Sunday, September 2, 2012

All the days of: Book Tour: Guest Blog by Lenore Wolfe

All the days of: Book Tour: Guest Blog by Lenore Wolfe: Today the Sizzling PR Tour stops here at All the days of and I am delighted to have a guest blog by Lenore.  Later on in the post you will...

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Hawk is going on tour!!

August
23 – Guest Blog @ Coffee Beans & Love Scenes
31 – Guest Blog @ All the Days of

September
4 – Interview @ You Gotta Read
6 – Interview @ Tory Michaels
14 – Guest Blog @ Romance Book Junkies
24 – Interview @ Reading with Holly
25 – Interview & Giveaway @ The Book Queen
26 – Spotlight @ Melissa Kendall

October
3 – Interview @ Jenna Jaxon
4 – Interview @ Krista Ames
8 – Guest Blog @ Full Moon Bites
10 – Spotlight @ Simplistik
16 – Review @ The Jeep Diva
17 – Interview & Giveaway @ Ramblings from this Chick
19 – Guest Blog & Review @ Me & Reading
24 – Guest Blog & Giveaway @ New Age Mama
26 – Review @ The Page Flipper

Reviews
Romance Book Junkies
The Page Flipper
Me & Reading
The Jeep Diva

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Mary Ting's Cover Reveal



Blurb:
Torn between the past she can't remember and a future she isn’t ready for, Claudia feels at a loss. With unanswered questions, she is certain there is more to her past than just being a venator. Finding the missing pieces in her life won’t be easy because duty calls. When mysterious dark shadows get released, an apocalypse sets in motion. The venators and the alkins must work together once again. Knowing Claudia would be the key to destroying the demons that were released, a familiar stranger appears to protect her. Drawn to the beautiful angel, Claudia finds she must unravel the mysteries of her past in order to help save the world. Who is the angel assisting her and why does she feel a strong connection to him? Time is running out. Will she discover all the secrets before it’s too late? 


EXCERPT

After I got ready, I opened the double doors and saw Austin standing there. His spread out wings were catching the sun’s rays as they radiated around him and through the layers of his wings. They were like an early morning sunrise giving birth to a new day, pouring their vibrant hues across the land. I had seen them many times before and I don’t know if it was the glow, but I was taken aback by the beauty of this alkin. For a moment there, like déjà vu, I had seen something like this before, but I couldn’t recall what it was....read more....


If you haven't read Crossroads yet, take a peek at What's Beyond the Fork's  review. Also, check out their review of the sequel, Between.

To learn more about the books and the author, visit Mary Ting's website,BlogTwitter, and Facebook page



Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

D'Ann Lindun: Pitch Session coming soon!

D'Ann Lindun: Pitch Session coming soon!: If you missed the last pitch session, don't miss this one....! Lyrical editor Piper Denna bought at least two new authors that day...don't b...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Do you really know your rules when you're giving reviews?






Girly Attitude Comments
~Magickal Graphics~

I recently had an author give me a one star review, stating that she had done so primarily because of my supposed incorrect use of em-dashes. Just to be sure, I went to look up the rules on my use of em-dashes, only to find that I had not used them incorrectly. So in this post, we're going to explore this ever growing concern.

What do you do when the person who is ripping on your hard work doesn't even know what they're talking about? 

Well, I taught my children that they could stand up to anyone as long as they did so in a respectful manner. I believe in standing up for yourself, even if that person is a police officer or a judge. I believe we always have the right to stand up to our accuser, even if that accuser is a reviewer. So, yes, I do believe in respectfully letting the reviewer know that they may need to take another look at the rules they're trying to use to destroy your work.

But if you do so, you better know what you're talking about.


This brings us to a very important discussion. With the great increase of ebooks in such a short time, and the change in who is doing the reviews to keep up with these changes...how is an author supposed to cope with every self-proclaimed specialist out there, who is now telling you how to use grammar, or in my case used em dashes, even when you have used them correctly? Do we really just have to swallow bad advice? And do we have little or no recourse when bad advice is bringing down our sales?

