My 2015 Recap

It's time for my annual recap of my year!

Holy Wow, 2015 was an incredible, busy year for me.

January

I attended my local RWA meeting where my wonderful author friend, Bonnie R. Paulson gave a talk on setting goals. This directly helped me recovered from the horrible bout of Writer's Block that I had for most of 2014. I cannot thank her enough. So yeah, I spent January WRITING!!

February

I had a ton of Dental work done which made me too doped up on pain meds to write as much, so I devoted a lot of time doing cover art.

I also officially hung my shingle for my editing business, Grammar Smith Editing Services. I'd been paid for editing work since 2013, but I didn't have a website or anything.

March

I attended my RWA chapter's first conference, Power of the Pen.

I pitched my heavy metal romance novel and ended up getting an agent AND a 3 book deal with Boroughs Publishing.

I was on cloud 9

April

I attended The Novel Experience convention in Las Vegas. My boyfriend drove us there and man, we had such an insane time that it took Three Blog Posts to recap it. It was the first convention I attended as an official author and it blew my mind when readers directly sought me out for my autograph. Incredible!

Then Bite At First Sight (Scandals with Bite Book 3) released and I had one of the best signings ever!

I don't care if the pic is blurry. I love being in pictures with that hot guy.

May

I did a ton of writing and work on a book cover for a short story.

June

I did a lot more writing, some work on my Datsun, and released a short Brides of Prophecy Prequel, Tesemini, which I'm going to put back up for free next week.

July

I finished the cover for Conjuring Destiny and finished writing Hearts of Metal book 2. The whole Northwest was on fire, which totally ruined summer.

August

The Northwest was STILL on fire.
But I managed to finish the rough draft of Conjuring Destiny
And my heavy metal romance, Kissing Vicious released!

September

That month was revision hell for Conjuring Destiny and Hearts of Metal 2. I also started Hearts of Metal 3 (Sort of.) That one was already written but I had to completely rewrite the middle. I also came up with the insane idea to make a quilt for my boyfriend for Christmas.

I also finally gave in and started a Newsletter!

October

Not a great start as my beloved laptop died. Luckily since it was 6 years old I was prepared and had money saved for it. However, I'd lost a ton of important files, including the master photoshop file of the cover for Conjuring Destiny.

However I had other image files and was able to piece together the cover and I had my most successful release ever!

It was also my most complex cover ever.

I also got started painting squares for the quilt.

I'm going to write a post about the entire process soon.

And I finished Hearts of Metal Book 3

November

I was in Editing Hell with a ton of client manuscripts. But damn I needed the money.
I also progressed further on the quilt and got all of my squares painted.

Then my awesome grandma started sewing it.

And I also did a scratch board of a wolf for my aunt:

December

Thanks to getting my shopping done early I didn't have as much holiday stress as usual. I did a dragon for my son and my grandma and I finished the quilt.

My boyfriend LOVE the quilt:

And it fit on his bed!

I also got over 1/3rd of the way done Scandals with Bite Book 4 and got started on the cover.

So for 2015 I had three books release and one short story. I wrote three and 1/3rd novels... and made a quilt.

And guess what? 2016 is going to be even busier. Stay tuned for my goals and plans!

I am NOT a Humbug This Year!

I must confess that I used to be kind of a Humbug with Christmas (Hate the snow, the decorations, most of the music) though I've always LOVED giving gifts to my friends and family.

From 2009, back when my mom died, on, the holidays were even harder for me. My mom LOVED Christmas. She'd decorate the whole house, sing the songs, make the cookies, and believed in Santa Clause until her last breath.

The first Christmas without her, I was such a wreck I don't even remember it. The year after that, I was determined to be strong for my family's sake and at least pretend to like Christmas and celebrate it in her honor. Still it took several years before I could listen to a Christmas song without bursting into tears.

I've managed to fend off the holiday depression by staying busy and with two big families, that's actually pretty easy.

But something changed this year. Well, several somethings, but what's most astounding is this:

I'm totally in the Christmas spirit this year! I'm seriously not faking it, you guys!

