The Infinity Dream Awards

Hello hello! Leah Bauer over at Heart Full of Ink has passed on the Infinity Dreams Award blog tag to me, and let me tell you all, this one makes you really think—like using all your thinking muscles.  So, thank you very much, Leah! Can you sense my sarcasm, or maybe it's apprehension?...So here's how it works:

• Thank and follow the blog that nominated you.
• Tell us eleven facts about yourself.
• Answer the questions that were set for you to answer.
• Nominate 11 bloggers and set questions for them.

 

11 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME:

1. I stopped reading when I was in the 3rd grade.  Meaning not once did I read any of the required reading throughout high school, which included text books.
2. On the opposite side of the coin, the first book I wrote was in 3rd grade called, Lanny the Lovely Elephant (I couldn't draw a Lion at the time so I went with an elephant that I could draw).
3. I like alliteration still to this day.  In fact, the young reader book I'm writing is called Terry Tarantula and his partner is Fred Fly.  All the insects in the book are like that. 
4. I entered the Jr. Miss competition when I was a Junior in high school.  I sang Don't Cry For Me Argentina by Madonna from the Evita soundtrack.  I didn't win, but not because of my singing.
5. I am a certified Wedding Planner and have my Interior Design certificate, too.  I've held so many random jobs that my resume looks like a menu.
6. I am a Jack...er Jill of all trades.  I can pretty much do/make anything I want as long as I see it first.
7. Shannon Hale's THE GOOSE GIRL was the book that made me fall in love with reading...that was 7 years ago.  I've not been able to stop reading ever since.
8. I only read 2 books in high school or junior high for pleasure reading.  Both were horror books.  DOLORES CLAIBORNE by Stephen King and THE AMITYVILLE HOUSE OF HORROR.  In Dolores Claiborne I LOVED how Mr. King described the old woman's skin, it made me really picture what she looked like.  That being said, when I watched the movie I was very bitter at the use of a thin actress.  In the Amity book, there was one point in the story that I threw the book across the room and ducked under my covers and went to sleep with my light on because it scared me so much.
9. I met my husband on the internet - way back before there was such a thing as online dating.  We chatted on an instant messaging program and hit it off.
10. I grew up riding horses and enjoyed my freedom to take off in the morning and ride all day with my cousin.  Cattle drives were amazing unless you had to stop to pee.  That's when you learn you're allergic to wild rose bushes...
11. Without Twitter, I wouldn't have been able to get a publishing contract so quickly for Chasing Forever.  Twitter has been my source for writing contests and pitch parties over the last six months.  Through #PitMad (and Brenda Drake), I was able to receive an offer of publication from Limitless Publishing.  I can't wait to be able to physically hold my book in my hand!

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I would travel to Ireland to explore all the old castles, crumbling or standing it wouldn't matter. The only problem with visiting is I know I would fall in love and want to buy some small cottage in the middle of nowhere with the old rock fences and stay there the rest of my life.

Who is your favorite book character and why?

Jane Eyre because she overcomes so many struggles, pushes herself to love and when her heart is crushed she does what so many of us would do and runs away.  When she comes face to face with her love she reconciles with him, pushing away her fears and embraces love fully.

What do you do when you have writer’s block?

I find my motivation to move past writer's block through music and reading.  I find if I'm feeling stuck then I know I need to read.  I don't read just a few chapters, though, I read 1-2 books a day for about a week and then my block usually dissolves.  If I'm struggling with a particular scene then I just put in my earbuds, crank up the music and do some word wars or sprints with friends.

What was the last book you read that kept you up reading late into the night?

Hmmm...any book I've read, honestly.  Like I said above, I read 1-2 books in a day thus sometimes I stay up until midnight to finish.  But the most recent that really stuck with me was THE CONSEQUENCES OF LOVING COLTON by Rachel Van Dyken - it was a little predictable but had me laughing and crying and I was unable to put it down.

There was great chemistry between the two main characters, and who doesn't love a story about the girl crushing on her brother's best friend?   This one has a happily ever after that makes fairy tales swoon.

