what a great weekend!

Though we didn't win a whole lot of basketball ourselves, (only 3 out of 6, yes 6 games) my hub's college fave, MSU, won an upset and so did some friends we watched in between our games...March Madness has nothing on us!

In the midst of all that, I made myself go out to a Bookfest. In the middle of an Icefest! I thought I'd see ice skating and such, but it was ice sculptors! Buildings, a throne, symbols, scenes, all carved out of ice up and down the main street. It was COOL! And the Bookfest was adorable! In the upstairs of an Irish pub, tables for two dozen authors and their books to sell.

When I came to Duffy Brown, who writes cozy mysteries, I remembered meeting her last year, at my first writer's conference - Lori Foster's Reader/Writer Get Together. Duffy was the main organizer! It was so great to see a familiar face! And she told me I should come back to the Reader/Writer conference with an Author table this time - it's free and tons of people go, more each year, though it's mostly romance...it was a great feeling.

Does anyone else have trouble getting out there, all by yourself? It is worth it!

Now for the news:
Speaking of putting yourself out there, don't be shy! Join this fun fest for new friends and old, reintroducing ourselves! Hosted by Elise, Stephen, Carolyn, and Mark on Jan 28.

Stina, the wonder woman of writing news, has found another prize - a way to lend your ebook to a friend!

Here's a writing prompt blogfest encouraging us to share our world building skills in our WIPs - because world building isn't just for fantasy! It runs Jan 28-Feb 1, and you don't have to write every day to win! Hosted by Sharon Bayliss.

Okay, you have to check this out. The PAPfest - ew gross, right? Yeah, read on, it's just to grab your attention. It's a pitchfest THIS WEEK, hosted by these talented girls! And the twist is, you pitch for your partner's WIP! Great idea and love the pic!

Mindy,  RC, and Marcy Kate

Here is a series I think you will enjoy. Suzi, the literary engineer poses a writerly question each week and gives us the answers from several writerly folks. She calls it The Big Reveal.

Congrats to Michelle and Elise who both struck milestones at 2 yrs and 1 yr of blogging, respectively. Yay! To celebrate they are creating a comic strip for us to fill in the blanks and crack each other up. Feb 18-20

Participating contests and blogfests is fantastic because not only do you meet new people, but you can win stuff! Like I just won a copy of WE ARE NOW from Neil Vogler with flash pieces by him, Sean Craven, and PT Dilloway. Goodreads Blurb: Many of its stories are set in the future with a sci fi feel yet WE ARE NOW covers many genres and has at its heart, humanity. In total the 69 pieces show that we are all human regardless of technology, time or place. Looking forward to reading and rating it!

And I had to save the best for last,

Julie Flanders has a COOL cover for POLAR NIGHT!

Detective Danny Fitzpatrick moves to Fairbanks, Alaska to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and freezing temperatures, Danny takes solace in a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. But when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Danny must find the missing woman to help him solve his own cold case.

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction. Suspicious of Nechayev, who is hiding a horrifying secret, Danny's obsession to find the missing women grows, putting his own life in danger. When the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same.

Polar Night is a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, to be published by Ink Smith Publishing on February 7, 2013. Find Julie online at her blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook. 

Whew, congratulations if you made it to the end! Hope you had a nice weekend! Reading anything good? I'd love to hear! Happy MLK Day and have a great week!