Chaaaaarge!!!

Tara Tyler Talks to Sharon Bayliss... Wild West Style!

Sharon Bayliss and I got into Western Wear to talk about Sharon's book, THE CHARGE, set in an alternate Wild West. Here we are outside an Old West saloon...

So, Sharon, would you kindly describe the Wild West in THE CHARGE for all these folks?

The "Wild West" of The Charge is similar to the modern day American West, except it's made up of 6 territories instead of states: Texas, New Mexico, California, Deseret, Nevada, and Navajo. The West is "wild" in that it has fewer laws than the real version. Prostitution and illegal drugs are legal here. You can purchase guns at the convenience store and the legal drinking age is 16, but even that law is not often followed. Only 20% of roads have assigned speed limits.

That is really WILD! Lawless, even! It's like Las Vegas exploded! Now let's play Jeopardy Wild West Style. Here are the categories: Transportation, Potent Potables, Culinary Delights, Recreation

Transportation: What are vehicles that are too big and use too much gas?

the Blue Storm cocktail

Potent Potables: What are all the same drinks we have in the real world, but more of them, and they're easier to get?

Culinary Delights: What is Tex-Mex, fast food, meat?

Recreation: What is gambling, sports, movies, outdoor activities, being mad at the U.S.?

Party all the time! But that means outlaws go crazy too. I'd be mighty scared! Could you share a review or highlight of your tour so far?

I had a lot of fun creating the personality quiz. You can take it here.

And so far all the reviews have been a delight to read. Here are some quotes:

"The characters were well developed; I really rooted for Warren and Lena and even found myself occasionally cheering for the bad guys." - Beth Winkour 

"The Charge, just like the lightening on the front cover, this book runs its course with a unrelenting fury until it reaches the final destination." - Fel Wetzig 

"This book is fast paced, with lots of mystery and suspense, and sizzling energy like the Energizer bunny." - Charissa Stasney

I need to check out that quiz, those things are a hoot! And yeehaw reviews! Love hearing good news! So how did you all get inspired to write THE CHARGE? Challenge: sum it up in one sentence!

I love my home state of Texas and have an active imagination, adding fantastical to the familiar was my natural instinct.

Hoooo-wee! Well done! Now here tell, what was your favorite scene to write?

I like this one:

"It's weird what you remember and what you don't. I remember I had a doll named Molly. My uncle handed me over to the missionaries to be smuggled out. I couldn't take much and he told me I could take one toy. I took Molly. I carried her all across Texas. I held on to her for dear life at the shelter in Little Rock. I took her with me on the bus when they transferred me to Washington, D.C. Then . . . ." Tears ebbed out of her eyes and she wiped them away, embarrassed. An eighteen-year-old shouldn't cry about a doll. "I left her on the bus. She was my only possession. The only thing I had that my parents gave me. I brought her all that way and I left her on the bus when I got to D.C."

Some tears made it through and slid down her cheeks. She tried to laugh. "Isn't that ironic?"

Wow. Rip-roaring emotions. You could make a cactus cry! And in so few words. You'll wrangle up loads of readers with that teaser.  And I know you have to skeedaddle, so here is yer last question. Are you a cow girl at heart?

I did grow up in Texas...Austin, Texas, which Texans can tell you is a little different from the rest of the state. So I certainly wouldn't call myself a cow girl, but if that works for marketing purposes, I'm happy to pretend. :) As a kid, I did live next door to people who had cows and they paid us to feed them. And I did go to horseback riding camp one summer. So, I guess I have a little bit of cow girl in me.

A toast to THE CHARGE with Blue Storm cocktails

Texas has it all, doesn't it? And I think we all have a bit of cowgirl in us - seeking adventure, wanting to ride a horse, admiring tough cowboys, etc! Even if just to write a story about it =)

Speaking of, here's a blurb about THE CHARGE...
When King of the Texas Empire kidnaps Warren's brother, Warren embarks into a still Wild West to save him. On his journey, he makes a discovery that changes his life forever—he and his brother are long-lost members of the Texas royal family and the King wants them both dead. 