 Describe your current WIP in 140 characters or less.

Recovering substance abusing rockstar returns home 2 reconcile w/parents, stumbles upon the love he left behind & is blown away by a secret.

If you could have any superpower, what would you choose and why?

I would have the blinky-scrunchy-nose trick that I Dream of Jeanne had - especially when it comes to laundry.  I blink and BOOM laundry is clean, dry, folded and put away. 

What’s one under-appreciated book you think everyone should read and why?

This one is tough.  One of my favorites is THE GOOSE GIRL by Shannon Hale.  It's a fairy tale retelling and I loved it and have read it probably 4 times in the last 5 years.  I'm not exactly sure if this would be considered under-appreciated, but it's one I recommend everyone read!

Are you a plotter or a pantster? What sort of planning, if any, do you do before writing your first draft of a novel?

I started out writing as a pantser, wrote one complete novel in 30 days and realized I had so many plot holes and inconsistencies that I wanted to try to do some basic outlining.  Now, I do quite a bit more planning for my novels.  I start out by learning about my characters and putting a famous actor/actresses face to my character.  I figure out what they want or what their motivation throughout the novel is.

After I do that for each of my main or secondary characters, I move on to a timeline and important dates for each character.  After that, I write a 1-2 sentence breakdown for each chapter in the novel.  Then, I start writing and see how closely my story follows my outlining!

What are three words that best describe your personality and why?

Honest - because I despise lies and lying.
Creative - I'm always writing something, baking something new, working on some household decorating project, sewing, crafting or sketching.
Supportive - I enjoy helping others feel uplifted and so supporting them and their choices is something I feel is important in a friendship or relationship.

If you were going on an adventure, what would you pack in your knapsack?

This is a tricky one...being married with 3 kids my hubby and I haven't been on a couple's vacay or retreat in 8 years (umm...it's time to get away).  I would for sure bring my good camera, mosquito repellent (because I'm like a magnet to those suckers), clean underwear, sunscreen and dry shampoo!

What is the most played song on your iPod (or whatever apparatus you use to listen to music)?

Do Disney movies in the car count?  No?  Shoot!  Okay, I don't have an iPod or anything like that to listen to music anymore.  I used to have a Discman (do they still make those?)  I listen to the radio or Pandora any time I can, and always when I'm writing.  My favorite Pandora station is the Gotye station I've created.  Favorite artists include: Gotye, Snow Patrol, Sia.

TAG! You're it:

Gypsy Rae Choszer | C.M. McCoy | Kaitlyn Johnson | Nicole Lynn Hoefs | Louisa Aricheta | Vanessa Peay | Laura E. Weymouth | Sydney Scrogham | Jennifer Farrar | Katerina Baker | Laura Brown |

Here's what I want to know about you:

1. Is there a certain snack you like to eat while writing?
2. What do you do to get in the mood to write?
3. What is your favorite obscure word?  Use it in a short pitch for your current WIP.
4. What is one food you can't live without?
5. Name a celebrity you would love to spend a day with.  What would you do?
6. If you could take a class in anything, what would it be and why?
7. What is one book you can read over and over again, why?
8. What inspired your current WIP?
9. Who is your favorite book hero, why?
10. If you could live in any time period, what would it be and why?
11. Which would you rather be, a vampire or werewolf, why?

SQUEE!!!

Can I just begin by saying what an amazing journey writing has been.  Seriously, I have learned so much over the past 4 years and even more in the last year then I ever thought I could learn about writing.  I've met some wonderful people in the writing community, taken part in awesome contests and Pitch Parties - and it has all been...simply amazing.

Which leads me to my SQUEE!!! post.

I have just signed a contract with Limitless Publishing to publish Chasing Forever and it's sequels if I should write any.

Ummm - so I've done quite a lot of girly squealing over the past two weeks, as it all happened rather quickly.  I participated in Brenda Drake's #PitMad (if you're a writer, you should check it out) on September 10th.  I received a couple requests for Chasing Forever that day and within 4 days, Limitless requested my full manuscript.  I was at an interior design client's house when the email came in and I may have squealed a bit.  Then, a short (though it did not feel like a short) 6 days later, I received an offer to publish.

