Categories
baking giveaways

Bake a cupcake and win five paperbacks

CONTEST CLOSED! Winner: CORI from NEW YORK, USA. Lucky #4

I still have a few of those misprinted paperbacks hanging around in a box in my office. It’s a handy box, because it raises my laptop up when I’m working from the treadmill desk, but it isn’t very pretty. I should replace it with something in the nearish future, so the books need to go! Plus it feels like a long time since I’ve hosted a giveaway.

This is the final full set of misprints. The books are slightly streaked with pink lines. The files/printings have all been corrected, so once these are gone there won’t be any more. I’d be happy to sign them, personalized or not.

IMG_0372Do you want to win all FIVE of these paperbacks?

Yes?

Then, to enter:

1. Bake some cupcakes inspired by one of the cupcake creations in the Dowser books. You can use one of my recipes or your own – from scratch or a mix, your choice.

2. Take a picture of your cupcake(s) and post that picture in the comments as a .jpg (if possible).

Unfortunately, there isn’t mechanism that allows you to post a picture directly in the comments, but you can link a .jpg. The comment thread should embed it automatically — direct links to the .jpg are best for this. If this isn’t possible for you then you can link to a post on Instagram/Flickr/Facebook/Twitter/etc. This will just show up as the link, not the picture though.

3.  Tell me about your cupcake. Which Dowser cupcake inspired yours – Lust in a Cup, Sunshine in a Cup, Buzz in a Cup, etc?

This is not a baking or beauty contest. Even with how much I bake I cannot manage bake/frost a ‘pretty’ cupcake.

FUN! FUN!

Notes/Rules: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. Each cupcake/picture will be assigned an entry number. The winning entry will then be selected via random number generator. One entry per person. Please make sure to fill out a valid email address in the comment form. Email addresses are not collected for any purpose other than notifying the contest winner.

If you haven’t commented on the blog before, or you comment from a different IP address, the comments are moderated. So don’t worry if you don’t see your entry right away. I will approve it, then assign it an entry number. 

Contest closes SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015 at 8 p.m. PDT.

NEW TO THE DOWSER SERIES BUT YOU STILL WANT TO PLAY ALONG? Dowser 1 is currently perma-free on all retailers.

Categories
Cupcake RECIPES

Ecstasy in a Cup

I’m planning on posting a contest tomorrow to win a signed, misprinted set of Dowser 1-4 and Oracle 1 paperbacks. The entry will be a picture of any of the cupcakes that appear in any of the Dowser books, baked either from the recipes here on the blog or one you’ve figured out on your own. And yes, pre-mixes are acceptable for those who don’t have the time or the inclination to bake from scratch.

Anyway, I thought I should get Ecstasy in a Cup up on the blog so there was one more recipe option. Note, if you do choose to bake the Ecstasy’s you might also want to enter into the contest running over on IndieVisible that closes on June 12, 2015.

doublechocolate_cake lemonbuttercream_icing_RECIPE

 

Categories
inspiration Little Pleasures writing

Oracle 2: A playlist

I put together playlists for each book/story I write, then usually listen to it obsessively while I’m brainstorming and outlining, or even when I feel I need a kick start while writing.

My musical taste is rather eclectic and I don’t like to influence a reader’s impression of a novel, so I don’t often share my playlists. But in the past few weeks I’ve received a few requests to share more of my writing process or things about writing in general.

Music is huge motivator for me. I put on earphones, blast the playlist and think … visualize a scene, or a moment, over and over … Rochelle watching Beau as he fixes a car … a vision taking her sight … the terror of seeing the future unfold and not understanding what she sees … not understanding the magic, but always moving forward, always fighting for the tiny breath of paradise she’s found.

Here is a shot of my current desktop.

Now … headphones on … back to work!

Screen Shot 2015-06-04 at 11.13.41 AM

On iTunes:

Photograph by Ed Sheeran

Wild Ones (feat Sia) by Flo Rida

Here’s to the Zeros by Marianas Trench

Am I wrong by Nico & Vinz (Beau’s anthem)

Collide by Howie Day

Some Nights by Fun.

Categories
inspiration lovely readers self-publishing writing

Book sales by country – May 2015

A friend of mine is currently working for the United Nations in Germany – yes, that’s insanely cool – and he started colouring in a world map whenever he met with a client from a different country. I thought it would be cool to steal his idea and apply it to my books (as best as I can track through Amazon, Kobo, B&N, and iTunes).

