Friday, August 30, 2013

A pop to a world of secret magic


My good blogfriend, CD Coffelt's book, Wilder Mage, comes out today! Yay, yay, yay!

Had to help her CELEBRATE! I'm in the middle of reading my ARC of it and her magical prose blissfully immerses me into this world where two crazy, mixed up kids are both fearful of having their magic found out and their worlds shattered.

Wilder Mage
CD Coffelt, Huntress


And here's a little about the author:

CD Coffelt lives outside Maryville, Missouri with a bemused husband and way too many cats. She adores all things fantasy with a special love for urban and epic. With a passion for good writing and Doritos as companions, locating Middle-Earth on a dusty road in rural Missouri wasn’t difficult. All it took was a little Magic, hours of reading, and an overactive imagination.



Other things I'm celebrating this fine Friday:
  • making it through my second week of my teaching assignment. I'm so tired!
  • boys doing well in football!
  • getting some editing done on Simulation. More like backfill at this point. I have to go back and explain everything using the characters' voices, that's all.
Here's my teaser, mock cover



Come celebrate every Friday with Vikki!

What are you reading? Anything fun going on this Labor Day weekend? Keep it safe!

Monday, August 26, 2013

Popsy Daisy!

Today's stop on the extended Pop Travel Blog Tour is at the infamous paranormal romance writer, Christine Rains' blog. I am very excited to sneak into her busy schedule. I've been flying through her 13th Floor novella series (I finished 2 when I went on vacation) and that's saying a lot! I'm such a slow reader and have so many nagging priorities... So, heck yeah I recommend you picking them up! And I'm honored to help with her cover reveal on Sept 13th - she has put them all under a single cover. Action, adventure, and amore in each story!

But not only that, Christine is hosting a steamy blogfest, Sept 9-15, More Than Just a Kiss. You'll see the details at her site when you stop by to read about my Futuristic Lazy Housewife gadgets!

Only a week left for the August giveaway. Can't believe it's almost September and Fall - didn't we just celebrate the new year?

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Friday, August 23, 2013

I'm exhausted, but I'm celebrating anyway

Happy Friday!

The good news is, I'm teaching. The bad news is, I have no time (or energy) left to blog, write, read, etc - i.e. no ME time! I've been swamped! It's not permanent, and I'm hoping things will settle down, now that the first week of school is over, but I want to apologize for not getting around very much this week.

Courtesy Vikki's weekly hop...

  • I celebrate teaching a great group of kids, hopeful to reach through and get them to learn a little math!
  • I celebrate my beautiful friend, Patty, for bringing Pop Travel on vacation with her and taking pictures of it - I've been showing them off at Facebook, here are a few...



  • I celebrate my awesome dad for taking Pop Travel to work and getting his co-workers to pose, reading Pop Travel. Here he is...

So, I'm tired, but I'm happy!
And I am setting some time aside this weekend to visit my blog friends. I miss you guys!

Monday, August 19, 2013

POPulation

My sweet friend, Elizabeth Arroyo is doing me the solid of hosting me at her place today as part of my Pop Travel blog tour. My post is about city life, the present and the future - and the outlook is bleak, unless we make some real changes. I am always reading about Elizabeth's contributions of time and talents to Chicago's less fortunate. Today, I recognize her efforts and hope to shed some light on a growing problem.

I also want to shout about her second release!
THE SECOND SHADOW, sequel to THE SECOND SIGN - The heart-wrenching saga of a demon torn between good and evil and the girl that's confusing him. Both are forced to make decisions that could cost their souls. The cover reveal is Aug 22 (can't wait to show you!), and it's set to release Sept 5!

Way to go Elizabeth! Happy Monday, everyone!

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Friday, August 16, 2013

Dinosaur Poop Pop!

I love to celebrate with Vikki on Fridays!
This week I'm trying out a new way to celebrate with...

an Author Exchange Program!

To help promote authors outside the regular circle of bloggers, I'm having a guest author here while I go visit there. This way we reach more people!

Today, I'm exchanging with Curiosity Quills author, Michael Panush! Here he is!