He gets help from an activist Texan named Lena, who's itching to take on the King and happens to be a beautiful firecracker Warren can't stay away from. Convincing her he's not one of the bad guys becomes harder when a mysterious energy stirs in his body, turning his brain into a hive of emotions and memories—not all his own. A legacy of violence is not all he inherited from the brutal Kings of Texas. The myth that the royal family possesses supernatural powers may not be myth at all. 

Gone are the days when choosing a major was a big deal. Now Warren must save his brother and choose whether or not to be King, follow a King, or die before he can retire his fake ID.

And y'all take a peek at Sharon's links:

Amazon | B&N | Facebook | Goodreads | Net Galley | Trailer | Blog | Twitter

Sharon Bayliss is a native of Austin, Texas and works her day job in the field of social work. When she’s not writing, she enjoys living in her “happily-ever-after” with her husband and two young sons. She can be found eating Tex-Mex on patios, wearing flip-flops, and playing in the mud (which she calls gardening).

Well, I had fun playing showgirl and learning more about Sharon and THE CHARGE! Hope you all did too! Y'all come back, now, for the A to Z challenge, ya hear! Kicks off MONDAY!!!

Join us in Disney World!

Hey, Carrie Butler! 

Now that you've had a terrific blog tour for STRENGTH, what are you going to do?

I'm going to Disney World!

I must say, Tara, your virtual Disney World is awesome. No crowds, no Floridian heat, and I get to hang out with all of my blogging friends!

Thank you! It's a magical place and perfect for a post tour interview! Let's get started. So tell us, did you obsess about anything? sales? reviews? comments on blog tour stops? and were you surprised at yourself?

Yes—to answer all of your questions. I was constantly flitting about, checking on things, making sure everything was running smoothly. If they weren't, I'd allow myself a few minutes to freak out... and then I'd make a plan of action.

I frequently have a little freak out time. It's refreshing. How did you prepare for the tour and launch?

I started getting serious about three months pre-launch. There were spreadsheets to be made, people to contact, graphics to be created, etc. It was a lot more work than I anticipated, but it was well worth it.

Only three months? I'd start my own now if I had a cover! You did an awesome job in three months! How did you start your launch?

I was actually glued to the Internet all day. There was a virtual release party on Facebook. Fun stuff, I tell you. :)

I can't imagine! What was your best experience?

Definitely talking to the readers/reviewers who enjoyed Strength. Seeing the story through their eyes was such a cool experience.

It's amazing how everyone puts their own personality into a book. It's different for everyone! Could you share something you learned?

I'm not going to over-extend myself next time. The first few days of my tour, I got like three hours of sleep. Self-imposed pressure + trying to be everywhere at once = rookie mistake. Haha!

Thanks for the heads up. But I doubt anyone will be able to sleep the night before their launch! Any advice?

Plan carefully, be reasonable about your commitments, and enjoy the "moment". :)

Exactly. Do as much as you can before the party starts, then leave your cares at the door. And speaking of enjoyment, what is your favorite ride at Disney World? And have you been before?

I actually performed in two Disney parades while I was in high school. Hmm... I would have to say Space Mountain.

Love the parades! How fun! And the classic Space Mountain - usually breaks down at least once every visit these days. I think they are giving it a complete overhaul soon. Great interview, Carrie! And congratulations!

Oh, she's already off and running to the next ride! I will leave you with a shot of Carrie at the Motor Speedway...

 

Here is the linkage:

Where to find Carrie:

WEBSITE  |  BLOG  |  PUBLISHER  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  GOOGLE+ 

Where to find Strength:

BOOK PAGE  |  GOODREADS  |  PUBLISHER  |  PINTEREST  |  BOOK TRAILER

Strength Retailers:
AMAZON  |  KINDLE  |  BARNES AND NOBLE  |  NOOK

A to Z preview!

Today is the day we share our A to Z challenge THEMES in a hop hosted by Mina Lobo and David Macaulay. And even if you don't have a theme, I hope you are signed up because it's going to be an epic, record breaking year!

