Check Out Blood Type: Short & Sweet Saturdays

It's the weekend, the perfect time to find out about some great new reading material.

Today, I'm thrilled to share the announcement of Melissa Luznicky Garrett's newest book, Blood Type. Not only she is a wonderful writer, but she's a friend to writers and bloggers.

I received an advanced review copy of Blood Type, and my review will be up on Mom in Love with Fiction on Wednesday, September 26. But, I'll give you a hint, count the stars... ★★★★★.

Now for the good stuff...

*****

Since getting attacked by a vampire, I didn’t believe in beginnings. Only endings. Every person born to this world comes with an expiration date, but I had never considered mine. At least not until I met John.

Now the end was all I ever thought about. I woke up every morning wondering if that day would be my last. Venom pulsed in my veins and seeped into my bones, infecting all my vital organs and changing me from the inside out. Slowly killing me.

But I’d welcome death in the end, if only because the alternative was even more frightening.

Popular girl Blake Ehlert has it all: a prime spot on the cheerleading squad, a jock boyfriend who’s strong and sensitive, and the winning vote for Homecoming Queen two years in a row. But when she strikes up a conversation with loner John Kelly, her entire world starts to crumble.

John Kelly is a vampire—what’s known to his kind as a Compeller. It’s his job to recruit human Donors with a particular blood type.

And Blake is his next target.

Melissa Luznicky Garrett is an author of adult and young adult novels. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, three children, and numerous animals. Melissa is currently hard at work on her next project. Visit Melissa’s blog or connect with her on Facebook.

Blood Type is available in print through Create Space, or in print and digital through Amazon.

Stop by Melissa’s blog starting September 22^nd and enter to win a signed print copy of Blood Type. All are welcome to participate. The winner will be chosen and announced October 1^st. Also, claim your free Kindle copy of Melissa's previous YA Paranormal, The Spirit Keeper, on Amazon September 22nd through September 26th. *As always, please make sure it's marked as free before you download.*

*****

My preteen daughter read The Spirit Keeper and loved it. You can find her review here. In addition, I read and loved her novel, Turning Point. See the review here.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Family & Writing Time: ROW80 Check In

Happy Easter! I've enjoyed several days of family time, and I'm ready to focus on writing and other projects. (I shouldn't get too amped up, though, since my girls are home tomorrow.)

This past week was spring break, and we were in Arizona with my mom and dad until late Thursday night.

Bachs and Mom & Dad in Sedona, Arizona

My 11-year-old (12 next month!) daughter read my book, Depression Cookies, over break. She also read Melissa Luznicky Garrett's The Spirit Keeper. She asked if she could review both, to be like her Mom. I was touched and had such a great time helping her with her review of The Spirit Keeper here. Next up is my book. She's already told me she liked it, so I'm not too nervous.

I hope everyone was surrounded by loved ones this Easter!

My ROW80 Update

Writing: I'm shocked. I thought I'd have nothing to report with kids, vacations, holiday preparations, etc, but I did manage two hours of writing Friday and Saturday. I'm almost at two hours today as well. Some of that was blog writing, but I also worked on my WIP. *fist pump*

Editing: Back to editing tomorrow. I was on an editing vacation, although I did work on a piece that was "in production" and couldn't wait. Tomorrow I'm back to the nonfiction book I've come to love. Should be the final edit. I can't wait to see it in book form!

Blogging: Blogging from A to Z has been a fun challenge. It's my first time. In the last few days I've written my Eulogy, talked about Fantasy & Flights of Fancy, and highlighted Grammar. Tomorrow I'm tackling the Harrowing Headaches of Writing. Fun!

Social Media: SCORE! I was under two hours a day. Flip Side: I'm SO far behind on visiting ROW80 and A to Z blogs. I'll be catching up this week, gradually.

Reading: I'm reading Sara Gruen's Ape House for my book club, and I'm about 50 pages from finishing. A great read so far. I also finished Lamott's Bird by Bird.

Exercise: Lots of walking and even squeezed in a five mile run yesterday! I'm going to leave it at that (notice I didn't mention food. Come on, it was Easter!).

For more information on ROW80, please visit A Round of Words in 80 Days.

Paying It Forward

Before Depression Cookies debuted in late 2010, I was a closet writer. Very few close friends and family members knew I was writing a book, much less that I had been a writer for years (mainly a business writer).

Marketing my own book forced me out in the open. I'm so glad it did. I've found the writing community to be welcoming and always willing to share.

To give back to a community that always gives so much to me, I like to pay it forward. Many authors have been instrumental in bringing me out of my shell. Two, ironically both named Melissa, have breaking news.

* WoMen's Literary Cafe, the literary site founded by Melissa Foster, has changed its name to World Literary Cafe. It's the same great site, full of many features: Free eBook Fridays; Author, Reader and Writer Forums; Beta Readers and Critique Groups; and so much more. Check it out here.

* Turning Point is available for FREE for a limited time on Amazon. It's a wonderful Young Adult novel by Melissa Luznicky Garrett. I reviewed it on my review blog here. An excerpt: If you are intrigued by dark characters and the unexpected, you will appreciate every turn of the page. Melissa’s ability to slowly reveal layer after layer of this family’s dark secret is impressive. Never once did I guess the series of events about to occur.

Check out the efforts of these lovely Melissas.

