Monday Meandering

My hubby's brother and his wife have been here a couple of weeks now. We're still doing research about future house plans. Because of local zoning laws, we may be looking at two small houses rather than a duplex. When our kids were little, we needed lots of bedrooms. Now that they're grown with families of their own, we want a larger living room/great room to handle family gatherings.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

What I've been reading (or listening to):

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

I'm seriously fan girling here. love Love LOVE the premise and execution of this series. I'm a huge SciFi fan, and to put it in a YA series that has a spin on fairytales?

Cinder does a futuristic twist on Cinderella, where our poor heroine is not only a stepsister forced to work for her stepmother but Cinder's also a cyborg. And it doesn't stop there.








Scarlet continues Cinder's story but weaves in another (connected) storyline with Little Red Riding Hood.

And Wolf? Oh, my.








Cress is originally introduced in the first book, but she gets her own tale (Rapunzel) in the third installment. I'm listening to this one right now.







The only thing I'm hating right now is the next book (Fairest which has the evil queen as the main character) isn't out until January and the last book (Winter--Snow White) isn't until November 2015. Nearly the end of 2015!

*sigh*

What have you been reading lately? Any fun stuff? 

What about your dream house? What's important to you?

Author Interview - Maria Hoagland

I have a special guest today, author Maria Hoagland. She agreed to an interview.

Are you spring, summer, fall, or winter? Please share why.

I love daffodils in the spring, raspberries and green grass and fireworks in the summer, and huge snowflakes on silent midnights during the first snowfall, but I love fall the best! I love crunching in autumn leaves--the smell, the sound, the colors, the invigoration of the crisp air. I love football and Halloween and apple cider and wooly worms.

If you were to name one piece of clothing that describes you, what would you say?

One piece of clothing . . . hmm. A comfortable-fitting pair of crop jeans. Can be dressed up or down, not too stifling, and good in pretty much any setting. (Okay, maybe that's stretching it just a bit! :))

Tell me about your next project.

I’m so excited about my latest completed project! Last month, I released my third novel, Still Time. It is about an LDS woman who is fighting moving into the next stage of life. She’d love to be able to keep her kids small, herself young, her marriage strong, but challenges keep getting thrown at her. She has her own hopes and dreams that somehow seem to be being back-burnered, but the most important thing to her is taking care of her family—it’s just that she’s not sure what is best for them. I think most readers can relate to that, and I don’t know about you, but sometimes I want to see how other people deal with adversity because it makes me feel less alone and gives me hope that I too can prevail. Still Time is my third novel. I love to read about real life with a medical angle. I hope readers feel less alone in the trials they are facing. I hope they finish reading feeling uplifted and entertained and better about life in general.

Thrust into the chaos of her mother-in-law’s hoarding and forgetfulness, LDS church member Alyssa Johnston wishes she could retreat to a simpler time when her kids were small and almost anything could be fixed with a hug. But reassurance and a quick distraction no longer erase the pain of a missionary son who is struggling, a young teen who is bullied, or a daughter who is distant. As Aly’s own life and relationship with her husband plunge out of control, she wonders if her faith will be enough to keep her family—or herself—from falling apart.

Still Time is a deeply moving story about a woman’s faithful journey into the next phase of her life. You will laugh with Aly, feel her sorrow, and see yourself in Maria Hoagland’s realistic, heartfelt portrayal of a woman’s struggle to keep her family safe and hold back time as long as she can.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE |  KOBO | iTUNES | PINTEREST

About the Author

When Maria Hoagland is not working at her computer, she can be found walking barefoot in soft grass, remodeling houses with her husband, or enjoying campfires with their three children. She loves crunching leaves in the fall, stealing cookie dough from the mixing bowl, and listening to musicals on her iPod. Maria earned her degree at Brigham Young University, and although she adores mountain resorts near her Idaho home, she is no longer a fan of ice skating.

Website | Blog | Facebook

Monday Meanderings

No movies seen this week. Bummer,

Got family visiting this week (yay!), and we've been searching for a good locale to build/buy our retirement homes. Hubby's brother and sister-in-law, the ones we went on the cruise with last January. But back to future retirement. Dang, but homes are expensive. I doubt I'd be able to afford to live in my city if we hadn't bought when we did. Kind of depressing.