I had two goals in mind when I started this blog...

To improve my writing for publication

and

To pass on my Lazy Housewife advice

This year I am going to share what I've learned from both of those areas...

Tips from the messy countertop of the Lazy Housewife...

AND

Editing Tips
brought to you by Curiosity Quills

So there you have it, my duo theme. And don't worry, I know how to maximize space!

Speaking of maximize, while I have your A to Z attention, I would like to share some posting tips to maximize yours and your readers' experiences! And these suggestions don't have to be permanent, you could just give them a try for the challenge...

• clean up that side bar! loading blogs can be slow, especially if you have twitter feeds, videos, etc.
• comments as a pop up - so we load your page, wait, then we click to comment at the bottom of the post and the page reloads, wait, wait,wait - if your comments pop up in a different screen, it's much quicker
• update your google plus profile - when I click on a person who has commented on my blog, I see their profile and find their blog link to visit back. If you have blogger, you may have upgraded to google plus. Please make sure your blog link is clearly identified, I have several friends whom I have to search for their blog because it is not in their google plus profile... make it easy for people to find you!
• know your number - another way to help people find you is to know your number in the megalong A to Z list. You can leave it in the comments. The numbers change, especially in the first week, thanks to the minions weeding out spam and such, so your number will be approximate. Last time I checked I was 177, now I'm 174.
• other items that are just good blogging you probably already do:

• remove captcha!!! please, for the love of blogging! and by all means, use this badge to promote the cause!
• be nice or don't comment
• try to reciprocate - this is why having the posts pre-written is a great idea. It gives us time to visit without worrying about our next letter... J and V were the hardest for me!

So that's all I have to say about that. I look forward to meeting and greeting as many A to Z participants as possible! Good luck and have a great weekend! I'll be on spring break next week, but I hope you'll come by for two special interviews while I'm gone =)

Save the Cat!

Welcome to the Progressive Book Club. Time for my book report.

Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder

source

Loved it! So much useful information. Makes me want to write a screenplay!

Blake Snyder's voice is optimistic, energetic, and realistic. He shows we need to be able to step back and recognize, then laugh at, our silly mistakes. He encourages everyone to stick with it and gives upbeat analogies and examples to show how possible it is to write a great story. The only drawback was the section on casting - but it is written for movie makers, after all.

Here are some highlights.
Save the Cat - I had no idea what this meant and now I love it. I even have a Save the Cat scene in POP TRAVEL without trying! (my MC saves a muddy dog for an old lady, aww) Save the Cat shows the MC's inner character, making the reader like him. SHOWS.

Loglines - so necessary to have one! "...single most important element is irony." (p. 6) Irony hooks interest. It's what makes a story worth telling. That unexpected twist! Don't forget a Primal Urge - what's your MC's motivation? (p. 54) And make sure you "road test" it. (p. 12) Be brave and ask strangers, see if it hooks them. Talking about it to random people will give you a new viewpoint. My attempt at a logline for my new MS, SIMULATION - 

A well worn detective and a green FBI agent work together to prove a protected congressman is really a high tech android with a murdered man's DNA.

Top ten story types - a new look at genre by what happens in the story and not the emotion (p. 25)

The famous "Blake Snyder Beat Sheet" - he breaks down a story by pages of a screenplay, which is substantially shorter than a novel. So I converted it by percentages to compare it to a 300 page MS, so page numbers are approximate... (p. 70)

