Sunday, September 26, 2021

Early Release?! and Times of Color

Early Release?!

All of the Nexus Book Party Plans are in motion and I am thankful for everyone's help!

Chrys Fey has been my editor for Liftoff and Nexus. 

Carrie Butler has been my cover artist and interior formatter.

Without them, Liftoff and Nexus would not be half as beautiful as they are.

Last week on Monday, I re-discovered a dilemma I haven't had to deal with in a while: it is impossible to get a regular paperback copy of my book via KDP without hitting publish first. It's possible to order proof copies, but not the "good" copies I can sell.

Yes, I am also publishing through Ingram Spark, but...well, let's just say I feel like I have some user-tech issues with the platform there, so I decided to rely on KDP for my first book signing copies on October 4th.

So...Nexus is out early!


I'll add in the blurb and all info in next week's post when it's more "official."

In addition to Chrys Fey and Carrie Butler, I have awesome author friends who are helping me with the Book Celebration via in-person, blog, and other online events. Thank you, all!

The Book Party Celebration Schedule is coming on October 4th!

Dates, times, and places will be released on that day.

If you want to come to a live, in-person event and you live in the South Sound, Gig Harbor-Tacoma area, come to BBQ2U in Gig Harbor between October 4-10. I will be there most days at lunch and every evening. 


BBQ2U is a local, casual, and very generous restaurant supporting local artists and authors with an ongoing book and artist table. A friend set up my time there. Thank you, Larry Fowler from the Greater Gig Harbor Literary Society! 

I will also be spending most of Saturday the 9th at the Grit City Comic Con, then returning to BBQ2U for a bit of the evening BBQ crowd. It's going to be a busy week. 

In addition to all of my news, I'm excited to highlight H.R. Sinclair's newest non-fiction release:



A Note from H.R. Sinclair: This book is for people who love color, history, trivia, and superstitions. I’ve collected bits of information on color ideas around the world, added a color thesaurus, and color descriptors as well as places and things that are predominantly one color that a writer could drop into a scene if they’re looking for a pop of color. But this is not just for writers, it’s for everyone who’s fascinated with color.
There more information on this page: https://www.iamhrsinclair.com/the-life-and-times-of-color/

Sample Pages
Links: 


Do you find the meaning and history of color interesting? Check out H.R.'s book!


Sunday, September 19, 2021

Do you know how to rest as a writer?

 My husband and I took a late 25th anniversary trip for just the two of us. We went to Big Island, Hawai'i and loved our time there. We hiked in rainforests, admired waterfalls, drove all over the island in search of historical sites, beautiful vistas upon beautiful vistas, great food, and beaches to enjoy for short bits of time. We visited the new caldera of the Hawai'i Volcanic National Park (we saw it back in 2011 before the 2018 lava flow) and walked through the lava tubes again (old ones, not the recent ones).

My husband has reddish blonde hair and comes from a red-headed family so we remembered to use sunscreen, wear sun shirts, and get into the shade as much as possible. Other than the day we stayed out at a beach for nearly five hours, we managed to keep our skin safe. (We know a few people who have suffered from skin cancer, so we take this pretty seriously). 

We loved all of it, and we loved spending time with just each other. Since we were there at the beginning of the slow season, there were no crowds and we managed a good six feet or more distance from most people other than when we ate out and when we were on the plane (masked up with plenty of checks for COVID beforehand). Even when we ate out, we were separated via table distance and we ate outdoors every single time because...Hawai'i.

Given all of that, we were sad and slightly worried to learn that Hawai'i like many other places has an upswing of case numbers. Masks were on everywhere, and we did our best to use sanitizers and hand soap as often as we could. 

If you show up in Hawai'i these days, you won't get greeted with leis and alohas. You will get greeted by burly tall National Guardsmen doing temperature checks. If you have a temp, you will get quarantined immediately. 

So, it was travel during CoVID which is slightly less fun than the old-fashioned way, but we enjoyed ourselves and remembered how to rest. My husband doesn't rest well, and I struggle with it, too, so it took a bit to remember how.

