A HUGE THANK YOU!! I thoroughly enjoyed my Cradle Rock Release Party because it really got me back out to visit my friends and make new ones!
Thanks for the tremendous response and supportive comments, everyone!
I'll be tweeting my thanks with links to the posts all month!
And the winner of my CRADLE ROCK RELEASE PARTY VOLUNTEERS is:
I'll be tweeting my thanks with links to the posts all month!
And the winner of my CRADLE ROCK RELEASE PARTY VOLUNTEERS is:
M.J. Fifield!
She will receive a $25 GC!
Plus a free taco and my love! (name that movie)
My reconnection with blog and writer friends leads me to my monthly Insecure Writers Support Group check in. Releases are few and far between, so the IWSG seems to be the biggest reason I keep blogging. And communicating with my writer friends is the main reason I keep writing (that and the stories crammed in my head needing to be told!) I worry all the time that my books aren't selling and I can't seem to build my base - and I worry more that it might be because I'm only a so-so writer, which is very believable.Last month, I shared my big plans. I wasn't working full time then, so I was very ambitious! Today, I started my long-term assignment that goes thru the rest of the year - great for sending first son to college, terrible for writing and marketing... Especially when I'm not encouraged to keep writing at home. That's why I keep participating in IWSG - you guys keep me going! Thanks!
Enough feeling sorry for myself, many others have much bigger problems than me. On to the NEWS!
>>>If you haven't seen this cover - you're in for a TREAT! LOOK!
INCENSE AND PEPPERMINTS.by Cathrina Constantine
Release Date: March 10, 2017
Genre: YA/Coming of Age
During the Vietnam War-torn Sixties, a time of peace demonstrations, sit-ins, flag-burnings, and flower power, sixteen-year-old Mary Monroe has to choose between staying an innocent good girl or letting herself enter the exciting world of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.
When her brother offers a solution to her dilemma in the form of a little pill, Mary ignores the rumba in her brain and takes a walk on the wild side. She plunges into popularity and a life she’s only imagined, and meets Michael Covington, the hot newcomer. She’s instantly drawn in by his less than flawless exterior and bad boy sex appeal. Drifting from party to party, underground fight clubs, and through a series of drug and alcohol fueled adventures, Mary follows her new crush into a world where young girls are never truly safe from the predators lurking in the shadows and young men hiding from the harsh reality of war.
Feeling buzzed and as if her life is spinning out of control, Mary is assaulted by an unknown man at a party, and she’s left questioning if the enigmatic Michael is truly her hero or if he's the face behind the terrible attack. With every piece of information Mary learns about Michael, her doubts grow deeper, but with every minute she spends in his presence, so does her love.
With the war and her fear threatening to separate Mary and Michael forever, only the death of a friend, a crushing confession, and her own sensibilities can carry her over the threshold between adolescence and adulthood.
Add to your TBR list on Goodreads!
Cathrina is also looking for volunteers to help with her Book Blitz!
>>>I'm also excited to introduce...
TIME & CIRCUMSTANCE
by Theresa Milstein
Release Date: March 21, 2017
by Vine Leaves Press
This is Theresa's moving poetry and prose collection, and some of it is autobiographical. It's been a long journey, and she's finally made it! Congratulations, Theresa!
Theresa's Blog
>>>And here's a GIVEAWAY offer!
There's one big thing we can do to help each other is post reviews (I'm reading three books I plan to review soon!) And with second books needing more love, I want to give out some copies for review!
Here's my free offer - if you've read POP TRAVEL or BROKEN BRANCH FALLS, I would love to give you a free ecopy of either sequel for review. Just mention in the comments if you're interested.
LASTLY...
>>>Here are the results of January's Writerly Survey about Creativity!
I should've added an "All of the above" choice - that's what the purple really represents!
Here are some interesting characters from the respondants... plus some traits.
- Corten - mixed race, friendly but elusive about past
- Angela Mercy - editor of the fictional Persons Magazine.
- Raz - A drinking bad ass kangaroo. His name came off the top of my head.
- Gawain, Callan, Darrion
- Kálmán Ferdinánd Rein (later Shimron Amichai) - left angry, cynical, bitter, ranting, trigger-happy, wounded after surviving four concentration-camps. Plus his fiancée Klaudia and his best friend Móric
- Arthur Finley - mousey demeanor, high IQ, brown hair, pale skin with freckles; glasses work in accounting but is really a spy, not the action hero kind, but a numbers/information spy.