1. Opening Image (p. 1, ch 1) - first impression - you want reader to think, "This is gonna be good!" (p. 73)
2. Theme Stated (by 4.5% - p. 13, in ch 1) - know your story, it has a theme! and the theme is an arguable point
3. Set-up (pp. 1-27) - show the character traits that need to change by the end
4. Catalyst (11% - p. 33) - get to this quick or you lose the reader's interest
5. Debate (pp. 33-69) - the pros and cons of dealing with the Catalyst are debated...
6. Break into Two (23% - p. 69) - decision is made, time to go
7. B Story (27% - p. 81) - secondary story with supporting characters who will be crucial later
8. Fun & Games (pp. 81-150) - just like it sounds, the getting to know each other, honeymoon, teasing phase... it's fun!
9. Midpoint (50% - p. 150) - can be a high or a low, a turning point either way.
10. Bad Guys Close In (pp. 150-204) - coming from a high, or false low of the midpoint, the bad guys regroup and show they aren't going to give up
11. All is Lost (68% - p. 204) - do you smell that? It's the "whiff of death" necessary in every story that makes the MC ask "What will I do now?" (p. 86)
12. Dark Night of the Soul (pp. 204-231) - what the character feels and goes through in this dark time after hitting rock bottom
13. Break into Three (77% - p. 231) - the solution is discovered
14. Finale (pp. 231-300) - the solution is carried out, bad guys are thwarted
15. Final Image (100% p. 300) - the opposite of the opening image, the transformation of the MC is evident

The Board - Blake Snyder loves office supplies and wasting time. But these elements are essential for organization! The Board takes the Beats and turns them into scenes that flow. (p. 97) Add some color coding for more organization. (p. 108) And the cards even help with conflict & emotional change in each scene (p. 110)

Favorite chapter title - The Immutable Laws of Screenplay Physics. Blake Snyder's quirky rules of do's and don't's (p. 119)

The Bad Dialog Test: read some dialog without tags of who is speaking - can you tell who is who? Is there a difference in the way they talk? And sometimes it all sounds like you, the author! Each character needs his own voice. (p. 154) Each character also needs "a limp and an eye patch," something that will make him memorable. (p. 157)

Quotes:
"...the competition for our attention spans has gotten fierce." & "There are too many choices." (p. 3)

"...we must learn about characters by what they do, not by what they say." & "... be more concerned with what's happening now than what happened before the story started." (p. 148)

That's enough. Want more? Read the book! I completely recommend it! And due to the A to Z challenge, I won't be reading the next book, though I am learning a ton. Thanks so much to M. L. Swift and all the participants. This online writer's book club is just what I needed!

Read SAVE THE CAT? So glad I did! Any thoughts? 

the good, the bad, and the groovy movie news!

First, we get the bad news out of the way.

• Many of you might have heard, but Google Reader is going bye-bye! I do not like how fast things change these days. Technology seems to be on drugs - faster, faster, faster!!! more, more, more!!! Well, at least there are alternatives, here are some articles with recommendations - one, two, three  ... what a pain in the behind!
• And in other bad news... Jane Friedman, had this post on her site about when we should quit blogging! At first, I was like, "Quit blogging? Never!" But after thinking about it, I admit that I can see myself easing back as I turn the corner to dedicate time to marketing and more writing. Newer bloggers have so much to gain, while seasoned bloggers may start to see repetitive posts and feel like, been there done that. I think you just have to evaluate what you want from blogging. Julie got a discussion going about this on Friday. I don't feel ready to give it up any time soon, but I also don't see me doing it forever. When it becomes more of a chore than a joy, then it might be time to move on... but my bloggy friends will stay friends if I can help it!

Now the good news!

• DL Hammond has come up with another way to pass on encouragement! The Blog Blitz! Everyone who particpates will gang up and surprise one blogger with positive comments all day. Go sign up or at least check it out. It's easy and fun!
• Angela Brown is hosting a Reader Appreciation event on Goodreads - lots of prizes! go see!

And now the groovy movie news!

Here are my top ten movies for Alex's Movie Blogfest! (in no particular order)

1. Star Wars (4, 5, 6)
2. the Avengers
3. the Incredibles
4. Pirates of the Caribbean (1, 2, 3)
5. Matrix (1, 2, 3)
6. Indiana Jones (1, 2, 3)
7. Sherlock Holmes (1, 2, +)
8. Despicable Me
9. Disney - Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Hercules
10. How to Train Your Dragon

I am all over those animated movies - apparently action/adventure and comedy are essential, plus a little heartstrings. And as a bonus, here are some other movie favorites...