What rest looks like to me:

  • Taking time off from regularly scheduled work, volunteering, and even social media contact.
  • Writing only in my journal or for fun/silly projects. 
  • Not taking phone calls from anyone other than family members, and even limiting those.
  • Putting down the phone, or at least only using it a little. (This was tough for me.)
  • Getting outside.
  • Taking deep breaths of fresh air (not next to crowds).
  • Sleeping in.
  • Watching old movies on TV we would never watch at home.
  • Exercise outside - hiking, walking, bicycling, swimming, etc. (I'm not in great shape, but I still like to move.)
  • Saving lots of room for dessert at restaurants by splitting entrĂ©es.
  • Water elements are always the best (for me). I like waterfalls, lakes, rivers, snow, ice, and the ocean. Since I did eat some shave ice, I'm going to say I managed to enjoy all but one of these types of water on the trip. I even like rain and we got some of that, too. 
  • If I can, I like to travel. If I can't, I like to find new places to walk or just be outside.
  • Taking photos because I like to take photos. 

I'm not done editing most of the photos from the "good" camera, but I do have some I already shared from my phone on Instagram.







How do you rest?

And when?


It was really odd to me to rest less than a month before a book release, but I managed to turn off that part of my brain for the trip and when I came back, I felt refreshed and ready to get to work. If you signed up for a guest post or shout-out, you will be getting an email soon.

If you would like to help with my book release and didn't already sign up, email me at tyreantigger (at) gmail (dot) com - it's happening from October 4-13.

Many thanks to those who have signed up!






Monday, September 13, 2021

Guest Post by Patricia Josephine: I'm Joining the Zombie Horde

 Please welcome author and awesome writer buddy Patricia Josephine!

I’m joining the zombie horde

I’ve always stated that if the zombie apocalypse happens, I’m joining the zombie horde.


Don’t get me wrong, I like being alive, but it just doesn’t seem worth it. It takes a lot of effort to stay alive. You have to be healthy and fit. You have to know how to defend yourself. You have to find yourself food. You have to trust other humans won’t stab you in the back.


Being a zombie on the other hand is much easier. You only care about one thing: Brains. All you want is to eat those tasty brains and not much deters you. A bullet to the leg? Nope. Lose an arm because a pesky human chopped it off? Big whoop. You’re still going. You have a one track mind. Then if you do get a bullet to the brain or your head lopped off, well… now you have zero things you care about.


You see, belonging to the zombie horde is a no-brainier. It’s less stressful. Less demanding. It’s just easy. Unlike being a human. We’re struggling with that without the addition of zombies.


Tweets:

The cure to stop the zombie apocalypse is hidden in Upper Michigan. Erin’s only chance at securing it rests in her ability to train a zombie.

Available at your favorite retailer. https://books2read.com/u/mBZpkp 


The zombie apocalypse could have been prevented. People didn’t have to die. Erin’s world didn’t have to be destroyed. But there’s a cure and she’ll do anything to get her hands on it.

Available at your favorite retailer. https://books2read.com/u/mBZpkp


Every human in the world becomes a zombie when they die. But Erin refuses to accept the world as it is now. She’s heard about a cure locked away in a lab in Upper Michigan, and she plans on retrieving it. To do so, she needs a zombie. Not just any zombie, though.


Zee is Erin’s link to the lab. His connection to the living world is her bargaining chip. But only if she can teach him to control his mindless impulses.


Can a zombie be trained? Or will Erin be Zee’s next meal and become a zombie herself? The fate of humanity rests in her hands.


Universal Buy Link - https://books2read.com/u/mBZpkp

Add to Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58343851-the-cure



About the Author



Patricia never set out to become a writer, and in fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was more of an art and band geek. Some stories are meant to be told, though, and now she can't stop writing.


Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow.



Social Media Links:

Website – http://www.patriciajosephine.com

Newsletter – http://www.patriciajosephine.com/newsletter

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13460894.Patricia_Josephine

Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00UH7GAK0

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/pjlauthor




Monday, September 6, 2021

Don't Forget to Breathe by Cathrina Constantine

 Happy Labor Day!

Please welcome Cathrina Constantine to my blog today! 



DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE


Leocadia arrives home from school to find her mom’s body. Unaware that the killer still lingers, she rushes to her mother’s side, only to be grabbed from behind. And everything fades to black.