I’ve sold in countries other than those coloured in below (specifically Asia) but I thought I’d start officially tracking now, then colour the map in every month if I’m lucky enough to add readers.

book sales by country - MAY 2015

Seeing all the countries coloured in on the map makes me grin ear to ear.

Thank you for reading!! I hope you’re enjoying the ride as much as I am.

Categories
chickens Salt Spring Island

Sunset over the grow out coop

Tonight’s lovely sky. We are so blessed.

IMG_0362
May 31, 2015 – sunset over the grow out coop in the Sunset Drive garden

Good night all. Sleep well.

 

Categories
On My Desk Today personal reflection writing

The bone structure of a novel … for me.

I woke up feeling slightly rudderless this morning. This happens pretty reliably when I’m not deep in a story, when I’m just scratching around the edges of an idea but I haven’t found the hook into the plot. If I entertain it, this feeling can easily lead to fretting over the time it takes me to bring a novel to market, and then being daunted by the sheer amount of words between me and a completed first draft.

So I usually beat it back by blaring music through headphones – a specific playlist for each novel – and digging into character bios and building settings.

Fast forward six hours later, and I’ve written twelve hundred words of the final confrontation and know exactly were the novel is going … as well as the twists that get the characters there.

I love that.

This cracks Oracle 2 wide open for me. I’ll play around with the guts for a couple more days, sorting through scenes, turning points, and putting everything in its place. Then I get to dig deep into the first draft, inciting incident to the denouement.

I thought you might find it interesting to see what a story looks like to me in this stage, so I snapped a picture of my paradigm before I filled out too many spoilers. Please ignore the spelling errors.

Oracle 2 paradim

This paradigm – or skeleton – of the plot is heavily influenced by Syd Field‘s structure of a screenplay, which I used to follow rather religiously when I wrote the first draft of a screenplay and saw no reason to drop when I transitioned to novels. I add my own bits, most likely cribbed from other sources, such as Save the Cat! and the like, but really it’s just an amalgamation of how story functions for me.

This will be a novel in approx. 70K more words.

One word, sentence, and paragraph at a time.

A breath, a look, and a sigh.

A kiss, a touch, and a smile.

The brave, family, and blood. Always blood and tears. Courage and fear.

Destiny.

Rochelle and Beau, beyond the skeleton of an idea and the smear of a pen.

Rochelle and Beau, beyond luck.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

Categories
read-a-long writing

I See Me: Author-Read-Along: Chapters Fourteen and Fifteen

*SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS*

 I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 14 CHAPTER FOURTEEN – important beats:

  • BELIEVING (and colour). “I believed everything laid out before me in black and white. No color anywhere on the page. No color to confuse or beguile my senses. No color to soften the message, or soothe the pain.”
  • CHOICES (right or wrong, choices must be made). “I was never handing over something precious to another person for safe keeping. No matter how trustworthy they seemed, or should be. Never, ever again.”
  • FATE/DESTINY. “I reminded myself that I didn’t believe in fate.” and “Causality, fate, and destiny were just too much to think about, ever.”
  • Blackwell texting – LOL

Favourite Quotes

Beau had found me in that diner. He bought me a piece of apple pie and rescued me from the living hell of my broken brain. I’d believed I was broken. For Beau, I’d act like I was whole. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 14

I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 15 CHAPTER FIFTEEN – important beats:

  • Rochelle and Blackwell make a deal. Though – other than his obsession with Jade – it’s not completely clear what Blackwell is hoping Rochelle will see, what future he is hoping to thwart? Perhaps simply any future he doesn’t like the look of.
  • Too many realizations to sort through … “I didn’t have an unknown psychotic disorder.”
  • Questions about magic? If it’s real, then what? “Was magic energy? The energy I felt when I touched Beau, Jade, and Blackwell? Energy from where? And why me? What purpose did the visions have?”

Favourite Quotes

 ” … it’s a treat to be so near something of Jade’s creation without being stabbed by it.” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Fifteen.

I See Me (Oracle 1) read-a-long

Chapter One
Chapter Two & Three
Chapter Four  & Five
Chapter Six & Seven
Chapter Eight & Nine
Chapter Ten & Eleven
Chapter Twelve & Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen & Fifteen (above)
Chapter Sixteen

What were your thoughts, comments, and/or questions on Chapter Fourteen and Fifteen?

Categories
read-a-long writing

I See Me: Author-Read-Along: Chapters Sixteen

*SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS*

Last but certainly not least when it comes to the plot of Oracle 1. Here are my thoughts on the final chapter. Feel free to ask any questions or share any thoughts about I See Me (Oracle 1) here. Anyone reading this far shouldn’t accidentally happen upon any spoilers.

