Just Because: ROW80

Seriously, I want to be on this elusive committee of masterminds who come up with special calendar days. Yesterday, for instance, was National Dog Day. I missed it, but here's a picture of my pups as a belated celebration.

For even more fun, today is Just Because Day. And just because I shared a picture of my dumans--my aunt calls her pups dumans since they are part dog and part human to her--it only makes sense to share a picture of my girls from the first day of school.

Did you have a Just Because moment today? If so, you were celebrating without knowing it.

Wednesdays are also my check in days for A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80). I have been a non-social author these days, and I'm sorry. I did catch up on my sponsor posts, but that's about it. I miss everyone, and I will be reconnecting. Summer kicked my butt and left me with a to-do list a mile (maybe two) long.

That being said, I did finish a huge edit. 

Oh, and some blog news... on Monday, September 1, I'll be announcing an interview lineup of lovely ladies I met at this year's UtopYA conference. I can't wait to share these amazing bloggers and authors with all of you. So far, and I have a few more to ask, I have eleven signed up and ready to go. Eep! 

The Write Stuff by Tiffany King Release Day Blitz

For your viewing pleasure this Monday morning...

The Write Stuff

TIFFANY KING

Available August 25, 2014

Synopsis: 

Twenty-two-year-old historical romance writer Nicole Blake, or N.S. Blake to her readers, hasn't taken an official poll, mind you, but she is convinced she may be the only romance author on the planet who is still a card-carrying member of the virgin club.

Not that she hasn't tried to end her membership. Life just keeps finding pesky ways to interfere. With no prospects on the horizon, Nicole begins to feel like the closest she will ever get to experiencing a man is within her own stories.

Opportunity presents itself in the form of hot-as-sin-on-a-lollipop-stick bartender/premed student Alec Petropoulos, who agrees to be the cover model for her upcoming book. Sparks fly instantly between them, and Nicole begins to entertain the possibility that she's finally found the right guy to hand over her tattered V-card. Alec has all the makings for a perfect one-night-stand candidate except, much to Nicole's surprise, he seems to be the only man in existence not interested in bagging a virgin.

Stuck between a rock and a stubborn male, what's a virgin to do? Seduce him, of course. How hard could it be? If it works for the characters in her stories, why wouldn't it work for her?

After all, what happens under the cover…stays under the cover.

Buy Links

Amazon

iBooks

Barnes & Noble

About Tiffany King

USA Today Bestselling author Tiffany King is a lifelong reading fanatic who is now living her dream as a writer, weaving Young Adult and New Adult romance tales for others to enjoy. She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iPhone and iPad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, zombies and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.

For information on any of Author Tiffany's titles, visit her blog.

Where to connect with Author Tiffany
Twitter- @AuthorTiffany
Facebook- AuthorTiffanyKing
Pinterest- Tiffany King
Blog- authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com
Goodreads- Tiffany King
Email- authortiffany@yahoo.com

"Dreams do come true...Dream big."

Moving & Shaking: ROW80

Last night, my husband wakes me up. I could hear the panic in his voice. "Earthquake," he said. He went to check on the girls, as did I. It was eerie; I felt like I had sea legs. Our girls slept through it, but our puppies completely freaked out. 

Hubby took the dogs into the backyard and saw three foot waves bouncing off our pool. Inside, I could hear our wine glasses clanging together. Then, it was over. Still, scary. 

This morning we found out it was a 6.0 earthquake, and the center was about 40 miles north of us. More than anything, I felt a mom's panic of wanting to keep my kids safe. Whew. Glad that's over.

I went MIA last week and haven't posted here since last Tuesday. Sorry. It was the last week of school and my sister and family were in town. Tomorrow, my kids go back to school, and I start kicking to-do butt!

We spent Tuesday exploring San Francisco. Truly, it's such a beautiful town, and such great exercise walking those hills. My brother-in-law wasn't love pushing a stroller that day, that's for sure! 

On Friday, we spent all day in Santa Cruz, CA. Recognize it? It's the setting for Lost Boys, the movie that started my paranormal interest back in the day.

A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) Update

*** insert laughter ***

Yeah, I'm SO behind. This week my biggest challenge is to write everything I need to do and prioritize it. First on the list is finishing my novella (still set for a 9/15 rough draft completion date) and finishing my current edit to prepare for a 8/28 proofread.