So, I wanted something funny to share. Jeanne Robertson has a great sense of humor. Notice how mocking she can be. But this one makes me laugh out loud every time.

It's well worth watching to the end.

* * * * * * * *

Cover Reveal!

After celebrating college graduation with her friends in Las Vegas, Amanda St. Claire wakes up with a terrible hangover and a ring on her finger. Her day gets worse when she finds out she's married to rich playboy Blake Worthington---the guy she has loathed the past four years. Amanda convinces Blake to legally terminate the marriage and they both return home like nothing ever happened. That is, until Blake shows up on her doorstep and Amanda has to come clean with her family.

Together for better or worse while the legalities are cleared, Amanda reluctantly plays along, but then the unthinkable happens---she finds herself falling in love with Blake.

Can they overcome the past?  Or will it end their future before it even starts?

See any movies this week? What did I miss?

Guest Post - Brooke Williams

I have a special guest today. Please welcome author Brooke Williams. 

Write What You Know

A Guest Blog by Brooke Williams

I feel like I have been writing all of my life. I started out in grade school writing and illustrating the strangest little stories. I went on to adore assignments for research papers in high school and college. I moved on to script writing for radio. And then I went into freelance writing before moving into the novel writing realm. If I have learned one thing over the years, it is that when you write a novel, writing what you know is not only easier, but also more profound and sincere.

I have been to a few different writing conferences and I have received advice from a number of different agents, authors, and people in the publishing industry. I have tried to take all of the advice, but to tell you the truth, not all of it sinks in. But one thing has and that is to write what I know. Let me give you a few examples.

In my novel “Someone Always Loved You,” one couple meets on the Internet. My husband and I met online. In that same book, a character is in a coma and some of the memories she has are things that happened to me when I was a child.

In “God in the Kitchen,” the main character is a radio personality. I was in radio for 12 years. In “Wrong Place, Right Time,” a romantic comedy due out December 9th, the main character is a bumbling TV traffic reporter. I was a traffic reporter on TV for a whopping 5 months.

It is easy to write about things that I have experience with or places I have been. I can visualize and describe locations better and I can relate to the characters who are going through things I have been through myself. It makes the book authentic on a deeper level.

That’s not to say that everything I write is something I “know.” That’s part of the fun of being a writer…making things up! In “Beyond the Bars,” for example, five buses explode in five different cities. I have never seen a bus explosion and I hope I never will. The book also involves a prison break, a kidnapping and so much more. That book is probably the one that I imagined the most. But some of the characters still have elements of me. There is a frantic mom, for example, who wants nothing more to get to her child and keep her safe. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my kids!

I encourage you to read “Someone Always Loved You” and see if you can figure out what’s real and what’s completely made up. Even people who know me well can’t tell for sure. That novel is the book closest to my heart, though it’s the first one I’ve written. I’m pretty sure it will always be my favorite. It takes readers through such a range of emotions and has so much of me in it. The idea came to me at a time in my life when I needed something so badly…and what I got was “Someone Always Loved You,” a book I have never been able to let go!

So for aspiring writers, I advise you to find some aspects of your life that you can use in the books that you write. Whether it’s a career, a place you’ve traveled, a language you know, memories you have or something else. You are the only you there is. Use that to your advantage and use your experiences to make the book better. Then, make the rest up! I am still amazed that I get to hang out and make stuff up for a living. Is there a job in this world that is any more fun than that?!

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Email

Someone Always Loved You Amazon link

Brooke Williams is an award-winning author and freelance writer. She began her career in radio, both on the air and behind the scenes. She did a brief stint in TV news and then took on her most challenging job as a stay at home mom. During the few quiet hours in her day, Brooke writes articles for a number of clients as well as fiction creations such as “Someone Always Loved You.” Brooke has also written “Beyond the Bars,” a thriller, “God in the Kitchen,” a Christian novel, and “Taxi Delivery,” a Christian Romance. Brooke looks forward to the December 9th release of “Wrong Place, Right Time,” a romantic comedy and the February 2015 release of “Accept this Dandelion” inspired by the Bachelor TV show. Brooke has been married to her husband Sean since 2002 and has two daughters, Kaelyn and Sadie. 