Favorite B&W stars: Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers

Favorite Musicals: Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Wizard of Oz

Favorite Rom Coms: Housesitter, French Kiss, The Holiday

There are so many fantastic movies and I know I'm going to see some of yours and want to add them to my list, but these are the ones I watch over and over again.

So heard the bad news? Got some good news? And I will be checking out your groovy movie news!!

goldfish are great pets

Ever have a goldfish? We did. We went through several. They are more maintenance than you'd think. But they are great pets as long as you don't mind them getting sick and dying for no apparent reason. Oh, and some are good at predicting the future...

Consider the little swimmer in DEATH, THE DEVIL, AND THE GOLDFISH. Written by Andrew Buckley, my "discoverer!" and the Acquisitions Manager at Curiosity Quills. Andrew is such an upbeat, motivated, funny guy, I wanted you all to get to know him (and Curiosity Quills) better. So I interviewed him...

Andrew, you aren't exactly a fish out of water here in North America. Tell us about your big leap across the pond!

AB: I was born in the North West of England in 1980, just as movies started getting good and music started to get bad. (what? I loved the 80s!) Knowing we were immigrating to Canada, I never really committed myself to life in the UK (why get comfortable with something if it was all going to vanish one day?). English people are generally grumpy. There’s really no good reason for the extreme lack of happiness over there. Not that I didn’t enjoy growing up there, I did. One thing you can say about the English, they’re hilarious.  A lot of my main writing influences come from English television, English writers, and good old fashioned English sarcasm.

YES! MONTY PYTHON!!!

AB: I was 17 when we moved to Canada. By this point I really wanted to be a screenwriter. I took some classes at the local college with a gentleman who became my writing mentor, and still is to this day, Timothy Perrin. Then I attended the Vancouver Film School, Writing for Film and Television program and graduated with Excellence. 7 years later my dog ate my diploma. I had moved away from screenwriting, as I was sick of writing so visually, and started writing what would become my first novel.

A long and winding road, eh? (ha ha) Sounds like your dog sensed your disenchantment. So how did you get started at CQ?

AB: Curiosity Quills found me in early 2011 and we had an instant kinship, mainly because we had a similar sense of humor.  In early 2012, they published a few short stories of mine on their blog. I was shopping around a new MS I’d written called ‘Stiltskin’ and they had some interest in it but it was tied up elsewhere, so they asked to look at the book I’d written previous...and the rest is still history in the making.  In late 2012 they offered me the position of Acquisitions Manager for CQ (mainly because of my rugged good looks and my love of talking cats...or something to that effect).

Indubitably! Thanks for this exclusive photo, btw.
CQ hasn't been around for long. How did it come about?

AB: I believe it was some sort of nuclear accident. The kind that creates superheroes and giant lizard monsters that eat Tokyo.

I knew it had to be a fantastic, spontaneous occurrence! You can't create stuff like that! 
CQ is one of many smaller publishing companies popping up with the handy dandy internet as its office. How do you think publishing is evolving?

AB: Publishing took a weird turn in the mid 2000s when literary agents decided to become publishers and publishers decided to become literary agents. The problem was that is authors just kept being authors.  The literary world is ruled by the Big 5 (or 6 depending on your point of view), and beneath them are the Indie Publishers and Small Press, and then somewhere under there are the self published authors. You can find amazing and dismal work in all areas. It’s never been easier to get your work out there into the world. The problem with that is it’s never been easier to get your work out into the world :) In an age where Justin Bieber gets discovered on You Tube and Twilight Fan Fiction becomes a bestseller, how do you stand out above the rest? The evolution continues...

Scary! Technology is powerful and dangerous in the wrong hands - we should respect it! Okay, final question. Do you have a goldfish? or other pets?