Plus, I'm woefully behind on sponsor posts. I'll be catching up on ROW80 blog love today. If you see me on Facebook or Twitter in the next day or two, please remind me I'm too busy for that nonsense!!

42 Hours by Bethany Lopez Release Day

We're celebrating the release of 42 Hours by Author Bethany Lopez! If you haven't heard of this great series, here's a glimpse to see what you've been missing! 

Title: 42 Hours (Time for Love #3)

Author: Bethany Lopez

Age Group: NA/Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Goodreads

Amazon US | Amazon UK | iTunes | Smashwords | Amazon Paperback

Blurb: 

Eight years ago, Scott and Gaby shared one very special night. Not wanting to ruin their friendship, they didn't take things further...but neither of them has forgotten.

When Scott’s friends stage an intervention to make him realize that his fiancé, Victoria, is all wrong for him, he takes time to evaluate his life. He’s earned a big promotion and just bought his dream car, but those things are just superficial. The one time he was truly happy, was with Gaby.

Gaby is in a good place in her life. She loves her job, has the best friends and family a girl could ask for, and is dating a sweet and sexy guy, but she’s never stopped thinking about that night with Scott.

Eager to find happiness again, Scott makes a plan to win Gaby’s heart during a weekend getaway, but she doesn’t want to be his rebound girl. Will 42 hours be enough to convince Gaby that it's finally their time for love?

Don't forget to check out the first two books in the series!

Title: 8 Weeks (Time for Love #1)

Author: Bethany Lopez

Age Group: NA/Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Goodreads

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes

Title: 21 Days (Time for Love #2)

Author: Bethany Lopez

Age Group: NA/Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Goodreads

Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | iTunes

Giveaway:

A signed Trust in Me tote, a Whiskey Heat T-shirt (LG), and Whiskey Heat coozie

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bethany-Lopez/214630865247702

GR:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5021061.Bethany_Lopez

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bethany-Lopez/e/B0056NCP1S/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BethanyLopez2

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/bethanylopez2/

Blog: http://bethanylopez.blogspot.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Rcmrn

Bad Poetry Day

In the spirit of honoring all the made up holidays and special days in any given year, I am going to write a poem.

My mom is a published poet, as is my cousin, Marty Silverthorne. As much as I love to write, I am not drawn to writing poetry. It takes a special gift.

Good thing today is Bad Poetry Day.

Which means it's time for poets like me to shine. Yeah, baby!

Ode to Social Media

When I feel like giving up

When the words won't come

There's a friendly bunch on Facebook

When I can't find inspiration

When I don't know which way to turn

There's a friendly bunch on Twitter

When a day is leaning toward the sad

When there's not a friend around

There's friendly comments on my blog

When time is crunched

When deadlines are looming

Pics of hot half-dressed guys light up Facebook

When I should be writing

When I should be reading

The coolest people have something to say on Twitter

On other days, whether good or bad

There's always someone willing to share

On all of Social Media

I can't walk away

Too many friends there now

But it's like chocolate

I need to learn my limits

Feel free to take up the bad poetry challenge and share a stanza in the comments. Really, isn't the point to try and use words to express our feelings? 

Is there even such a thing as bad poetry if it's honest and real?

RIP Robin Williams: ROW80 Update

I was out of town the last two days attending my dear friend's mother's memorial service. 

Already in a somber mood and reflecting on my blessings, I was shocked and saddened to hear about the loss of Robin Williams.

Source

First, my heart went out to him for his struggle with depression. Although it's easy for outsiders to see what he had to live for, we can't possibly understand what his inner struggles were like. Mental illness is cruel and it doesn't play by the rules.

Celebrity deaths often feel surreal. When I hear about them, I feel bad. But few have affected me as much as hearing about Robin Williams. I loved him first in Mork & Mindy and then later in countless movies, including Dead Poet's Society, Good Morning Vietnam, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji (one my kids recently discovered and love), Awakenings, Aladdin, Good Will Hunting. Just to name a few.

Story after story on the Internet heralded his charitable nature and the happiness he brought to others. My thoughts go out to his family and friends. Rest in peace, Robin Williams.

What was your favorite of his movies?

Mine was probably Good Morning Vietnam.

*****

A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) Update

Not much from me since Sunday with travel and a memorial service. I did get some work done on editing and blog preparation at the airport and on the plane ride. 

