Welcome Back Muse

I'm late with my Monday post, but for a very good reason...

Thanks to #ROW80 writing sprints, I am in a great writing groove. I couldn't have done it without the fine cheerleaders who meet up each weekday from 2-3pm EST on Twitter. You guys rock! It seems my muse was hanging out there all along.

I can't wait to set my goals for Round 4, especially since I have big writing plans for the rest of 2013. Whoop! Oh, and I'll be a sponsor again this round, so it's a good time to feel inspired.

Plus, I am loving the kickoff to the Fall TV season. So far I've watched Blacklist, Sleepy Hollow, Once Upon a Time, and Marvel's Agent Shield. I'll share my thoughts later this week.

Oh, and I wanted to share my 1000 Likes Giveaway again.

Enter to Win

A signed paperback copy of Chasing Memories

An Algiz necklace*

Open to US/Canada residents
Contest ends at 5pm EST on Thursday, 10/3/13

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Chasing Memories

There isn’t another way; not now. The others are coming. I can’t let them have you…

Seventeen-year-old Reagan has a problem: She can’t remember what happened the night her brother was taken. Now, the dreams haunting her from the incident are becoming more intense by the day. All the while, the lines between what’s real and what’s a product of her paranormal-obsessed mind are becoming blurred.

Is she losing her mind or has she just stepped into a world she thought only existed in books?

Caught in a web of worried parents, competing boys, Wiccan relatives, protective amulets, and psychiatrist babble, Reagan must determine the truth before it’s too late.

I'll be back on Wednesday for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. See you then!

Cover Reveals of Juliana Haygert's Soul Oath & Cup of Life

I'm so thrilled to share Juliana Haygert's gorgeous covers of Soul Oath and Cup of Life today. She's amazing and always willing to give back to the writing community. Please welcome my ROW80 buddy.

Soul Oath (Everlast #2)

by Juliana Haygert

Expected pub date: Nov/25/2013

Length: ~80,000 words

Cover: Okay Creations

Summary from Goodreads
 

It’s been three months since Nadine last heard from Victor, Micah or Ceris, allowing her to concentrate on her own life. But until Victor and Micah find the scepters that will restore them as true gods, their human bodies will require her healing touch and it’s only a matter of time until they wreak havoc on her life again.

As if to prove that, Victor shows up at the hospital dragging along with him a swarm of demons. Nadine is forced to flee to safety. Despite her attempts to keep her loved ones protected, the demons find her, and they bring her to Imha, the goddess of Chaos.

Now, confronted by her greatest fear, Nadine finds a new motivation. Vengeance. And when seeking revenge, no risk is too great, including her own life.
 

**New Adult Fantasy Novel**

***

Cup of Life (Everlast, #2.5)

by Juliana Haygert

Expected pub date: Nov/25/2013

Length: ~15,000 words

Cover: Okay Creations

Summary from Goodreads

His existence would mean nothing without her.
 

 

Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Apple | Createspace

About the Author

New Adult author and contributor at NA Alley blog.

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

Author Links

    

Cover Reveal Organized by:

1000 Likes Giveaway

Back in March, I finally created an author Facebook page. Previously, I had a Depression Cookies page. To be honest, I wasn't sure I had another book in me.

Then an idea for a trilogy hit me. Book one, Chasing Memories, came out in June. Now, I'm working on books two and three. My goal is to have both out by the time I go to UTopYa next year in June. (Tickets for that event go on sale October 1, so check it out.)

Although I have played with a few other social media sites, I am most comfortable on Facebook and Twitter. My author page hovered around 300 for the longest time. Yesterday, it hit 1,000. *squeals*

To celebrate, I'm having a giveaway. Oh, and I'm using Rafflecopter for the first time. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Enter to Win

A signed paperback copy of Chasing Memories

An Algiz necklace*

Open to US/Canada residents
Contest ends at 5pm EST on Thursday, 10/3/13

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Because I am in a learning mode, what items do you most like to see in giveaways from authors? Leaving an answer in the bottom earns you an entry. ;-)

Please share this giveaway. It will make a happy author even happier.

* like the one worn by Reagan in the book

National Punctuation Day -- Showing Respect

Normally I post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But today is National Punctuation Day. As a writer and editor, I'm a fan of punctuation.

Let's take a moment to show some love to the marks honored on this fine day.

Source

. = Without it, we'd live a life of run-on sentences and no thought would ever end

, = Without it we'd never pause and we'd die from being incapable of taking a breath unless the period made it's way finally into a sentence.

; = Another air quality mark this one allows us a greater distinction than the comma (and no, its sole purpose is not to create winky faces).

: = Often underused today, it has many uses dialogue, question and answer, sentence separation, lists, and more.

. . . = From the Greek to leave out, the lovely ellipsis is often misused and misrepresented (especially with spacing). "Four score and seven years ago our fathers"

" " = Without it, we'd have no clue when the narrator or a character was speaking. And Four score and seven years ago from above would not be shown the proper respect.

? = What would our world be without questions

! = Strong emotions would be lost without it. "No," Dad screamed. It's just not the same. However, overusing ! only cheapens it.

Used with permission from Debbie Ridpath Ohi at Inkygirl.com.

Be kind to punctuation today. Show them some love!!! Oh wait, not that much love.

What punctuation mark do you find most overused?