I love to expand my writing community and find new author friends... any good suggestions on where to hang out online?

Feeding My Soul Feeds My Writing: ROW80 Check In

I wrote this post twenty minutes ago only to lose it to some young hands playing on my computer. I had a small heart attack, tried to recover it... but it was gone. Completely wiped away. This will teach me to type directly into blogger. I wanted to cry, but I decided to pick myself up and try again. Here it is, rewritten to the best of my panicked ability.

*****

Yesterday was a cleaning-writing marathon. I made a deal with my family. Work on Saturday, play on Sunday. At first, they were uninspired. But I told them I would alternate between cleaning and writing, get it done and focus on them. It worked. Everybody chipped in, divided up chores, and the house is pretty darn clean. And I wrote quite a bit to boot.

Today, I ran a 5K with my 9-year-old daughter. I love one-on-one time and proving to her she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to. After, we joined the rest of the family for a well-deserved lunch followed by a trip to a bead festival. Each girl spent $9 and walked away with a one of a kind piece of jewelry. They were thrilled. It was a lovely day. Worth every second of our manic Saturday. Feeding my soul, spending time with those I love, truly feeds my writing.

Plus, the day came with a precious story. My 6-year-old daughter was modeling her new necklace when a nice salesperson asked if she'd like to see herself. She bounced over to collect the 5x7 mirror.

Me: Please be careful, you don't want to break the mirror.
Daughter: Why?
Me: Because you'll get seven years of bad luck.
Daughter: Who said that?
Me: It's a superstition, something people just believe.
Daughter, after thinking for a second: Well, I don't believe it. You want me to try it and find out?

The nice lady behind the desk gently took the mirror away. I love my daughter's spunk, but it can sometimes be a bit embarrassing.

*****

A brief ROW80 update

Writing: Inspired. Wrote quite a bit just on Saturday. I need to polish up some edges, but in a good place. I didn't keep track of words, but I'm proud of the progress.

Blogging: Thanks to NaBloPoMo, I've blogged here daily. Yesterday, I posted a fun piece about superstitions with some help from Mom and finally posted my Henrietta Lacks review on Mom in Love with Fiction. I look forward to adding another 5 star review, Melissa Luznicky Garrett's wonderful Turning Point, on Tuesday.

Commenting on blogs: Keeping up pretty well, but I want to get around to more of my NaNo friends and do some cheerleading. Rah, Rah! Hope everyone is doing well.

Miscellaneous: Still reading, but having to put it aside for some editing projects. I love what I'm working on, so it's like reading. I'm a few pages into Stephen King's On Writing and hope to make some progress this week.

Exercise: Still no sugar. Although I must admit I wanted a lot of it when my post went missing. I resisted. Exercise is going well, including the 5K today.

All in all, a nice week. I even wrote this post twice, so that's got to say something!

Check out some great writers, and fellow A Round of Words in 80 Days participants, here.

Exciting New YA Book and Giveaway: Turning Point, Melissa Luznicky Garrett

Being part of the writing community has been a blessing in so many ways. I am learning so much, but the added benefit is finding out about new books and exciting authors. Even better, I get to pass this information along to my readers.

I am so excited to post this press release for Melissa Luznicky Garrett's young adult novel, Turning Point. I met Melissa through the online writing community, and she's been an amazing support. Her novel, Precipice, is next in my to-be-read pile.

Melissa has been kind enough to offer a free digital copy of Turning Point to one lucky reader. Please see details below.

*****

Turning Point

_______________________________________________________

Melissa Luznicky Garrett

She recalled her mother’s warning: Bad things always happen to nice girls like you.

Convinced a fresh start is all she needs to escape the problems at home, seventeen-year-old Jenna Lyons runs away in the middle of the night. But when her car breaks down on the outskirts of La Grange, Missouri, population less than a thousand, she gets sucked into the small town, and one family in particular. Jenna discovers there’s a liar in La Grange, and he’s deceived everyone. Now she must decide whether to run away from the truth, or blow his secret wide open.

“The tornado isn't the only thing that twists in this story--if you love dark characters with even darker secrets,

TURNING POINT is for you!” ~Anne Riley, author of The Clearing

“TURNING POINT is a YA thriller that will rock your socks, young or old. You should add it to your wish list immediately. I recommend it to anyone who loves stories that expose hidden secrets.” ~Tegan Allen, review on Goodreads

Published by Create Space

ISBN 1461149703 (ISBN13: 9781461149705)

Available In Print and Online:

Create Space

Amazon

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble

Watch the TURNING POINT book trailer on YouTube.

Melissa Luznicky Garrett is an author of adult and young adult novels. TURNING POINT is Melissa’s second published book. She lives with her husband and children in upstate New York, where she is currently at work on her next book. Connect with Melissa on her blog: http://www.MLGarrett.blogspot.com.

*****

Hidden secrets, twists, deception... what more could you want? A free digital copy!

For an entry into the contest, please leave your answer (and email) to the following question in the comments below: Do book trailers influence your decision to buy books?

For an extra entry, please tweet this post or post a Facebook link so we can show Melissa some love. (two extra entries if you do both) Please leave a comment below letting me know you shared.

Let the fun begin... my trusty assistant, my oldest daughter, will draw a name out of a hat on Wednesday evening, October 12. Good luck!