- D’Anar Gillin - He feels much, which often translates into action. He has a tendency to often make decisions for those he cares about or feels responsible, sometimes without asking permission. The irritating thing about him is that he is usually right. He possesses a keen intuition and instincts, and he knows it. high intelligence, but has a blind spot for himself and those closest to him. Honor is a natural - sometimes at high personal cost.
- Clarence - likes the water because he's a shark
- Hutch McQueen - The good guy in bad guy clothing.
- Contemporary verse
- Crime thriller/Romance
- Sci Fi/Fantasy
I hope you enjoyed this extra long post! More questions coming up on 2/13! This time I'll be asking about "one-liners"
Thanks for stopping by! Happy Sweetheart Month!
Glad IWSG keeps you connected to your blogging friends. I totally can relate to how working takes away our time for writing. I am working full-time too and have a college student like you. My daughter is in her second year of college. It's so expensive, but such a great thing to help our kids with.
ReplyDeleteStaying connected can make a big difference and on so many levels. Running DLP has put a serious damper on my own writing.
ReplyDeletePeople are probably going to really wonder about Clarence the shark now.
Good luck with everything, Tara! Keep believing in yourself, and hang in there. :)
ReplyDeleteExcited about the book releases, and I totally hear you about second book syndrome. Shoot me an eBook and I'll get you a review.
ReplyDeleteHang in there. I find my blogging friends a great help in keeping me motivated.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Theresa.
Hi Tara - it's fascinating the community spirit in the blogging world - so that's good to read and know. Congratulations to you and to Theresa - such good news ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThat's why we're here - to keep you motivated.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to MJ.
A third of us name our characters off the top of our head. That's good to know!
"Plus a free taco and my love"...The Lego Movie, I think.
ReplyDeleteI always love reading the results of your writerly surveys. I'm surprised that that many people like coming up with titles for their work. But I'm probably just projecting my own feelings on the subject—It's the second worst part for me (the blurb being #1...). :)
Sorry to hear about your worries. Hang in there, and for what it's worth, you're a constant source of inspiration to me!
Your two main reason for continuing to blog are the same as mine. I wish I could do it more like I used to, sit down and just write to commune with amazing writer peeps! It's so hard after your books begin releasing. There's a bazillion things to do with each of those and not enough time to do most of it. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for Theresa! The book is so beautiful. And to Cathrina, too!
That was an interesting survey. Names can be tricky when you have a large cast of characters. I just read a book by new author and so many names are similar it confused me at times. Happy sweetheart month to you.
ReplyDeleteWe are glad that you keep coming back for IWSG. We'd never want to see you go. <3
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I love the surveys. So fascinating to see the answers, and very insightful.
Sci Fi Fantasy is a good place to start as any. Motivation keeps us in the game.
ReplyDeleteLots of news and changes. I will be putting two through Uni next year, so I get it. Another reason to keep blogging, we would miss you if you stopped.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to MJ!
ReplyDeleteMy day job cuts into writing too, but it relieves me of stress about paying the bills and when I'm stressed I write even less.
Whoops, I haven't gotten around to uploading my review yet. My apologies for being so late.
ReplyDeleteYeah, a lot going on in this post. I've got Pop Travel on my Kindle - hmm, did I read this and review it already. Not sure. I check it out and if not, I'llget to reading. Soon.
ReplyDeleteThe premise of Catharina's book sounds great. That cover is cool. Also congrats to Theresa.
Sometimes naming my characters is a simple matter of what name pops into my head, other times it is a long process of research to get a name that suits the personality of the prospective character.
I have the same worries about selling and building a base. Makes it really easy to feel dejected when dwelling on stuff like that for too long. Glad the writing community here is able to help keep you afloat!
ReplyDeleteI love visiting your blog. Love the surveys too. They are helpful and interesting. Hope you find more writing time. I am kind of cranky when I don't get any or very little. I am glad you are still posting IWSG too.
ReplyDeleteHappy IWSG Day!
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit
I feel the same frustrations, but then I think of the book events we go to and I remember...there are just so many of us. It's hard to be heard, but I have no doubt you'll get there.
ReplyDelete