 
And why would one author do this to another author? Okay, so that's a seperate blog LOL


I really enjoyed a blog I read recently on this subject that pointed out that, at best, many grammar rules are up for debate. That's right, even the true professionals cannot agree on many of these rules.


So what is a writer to do?


The answer is keep writing.

The truth is that we are all human. The chances are great that the person who is ripping on your writing really isn't a professional. And we've already pointed out that even the true professionals often cannot agree on the rules. The author who ripped on mine changed POV in the middle of the same paragraph in her own writing. She also changed scenes without setting up her scenes. I'm not pointing this out to be vindictive. I'm making a point. This is just the facts. The person who is giving you all this advice likely has a lot of their own stuff to learn. And you might have quit, right?

The point in, we're never going to agree. Some of the greatest writers out there were given bad advice by would-be professionals. And that would-be advice can actually damage really great writing. By the same token, really strict grammar rules can shred great writing.

Does that mean we ignore these would be advisors?

Well, that would depend. Consider the source. What are their credentials? If that person is a professor in college, you might want to listen. If they tell you they're a elementary teacher, you might want to look the rule up for yourself. I know more rules than many elementary teachers, and I still have a lot to learn. Many teachers have a BA. I have a BA and a minor in writing, so I also know where their education has stopped. I've had those who would give well-meaning advice site these for credentials in doing so. Please don't get me wrong, I think all teachers are great. As I said, I went to school side-by-side with students who were teachers in the next semester.  Again, I just know that the class I was taking with them was the end of their education. That's enough to teach kids. It is not enough to teach an author. I wouldn't use these to advise an author unless I was a professor of a university. I had a great professor who pointed out the folly in this. Writing is its own art.

Never just take advice at face value, no matter how well meaning it may be. You would be amazed at how often it is wrong, and then you have gone and had a great cry, maybe even pulled your work.

Here is a great rule of thumb. Use your common sense. Have your received the same advice by more than one person? If yes, you may want to take a closer look.

Lastly, if you've ever read the book Eat That Frog, you will have learned that anything worth learning is worth becoming the best. Study. Become your own professional. Keep studying. Don't stop. And for heaven sake, don't give up based on the words of someone who claims to have all of the answers. As we've said, there is a very good chance they're wrong, or at the very least, their advice might just be an age old debate, of which, even the true professionals cannot agree.

And, at most, they just might have their own agenda. After all, they're only human.

To error is human. To claim to have all the answers . . . yep, I'm pretty sure that's human too.


And in case you're wondering, some rules on em dashes:

 Em Dash An em dash is the width of an m.

Use an em dash sparingly in formal writing. In informal writing, em dashes may replace commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses to indicate added emphasis, an interruption, or an abrupt change of thought. 

Examples:

You are the friend—the only friend—who offered to help me. 

Never have I met such a lovely person—before you.

 I pay the bills—she has all the fun.

 I need three items at the store—dog food, vegetarian chili, and cheddar cheese.

 My agreement with Fiona is clear—she teaches me French and I teach her German. 

Please call my agent—Jessica Cohen—about hiring me. I wish you would—oh, never mind.
This shows an abrupt change in thought and warrants an em dash.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

First Five Chapters is going on a Blog Tour!!

Read the First Five Chapters!!

You won't want to put it down!!



FREE on Smashwords!!


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April 1 - 3


Character Twitter Fest

All Day Saturday



April 7!!!


Join the party!!!

About the Authors


Starr West

Starr lives a rural life in Ravenshoe in Far North Queensland, Australia. She is a wife and a mother to four amazing and sometimes boisterous boys. The family has a small menagerie with one cat, four dogs, numerous Chickens, four pet rats, three Jersey cows, two calves, an old retired bay gelding and a very naughty orphan colt. Writing has always been a passion but it wasn’t until she was asked, ‘If you died tomorrow, what is the one thing you’d regret?’It’s a pretty confronting question but the answer was to write and publish a novel. That was enough motivation to get started and within 6 months, she had finished the first draft of Tomorrows Child, the first book in a series of Paranormal Fantasy Novels. Starr is involved in a number of community projects and enjoys learning ‘lost skills’ such as baking bread, making soap and candles. Her boys can light a fire with two sticks and find their way out of the rainforest. When she isn’t running after children or writing, she can be found in the garden growing vegetables or in the kitchen making things from scratch.

