Sharing links...

NikonSniper is one of my favorite photographers. My sister introduced me to his website. He is a fellow Christian. This past week he shared a call to follow Jesus and an article by John MacArthur. It gave me the opportunity to examine where I am in my faith. Am I still endeavoring to follow Jesus, or am I becoming complacent? It was good to see I've grown and strengthened my faith.
http://nikonsniper.blogspot.com/2011/07/do-you-know-christ-today.html

Awesome post by Pamela Morsi over at Writers In The Storm. Well, it was awesome to me because I write like this:
http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/the-maze-to-amazing-organic-layering/

Delores Goodrick Beggs shares a charming memory of her mother:
http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/2013/06/guest-delores-beggs-and-her-newest.html

A.R. Norris, Sci-Fi romance writer, is involved in a blog hop, with book giveaways:
http://sci-fiadventures.blogspot.com/2013/06/blog-hop-excerpt-teaser-yes-another-one.html

Sandra Sookoo shares a snippet of her book being released on July 11th, over at her blog Believing is Seeing. I'm a bit of a foodie, so it caught my attention and landed on my wish list:
http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/2013/06/26/hump-day-hook-19/

Writers In The Storm had a final review of Falling in Love, including links to the first four parts:
http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/why-we-and-our-characters-fall-in-love-part-five/

God bless.

Introduced a new hero on FB...

Eric: Why is James pacing?
Benjamin: He awaits edits.
Richard: I've heard tales of horror visited upon wayward souls.
Jack: I have heard our lady is more to be feared than any editor.
James: Humbug.
Richard: You cannot deny the truth.
George: One need look no further than my own narrative.
Eric: I hate Regency English.
Fitzgerald: Watch yourself, sir. You are surrounded.
Richard: We've endured this discussion before.
Benjamin: Not so long ago.
Eric: Fine! Speak American.
Fitzgerald: You ask the impossible.
Jack: It won't help. Trust me. The century is all wrong.
James: You need a comrade in arms.
Eric: I'm the only contemporary hero here.
Fitzgerald: You forget to whom we owe our very existence.
James: When she settles on the name, the next hero will appear.
George: Rumor is she mulled over a name the other night.
Fitzgerald: How did you hear of this?
George: What else is there for me to do?
Fitzgerald: Pity you do not survive for our tales.
Jack: Don't spill the soup!
Eric: There's soup?
Fitzgerald: Of course not.
Eric: Jack said--
Benjamin: He meant don't spill the bag.
Eric: What bag?
Fitzgerald: You're hopeless.
James: Stubble it. Someone is here.
Jack: Who, pray tell, are you?
Ian: Ian Morgan.
Eric: When does your story take place?
Ian: 1986.
Jack: There you are, Eric, a fellow knight, at last.
Ian: Brilliant.
Eric: You sound English.
Ian: I am English.
Jack: Eric, it is pathetic and mildly disturbing watching a hero cry.
Fitzgerald: I'm uncertain if he is weeping or laughing so hard tears are streaming down his face.
Jack: Never underestimate our lady's sense of humor.

Arizona Dreamin'...

My report, at last.

It was amazing!

My sister, bless her, helped with picking people up at the airport. We both liked knowing people we care about made it safe and sound. It was also a lot of fun. She did the driving, and I knew what everyone looked like: Perfect team. :-)

We started with Buildin' the Dream: A writer's one-day conference. It was the first time. There were a lot of excellent workshops and, unfortunately, not enough time to attend them all. Pick and choose.

The Friday Night start-off for the Readers' Conference was amazing. I laughed a lot.

Saturday was packed with events, again. The Book Clubs, where you meet with a favorite author in half hour increments, were fantastic. I met a favorite author for the first time and enjoyed visiting with a couple of favorite authors I've met before.

There are goody bags, food, and a couple auctions. Lots of fun.

Best part: The people. Catching up with friends I only see at Arizona Dreamin' and making new friends.

The hotel is very nice.

There was plenty of food.

I'm one of those alphabet soup types, i.e., C-PTSD, OCD, yes, you get the picture. I was able to manage it all and came home energized and inspired. I stayed an extra day and used it to write and plan the next manuscript.

I will definitely be attending next year.

Will you?

http://www.arizonadreaminevent.com/p/may-31-june-2-2013.html

Me with Lance, my pick for the Man of Our Dreams contest and the cover model on Kris Tualla's book Loving the Norseman.
http://www.amazon.com/Loving-Norseman-Hansen-Series-Rydar/dp/1456562118/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1371736985&sr=8-15&keywords=kris+tualla

More links to share...

Jude Urbanski hosts Rebecca Vincent aka Becky Yauger. A touching read about birthdays:
http://judeurbanski.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-writer-owning-her-scars-and-her.html

A few people have encouraged me to self-publish. It isn't for me. Orly Konig-Lopez expressed it well over at Writers In The Storm:
http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/the-evolution-of-the-modern-writing-dream-part-1-2/

I'm adding Brenda Whiteside's list of words to check when editing to my own list:
http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-list-of-words-to-jump-start-my.html

Over at The Writer's Refuge is a great post for writers on patience:
http://thewritersrefuge.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/do-you-have-one-of-the-most-important-skills-of-a-writer/

Sophie, of the Cuffe Sisters, shares a relaxing bit of Backyard Musings:
http://cuffesisters.com/2013/off-the-cuffe/backyard-musings-by-sophie/

God bless.