I think part of it is because I got my Christmas shopping done early and in an efficient manner. Also I made some epic awesome gifts for a few special people in my life. I will be blogging about these after Christmas. :D

Also, it hasn't been snowing much here. (Which is really bad for my area environmentally, but face it, I HATE snow.)

Or maybe it's because I got to spend more time with my Grandma... who's almost as giddy about the holiday as my mom was.

And maybe it's because I've received so much joy from my friends and family this year.

Either way, it feels good. I was even at a store and smiling when the song "Mr. Ginch" was playing.

Holy wow, I actually LIKE that song.

But don't worry you guys, I will still ALWAYS be #TeamHalloween first and foremost.

Anyway, just thought I'd share this fascinating epiphany and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas/ Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza/ Merry Yule, etc.

Seven Gift Ideas for Writers

Hey everyone!

It's that time of year and I am so proud of myself for getting my Christmas shopping/ present making early.

So that gives me time to catch up on Scandals with Bite Book 4, my newsletter, and, of course, this blog.

A few people have been blogging gift suggestions for writers, so I may as well add in my own two cents.

I'm not going to include the obvious things, like notebooks, pens, and whatnot. Instead I will cover two other categories of gifts.

A.) Things that are Fun/ personalized.

It's an indisputable fact that professional writers often turn into caffeine-soaked workaholics. We spend countless hours at our desks, writing, revising, marketing, struggling to meet constant deadlines, etc. In this chaos and drudgery, we sometimes feel like we're losing our identity, our sense of self. Especially when we're so busy being inside out characters' heads.

I recommend gifts that pull the writer away from things writing related. What else does your writer enjoy? For me, it's heavy metal music and horror movies. These are a few things I've pinned for my "Dear Santa" List on Pinterest. It's mostly horror T-shirts and DVDs of some movies I like.

If you're shopping for me, check out Fright Rags.com

So if they're also a gamer, get them gaming stuff. If they're a gardener, gardening stuff, etc.

Another good idea is something that literally pries the writer from their desk.

Movie tickets, concert tickets, etc are all great ways to encourage your writer to get out and clear their head.

But sometimes, we writers are straining to meet a deadline, or in a good groove where the words are pouring out. In those cases, you can't get the writer away from the desk. So that brings me to the other category.

B.) Things that make the job easier.

A non-fiction book related to what we're writing. 

Research can take time. Sometimes grabbing a book is quicker. I often write regency romance, so a book on the regency would be awesome. A sci-fi writer would appreciate something on space technology, a thriller author something on psychology, etc.

A restaurant gift card.

I cannot stress enough how valuable these are. When writers are riding a deadline, dinner plans get neglected. Gift cards for some yummy place eliminates the hassle.

Another function they can serve is a figurative carrot on a stick. Every once in awhile I will reserve myself extra time for a hard core writing day. I set a goal that's two or three times my average word count and if I make it, I treat myself to Wingstop's garlic parmesan wings. If I had a gift card for wings, I'd schedule another mega write-a-thon stat.

Comfort items:

Writers spend a LOT of time at their desks. Things that make the setting more comfortable are highly prized. A few ideas: Pajama pants, fuzzy socks, slippers, or a fleece throw. 

Is their desk too cold? Get them a little space heater. Too hot? Get them a fan. Too dark? A nice lamp would be great!

Caffeine!

Remember how I mentioned that we're caffeine saturated workaholics? A gift card for a favorite coffee shop is appreciated by the coffee drinkers, a box of tea or tea leaves for the tea drinkers, or if you're one of my friends or family members: I LOVE RED BULL!!

Promo items:

These days, we have to spend money on swag and advertising to promote our work.

Places like Vista Print and Print Runner have great deals on bookmarks, pens, stickers and other fun stuff we can pass out to our readers.

Reviews:

It is harder and harder to get reviews. We are extremely grateful for every one.

Holiday Craziness

Well, my writing is still behind, however, since I closed my editing business for the holidays, I'm catching up. I finally finished revising Hearts of Metal Book 3, and I hope to hit the 25% mark on Scandals with Bite, Book 4 by the end of the week.

Title and cover will be forthcoming next month!

I'm still waiting on my finalized cover and release date for my metal romance, book 2. Since that one's with a smaller press, it should be coming out fairly quick after edits.