Plagiarism Update

Dang, here I go posting an extra time during the week. Again!

As horrifying as last week was with the plagiarism that was followed by cyberbullying against the victim, this week has been so heartening to see people rally behind Rachel Nunes (you can read her story here).

NY Times bestselling author David Farland, who has met Rachel at a few writing conferences, suggested to her that she start up a litigation fundraiser so she could go after this person. He talked about it Monday on his Kick in the Pants post (click here to read it), and he put his money where his mouth was by donating $500. Click here for the direct link to donate.

Litigation of any kind is expensive. Plagiarism litigation can be especially so. If you can help share the word, it would help a lot. Even donations of $5 can help--if there are a lot of them.

This isn't just Rachel's battle. It's a fight for all authors.

Here's a sample of Rachel's book and the plagiarized ARC.

Rachel's original work.

Sam Taylor Mullen's Plagiarized ARC.

And here's a screen capture of the attacks against Rachel's other books on Amazon (some are under Rachel's pen name. These were all done by one person the day the plagiarism came to light.

In response to these attacks, author Candace C. Bowen created a Facebook group, Author Against Plagiarism and Cyberbullying. She's been keeping followers up to date and posting some interesting articles about the issue.

Monday Teaser

What I've been working on ...

Rough Excerpt from A Dangerous Reflection* * * * * * * * * * * * *

I'm pretty excited. I've been working to get Torn Canvas as an audiobook. My dream narrator has said he's very interested. 

Yes, that was squeee you just heard. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

And just for fun ...

I'm not normally a country music fan, but I grew up with Johnny Cash music because my dad was a fan. However, I am a huge fan of A Capella anyway, but men's A Capella? *sigh*

Did you do anything fun this weekend? See any movies?

Embracing Your Inner Hotness by Leta Greene

Your outward appearance might make the first impression, but sixty seconds later, when that first impression is ancient history, it's your inner beauty that needs to shine! If you want to be truly hot, this book will show you exactly how, including the following:

• Why you need to stop buying in to a cultural concept of beauty
• How to transform the way you see and present yourself, inside and out
• How to discover the secrets to the right look for you
• Why different isn't bad—it's your key to hotness
• How to choose happiness now, no matter your current situation
• How to leave pain in the past
• How to figure out what you really want
• How to stop letting other people define your worth, potential, and purpose
• How to find the right man and have the hottest marriage imaginable!
• What it means to be "enough" (and it's not what you think!)

We all experience loss and pain when our lives don't end up looking like we dreamed they would. Professional beauty expert and speaker Leta Greene looked that in the face and made a choice. Happiness and permanent hotness followed. Yours can too, right now, as Leta shares how to create the life and look you want in 15 simple steps—a transformation that will make you irresistibly, and lastingly, hot!

AMAZON

Plagiarism - The Story Continues

Since I've been following this drama as it has unfolded, I thought I would share Rachel Nunes's side of the story.

Click here.

Please read it. And watch your back. They've vicious.

ETA: One of the reviewers who outed the plagiarist has been being attacked, so she's posting side-by-side pictures of Rachel's original and Sam's stolen version.  You decide.

Click here and here.

August 2014 IWSG

Click here to find out more and to see a list of other IWSG blogs.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

I'm really bugged about something that happened this week to an author acquaintance of mine. This lady has been quite successful and has many books to her credit. She's made a career as a traditionally published author and now is branching into indie publishing.

She was contacted by someone who said they had been given an ARC to read and review. The book was scheduled to come out in August. The person said the book was almost identical to one of the author's books that had been released about fifteen years ago. Now, the author writes clean romances, and this book even had a religious element. In the ARC, the character names had been changed and the religious scenes replaced with graphic sex scenes. But it was HER book.

As you can imagine, the author was appalled.

She asked if the person would email her a copy of the ARC. The person who had contacted her declined, but did ask the plagiarist P about the striking similarities. P said she had collaborated with my friend.

Um, no.

Then my friend contacted P, and she went all defensive. Said a mistake had been made, and she would pull the book. But she also went sobbing on FB about it, and now her fans are attacking my friend.