For me, it's the comma. Some writers love them. I respect them, and try to use them properly. However, I don't love long, wordy sentences. Too many commas in one sentence equals too long a sentence, at least in my humble opinion.

Oh, and I got a little sneaky with my list of punctuation marks above. In each definition, I omitted the very punctuation mark I was defining. And, yes, I realize I'm a bit more giddy about this than some of you may be. *wink*

Banned Books Week

Earlier this month, I wrote a post about censorship: Banning is for Bullies. An excerpt:

I have read many of the above and most are considered classics. (Judy Blume may not be in the classics category for scholarly types, but she is for me!) Can you imagine life without these titles, and many more, just because some people found them offensive? Heck, I bet the vast majority of paranormal fiction would be eradicated for propagating evil.

At the end of the day, I think banning is for bullies. It's a way for people to try and force their opinion on others. And I don't like it.
 
If I had been more on top of my game, I would have known that Banned Books Week was just around the corner and saved the post for that. So please take a moment and pop over and read my thoughts.

For today, I am featuring a blog hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Book Hounds. From I Am A Reader's website:

Announcing the 3rd Annual Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

Hosted by BookHounds & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

September 22nd to September 28th

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.

Each blog on the hop is featuring a giveaway, so please check out the link here.

Also included on I Am A Reader's blog was a link to the top 10 challenged books for each year of the past decade: Frequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century. Some of them I found simply confounding. For example, in 2012, Captain Underpants was listed. Really!

Which book in the last two years did you find most surprising?

Hope everyone is having an amazing Monday!

Giveaways Galore: A One-Stop Shop

It's Friday, and what better way to celebrate than to share some great giveaways.

My Crazy Corner featured me on Wednesday as part of the 2013 YA Blogfest. My Post, Power to the Females, was all about strong female characters. An excerpt:

Lately, I see a generation of women who are only getting stronger and savvier. That's not to say they don't struggle with indecision and tough choices, but they seem to be tackling them with a stronger sense of self than even a generation ago. What I do not want is a book with a main female character who whines all the time, can't make her own decisions, and has no self-confidence.

Check out the article to read more. In addition, I offered a paperback copy of Chasing Memories as a giveaway. I've included the Rafflecopter here. Take a moment and enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Simply Sensational Book Fanatics is hosting a huge giveaway to celebrate 2 years in the blogging world. Win 85 eBooks and other swag. Click here to enter. Contest ends 9/30/13. And, yes, an eBook copy of Chasing Memories is part of the winnings.

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Indie Books Gone Wild is an amazing resource for indie writers, featuring many publishing services including formatting, proofreading, and editing. (Note: I am an editor for IBGW.)

Right now, you can enter to win a paperback of Sixty Days of Grace by Dorothy Ruppert. A snippet from the book's summary: In today's world, women desperately struggle to meet the unrealistic expectations of others and of themselves. Society tells women they can do it all, and yet they instinctively know they do not have the resources to accomplish all the demands placed upon them. Drawing on their own strength is not enough; in order to survive, women must draw on God.

Check out IBGW and enter to win here.

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And just in case you've missed it... September is Indie-Credible month. Until 9/30/13, you can enter to win an eReader of choice with the balance going on a gift card. Check out my interview at BookKraze. After enjoying that, you can watch an Indie video (you don't want to let my dancing debut go unnoticed) and enter the giveaway.

Oh, and you can still catch some amazing Indie features through the rest of the month. The schedule can also be found on the BookKraze post.

*****

Now that's how I like to end a week... giveaways galore. Hope everyone has an amazing weekend!

Being Passed is Not Failure: ROW80

Yesterday was a gorgeous day here in Northern California. A perfect run day--nice breeze, about 70 degrees, sun shining. Exercise is a stress-reliever, and it frees my creative mind. So I set out for my five miles.

Three people passed me. It frustrated me, so I ran faster. Struggling to keep up, I never considered that I didn't have to go faster just because somebody else was. Had I counted the people I had passed? Did I look down to see how my pace stood up against my goal?

No.

I only noticed those that passed me. And I ran faster than I should have gone, and I ended up feeling defeated.

I didn't make note that I ran one mile much faster than I normally would. (Success)

I didn't notice the people I passed. (Success)

I didn't give myself credit for running five miles. (Success)

Instead, I came home feeling like a failure. As I was kicking myself, realization slowly dawned.

My success should be based on my goals and abilities, not others.

I feel the need to say that last sentence over and over again.

The same is true of my writing. I bemoaned my failures for most of Round 3.of A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80). Yet I had a successful blog tour with many wonderful reviews, sales for Chasing Memories have surpassed my first book in the same timeframe, I wrote about 15 guest post blogs this month, I increased my Facebook page likes from the 300 range to almost 900, I edited a wonderful book, and so on.

Confession: I had to sit here and really think about my successes for the round, but I could have rattled off what I didn't get done without hesitation.

There will always be someone who writes more books, sells more books, writes more words per day, runs faster, has kids who appear more well behaved, has the perfect husband (okay, that might be pushing it).

For Round 4, and beyond, I am going to set goals that will make me feel successful and stop comparing myself to everyone else. Because for all I know, the author who is sitting at number three on the New York Times bestsellers list is bemoaning the two people ahead of him/her.

How do you stay focused on your goals and achievements and stop comparing yourself to others?