<<INSERT GIRLY SQUEALS AND HAPPY CLAPPING HERE>>

I'm thrilled to be working with Limitless and can't wait to tell you all about the process and then be able to share with you Chasing Forever (which, like many books, the title will more than likely change).

Cover Reveal: A SHOT OF RECKLESS

 

Who is Maddie Paige? Writing duo Maddie Paige bonded over books, shirtless boys and Step Up movies. One lives for her coffee while the other prefers hot chocolate. Both lovers of romance, they tag teamed a manuscript over late nights at Steak 'n Shake. They live in Atlanta, GA and A Shot of Reckless is their debut.

A Shot of Reckless comes out October 14th! Below you can learn a little about it and enter to win an ebook!

You can follow them on Facebook & Twitter

And now for the cover of A SHOT OF RECKLESS:

   

Doesn't this cover make you want to join them and hang out?  They look like they could be your best friends - I think you all should read this!

What's A SHOT OF RECKLESS about?

Art major, Roxy Thompson, is a ball of fun—but she's also careful to keep her walls intact when it comes to men. She likes relationships just like her coffee: light and sweet. After having her heart shattered once before, she’s determined not to ever feel that broken again.

College senior, Lake Foster, is just tempting enough to make Roxy rethink her rules of engagement. Suddenly, high-dollar shots and a no-strings night out aren't enough anymore. But Lake isn't looking for long-term. His future is set, and in four months, he intends to graduate and leave Georgia—and everything in it—behind. Luckily, short-term fun is Roxy’s specialty, and Lake can’t resist what he promises will be a fleeting taste.

Will Roxy and Lake really walk away when their time is up? They only have one shot to find out. 

Pre-Order it here:
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Word Vomit

So you know when you've written a novel and then after you've edited once or twice and sent it out for other people to read it and then you get it back with some awesome feedback and you're like, YAY now I can query but then you query and you feel bleh about it so you decide to look at the novel again and realize it would be better told from two people's points of view so you decide to rewrite then ENTIRE novel and you're like "this is going to be awesome and better than before" and you get several chapters in and it's like YESSS but then you stop for a while because, you know, another project gets put into the forefront and then you finish that one and then come back to the rewrite and you're like, "WHY did I stop rewriting this, because it's AWESOME" so you dive back and only to find that, WAIT, these chapters don't quite add up, so you dig in some more and it's like you're rewriting your entire rewrite AGAIN?  Okay, good, it's not just ME.

Phew - had to get that off my chest.

Thanks!

PS - run on sentence intended

PPS - it emphasizes how I feel

PPPS - no. i don't write like that...normally

PPPPS - wouldn't it have been cool if all my CAPS and BOLDED words would have added up to be a real sentence?  Next time I will try that :)

7/7/7 Challenge

I have been tagged by @LilyeKerryna to participate in the 7/7/7 challenge! 

RULES

• Go to page 7 of your WIP (Work in Progress).
• Scroll down to Line 7.
• Share the next 7 sentences in a blog post.
• After the excerpt, tag 7 other victims… er, I mean writers, to continue the challenge.

THE INVISIBILITY OF YOU

Ruby holds a finger to her lips shushing him then turns to face Mr. Daniels. When the bell chimes Ruby gathers her backpack and follows Beth out the door with Ryder close behind. I stalk down the hall following in their wake and disappear through the door to Advanced Chem class.

The next fifty-five minutes I allow the talk of chemical equations to distract me from my thoughts of Ruby and how close the new guy sat to her in homeroom. I think about the shiny white light bouncing off Mr. Grayson’s bald head and how it makes him seem like a beacon in the sea of students. What kind of substance does he buff onto his head each morning in order to make it reflect the poor lighting in a classroom? 

TAGS  -- if you're not already, you should totally follow these gals :)

Isabel Davis  |   Gypsy Rae  |  Katerina Baker  |  Laura Brown  |  Vanessa Peay  |  Mich Fisher  |  Tegan Wren