Hi, I'm Michael Panush -- the author of Dinosaur Dust. I really hope you guys check out my 1930s Lost World adventure, Dinosaur Dust.  It's got Nazis, it's got dinosaurs, it's got Golden Age Hollywood -- but if you need more convincing, here are seven reasons why you should check out Dinosaur Dust
  1. The Setting: Dinosaur Dust is the sequel to Dinosaur Jazz and they both take place on Acheron Island -- a prehistoric Lost World discovered by British explorers in the Late Victorian Age. Acheron Island is a place of mystery, with an unknown origin, strange ruins with odd powers and countless prehistoric inhabitants. There are all sorts of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures as well as the native Ape Men -- a pre-human race that has been subjugated by the British Empire. It's a place where I would like to visit, though maybe not stay too long for fear of being eaten by the dinosaurs.
  2. The Times: Dinosaur Jazz showed what Acheron Island in the Twenties was like. With Dinosaur Dust, it's the 1930s and the book features everything fascinating about that era. The grips of the Great Depression, with WWII on the way. Characters are desperate for money and eager to dip into crime and corruption. Forces like the Third Reich and Imperial Japan are also arriving on Acheron Island. Finally, the displeasure at the unfair treatment of workers has spawned a communist movement amongst the Ape Men, back by Soviet Russia's Cominterm, and that leads to some tragic consequences. It's all based on history, but shown in a unique and different way that I hope will lead to some cool stories.
  3. The Characters
    • Norris Hall is a tough former marine, a veteran of Haiti and Nicaragua from a family of Oklahoma Panhandle bootleggers who now makes his living as a bank robber and an enforcer for the Kansas City mob. Hall was fascinating to write because he's brutal, crude, and relies on violence to assert control of a situation. And yet, he has the possibility to become something better. 
    • Nathan Whipple is a young pulp writer who has a naive belief in the goodness of the world. 
    • Wallace Cai, a Chinese immigrant, has arrived in Acheron Island to create his own brand of martial arts from watching the dinosaurs.
    • and May Ito, the daughter of the general commanding the Japanese troops at Acheron's Japanese Embassy.
  4. Redemption: I mentioned that Hall is a brutal character. He's a firm believer that only the strong survive. When the novel starts, he's busting out of prison with the warden's prized guard raptors on his trail. Hall destroys them and goes back to his former ways. But while the novel opens with Hall killing some dinosaurs, his time on Acheron Island gives him a chance to turn away from violence, to move away from the trauma of his past and to become something better -- while saving the world and dealing with dinosaurs, of course.
  5. Dinosaurs: On Acheron Island dinosaurs roam free and that has changed the world. Dinosaur leather is used to make hatbands, dinosaurs run race tracks, dino-themed restaurants pack Los Angeles -- along with an underground dinosaur-fighting ring run by corrupt LAPD cops -- and some dinosaurs have even become pampered pets. But my favorite dinosaur invention is #6.
  6. Movie Star Dinosaurs: Why is Hall sent to Acheron Island? He's after Rusty the Raptor, a pampered movie star dinosaur from Hollywood who was mysteriously kidnapped. Old Hollywood has its own kind of intrigue, glamour, and corruption and I loved exploring that through the lens of dino actors.
  7. Pulp: Dinosaur Dust is a work of modern pulp, stories that came out in magazines printed on rough pulp paper in the 1920s and 30s, featuring stories of action, crime, mystery and Lost Worlds. H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard wrote these pulp stories and they created characters and stories that have been retold countless times. I love these pulp stories -- but I recognize that they have a lot of dated, racist and imperialist ideals. Dinosaur Dust is an attempt to create a pulp story with a modern sensibility, to take some of those pulp ideas and contrast them with the injustices of history. It's part two in a series that will include installments set in WWII, the Nixon Era 1970s, the cocaine-fueled 80s and the modern age -- showing the effect of history on a Lost World. I do hope you stick around and check out this thoroughly modern pulp adventure.
Michael certainly taught me a few interesting facts! Sounds like a great mix of intrigue, history, and adventure! So glad to have him! Definitely a unique series! Now, here's a little about the author...

At twenty-three, Michael Panush has distinguished himself as one of Sacramento’s most promising young writers. Michael has published numerous short stories in a variety of e-zines. He began telling stories when he was only nine years old. Before graduating high school, Michael won several writing awards and wrote his first novel, Clark Reeper Tales.

Here's a blurb about the second book in Michael's incredible, imaginative adventure series, the Jurassic Club, packed with action, gangsters, raptor movie stars, Nazi agents, loyal triceratops pets, and much more! Dinosaur Dust!

Acheron Island is a land lost to time — a Lost World packed with prehistoric creatures, mysterious ruins, and a race of primitive humans called the Ape Men. In Dinasour Dust, the second book of the series, Acheron Island experiences the tumult of the Twentieth Century, as a prehistoric world is dragged into modernity. Times have changed  and the decadence of the Jazz Age has given way to the desperation of the Depression, as war looms over the horizon.

In a chaotic turn of events, on the other side of the globe, Nathan Whipple, a former tourist on Acheron Island turned aspiring pulp novelist and Norris Hall, an ex-Marine, mob enforcer and bank robber, along with the daughter of a Japanese general and a young Chinese immigrant, become the only hope for Acheron – and for the world.

Dinosaur Dust is available on Amazon

And if you have time, you can visit me at Michael's blog talking about seven things that make Pop Travel POP! Happy Friday!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Poppin' Mad!

Mad crazy, not mad angry =P

I made this guy
for the occasion!
I'm crazy excited about today's Pop Travel post over at Father Dragon's lair! It's one of my favorites, with minions and everything (bee-doo, bee-doo). And his birthday was yesterday, so make sure and wish him well.

I also want to thank everybody for the great patience comments on IWSG day - funny, helpful, and hopeful! I'm glad I can refer to them whenever I'm in a snit of panic! (similar to a din of harriedness) But I digress...