I'm also busy making Christmas presents for a few special loved ones. Since my aunt's not online, I can show off the wolf I made her on scratch board:

I'm also doing a dragon for my son.

For my boyfriend, I'm finishing up one of the biggest, most ambitious projects of my life. Since he's not on Facebook, you can follow me there, or sign up for my newsletter to hear about it, or wait until after Christmas for my post about it, because oooh boy, I have tales to tell!!

If you're interested in doing scratch boards of your own, or buying them for an artist you know, I highly recommend the Ampersand boards. They're actually on sale right now:

And the scraping tools are cheap, but work great:

Anyway, I gotta get back to writing and working on presents, and drafting my letter to Santa to post on here this week!

I hope everyone's having a great holiday season!!

Ironic Sacrifice is on sale for 99 cents!

 

 To celebrate Thanksgiving, my urban fantasy romance,

Ironic Sacrifice is Only 99 cents until December Fifth!

Book One, Wrenching Fate is still free!

Have a happy Thanksgiving, All! 

Thank you to those who improved my life this year.

Whew, I'm finally getting caught up with things and in a much better mood than the last time I posted.

In honor of the upcoming holiday, I want to give a shout-out to some people who have done wonderful things for me this year.

In no particular order, I am grateful for:

My aunt, Wendy Masten:

Thank you for all the little random treats you've surprised me with. My mom used to do things like that and now it's like you're filling a part of the hole she left behind.

Kent Butler: 

When we first met, we talked and laughed for hours. The next time I saw you, you brought me hard cider because you remembered I liked it. When my college book bag was hurting my shoulder, you gave me a wheeled bag. When my mouse broke, you gave me another one. That is why I fell in love with you and I am so thankful your kindness has remained steadfast. When my back hurts, you rub it, when I am cold, you make a fire. You saved Thanksgiving for my family by opening your home to all of us. You always cheer me up and help me with everything, big and little. You are the the best boyfriend I've ever had and I'll never be able to fully express how much I love you and how grateful I am that you came into my life.

Bonnie R. Paulson:

My fantastic friend and critique partner, I can never thank you enough for all you've done for me. You've provided invaluable feedback on my books, cheered me up and motivated me with our conversations, shared all of your knowledge on the crazy world of book-marketing, and written wonderful stories that I adore.

Every single piece of advice you've given me has improved my career.

Your successes never fail to cheer and inspire me. You are my patronus!

Rissa Watkins:

Longtime beta reader and excellent friend, I still can't believe you drove all the way to that convention in Vegas and I finally got to meet you in person. I don't think you'll ever truly know how much that meant to me.

And I cannot thank you enough for your invaluable feedback on my stories. I am so happy that you finally put out a book of your own. Your writing is spectacular!

Rachel Faircloth:

My best friend since third grade, thank you for always being there for me and sending me little cards and letters and forgiving me when I get busy and lose touch. You are the best friend anyone could ever hope for and even though we don't talk every day, I always think about you.

Shona Husk:

My friend and fellow author down under, thank you for giving me editing work, allowing me to vent on you about random things, talking advice, and helping me improve the most difficult novel I ever wrote.

Micah Allen:

My wonderful, awesome son. I live for your smiles and laughter. I love spending time with you and I want you to know that my world is so much better with you in it. On my worst days, I only live for you.

Jeff Miller:

For always being the Zen Master of common sense and surprising me with a bookcase.

Jeff Jeskie:

For all fun conversations and the helpful things you do without a second thought.

Dean Chamberlain:

For being an amicable housemate and not dying on me, and all of our intellectually stimulating conversations, for giving me Microsoft Word 2007 when my computer died, and most of all, a place to live.

Noreena Lewis:

For giving me those CROW cards and being a wonderful friend.

Angie Hacker Christianson:

For that wonderful package of hard cider, chocolate, and kitty toys that you randomly dropped off "To brighten my day." It brightened my whole year. I am now inspired to surprise someone like that.

Rebecca Larsen, Bonnie Maestas, and Beverly Ross:

For being dedicated readers, spreading the word about my books and assuring me that my stuff is worth reading.

Ashley Reader Granger:

For all the awesome facebook parties you hosted for me with my new releases. They were a blast!

