September 3, 2013

Indie-Credible Event, Video & Giveaway

I don't usually post on Tuesdays, but I had to make an exception to spread the word about the Indie-Credible event happening all month long.

Plus, there's an amazing giveaway and a video of several indie authors pumping up the volume (yes, I'm in it and I'm dancing -- eek!). Both can be found at the bottom of this post.

Please support indies this month by visiting these blogs and showing some love.

I will be featured on Book Kraze on Monday, September 9!


Sunday, September 1, 2013
 
 Helen Boswell – Laura @ Little Read Riding Hood

Monday, September 2, 2013

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Friday, September 6, 2013

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Teresa Lynn Tolles - Lori @ Contagious Reads
Alyssa Rose Ivy - Jackie @ No Bent Spines
Cindy M. Hogan - Chelsea @ Book Blogger Paradise
Jenni Moen - Dani Sanchez @ Just Booked
Michelle Madow - Becca @ BS Book Reviewers

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Monday, September 9, 2013

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Friday, September 13, 2013

Tiffany King - Gabbie @ Rampant Readers
Andris Bear - Mickey @ I’m a Book Shark 
Devyn Dawson - Megan Curd @ Megan Curd
Nicole R. Taylor - Reanna @ Phantasmic Reads

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Monday, September 16, 2013

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Wednesday, September 18, 2012

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Raine Thomas – Annmarie @ Fandom Fanatic
Erin Keyser Horn – Emmalee @ Little Read Riding Hood
Belle Whittington – Nicola Horner @ Endless Reading

Friday, September 20, 2013

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Rebecca Ethington – Jaz @ Fiction in Fiction in Fiction
Kimberly Stedronsky – Cremona @ Mythical Books
HJ Bellus – Lisa @ A Life Bound By Books
Bethany Lopez – Tyhada Reads @ Tyhada Reads

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Renee Carlino – Yvette Cervera @ Nose Stuck In A Book
Kristi Strong – Stacey @ Illustrious Illusions
Heather Hildenbrand  – Christyn @ The Book Cafe
Bonnie Paulson – Zee Hayat @ Zee Books Blog

Monday, September 23, 2013

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Friday, September 27, 2013

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013


Oh, and Karen Hooper, author of Tangled Tides and Grasping at Eternity, made an awesome Indie-Credible video. Check it out...


And last but not least...

The Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Posted by Tia Bach at 7:30 AM 1 comments
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September 2, 2013

Finding Focus & A Book Trailer Reveal

Now that school has started again, I am determined to create a schedule. Two things need to happen first, or my day will make sure they don't happen at all: exercise and writing.

Exercise is a stress-reliever for me which means it frees my brain to focus on my writing, so it has to come first. My goal for the upcoming week is to make the following schedule a routine...

6am -- Check emails/Facebook and prioritize afternoon needs
7:45am -- Drop off my older two daughters to school
8:45am -- Drop off my baby to school (1 mile walk there)
9-10:30am -- Exercise
(run from school or straight to gym -- haven't joined one yet, but it's on my to do list)
11am-12:30pm -- Write/Research

After that, I will do social media and catch up on assignments/editing projects. I need to make this a routine in my life, so that is why I'm making it my A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) goal for the next two weeks.

I think my biggest stumbling block will be walking away from social media (and emails - GASP!) until after lunch. Wish me luck!!
 
This weekend I worked on storyline for Chasing Memories Book 2. Finally, we took the girls to see San Francisco/ Fisherman's Wharf. During the train ride, I filled four notebook pages with storyline ideas with help from the kids.

Also, my 8th grade daughter is quite the whiz with the computer (and is taking a year-long computer projects course this year). She asked if she could take a stab at a book trailer for Chasing Memories. Her first attempt was to make one very personal to me, but I had to share it.

Without further ado, the Chasing Memories Bach Family Style book trailer...


What do you think?
Posted by Tia Bach at 7:54 PM 3 comments
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August 30, 2013

Bat Out of Hell & Other Phrases

As I was doing research the other day, a phrase caught my eye... like a bat out of hell. It made me wonder about the origin of phrases I use.

Bat Out of Hell
(from Urban Dictionary)
to flee recklessly fast

"Bats have been associated with witches and the occult, and therefore thought to originate in the bowels of hell, (and) they fly quickly as if in panic..."

I Don't Give Two Flying Shits
don't care at all

I had a hard time finding the saying with the flying in there, although that's the way I always heard it in the South. Although I found this definition from Uncyclopedia one of the bests: Two Shits is a measurement, standardized under the SI system of measurements, used as a yardstick to determine how much one cares.

