Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Anyone else HOT?!

Well, it's full-on summer, and you know what that means...


Hot fun in the sun! And we get to go back out and enjoy it. At least I hope you can where you are. I'm going to ignore all the nastiness in the world because I don't like to get into that here. This is a place for  encouraging each other, spreading good news, and ranting about writing ONLY. So Happy July IWSG Day!

Summer is my time to WRITE. I don't get to devote much time to writing while I'm teaching, planning, and grading papers during the school year, so I go nuts in the summer. I'm very happy that I got to finish a couple of rounds of edits on CONDUCTION, Pop Travel #4 with a super devious cliff hanger at the end. I've sent it to my go-to CP, but I could use a couple more sets of eyes, so if you're interested in BETA READING it, let me know. So excited! 

I also hope to work on the next BEAST WORLD book 4. To keep it MG, Gabe's little sister is starring in the next three books. What do you think of the title: TWINKLE STINKLE?? hahaha. Plus, I'd like to go back to my Christian YA novel - inspiration comes in spurts for that one and I really have to feel it to get back into it...

What are you working on? 
Are you staying MOTIVATED in this HEAT??

I also get to READ more in the summer -- YAY! Here are two stories I was able to finish and review lickety split when summer hit:

by M.J. Fifield

For too long, Lavinia Kelly has been going through the motions. Her family knows why, but it’s nothing she wants to discuss.

Then in strolls Llewellyn Weiss who has a few secrets of his own. Though she can’t deny the attraction, she’s determined to do just that, and it’ll take a lot more than witty banter and a flawless set of abs to change her mind.

But when the secrets are inevitably exposed, Lavinia is forced to deal with the catastrophe that ensues, including her own devastating past. Nothing will ever be the same again...

My Review:
This is not your typical romance novel. It delves deeper into all the complex relationships involved when two people connect--and though things start with hot attraction, there's always history to deal with. It's full of emotion and exciting twists!



LIFT OFF
by Tyrean Martinson

A spaceship in disguise,
an Earth girl searching for a sense of home,
and a Thousand Years’ War between alien races
all collide on a summer afternoon.

My Review: This was a great teenage space adventure with vivid world building and tons of action. Logical Amaya Is thrust into a conflict between antagonistic aliens who have to find a way to work together if they all want to survive. And Amaya is the key to it all.


Lastly, I have some good news to share...

I had the opportunity to offer my take on RESEARCH for Gail Baugniet's blog (Mon 7/5) -- and offered to review POP TRAVEL for me (Wed 7/7). Always great to share advice and get a solid review! Yay!


And another fun project I had time for... To spread the word about DARK MATTER's exciting stories, we put together a book trailer. Check it out!


Personally, I love how each author has such a different take on Dark Matter. And you can see some of their styles shine through in their video/audio contributions.

(WHAT A DEAL: If anyone would like me to crank out a book trailer for you, we might be able to work out a trade!)

DARK MATTER Purchase info:

Looking to reboot a regular WRITERS CHAT - Fill out this FORM to let me know if you're interested.

I miss you guys!

AND DON'T FORGET - If you can whip up a fun first romance story for the next IWSG Anthology Contest, you should give it a go!

Stay Cool!

17 comments:

Yolanda Renée said...

We have a nice sea breeze, so far. So, no complaints here. The Tropical Storm should make things interesting tomorrow but still no complaints.

Congrats on all the success with Pop Travel! A successful series is always fun!

Rachna Chhabria said...

Hi Tara, I love the quote on the weather :) We are having a rainfall here.

Carrie-Anne said...

Best of luck with your summer writing and reading plans!

Chrys Fey said...

It’s great to see M.J. and Tyrean featured here.

Have fun writing Pop Travel 4!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You are in a writing frenzy right now!
The video turned out really well.

Sarah Foster said...

Hope you get lots of writing done over the summer!

Melissa said...

It IS hot. I envy people who get summers off. :P

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Thank you again for putting together the video.

Following the main character's sister - now that is a clever way to keep the stories going for the right age group.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Love your first image about the weather; although, up here in the North, the weather has been fluctuating something awful. One day we had 97 degrees and then the very next day it was 60 degrees. That is nuts! My plants are so mixed up! Haha!

(You have my email. Feel free to send more information about reading for you. I'm kind of slammed right now, but could be open in a few weeks to read.)

cleemckenzie said...

Heating up out here in CA. After some beautiful and unseasonably cool days, we're heading into the triple digits this week. :{

Tyrean Martinson said...

That is a really cool trailer, and it was fun to see everyone's different style represented. It shows how diverse the collection is. Nice work!
And, wow! Thank you for the review!
I would love to be a beta reader for Pop Travel #4!

Jemi Fraser said...

I LOVED both of the books you've featured! Excellent stories.
Dark Matter is on my e-reader, but summer is often extra busy around here so I'm behind getting to it!

Victoria Marie Lees said...

Awesome trailer for Dark Matter! Bravo, Tara, on completing the edits on Conduction. Way to go! I love the billboard announcement. I'm not much for stifling heat, but I hate the humidity more. Stay cool, my dear!

Diane Burton said...

I enjoyed Liftoff. Unique story. The heat let up here--for a bit. Finally, got rain, which we really needed. I had to laugh at Twinkle Stinkle. Great title for MG readers. Best wishes for a great writing month.

Quenntis said...

Yeah, it's getting pretty hot here in Taiwan at present. I just finished the first week of my staycation. One week to go. Our schools are closed, so this is a forced vacation which I am totally taking full advantage of. :-) Keep those words flowing! The Dark Matter trailer looks awesome, btw.

Mark Murata said...

It was incredibly hot in the Seattle area a couple weeks ago. We are not used to temperatures above 100 degrees.
As for the title, how about Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Beast. The subtitle could be How I Wonder What You Eat.
I know, that's not a true rhyme.

kjmckendry said...

It is hot and steamy up here in Cleveland and it just doesn't stop raining!
Sounds like you have already accomplished a ton this summer, awesome!

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