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publishing self-publishing writing

Good news/Bad news…

Good news! The paperback proof for Time Walker FINALLY showed up. It was printed AND shipped on December 21st,2012 – like SO last year!

Time Walker paperback proofGood news! I love the cover, front and back.

Bad news! There’s something wonky with the indents (they’re WAY too indented).

interior Time Walker proof #1Good news! It turned out to be an easy fix.

Bad news! I will now probably need to reformat the cover, because the book is eight pages shorter – GRRR!!!!! This will delay the paperback release further.

Good news, that means I can probably lower the price!!

 

 

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On My Desk Today personal reflection writing

Some times I forget …

Sometimes I forget what it feels like to be me.

I get buried in some physical or … occasionally, emotional pain. Or a cold or illness that only time can heal no matter how much echinacea tea I drink.

When like this, it’s as if I can only inch forward … get out of bed, keep the house (vaguely) clean, feed myself, care for the cats, answer only the emails that desperately need answering … I keep telling myself this illness/pain/hurdle will pass as it always does, but it feels like lip service.

Friends and family – those who may see or know me in this state – tell me to take it easy, that I work so hard that I deserve a break, etc. So, attempting to heed their advice, I read or watch movies or whatever, but still I’m constantly aware I’m only half available, only half engaged.

But then the day comes – perhaps a rainy, cold one like today, where my office is the warmest place in the house and I suddenly feel like checking out the top singles on iTunes ­– when I turn my mind to the current work in progress. I open the file or notebook, and I take up my pen or keyboard. It just happens, effortless. I don’t even think about it. The rhythm moves me, evokes the muse before I even realize it is happening.

And the words follow. The story flows through me. And I let it. I put everything else aside. I immerse in the story. I know everything. I create all.

Then today, perhaps hungry, I paused to realize and recognize the energy, the feeling.

I’m suddenly whole once again. No gradual gain of energy or warming up. I am suddenly me again.

Sometimes I forget what is feels like to be me.

It feels damn good.

—————————

Writing: Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Urban Fantasy, 1st Draft).

Listening: Marianas Trench’s “Stutter,” Tegan and Sara’s “Closer,” and “Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia.

Sipping: cool water

Eating: roast chicken sandwich with cheddar.

Cats: Darby and Parker are passed out and occupying the entire middle of the desk. Leo is watching the chickadees from the west window sill.

All is as it should be. Why can’t it always be this way? Ah, life.

I hope you catch the flow today as well.

Categories
ebook excerpts publishing self-publishing writing

Time Walker – Chapter One

Happy Release Day for Time Walker!! Here is a sneak peek at the first chapter. Want more? The ebook is currently available on kindle and kobo, with iTunes, B&N and others soon to follow.

View this document on Scribd
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Uncategorized

The final proofing pass of Time Walker

See this? That’s 274 pages (1.5 inches) of Time Walker printed and ready for my final proofing pass. I so hate wasting the paper, but I do find I discover more typos and punctuation glitches if my last pass is done on a printed manuscript.

Image

Will I find all the typos that the proof readers missed? No way in hell. (grumble grumble). And cross my fingers you won’t see them either when you get your hands on your ebook copy later this week!!

Sample chapter reveal tomorrow!!

Categories
ebook publishing self-publishing writing

Price Reduced!! Spirit Binder available for .99c

Spirit Binder book cover smallFrom November 30 to December 14, 2012 the Spirit Binder ebook will be available for $.99c in anticipation and celebration of the upcoming Time Walker release (ebook available December 7, 2012).

So far the reduced price is in effect at the following stores:

Amazon (all stores): Amazon US & Amazon UK – $.99

iBooks (all stores):  iTunes Preview – $.99

Kobo – $.99

So if you haven’t read Spirit Binder yet why not grab yourself a pre-holiday treat? Dig into the world of the Cascadian Chronicles before the Time Walker release.

Categories
publishing self-publishing writing

Love Lies Bleeding #free — today & tomorrow — via amazon #kindle

My novella, Love Lies Bleeding, can be downloaded for free today and tomorrow (Nov 24 & 25) via your Kindle reader or app. If you do grab it for free over the next two days, I would love to hear what you think of it … the novella in itself is a bit of an experiment for me, as it is the first time I have attempted to translate one of the my screenplays into narrative form.

Genre: Horror/Comedy/Romance

Synopsis: Pamela just wants to reunite in the afterlife with her dead fiancé, Grady. Problem is, Grady was a secret agent, and his coded emails have infuriated both his employers and his enemies. They need Pamela alive. So, instead of her planned suicide, she is kidnapped by black ops agents, tortured by mobster warlords, hunted by a psychotic killer, and chased by zombies … all necessary evils in order to ultimately walk into the sunset with her true love.