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Tomorrows Child

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Patti Roberts

Location Cairns Queensland Australia.


On any given day you can usually find me sitting at my desk in front of my laptop pounding away at the keys writing another chapter in the Paradox series. That would be a run of the mill kinda day for me!A packet of Cruskits and a water bottle, that is now at room temperature, is sitting on the desk beside me. There is also a mass of USB cables, notepads, bills to be paid, bills to be filed a bunch of pens and a printer that is forever running out of ink. Sound familiar.


On most days I have to remind myself to eat and drink. I Should be thinner!!!I am sure my housemates are very thankful that I still manage (usually at some ungodly hour) to bathe, brush my hair and clean my teeth.

I don't know about you. But I am usually mortified when visitors just pop around, only to find me sitting at my desk and still in my PJ's. I don't even want to broach the hair situation! Did I remember to put last nights dishes away???Now, they say to be a good writer, you must read, read, read. Then read some more...

Thankfully, due to the invention of the electronic reader (I have a kindle and love it) I get to read more these days. Correction... I have my kindle read to me! The only thing is, I have so many great books on my kindle that it is so hard to know where to start. So many choices. 


A little more about me... And how you can contact me.


Born in Brisbane Qld Australia.Grew up in Darwin in the NT.

Now living in Cairns Qld.  Where the Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef.
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Thank you to all those souls that have read my book - you make my day!
PS: If you are thinking about popping a round for a coffee, that might be nice. But please give me a quick call first so I can brush my hair and smear a bit of colour across my lips.

Paradox: The Angels are Here, Book One


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Mary Ting

Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing Crossroads was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother. It was inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. Ways to keep in touch with the author:


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Crossroads, Book One, Crossroads Saga

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KaSonndra Leigh

KaSonndra Leigh was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She now lives in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, North Carolina. She likes to write about teens doing fantastical things in magical worlds. Her two sons have made her promise to write a boy book next.
She holds the MFA in creative writing, and loves to play CLUE, Monopoly (the Indiana Jones version), and Pandora's Box (good writer's block therapy). She lives in an L-shaped house with a garden dedicated to her grandmother. It has a secret library complete with fairies, Venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass. 


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When Copper Suns Fall, Book One

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Lenore Wolfe



Lenore writes dark fantasy, paranormal romance, fantasy, historical romance She grew up in Montana, and Alaska, and currently lives in central US. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, holds a BA in Sociology, from the University of Northern Colorado, with a minor in writing and is a student of the Shaman path.




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The Fallen One, Book One, Sons of the Dark Mother







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Prince of Fire at Facebook






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Stay tuned for new publishing dates!!











Carolyn Hockley




Preparing to launch my first ebook, Arazi Crossing Book One: Quinn's Evolution. It's a YA fantasy book - part of a series, in fact. You will always know me as Carolyn Hockley. I like that name. Two wonderful people gave me that name a few years ago. I reside in a wonderful place called Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. I have a family and a lot of cool friends. I am also blessed with a wickedly smart German shepherd named Ginger: we call her "G". My BF is my biggest fan! He drives me nuts each day, pacing to get his hands on 'the next chapter'. I wouldn't have him any other way! I write almost every day, in between my kids' swim team practices, working two part time jobs and running a modest home. I love to blast my music when I drive, though I always leave the window open a tad so I can hear emergency vehicles approaching :) My fav music is the NOW tunes my kids like - Usher, Katie Perry, Eminem, Rhianna, Gym Class Heroes... love the tunes that make you wanna move. Cheers for now!


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Arazi Crossing




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