Today is also the day for Gary aka Klahanie's anti-Blog Hop! Where we suggest titles to blog hops no one would want to join. I think Mark put him up to it! This is going to be hilarious!

Here are my silly entries:
  1. The Smarty Pants Blog Hop - talk about well-thought out things a teenager says or does... (Sarcasm and pranks don't count)
  2. Nerd Alert Blogfest! List your favorite math problems! (What? I like this one, but I'm sure not many would join me)
  3. Mediocrity Rules Blog Hop - list your top three mediocre characters (I can't seem to recall any, they're so forgettable)
I look forward to reading the other entries. Happy Monday!
And I keep forgetting to put up my August giveaway!

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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

too pooped to pop

Hi, guys.
I've been running around like crazy preparing for school to start. I know that's one reason Alex has more time to visit blogs, he doesn't have kids! They're ridiculous time eaters! But they're great fun, too. Summer has gone by quick.

Now, on to my Insecure Writer's Support Group report. Everyone is welcome! (use the link to Alex's list)

For someone with a patience problem, I sure chose a hurry up and wait profession. I would gladly knock out 1,000+ words a day, but with everything else going on, I'm lucky to write a few sentences. I want to hurry up and finish my draft. It's always calling me, wondering where I am. At least keeping busy takes my mind off the rest of the things I'm waiting for:

  • results from a book fair application
  • sales numbers - which probably won't be the greatest, but I'd still like to know!
  • responses to book signing event requests
  • reviews - these take time, I know. And I love the updates from my friends telling me which chapter they are on, so I try not to dwell on this one. Especially since I'm such a slow reader. Here's an awesome review from my friend, Huntress! And Amazon asked my friend Rhonda if she'd like to read Pop Travel!
So, good stuff is happening, I just need to enjoy it and get to things in their time. Any advice on how to be patient? My brain feels like it's going to crack from the pressure I put on it! So much I want to do!

Monday, August 5, 2013

Pop Star

That's what I will feel like when I get to take my Pop Travel tour to Alex the Great's blog today!! Very exciting! Oh, the publicity!

Alex has wonderful news of his own! The final book in his Cassa trilogy comes out soon! Here are his space war, sci fi, action adventure books...



CASSASTAR
Does talented Byron have what
it takes to pilot a Cosbolt fighter
and win the fight of his life?



With Byron's fighter pilot days
behind him, can he handle the new
challenges of an alien invasion, 
and worse,
training a woman!?


CASSASTORM (release date: 9/17/13!)
The final episode of Byron's exciting life
culminates in protecting not only the 
civil warring galaxy, but his son, who seems
to have a twisted connection to
the brewing invasion of the aliens
who won't give up!



I made this for Alex when we dedicated a whole blog hop to the Ninja Master. He blogs like a dog! - faithful and true, always there for you! 

A perfect example of his generosity and kindness is the Insecure Writers Support Group - where he brings bloggers together to encourage each other the first Wednesday of each month. (The next meeting is coming up this Wed!)

I am very honored he offered to be a part of my Pop Travel extended blog tour. Thanks, Alex!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Pop, pop and away!

Winners! Winners! Winners!
For the July Pop Travel Giveaway:
Milo James Fowler won $25 Amazon GC
Donna B. McNicol won a copy of Pop Travel
Brooke R. Busse won a replica QV bracelet

Congratulations!! The August raffle starts today!

The pictures from my book launch party are here. This is my favorite!
me and my sis!
And this is me and Sherry Ellis! So excited to meet a blog friend IRL!

Since I've been slacking, I'm also going to catch up on a couple of awards.

I love this Sisterhood Award! I got it from Carole Kilgore and Sheena Graham - Sweet Sistas!

Now I just pass it on to seven more blog sisters!
  • Vikki - caring, giving sister
  • Heather G. - fun loving, dedicated sister
  • MJ - persistent, haiku sister
  • Diane - knowledgeable, sharing sister
  • Rena - smart, sci fi sister
  • Elizabeth S. - sweet, romantic sister
  • Gina Gao - little sister who could use a boost
Pass it on, if you like! I would have named many more, but you don't have all day! (Sorry, guys, I'm sure a brotherly award will turn up soon!)

Plus I was tagged by Charity, author of The Magic Wakes. So I have a few questions to answer:
  1. What are you working on right now? I am working on Simulation the next book in the Pop Travel series - I can name books easily, but the name of a Series... hmm.
  2. How does your writing process work? I come up with ideas all the time. If I can make a solid outline of scenes/events then I get out a fresh notebook and start writing a rough draft before typing it up on the computer - adding more details with each step in the process
  3. What is the hardest part about writing? Finding the time. But editing is my hardest thing - very time consuming, but I love my CPs who help me see the reader's perspective!
  4. What scares you? Rollercoasters, air travel (turbulence), and the future for my kids! What is this world coming to? Ah!

Whew! Thanks again for all the comments and support! And here's my August giveaway!

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