Why two, why not just one? I would think not giving one would be expressive enough. Stumped on this one.

But as I was looking for definitions, I happened upon this great site (at least for a word nerd like me): Some Old Sayings Explained.

A few of my favorites from perusing that site (the definitions below are all from there)...

Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
making your feelings obvious

In the Middle Ages knights who fought at tournaments wore a token of their lady on their sleeves.

Through Thick & Thin
being devoted through anything

This old saying was once 'through thicket and thin wood'. It meant making your way through a dense wood and through one where trees grew more thinly.

Go To Pot
fall apart

Any farm animal that had outlived its usefulness such as a hen that no longer laid eggs would literally go to pot. It was cooked and eaten.

One more I could not find the origin of, one from my dad...

"You might want horns, but you're going to die butt-headed."

Any sayings you've always wondered about?
Posted by Tia Bach at 7:30 AM 6 comments
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August 28, 2013

Pitfalls of Research: ROW80 Update

My kids went back to school, and the first thing I wanted to do was write.

Score one for progress, especially after a lackluster summer of writing. (But plenty of living. And I truly believe the two are closely intertwined.)

To get back in the writing mode, I picked up my two research books. One about wolves, and one about the Indians from Manitou Springs in Colorado. Both hold keys to my next book's storyline.

The positive... the books had me furiously jotting down ideas.

source
The negative... distraction. For example, one book mentioned a simple phrase. The word nerd that I am, I was suddenly struck with an intense curiosity about the phrase's origin. Note: this prompted a post that will appear on Friday. The phrase: bat out of hell.

Are you the curious sort? Will research for one thing send you searching for the answer to another?

So, I didn't get done as much as I wanted, but it was the first day back to creating a schedule. The most important piece, in my mind... the excitement I felt to get back to writing.

Since ROW80 is as much about support as it is about goals, I have to mention a comment Beth Camp left on my last update post, A Day in the Life. Her comment:

Despite the intensity of the day, the poop, the rushing back and forth, the sense of being on the brink of something brand new for your girls, the beginning of the school year, all shows your love for them and commitment to family. Underlying this frenetic reality, is the pull to write. Once they begin school, flip flops aside, new shoes donned, I believe you will find uncluttered time again to write. Persevere! Organize! Schedule! Seize the moment! And celebrate that creativity that pushes you on.

Life has a funny way of putting obstacles in my writing path. Sometimes my focus needs to be elsewhere, such as family issues. But, other times, I need to Persevere! Organize! Schedule! Seize the moment! Thanks, Beth.

But I'm truly grateful for the passion to write.

Speaking of passion, Shan Jeniah Burton wrote a great ROW80 sponsor post this past week: Do I Really Have To? The Puritan Work Ethic and Writing with Passion. If you missed it, check it out. I found it inspiring.

My goal for the rest of the week... let the passion of writing take over and celebrate creativity. I'm excited. Wishing everyone a wonderful week full of their passion.
Posted by Tia Bach at 7:30 AM 7 comments
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August 26, 2013

A Day in the Life: ROW80 Update

Lately, I've seen a lot of blogs who share a day in the life of a writer. Once school gets started, I will share with you one of my writing days. I started to say typical writing days, but I need to work on creating the system that will result in those days.

Today, instead, I want to share the day in the life of a woman with three kids going to school tomorrow. The reason I share this, and those of you considering kids in the near future might want to skip to Wednesday's post, is to remind myself why I wasn't overly productive this summer (especially with a cross-country move).

Before I start, a blast from the past...


And now the day...

7:45am: Started the day at my middle daughter's new patient appointment for her allergies. When you have to start the appointment with, my daughter tends to befuddle doctors, you know it's going to go long.

9:30am: Yes, 9:30am, we finally leave the doctor's office to run home and get my other two girls. Then, we are off to the mall for some school clothes. Why the day before school? Well, as the girls tried on things this weekend (remember we moved into our new home 7/29), they realized they had grown yet again. Really, when does that stop (my oldest is 13)? Oh, and their tennis shoes no longer fit, so three new pairs of tennis shoes were needed. Funny how you don't know their feet have grown when they wear flip flops all summer.

Noon: We do have a nice lunch.

1:00pm: To Target to get school supplies for my youngest daughter who did not find out for sure what school she was assigned to until last Friday. Three stores later we finally had the 12 blasted red pens (thank you, Staples).

3:00pm: Finally get notice from CVS that all my daughter's medicines are in. Pick them up and run them to her school before they leave at 4pm.