Like she has done something wrong by protesting the theft of her intellectual property.

It blows me away. It disgusts me.

I cannot fathom the sense of violation I would feel if someone stole my creative work and passed it off as their own. If they twisted these characters, who had lived in my mind and heart for years, into mockeries of what they were.

Please be careful, both with your own work and with other people's. Please. 

ETA: P has been outed big time by one of the reviewers who took the effort to read the original book.

Monday Ramblings

I totally skipped posting last week. Hope you enjoyed my break as much as I did. :D

Outside my window: Some cooler weather is rumored to be heading our way. The clouds are looking dark and heavy. Awesome. I love interesting weather!

I've been listening to: Pandora. This one of my recents faves.

Weird video but I love the song.

I watched: This week we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy. Loved it! Hubby, who's not a fan of watching a movie more than once (unless he's forgotten it), even wanted to go see it again right away. Fun gadgets, some slick fight scenes (that didn't last too long), and a story with lots of humor and heart.

I am grateful for: A sweet husband who is very supportive of my writing. Oh, and grown kids who enjoy each other's company. And the sweetest, most huggable grandkids ever.


What I'm working on: A Dangerous Reflection. How do you like that title (the previous working titles were dreadful)? This is the first book of my YA portal fantasy. The second book is called A Desperate Deception. Both of these books are already written but need some serious editing.

The last few weeks I've been reading through the two books and taking notes. Super sized my weekend and used to time to finish that, collect the comments, and put it on my white board for reference. Then I moved both projects into Scrivener.

So I will finish this post and get to work.

What have you been up to?

Two Releases from RM Alexander

Veil of Secrecy
Clean Romantic UF/Sci-FI

Rachel Brackett arrives in Sullivan, Montana with simple goals: relocate, settle an estate, and manage her own antique store. Her parents and friends back home called it running away. That’s just fine with her. 

Rachel’s curiosity leads her into the forest, and she finds creatures who know more about her ominous heritage than she does. The creatures only exist in nightmares – grotesque mutants and shapeshifters. They seek vengeance for hideous crimes in genetic engineering, and Rachel is the prime target for retribution. While Rachel searches for the truth behind the family she never knew, a bounty hunter stalks her every move. Only Leonardo, a figure shrouded in the shadows, offers protection. A were lion with the perfect blend of human and feline features. Terrifying. Impossible. Alluring. 

When Rachel’s home is ripped apart and a friend attacked, it’s clear there is no safe haven. She is no longer running from her past, but trying to survive to make it to her future.

AMAZON | GOODREADS

The Right One 
Clean Romantic Suspense

Big dreams take strength and determination. 

Cami Lockhart’s dream is on the verge of becoming a reality. Lockhart Sanctuary, a refuge for abused and confiscated cats, is what Cami has worked for her entire life. But a dream that big requires a daily commitment. Cami yearns for someone to share the dream with, and knows everyone in town thinks Alex is the perfect man for the job. There’s one problem. She wants fireworks with every kiss, not just a friendship with a hint of something more. 

Sometimes what you wish for is closer than you think. 

Alex Reynolds shares Cami’s passion for the sanctuary, and at her head ranchhand, spends every day helping her dream come true. He longs to tell Cami she’s held his heart since childhood, but losing a lifetime of friendship is a big risk to take. Being by Cami’s side at the sanctuary is better than letting go, but Alex knows someday he’ll want more. 

Risk losing everything or fight for the dreams to come true. 

The sanctuary is put in jeopardy when ignored threats take a painful turn. Cami and Alex must each chose to stand and fight, or lose everything they dream of.

AMAZON | GOODREADS

About the Author
RM Alexander is an author of Sweet / Clean Romances that are sometimes contemporary, sometimes paranormal or suspense, but are always ruled by the heart of true romance.

With characters who look for love in wrong places and are victims of the worse kind of betrayals while fighting for what they want and believe in, RM's novels promise a good read with unexpected twists and turns.

When she's not writing, RM is spending time with her husband and two small children in Michigan. She loves to travel, especially to Walt Disney World, and can often be found on Twitter or Facebook chatting with other authors and fans.

Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Website