of epic proportions. They are giving away a complete set of Elana's books in print, in ebook, and there are a few other fun things as well. All you have to do it wish her a happy birthday and fill out the rafflecopter form below or on Christine's blog!!

What exactly can you win? Glad you asked :)

• A complete print set of Elana's books (Possession, Surrender, and Abandon (which will ship when it releases))
• An ebook set of the above books AND a copy of the Possession short, Regret
• A paperback copy of Winter Wonders, the anthology to support Literacy, Inc
• A print copy of Bethany Wiggins' awesome book Shifting
• A complete set of Ali Cross' Desolation series
• and a special edition SIGNED hardback copy of Christine's Transcend

There are also links for the Holiday Hullabaloo giveaways which you don't want to miss.

Oh yeah, and a grand prize of a $200 GIFT CARD!!!! 

This is one birthday celebration you don't want to miss! :)

Elana, I hope you have an absolutely amazing birthday. It has been my pleasure to be your friend and I hope this year brings you everything you may wish for :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal! DOMINUS by Christine Fonseca

I am thrilled to help reveal the cover for Christine's newest book in the Requiem series!!!

Short Blurb for DOMINUS

“It’s been six months since my memories returned. Six months since Aydan was again ripped away from me. Six months since I broke a piece of my best friend’s soul.

Six months...”

Nesy has found her memories, her life. Now all she wants is to forget and be human. Only human. But fate holds a different destiny. Forced into a war she wants no part of, Nesy is put to the test in ways she never thought possible as she seeks to fix the mistakes she has made. And the mistakes of her former master, Mikayel. Will she be the Sentinal she was destined to be and put an end to the fighting once and for all? Or will she fail and send humanity into slavery?

The future of three worlds depends on the choices, and sacrifices, she must make in this final installment of the Requiem Series.


Availability:
Publisher: COMPASS PRESS
Goodreads
Buy information will not be available until October, but it will be available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other fine retailers.

Additional Titles in the series include:
• DIES IRAE (a Requiem Novella),
• LACRIMOSA (Requiem Series #1)
• MEA CULPA (a Requiem Novella)
• LIBERA ME (Requiem Series #2)

About Christine Fonseca
Critically acclaimed nonfiction and YA author Christine Fonseca is dedicated to helping children of all ages find their voice in the world. Drawing on her expertise as an educational psychologist, her nonfiction titles address issues of emotional intensity, resiliency and giftedness. In fiction, she explores the darker aspects of humanity and delivers gothic thrillers that take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. In life, she teaches her own children to embrace their unique talents and find their voice by being a force of positive change in the world.

When she’s not writing or developing programs to support children with exceptional needs, she can be found spending time with her family, sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her favorite coffee house or playing around on Facebook and Twitter. For more information about Christine Fonseca or her books, visit her website 

Get Entangled Under the Mistletoe Blog Hop!!

As an awesome jump off to the holiday season, I'm participating in a couple blog hops. The first of which is Entangled's Under the Mistletoe blog hop! An amazing group of Entangled authors has decided to get together and spread a little holiday cheer :)

What will I being giving away?

A copy of my soon-to-be-released historical romance 

Treasured Lies!

(note: Treasured Lies doesn't come out until Jan so the winner will receive their copy as soon as the book releases)

Just leave a comment below if you'd like to be entered in the drawing. Winner will be announced on Dec 15th!

Don’t forget to check out what the other authors participating in the hop are giving away!

Fun Stuff on the Way!

For starters, I'm participating in two blog hops. The first one will go up tomorrow so come back and check it out. And my post for the second one will go live on the 24th, but it's all ready going on and there is so much awesomeness happening you really don't want to miss it!

Check out Kate Evangelista's 

Every day from the 1st through the 24th, Kate is featuring a different author on her blog. Everyone is sharing lots of holiday fun AND giving away tons of great stuff. So head to Kate's blog and check it out!!

Revision Help is on the Way!!!

Finishing up this manuscript (that was due last week *ahem*) so this will be short and sweet. Just wanted to remind everyone that Operation Awesome's New Years Revisions Conference is coming up in just a few short weeks!!!

Here is the original post if you missed it.

So if you have brand new NaNo books waiting to be edited (and even if you don't) you definitely don't want to miss this!!

Also, Entangled's Scandalous line launched yesterday!!! As this is my imprint, I am just ridiculously giddy to see it finally out there :)

The first two books released are Robyn DeHar'ts A Little Bit Wicked and Catherine Hemmerling's Taming Her Forbidden Earl. Check them out!!! My Treasured Lies will be releasing next month so stay tuned for some fun celebrations!!

Hey all :) I'm participating in a fun event for Christmas - 24 Days of Guest Posts and Giveaways. Every day through Christmas Eve, a different author will be featured on Kate Evangelista's blog. So don't miss out on any of the awesome posts and giveaways! And take a look at the FB page for more info :)

And head to Kate's blog for all the deets, posts, and prizes!!