AB: I owned a goldfish once when I lived in Vancouver. His name was Sushi. An ill fitting name in hindsight as he ended up belly up when I left him in the care of my roommates one weekend. (they could have at least replaced it!) My wife and I currently own two cats.  One is an asshole and the other is indifferent. (ha ha! typical cats!!) We also have a very loving but needy dog who we adopted last year.  The inspiration for the cat in Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish came from a cat I owned when living in Vancouver. His name was Mr Bojangles and I’m fairly certain he was possessed by a malevolent spirit.  He was later eaten by a cougar (the feline type, not the kind that hang around in bars hunting young men).

A cougar? How strange! I wonder if he was involved in a secret cat society.
Thanks for coming over to visit, Andrew. It was great getting to know you.

AB: Thanks for letting me do this. Cheers!

Here are links for Andrew. Curiosity Quills is always on the lookout for more speculative fiction!

Blog | Write Out Loud | Fairy Tales Out Loud | Facebook | Twitter

And if you'd like to celebrate in green style - you should check out Mark's Green Hop!

Have a blarney good weekend!!

source

sen-SA-tional!

The Sensational Haiku Wednesday topic this week is, in fact, sensational. Ha!

Sensationalism

Thirty two ounces

does not a fat man make. Preach

but don't steal freedom

Sensational News

Teaching positions

blooming around me. A sign?

Fate might be speaking...

Sensational

Eyes closed, skin tingles

with a heightened awareness

feeling the moment

Do you have something sensational to share?

guess who!

Wanna play? Guess the author!

Here are the clues:

This author is an 80s child. She loves romance. In her published NA romance, the MC was wooed by three guys who had the same name. Guessed who it is yet?

Well, she has a new book coming out soon and the super friendly and creative Michael Di Gesu has the exclusive cover reveal! He did a fantastic job with Alex's and this author is excited to have Michael's help with hers. 

Go find out who it is!!!


Ellie Garrett's PASSING TIME is now available. If you like a speculative fiction twist, check out this collection of nine timely tales. What a cool cover, eh! And she is hosting a giveaway too!

Where to buy:

Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.ca / Amazon.de /Amazon.es / Amazon.fr / Amazon.it / Amazon.br / Amazon.jp

Where to find out more:

Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Goodreads / Facebook

I also have to give a shout for my middle guy! They won their championship yesterday. It was a long rough road, but they improved a ton and came out on top. Yeah!!!

Hope you had a great weekend! Let's make it a productive week!

try a little harder

So March. Yeah.
Remember in January how exciting it was to set goals for exercise and eating healthy and working on stuff? Well, I've already fallen off that wagon.

• Why does bad food taste so good? 
• Why can't there be more hours in the day so I can "waste" some at the gym? (cause you know I choose writing stuff over exercising!) What I really need is an exercise buddy. I think that would motivate me! But all my friends and I have crazy, mismatched schedules.
• And how do I tame my feisty personality?

with Vikki!

But I can Celebrate a couple of things:

• I've been reading more. And this month I'm critting, which totally counts! Plus the online book club books (which I won't be doing it in April for obvious (a to z) reasons). But this month is SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder. It's been fabulous so far!
• And I am writing a ton. Love new stories! And very excited to work on a query letter. Yes, I have come to enjoy them. If you need any help or advice on yours, feel free to leave me your email in the comments. I like working on them! They're quick and to the point, just my speed!
• But what I am very happy to celebrate is I got some encouraging news from my editor! She said my grammar and punctuation looked pretty good at first glance. That is a great first step! 
• And I'd especially like to THANK YOU! all for so many positive IWSG posts (and comments) yesterday! You all really boosted my spirits!!

How are you doing with your goals? Any advice for the fallen? Maybe we can all video conference an exercise class! and then chat about writing over a smoothie after! That would be fun!

Have a Springy weekend!

(and don't forget to change your clocks, if nec!)

we are delighted!

The royal "we" that is!
Because today's Sensational Haiku Wednesday theme is royal. Here are my three...

Moms should be treated
like queens, ruling over their
domestic kingdoms!

Three naughty princes
spoiled rotten to the core
need taste of pauper

Not periwinkle
nor navy nor cyan, but
royal. Pen color!


Today is also Insecure Writer Support Group day.
Thank goodness. I need to vent! Look out!