Shelley Martin:

For helping me out with some things this summer, for invaluable help with Conjuring Destiny and being a fun friend.

Layna Pimental:

For catching all the passive voice and overuse of adverbs in Conjuring Destiny. You made it stronger.

Grace Burrowes:

For providing wisdom, encouragement, and moral support in my publishing journey and having my back during its inherent struggles.

Rebecca Butts:

For being compassionate to everyone, understanding my craziness, coming to my book signing, and making ye olde dreaded day job bearable. If it weren't for you being such a nice boss lady, there's no way I could handle it.

Merrilee Remmick:

For being an amazing coworker, coming to my book signing, reviewing my books and being an understanding listener to my ranting and raving.

Raye Roeske, David Bawden, and Jeremy Shipp

For creating Bad Movie club and giving me a ridiculously hilarious reprieve from the stress of my three jobs. During our movie banter you guys became my friends and a source of cheer.

Nephele Tempest:

Thank you for being a spectacular agent and improving my career.

Cammile Hahn:

For providing a home for my heavy metal romance and putting up with my nit-picking on the cover art.

Tamara Lush: 

For our wonderful chats and expanding my horizons on author opportunities.

That guy at my neighbor's barbecue who offered to use his truck to haul my new desk.

I was a stranger to you and you offered aid when I needed it. 

A series of calamities...

As you can see I've been absent for awhile, alas not for a productive reason.

Just as I was getting in an excellent groove of blogging, keeping up with my newsletter, writing, editing, and working on my crit partner's stuff, and even a really complex present for my boyfriend

Then I got a ton of editing clients back to back. Which would have been fine if two disasters hadn't happened.

The first is that because some idiot stole a credit card, my day job tightened security, so I can no longer access google docs, which I used for drafting my novels, blog posts, and critiques.

The second was that I screwed up royally on what could have been a huge client... twice.

The first time I got sucked into their story and read through it too fast and missed a ton of stuff. I apologized profusely and they gave me a second chance.

I went through it very slowly and carefully.

And I blew it.

I don't know if it was the stress of a ton of other things going on, me being stuck in my right brain from one of my art projects, or if my eyes are going bad... or if that book was denser and more complex than the usual ones I edit.

Either way, it doesn't make me feel any better. I've never failed an edit before.

Either way, I'm going take proofreading off of my services until I can get my eyes checked and maybe cut some genres from my list.

Aside from being deeply ashamed, I lost out on a couple hundred dollars, and got two weeks behind on revising my 3rd Hearts of Metal book and making headway on Scandals with Bite Book 3.

Not to mention the fact that I've done zero marketing and haven't gotten to keep up with this blog and socializing with you awesome peeps.

Oh, and even worse, I was subcontracted out to line edit another MS that was supposed to be 300 pages, but it's a giant block of text with no paragraph indents and unbroken dialogue, so that's been taking forever. AND I got either bronchitis or pneumonia.

It's been hell, and I'm so sorry if this came off as too ranty or whiny.

On the bright side, I did get some writing done in the last couple days and I'm almost done with that last monster project.

I will have to handwrite at work from now on (Though they're talking about banning pens and paper.)

And I'm looking for another job... unless my book sales pick up even more. :D

I want to thank you all for your support and to those of you who posted those wonderful reviews on Amazon & Goodreads, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Those keep me going during hard times like these.

I promise my next post will be more cheerful.

November news, Book Sales, and More!

Well, I was supposed to post a list of Horror Movie recommendations before Halloween, but as you can see, I missed that. I had car trouble and a bunch of other things. So I only got to enjoy Halloween for a few hours.

I carved this pumpkin and lightning speed. It's supposed to be Pinhead from Hellraiser, but it didn't turn out as well as I would have liked it.

I gave candy to Trick-Or-Treaters, and curled up on the couch and watched my favorite ghost story, ROSE RED.

For November, there's a lot of Excitement on the way. First off, BITE ME, YOUR GRACE (Scandals with Bite, Book 1) is on sale for $1.99! Woo-hoo!

You can snag your copy on:

Amazon

Kobo, 

Nook

And speaking of Scandals with Bite, I am working on Book 4, Lenore and Rochester's story, and hope to release it this Spring.