Wordless

Yesterday on FB...

Benjamin: George, what are you doing here?
George: I was invited, of course.
Benjamin: A bit awkward, don't you know?
Jack: Indeed?
Benjamin: Decidedly.
James: What's George doing here?
Benjamin: He says he was invited.
James: Awkward that.
Eric: Why?
Benjamin: He's dead.
Eric: He's what?
Benjamin: He's dead.
George: I'm not dead yet.
James: Yes, you are.
Benjamin: You died at Waterloo.
James: It was 1815.
Richard: All of our stories take place in 1816 and 1817.
Eric: Not mine. Mine's in 1985.
George: In which case, all of you are dead, but Eric.
Benjamin: Do not complicate matters.
George: Wouldn't dream of it.
Benjamin: And yet, here you are.
George: Our lady decided my story was worth being told, so here I am.
Richard: She does have a way of complicating matters all on her own.
Benjamin: Still awkward.
Jack: And I thought my life was complicated.

A group question was sent out...

What advice would you give new, upcoming authors?

This was my answer:

Learn your craft. Read what you want to write. Know your genre. Write. Write. Write. Find someone who will pick your work apart. They don't have to be nasty about it. Listen to them. My first MS went through a lot of editing. It was rejected, not because the book wasn't any good but because my query letter was horrible. My first rejection was on the query letter. There are sites that offer help writing them. I entered the story in a contest. The judges advised I learn about POV. They were right. I re-wrote the story; approximately half of it was new. I asked for more help from professional authors. I submitted the first three chapters and was asked for a full MS. I thought I wanted to write with this publisher. As the months slipped by, I was doing my homework on the publishing companies. I realized I did not want to work with this publisher. I was grateful when they rejected me. I talked to other authors, and one recommended a company they wrote for. I did my homework and wanted to work for them. I queried and was offered a contract. I thought I'd grow more comfortable with each book. I haven't. Each one is a terrifying, frustrating, hair-pulling experience. I have sacrificed social activities, television, reading, sleep, and eating. The royalty checks are not compensation; they are testament I'm a professional, an extremely poorly paid professional. Give up writing? Sure, when I give up breathing.

Sharing links...

Kris Tualla and I met at our local chapter (Desert Rose) meeting. Thank you RWA (Romance Writers of America). I've watched her energetic enthusiasm for her books. I've also read her books and enjoy them. May 30 - June 2, I attended Arizona Dreamin' for my second time and loved it! One of these years, I'm going to be one of the authors. She chose a charity to support and wrote a little bit about how it came about:
http://romancingthegenres.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-charitable-plan.html

I loved Patricia Johns' post:
http://patriciajohnsromance.com/2013/06/10/a-full-plate/ 

Writers In The Storm Blog is continuing the series on author legalities, this time instead of wills it's trusts:
http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/who-can-an-author-trust-trusts-in-the-author-estate-plan/

J. Morgan celebrates June:
http://jennmorgan69.wordpress.com/

Nike Chillemi pops in over at Gina's World of Good for an interview:
http://worldofgood-gina.blogspot.com/2013/06/welcome-author-nike-chillemi-crime.html

A.R. Norris shares an amusing bit about being a writer:
http://sci-fiadventures.blogspot.com/2013/06/freedom-at-last.html?m=1

Phoenix Rising Book Two: Triad by Gail R. Delaney

Riveting. Breathtaking. Paging turning. I devoured the book in two days. My only justification for putting everything on hold: the book was my reward for completing a project on time.

I would recommend reading the first series, The Phoenix Rebellion, and then book 1 of Phoenix Rising: Janus. The story line flows from one book to the next, each book a satisfying read though it leaves me wanting more. The cast of characters are diverse and rich, creating a world both vast and intimate.

When I read the premise of Triad, I confess I was leery. There were so many directions this could go. Gail stayed true to her style and though there were numerous twists and turns I reached the end with only one complaint: I have to wait until December for the next book!

Brava!

http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/phoenix-risng-book-two-triad-epub/

http://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Rising-Book-Two-ebook/dp/B00DBMRBR4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1371007359&sr=1-1

Wordless

Links to share...

Writers in the Storm continues the "Why We and Our Characters Fall in Love" series:
http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/why-we-and-our-characters-fall-in-love-part-four/
(I found this helpful not only as a writer but as a survivor.)

If you're looking for children's and YA books, Suzanne de Montigny shares an interview with Sue Perkins. She might have what you're looking for in books for that age range.
http://suzannesthoughtsfortheday.blogspot.ca/2013/05/books-that-will-have-your-kids-reading.html

Patricia Johns had an amusing post on Canadian Politeness. She would know.
http://patriciajohnsromance.com/2013/05/27/canadian-politeness/

There were more, but I wasn't here, so I'm playing catch up. I'll post about my adventures this coming week.

God bless.

Endless Possibilities series...

The first two books are available:

Wherever ebooks are sold.

Unexpected Possibilities, the third book, is turned in to the publisher.

The Silver Locket Sisterhood series...

The first two books are out:

Wherever ebooks are sold.

Saving Lisa will be available in December.

Wordless