4:00pm: Run by grocery store to replace the milk my baby daughter announces she used the rest of that morning. Can't start a school week with no milk for cereal.

5:00pm: Home to dinner. Eat quickly and then run to baby girl's school to find out her teacher.

6:00pm: *** if you are squeamish, please look away *** Collect poop samples of baby daughter for some tests thanks to our vacation and a nasty guest she might have picked up. You would think that after 13 years as a mom I would no longer dry-heave with smell. You would think wrong.

7:30pm: In an effort to make sure all my kids go to bed on time after a long summer of being vagabonds, I am sitting in a dark room with two of my kids (hubby is out of town) and writing this post.

Tomorrow, I will miss them. I'm sad to see summer end, but I'm looking forward to focusing on book 2 and finding a CA writer's group. We all need some structure, because quite frankly creativity doesn't thrive well with poop scoops, red pen traumas, and begging my children to close their eyes.

Plus, I consider days like this character study on how teen and pre-teen girls handle chaos. Today, I learned quite a lot.

How do you carve out writing/creative time on days like this?
Posted by Tia Bach at 11:51 PM 8 comments
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August 23, 2013

Geeking Out: Books Come to Life

I'm geeking out about some books-turned-movies!

In the last week alone, I've seen Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. I had read both books, so I was eagerly anticipating seeing them come to life. It helps that my 13yo daughter was as excited as I was.

A brief review of each...

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Fun. After being disappointed with The Lightening Thief (book one in this series) movie, thanks to too many changes from the book, I wasn't sure what to expect from this installment. But I really enjoyed it. It probably helped that I was further removed from reading the books so any changes weren't as obvious.

The action starts in the first frame and never lets up. Plus, there's a sweet side story with Percy and his newly found brother who is also a Cyclops.

*****

While my daughter was the one to suggest The Lightening Thief series to me, I recommended the City of Bones series to her. All you moms out there can relate... there's something cosmic about your 13yo daughter thinking anything you suggest is cool.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones


I SO wanted this to be good. I thought Lily Collins was excellent casting, but I was a little disappointed in the actor chosen for Jace. Please don't think I'm totally superficial for saying this, but he's just too skinny and not the stud I had created in my mind to represent Jace. But, I must say... he did an excellent job.

Still, I was a softie for Simon, Clary's best friend, in the book and even more so in the movie. Robert Sheehan is sexy and so expressive with his eyes. I'm still on the fence about the casting of Magnus Bane and his role in the movie. My image of him was much "bigger" and more sinister. They kind of played him like a drag queen with a soft side. 

There were a few changes from the book, but I didn't find them distracting. It was a bit scary for my daughter, especially the demon images, but overall I really liked it.

*****

But the book-turned-movie I'm most excited to see is this November's The Book Thief. However, I'm nervous. This is one of my favorite books ever, and I want to cherish this movie.

Here's the book trailer:

 
What was the last movie that had you geeking out?
Posted by Tia Bach at 7:30 AM 4 comments
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August 21, 2013

Unwanted Guest: ROW80 Update

Just to make the last week of summer fun, I picked up a little guest on my trip to the Dominican Republic--a little guest that made the last week or so very unpleasant. Now the meds to get rid of said guest are just as unpleasant.

Source
Yes, that's a picture of my unwanted, and hopefully now expelled, guest. I should have warned you because it's not pretty. Just another reason my Muse has been in hiding since our move and return from vacation. She is scheduled to return when the girls go back to school next week, and I plan to keep her quite busy.

In the meantime, my blog tour is in full swing and keeping me quite busy. A few highlights:

Let Them Read Books posted a great review. An excerpt:

I give Ms. Bach major thumbs up for keeping the story compelling and unputdownable while not actually revealing much about what happened that night in Yellowstone. And I was OK with that. Though I'm anxious to put the pieces together, I can appreciate an intense, slow-burning build-up to a larger and more meaningful revelation.

Full review can be found here.

Simply Sensational Book Fanatics hosted an interview with me and created a beautiful post with Chasing Memories-themed graphics. A sample:

Q: Who inspires you?
Women who know how to balance strength and heart.
 
Read the full interview here.
 
*****
 
I hope everyone is having a good writing week. Sorry I missed my Sunday/Monday check-in, but I did catch up on my sponsor visits, so it wasn't a complete miss.
 
Next week I will return to my original A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) goals which include posting Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; writing a least an hour a day on Book 2 of the Tala Prophecy series; and promoting Chasing Memories. I'm excited to get back on track.
Posted by Tia Bach at 7:30 AM 5 comments
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