On the heavy metal front, I will be getting my editorial notes for Hearts of Metal book 2 as well as the finalized cover and release date!

And then there's the big SEEKRIT project for my boyfriend's Christmas present. I can't talk about it here, but I am giving details on Facebook and my Newsletter, since he's not on any of those places.

Oh yeah, and I get to make turkey this month! YESSSS!!!

How's your month going? Any big plans?

October was my best month ever! (For Books, anyway.)

Holy wow, this was an insane month. Between my computer dying, getting a bunch of editing gigs, and the insane struggle of getting CONJURING DESTINY out AND the wonderful success of a release, I am EXHAUSTED.

However, this book has definitely done the best out of my three independent novels I've released. Still not as good as my commercially published books, or enough to quit the day job or anything, but we'll just say that I published WRENCHING FATE for "beer money" (Ironically I'm now so busy I don't drink as much anymore) and IRONIC SACRIFICE for my internet bill.


Of course, some improvement was expected because:

A.) Book #3 usually is where you hit a spike,

B.) I knew NOTHING about promo when I published my 1st book.

And honestly I didn't really have the money for it when I started anyway. Still don't, for the most part.

C.) This sounds really stupid, but I didn't know how to apply to book reviewers.

D.) Book one, WRENCHING FATE, is FREE now!

However, there were many worries. CONJURING DESTINY was definitely the hardest book I've ever written. So much so that I started it back when I was fifteen and ended up tearing it apart and rewriting it countless times.

Fantasy is hard as well. I had to create an entire world and people for it. I did a nifty guest post on all the different people in the word. You can check it out Here for a chance to win a $25 gift card.

Also, this book is so different from the first 2 in the series. It's kind of a weird book. I guess that's fitting, since Xochitl is a really weird character.

So I was terrified that people would hate it.

However, I was determined to finish it finally and get it out there. Because I can't continue the series without finishing that one, and also, funnily enough, my George RR Martin obsession motivated me.

See, I've spent the last few years getting progressively more angry with him for not finishing THE WINDS OF WINTER.

And in the midst of my cursing him, I realized I was being a hypocrite, because I NEEDED to finish mine! And I have a feeling George is getting close to his.

So instead of bitching about him, I shut my mouth and vowed to finish CONJURING DESTINY before he finished WINDS. (With his writing pace, that wasn't a major challenge) but by God, I DID IT!

So now the book is out and guess what?

People DON'T HATE IT!!

This was seriously the best indie debut I've ever had.

And the reviews are great so far! I even got the coveted "WOW!" Check em out!

Another cool thing is that this release made my heavy metal romance, KISSING VICIOUS sell more than it did when it first came out.

I am really excited. And also hanging back going, "Whoa, I have SEVEN books out." SEVEN.

My first novel, BITE ME, YOUR GRACE came out in April of 2013, so I've been published for 2 1/2 years and I've been building momentum ever since.

I'm finishing my 3rd Heavy metal romance this weekend and I'll have more news on the impending release of book 2 soon, but tomorrow will be dedicated to Horror Movies.

Because I LOVE Halloween.

Conjuring Destiny is here!!!

Holy wow, you guys!

With all the challenges and pitfalls, I thought this day would never come.

Conjuring Destiny is here at last!

Here's the blurb:

Famous rock star, Xochitl Leonine, has dreamt of a world with two moons where a black cloaked man beckons her. One Halloween night, she meets the mysterious stranger of her dreams… literally... and their shared dance becomes a rendezvous in a place of endless night. 

Zareth Amotken has no idea how important Xochitl’s heavy metal band is to her. As an immortal sorcerer, he doesn’t care. He has one goal: to find the prophesied savior of his world. Her voice holds the power to bring back his world’s vanished sun. 

Xochitl’s compassion urges her to help in any way she can. Yet learning the mysteries of her past causes conflict with her future in music. Her destiny in his world and her obligations to her band pull her in opposite directions. How can she long for one while the other is so dire? 

As Zareth introduces her to his people and teaches her to control her powers, she aches for his enchanting kiss. Zareth tries to resist, for their passion will unleash serious consequences, both political and magical. 

As the time to fulfill her destiny draws closer, she must choose between her heart, her duty, and her friends. The wrong choice could ruin everything. 