WARNING: Love Lies Bleeding is a darkly comedic, bloody romance about love conquering all, even death. This is NOT a young adult novel. It contains graphic violence, nasty language, and more than a little bit of flesh eating. There are no soft kisses, soulful stares, or moonlit rainstorms.

The novella is approximately 28,000 words, and currently followed by a twelve-chapter excerpt from the novel, After The Virus.

Links: (available via all 6 stores): Amazon US & Amazon UK

My favourite quotes:

“Denial was Erwin’s friend, and favorite vacation spot.” – Chapter 4, Love Lies Bleeding

“I can’t figure out what we are playing at, good cop, bad cop, concerned nutritionists …” – Phil, Love Lies Bleeding

“Don’t worry dear. Be a good girl and you never have to find out what’s in the crate.” – Mr. Doyle, Love Lies Bleeding

“I’m just looking to match this empty shell to my departed soul.” – Pamela, Love Lies Bleeding

“I need help. Or at least directions. I’m being chased by a psycho … killer, though given the day I’ve been having I could be wrong about his intentions.” – Pamela, Love Lies Bleeding

I hope you enjoy the free read!!

Categories
Little Pleasures personal reflection writing

Tegan and Sara’s new single “Closer”

I wrote a pivotal scene of my new work-in-progress, an urban fantasy novel, Cupcakes, Trinkets and Other Deadly Magic, this afternoon while listening to Tegan and Sara’s new single, Closer. I went looking for new music and found this song on iTunes Top 100 (or so) chart. It was just so perfect for my main character, Jade, a witch who likes to play with magic and a little bit of danger without committing herself to either. Not necessarily literal, but in the emotion the song evokes. The iTunes player informs me that it took 27 noncontinuous plays via headphones to brainstorm and write the first draft of this scene. I’m not surprised, it’s a long, important scene. You know, the scene where the main character makes an error in judgement that’s going to screw her life up really badly, but she doesn’t know it yet. That scene.

Thank you Tegan and Sara, for the creative support this afternoon. Thank you to all the artists who enrich me with their music, words, and energy.

Tegan and Sara. – this is the video of the song on Tegan and Sara’s website – I was hoping it would embed here, but it didn’t  – click through to view!

Categories
ebook publishing self-publishing writing

Introducing Time Walker

My young adult fantasy novel, Time Walker, is out to the beta readers, and I’m gearing up to publish it as an ebook and paperback on December 7, 2012. Time Walker is set ten years after the events of Spirit Binder, but it’s not necessary to have read Spirit Binder before you read Time Walker (though I, of course, recommend it – ha!)

Once again, the brilliant and ever so talented Irene Langholm worked her magic and came up with this gorgeous cover. I know I say this every time, but this one might be my favourite. It’s just so full of magic.

 

Synopsis: Beth was sneaky. No lock could hold her. No cage could confine her. No door could bar her way. But, when your adoptive mother is a Spirit Binder, and all your siblings are elementals, being sneaky doesn’t really rank. That is until the devastation of a city draws her omniscient mother’s attention, and her siblings go missing one by one, then Beth’s sneakiness is the only thing standing between her, her loved ones, and the worst enemy she’ll ever face: herself.

Just for fun A Book Vacation is running a countdown to publication over on her blog until December 7, 2012, so, if you want to win the paperback, enter over there!

I will be running a .99c promo with Spirit Binder for the week before and week after Time Walker’s publication … a little pre-Christmas present for anyone who hasn’t read it yet, and wants to read it ahead of time.

**ARC is now available for book bloggers**

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gardening photography vancouver

Raindrops on roses …

I ran the halloween pumpkins out to the compose between rain showers this morning, and, upon returning to the house, I saw this beauty tucked up underneath the eave of the studio window.

I should have run inside for the SLR, but I was afraid it would start raining again in the time it would take me to get it. I snapped this with my iPhone.

Happy November 1, 2012!!

Categories
blog personal reflection writing

writing a (crazy, bloody, funny)(insert adjective) love story

writing a (crazy, bloody, funny)(insert adjective) love story.

Someone clicked through and stumbled across this post from March 2011 on the blog yesterday which called it to my attention this morning.

… and that does sound like a great story … I should work on that again, but maybe it needs to be a novel first THEN a screenplay … after I finish working on this Time Walker edit and the first book in the urban fantasy series … oh, yes and then there is the zombie vs samurai YA story …

I love it when the muse is with me.