I am feeling mediocre. I'm worried I will have a ton to edit when I get my book back from my editor. (Launch date moved to July 13, btw.) And waiting is sooooooo hard!

I mean, I keep busy. No way do I ever sit still and twiddle my thumbs. To keep my mind off waiting, I'm editing my second MS so I can write a query and submit, critting a couple of other friends' MSs, and rough drafting my sequel. Not to mention all the daily life obstacles.

But my friends always remind me that I'm waiting. "How's the book coming along?" I like that they ask and that they think I'm cool for writing a book, but I must kindly tell them no news. We are still waiting!

I think waiting is worse that rejection. Rejection is over quick like pulling off a bandaid. Waiting, by definition, laaaasssttss looooooooooonger! And it gives me time to think dumb thoughts, and worry if they will retract their offer once the editor sees how terrible it is... wah wah wah.

Ah, well. Enough of my moaning and groaning. Back to work so I can make the waiting less painful.
Thanks for listening!

On to read about your insecurities! That always makes me feel better! Ha!

rooooaaaarrrr!

In like a lion, right?
Welcome to Kick Start March!
Here are just a few happenings this month.

• TODAY IS THE DAY! Nick Wilford's OVERCOMING ADVERSITY ANTHOLOGY for ANDREW releases today!

A collection of seventy moving and uplifting original pieces - real life, flash fiction, and poetry - about battling against the odds and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. The contributors include Amazon bestselling authors Alex J. Cavanaugh and Kyra Lennon, and the cream of upcoming talent.

The anthology is part of a fundraising effort to send the editor's stepson, Andrew McNaughton, to a specialist college in England. Andrew has cerebral palsy, and is a remarkable young man with a promising future. However, the free further education options offered in his own country of Scotland will not challenge him and allow him to progress. In order to access the education he deserves, Andrew will have to pay exorbitant fees, thus creating a situation of discrimination.

Help us get Andrew to college by buying a book that runs the full gamut of human emotions, ultimately leaving you inspired and glad to be alive. Whatever struggles you are going through, our sincere hope is that this book will help.

Purchase links: Amazon UK |  Amazon US | Smashwords | Goodreads

• Don't forget the Insecure Writers Support Group is Wednesday! See you there, right? 
• March 15, your favorite Irish Hawaiian, Mark Koopmans is hosting his annual green celebration
• And March 18 we will share our top ten movies for Alex's Countdown blogfest!

• On March 21, Mina Lobo and David Macaulay are hosting a bloghop to get us hyped up for the A to Z called THE BIG REVEAL - got a theme? Share it!

• The ladies at Falling for Fiction are playing matchmakers again! If you're looking for a CP or beta reader, head over there and fill out their form and they will help you find a match March 25-29

So are you ready for A to Z? Got a theme? Later this month I will offer some tips for maximizing this wonderful opportunity! Hope everyone is ready for some March Madness - even if it doesn't involve college hoops!

what does the future hold...

First, let's celebrate.
(I made this alternate button for Vikki's weekly hop and it cracks me up!)

Nick Wilford's anthology to support his step son, Andrew, comes out on Monday!



Ciara Knight's next book, ESCAPEMENT debuted this week







and today is the BACK FROM THE FUTURE blog hop with Suze, Mary, and Nicki! Yeah!

So this morning I got a package from UPS and it was from ME! But I sent it 10 years in the future to me now. I know, it's hard to grasp if you aren't into the sci fi time travel stuff. Anyway, this is what was in it:

• A holographic imager! On which was a note instructing me how to find:
• A picture of my grown up sons and one is engaged! (grandkids can't be far behind!)
• A scrapbook of my teaching days, so I guess I will have my own class again someday
• Copies of my future books
• And a picture of our second home
• There was also a hydrocooker with a dozen or so complete meals in pellet form - I know how I hate cooking!

Thanks, future me! Fabulous gifts!!! I am really looking forward to the future, now!

What are you celebrating? What's in your future? 

And Monday I will also share some A to Z stuff!

Have a super terrific weekend!