But if Zareth’s evil half brother succeeds in taking control of her for his own ends, he will take away her choices… and destroy the world. 

If you’re looking for a strange & magical fantasy romance, this book is for you 

From the bestselling paranormal romance author with over 1000 reviews and ratings of her romance books across Goodreads, Amazon and other retailers. 

You can Purchase it on:
 Amazon
iBooks
Kobo
All Romance
Nook
Google Play Books

This is hands-down the hardest, most complex book I've ever written. And my hard drive dying didn't help matters.

But I got it!

This is also the weirdest book I've ever written. Probably because my heroine, Xochitl Leonine is a really weird character.

It's also the point where the series starts delving more from urban fantasy to straight fantasy, kinda like Stephen King's dark tower books, only with a romance with every book and well, not King's delightful brand of craziness, but my own strangeness.

I confess that I'm terrified about how you readers will react to this book, but so far the advance reviews seem positive.

I'm also having a Facebook Party today with a ton of fabulous guest authors. We'll be playing games and having giveaways! If you want in on the fun, click here: https://www.facebook.com/events/566927936780096/

And finally, my blog tour kicks off today. Here's the itinerary, where there will be reviews, guest posts, exclusive excerpts, and of course, giveaways!

Insert blog tour:

10/23/2015 ( Fri. )	Promo  ALL BLOGS Promotional Book Tours  All Blogs
10/26/2015 ( Mon. )	Review Books to Light Your Fire bookstolightyourfire.blogspot.com
10/27/2015 ( Tue. )	Review All Things Book – Review Guest Post                                                       Taking Time for Mommy  http://takingtimeformommy.com
10/28/2015 ( Wed. )	Review Misty Iputi Book Reviews Excerpt The Cheshire Cat’s Looking Glass http://cheshirecatlookingglass.com
10/29/2015 ( Thu. )	Review A Mama’s Corner of the World http://www.amamascorneroftheworld.com Interview Mythical Books http://www.mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/
11/02/2015 ( Mon. )	Review                                                                              The Crafty Cauldron                                                                                   http://craftymomof3.com/
11/03/2015 ( Tue. )	Review Bookalicious Babes Guest Post http://www.teatimeandbooks76.blogspot.com
11/04/2015  ( Wed. )	Review Jody’s Book Reviews ~ http://www.jodysbookreview.com Excerpt reading with frugal mom http://readingwithfrugalmom.com
11/05/2015  ( Thu. )	Review http://nikita-mattes.blogspot.com/ Interview Hopeful Momma http://hopefulmomma.com
11/06/2015 ( Fri. )	Review                                                                                                                             Second Book to  the Right
11/09/2015 ( Mon. )	Review Cluttermykindle Guest Post                                        Reviewing in Chaos

Live Riff of NIGHT OF THE DEMONS tonight!!!

Since it's Tuesday, I'm joining the “The B-raters,” a live broadcast show hosted by The Weirding, where we live-broadcast our movie riffing on video in Google Hangouts.

Chris, the main host, actually changed the movie schedule because I found out that it's close to the 27th anniversary of my favorite B-horror movie: Night of The Demons!!!!

I don't know why, but I freaking LOVE this movie. It's the ultimate in 80's cheeseball horror. It also has a wonderfully spooky setting. The makers used an actual old Tudor house instead of sets. The actors literally lived in the place during shooting.

Also, despite the low budget, the effects are kinda nifty. And NO CGI, which was impressive.

And it has a fantastic opening sequence. Behold the glory:

I'll be sharing a ton of trivia about it because I bought the collector's edition, which has a "making of" documentary, interviews, film stills, and a bunch of other nifty stuff.

Totally worth it, though I prefer the old cover.

To join the fun, follow The Weirding on Google + and get the link to the hang out and the youtube video. 

You'll need 2 browser windows open for this to see our commentary as well as the film, otherwise you'll just see us being dorks and the jokes won't make sense, since they're following the movie.

We start at 7:30 Pacific, so be sure to tune into The Weirding page and click on the event link that will be posted soon to join us! 

However, sometimes we get a late start, due to technical difficulties, so be sure to keep an eye on the event page.