 

Leo has been battling personal demons after a year of retrograde amnesia. She’s been having vivid dreams of that day. And her dreams are getting worse—she’s starting to remember. Two more bodies are discovered and they are oddly linked to her mom’s unsolved homicide.

 

Leo befriends her new neighbor. He’s eager to visit Star Hallow’s notorious haunted mansion. It’s located on a deserted cul-de-sac where she once lived and where her mom was murdered. But it’s the Lucien Estate, the mansion next door to her old home, where they happen upon misty ghosts, ghosts that just might help to unravel the homicides.

 

Will Leo's memories send her reeling into a relapse, or will she be able to overcome her demons to find her mother’s killer – only to become the next victim?


Amazon Universal Link: SMARTURL.IT/LEOCADIA




Cathrina Constantine


Wednesday, September 1, 2021

IWSG SEPTEMBER 2021: The Definition of Writing Success and an "Ask"


 It's IWSG Day! Time to rock the writing world! Many thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh and the co-hosts this month: Rebecca Douglass, T. Powell Coltrin @Journaling Woman, Natalie Aguirre, Karen Lynn, and C. Lee McKenzie!

OPTIONAL QUESTION: How do you define success as a writer? Is it holding your book in your hand? Having a short story published? Making a certain amount of income from your writing?

My answer has changed over the years. Originally, it was holding my book in my hand, and being able to say "I am an author of a book." Then, I went through a phase where I thought I really needed/wanted to make a certain amount of income from my writing to say to be successful. 

Honestly, I still wish I had more financial success as a writer. How much would be enough? Honestly, enough that I could say I'm making more than the average fast food worker per hour. But, I'm not there yet. I've read articles by writers who find their writing to be successful because they use their writing for other things - so in that sense, my tutoring, teaching, and any "writing" I do for my part-time job as a property manager would be considered making a living from writing. But, I still hope someday to actually make a steady income from the writing itself. 

For the most part, my definition of success as a writer really has become this:

I write. I finish things. I write again. I publish some. I have some published by others. I hold onto other pieces. I write and I write. And so on.

Success is in the act of writing. 

I've also read some articles who find their writing to be successful because they use their writing for other things - so in that sense, my tutoring, teaching, and any "writing" I do for my part-time job as a property manager would be considered making a living from writing. But, I still hope someday to actually make a steady income from the writing itself. 

NEWS FOR IWSG:

The anthology contest is closed. The judges are hard at work.

Next up, we have the IWSG Twitter Pitch event coming on January 26th! For more information, check out our website at the pitch page HERE.


NEWS FOR IWSG AND AUTHOR COMMUNITIES

  


Patricia Josephine released her latest novel The Cure!

NEWS FOR ME:

NEXUS IS COMING NEXT MONTH!

I still need help with the book party celebration aka book blog tour. Many thanks to those who signed up to help: Alex J. Cavanaugh, Patricia Josephine, MJ Fifield, Chrys Fey, Jemi Fraser, Shana Dow, and L. Diane Wolfe

THANK YOU! 

If you want to join in on what I hope/plan to be fun, please check out my google form. If you can take a Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday - that would be awesome! 



Amaya is supposed to bring peace to the galaxy. Which is tough when she’s being held for crimes against the Neutral Zone. Her imprisonment is on her own ship with her own crew. But close quarters create tension.

Honestly, her role as Rayatana is a mess.

She may never get to use her powers for anything good. Not if her teacher continues to keep secrets, and not if her powers keep harming others. Putting her mother in a coma should put her in prison, but she has a mission. She wants to bring peace to her people. She needs to become the Rayatana.

 

What readers are saying about LIFTOFF: Rayatana, Book 1

"This is a fast-paced story for teens...Throw in some misunderstandings, space battles, alien races locked in an ancient war, and we have a great escapist mix." -Elle Cardy, YA Fantasy Author

"I love the diversity of the characters, and not just because some are alien. This series has the potential to become a new-classic, space opera series." - Toi Thomas, Author

I enjoyed this lively adventure, a quick read that begins with a movie theater transforming into a spaceship. What a great premise!" - Carol Riggs, YA Speculative Fiction Author

 

ISBN:

Kindle 978-1-7357695-5-4

More formats forthcoming.




BOOK PARTY HELP!