Next week is the last week of summer and my baby sister, her husband, and their two kids will be visiting. Guess I'll be getting up early and staying up late to squeeze in everything I want to get done!

Daughter Day

Today is Son and Daughter Day. Or, in my world, Daughter Day!

I have three incredible daughters and am the oldest of three girls, so I pretty much think daughters rock. My girls are all kinds of different, which I love. They challenge me and make me appreciate the world in a whole new way. I'm thankful as a mom and a writer.

I hope everyone can take a moment today to appreciate the loved ones in their life. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, a fact all too real to me today as I head to a friend's mom's memorial service. Try and take advantage of every opportunity to tell someone you love them.

Jackie, Reagan & Maddie -- I am blessed to be your mom. I love you with every fiber of my being.

Aside: How cool that my daughter wears her UtopYA shirt everywhere!

Character Emails: ROW80

Inspiration often hits me at the most inopportune times. 

Never wanting to lose inspiration, I have a new method for capturing thoughts about my characters (particularly when these moments happen while I'm not anywhere near my laptop).

It's simple, really. My characters send me an email with their wishes. I can't tell you how many times Reagan, the MC in the Tala Prophecy series, sends me an email about a particular scene or things she's worried about. 

To non-writers, this might sound a bit kooky. However, I must admit I love opening my laptop and being inspired by characters' thoughts in my inbox.

Do you ever have an email from one of your characters?

Aside: If I'm driving, my daughters will type up the emails from the characters. God love my dear girls, because they've never questioned this exercise. Now, if only I could teach my pups to help as well.

*****

A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) Update

My plan is still to have a rough draft completed of Chasing Forgiveness, a Tala Prophecy novella, by September 15th. However, life has thrown me a curveball. A dear friend of mine in Colorado just lost her mother after a twelve-year battle with Leukemia. I am heading to Denver to be with my friend and celebrate her mother's life (not back until late Tuesday). 

I will use the plane time to get started on the novella and do some editing work. Otherwise, I'm offline and there for my friend.

Wishing everyone a productive week and beautiful moments with people they cherish.

Witch Hunter Olivia by TA Kunz Promo Blitz

Here's what New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors are saying about Witch Hunter Olivia by T.A. Kunz:

 "Witch hunters and sexy tattoo artists? This New Adult Paranormal is EVERYTHING fans of romance and action are looking for."

- #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout

"A fun, action-packed, enjoyable read!"
- New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack

"The perfect blend of New Adult and Paranormal. It's absolutely fantastic!" - New York Times bestselling author Nichole Chase

~ ~ ~

Reviewers are calling Witch Hunter Olivia "amazing, fun, well-written, and entertaining." You don't want to miss the hottest New Adult paranormal romance of the summer!

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the town of Piedmont Pointe, where paranormal is the norm, a girl can easily get herself in over her head with a single wrong move. Unfortunately for Olivia Adams, she's about to make several.

Starting over is never easy, but it seemed like the only option to Olivia. The decision to turn her back on the Guild of Witch Hunters, the very group she devoted her entire life to, was one of the hardest things she ever did. It meant leaving her family, her friends, and her old identity behind forever. Coming to terms with what caused her to abandon her duties in the first place was even harder.

While trying to lay low and stay off the Guild's radar, Olivia finds herself thrust back into her old ways after unknowingly interrupting an assassination hit on a powerful witch. What follows is the last thing she ever thought she'd agree to do--protect the very thing she was groomed to hunt.

To complicate things even further, Olivia begins to develop feelings for a tattoo artist who also happens to be half warlock, and no matter how hard she tries to fight it, she can't resist her inescapable draw to him. 

Olivia's forbidden relationship isn't her only issue though, because once the mystery behind the assassination 
attempt starts to unravel, she's forced to choose sides when the loyalties still tied to her past life are tested again.

So much for the idea of a fresh start.

BUY THE BOOK NOW

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon AUS ~ B&N ~ iBooks ~ Kobo  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Author T.A. Kunz has always had a fondness for reading thrilling mysteries and action-packed urban fantasies. So, it was no surprise when T.A. decided to write stories that they’d fall into one of those two genres. T.A. lives in Central Florida with two fur babies and a mechanical engineer who also happens to be quite the culinary badass, which there are no complaints about. Being a self-diagnosed caffeine addict, many joke that T.A.’s addiction to Starbucks coffee will likely be their downfall later in life.

STALK THE AUTHOR Website ~ Twitter

Squirrel Syndrome: #IWSG & #ROW80

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (or IWSG) is a wonderful group put together by the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh (which now has an equally cool Facebook group). 

The first Wednesday of each month is the perfect opportunity to share my insecurities on the #IWSG therapy couch, get encouragement and support about such insecurities, and to read how other writers are faring. 

In the summer, I have a severe case of squirrel syndrome. I have it all the time, but it's so much worse this time of year (holidays rank a close second).

This is me...

So many things bombard my brain. I'm getting better at avoiding the major distractions to productivity--social media, Twitter, FB, phone dinging--but that leaves me with a to do list a mile long. Then, there's the added craziness of a summer with all three kids at home and visitors. I love company, but it does make balancing it all that much harder.

Then, a new phenomenon for me. I have WAY too many characters and stories in my head right now. I am so not complaining, because one of my biggest fears as a writer is having writer's block. However, I'm worried I'll either lose passion for my current trilogy characters/story or miss out on some new characters/ story. Or, worse, I sit down to a blank page and get overwhelmed by voices and end up paralyzed. 

Any suggestions? 

Can't wait to see how others are doing!

*****

Wednesdays are also A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) check-ins.

I'm sinking a bit with productivity. I've let the to do list get too long, and I'm overwhelmed. Still, I did meet with my anthology group and received some great feedback on my story. I'm going to finish up some rewrites this week.

In addition, I am working on a final edit of a NA Contemporary novel and have set a deadline for finishing the Chasing Forgiveness rough draft (9/15).

Now, to keep the Squirrel Syndrome at bay until I can get some things done. 

Making Memories & Resolutions

I've been a bit MIA. One of my girlfriends came for a visit and then we joined two other friends in Napa for my birthday. Now, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things.

Now to get back to writing and enjoy the last few weeks of summer with my girls! Speaking of them, we headed into San Francisco last week. Life really is all about the memories. I truly believe living is what makes us better writers.

Today, my (unofficial) UtopYA 2015 Resolutions are featured over at The Paisley Reader here. Please take a look. It's a great series, so be sure and check out some of the other featured attendees while you are there.

I'm off to get some work done. Hope everyone is doing well and making memories!

Dreaming: ROW80

Source

Last week I finished my part of the anthology and shared it with my fellow writers. 

I'm so excited to see where the story goes; it's certainly in the hands of some awesome ladies. So excited, in fact, that I dreamed last night that all five of us met with an undercover agent to discuss certain scientific theories relative to our story. I'd tell you more, but we were sworn to secrecy.

Then, in a very UTopYA move, we all sang Karaoke while decked out in Las Vegas worthy outfits. 

I'm thinking it's a sign of great things to come.

In other ROW80 update news--if you don't know about A Round of Words in 80 Days, check it out here--I'm now going to dive into writing the novella for my Tala Prophecy series. Funny, I wrote almost 20k in two weeks when people gave me a deadline. Maybe that's it... could someone please leave a mid-August deadline in the comments below? I'd say I'm kidding, but it just might work.

Today, I in Napa with some girlfriends (left Friday) and tomorrow is my birthday! I'll be back to all things writerly on Tuesday, and I plan to kick it into high gear.

Wishing everyone a productive week.

Incarcerated by Inger Iversen Cover Reveal & Giveaway

Incarcerated

Love and War Standalone

By- Inger Iversen 

Genre- Adult Contemporary Romance

Expected Publication Date- TBA

One of the few white kids in a rural Kentucky town, Logan Whyte always kept to his own kind out of self-preservation. He never considered himself racist, but that didn’t stop him from falling in with the wrong crowd that celebrated hate as much as he fought it - or from ending up in prison for eight years on an armed robbery charge.

A successful and educated black woman, Katie Andreassen is tired of being accused of betraying her own race. Her lonely isolation, coupled with her grief over losing her mother, inspire her to create a new pen pal program at Capshaw State Penitentiary, where her father is a warden.

The program brings together the unlikely pair, but Logan and Katie soon find themselves forced to overcome past fears and prejudices. Their friendship doesn’t come easily - threatened by a crooked lawyer with a grudge and a best friend who betrays her promise to help.

When faced with a world that forces them apart, Logan and Katie must show everyone else what they have discovered: that love is, in fact, colorblind.