 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN – important beats:

  • CHI WEN, the far seer!!!
  • Rochelle’s parents get names!
  • “An oracle by birth.” Important wording here. 😀
  • “As you will see mine.” – this practically innocuous observation of Chi Wen’s is a HUGE hint to how he sees Rochelle’s role (specifically within the Dowser Series). But you’re going to have to wait for Dowser 5 and 6 to really know what he’s talking about 😛
  • Fate/Destiny/Luck – Chi Wen weighs in on the possibility of changing the future. “Magic moves where it will, not where we wish it.” This is an important hook into Oracle 2.
  • Rochelle seeing herself in the rearview mirror – “I didn’t recognize myself.”
  • Beau, Rochelle, and the Brave. Both have made ‘deals’ to save/protect the other.

Favourite Quotes

And wait, dragons were real now? Like fire-breathing, treasure-hording dragons with wings and scales and wickedly long claws? – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 16

Beau lifted my left hand and pressed a kiss to the black butterfly on my inner wrist. “I’ll follow your luck anywhere. Then I’ll fight and survive at your side if it runs out.” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 16

“Me and you, beyond luck.” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 16

I See Me (Oracle 1) read-a-long

Chapter One

Chapter Two & Three

Chapter Four  & Five

Chapter Six & Seven

Chapter Eight & Nine

Chapter Ten & Eleven

Chapter Twelve & Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen & Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen (above)

What were your thoughts, comments, and/or questions on Chapter Sixteen?

Categories
read-a-long writing

I See Me: Author-Read-Along: Chapters Twelve and Thirteen

*SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS*

I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE – important beats:

  • Beau’s abandonment issues: “Don’t leave me,” he whispered fiercely. The idea was utterly preposterous. I laughed.”
  • The Dowser!! And Kandy 🙂
  • Getting to hear how the cupcakes taste from Rochelle’s POV. Love, love, loved it.
  • The alchemist fixes Rochelle’s necklace.
  • TENSION between Desmond and Jade.
  • All hell breaks loose. 😀

Favourite Quotes

I had a split second to mourn Beau. I was terribly sure that if I ever gained consciousness again, it would be without him. And what good would waking up be if I had to wake up without Beau? – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 12

“It’s broken,”I said. “It’s broken like I’m broken.” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 12

I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – important beats:

  • Rumble in the house!
  • First hallucination with the drugs out of her system and her mother’s necklace attuned to her magic.
  • More B/G of how the Pack functions – “sharing magic,” etc

Favourite Quotes

 “If we can’t have Paris,” Desmond said. “At least we’ll always have Blackwell.” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Thirteen.

I was within the vision. I breathed in the white light. I consumed it. It was me. It had always been me. This was me. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Thirteen.

My hallucinations up to this point certainly hadn’t been filled with fluffy bunnies. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Thirteen

She flinched. All that power, all that electric magic I could feel rolling off her, and I made her flinch. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Thirteen

“I don’t believe in fate or destiny.” Jade laughed. It wasn’t a happy sound. “It believes in you.” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Thirteen

Then, propelled by a force I couldn’t deny any longer – that I couldn’t hope to control – I sat on the bed to draw. Right now, that was all I could do. But later, I was going to thwart destiny. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Thirteen

I See Me (Oracle 1) read-a-long

Chapter One

Chapter Two & Three

Chapter Four  & Five

Chapter Six & Seven

Chapter Eight & Nine

Chapter Ten & Eleven

Chapter Twelve & Thirteen (above)

What were your thoughts, comments, and/or questions on Chapter Twelve and Thirteen?

Categories
read-a-long writing

I See Me: Author-Read-Along: Chapters Ten and Eleven

*SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS*

 I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN – important beats:

  • Going to the Pack for save haven … and “ignoring the most important thing [Beau’s mother] ever taught” him.
  • Lara!! From a different POV (not Jade’s). “I’ll gladly dance naked on his bloody, well-gnawed bones.”

Favourite Quotes

Don’t play nice, Rochelle. I want you, not the fake you who’s just pretending.” “What if the fake me is all I have now?” “Look deeper.” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 10

Beau reached around me to grab my seat belt, but I slapped his hand away. “I’m crazy, not a moron” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 10

“Yeah, I knew how to deal with predators. Don’t be prey.” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 10

I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER ELEVEN – important beats:

  • Audrey! Learning to be a good beta, and failing at it.
  • Desmond! Everyone who thinks the Alpha is ‘handsome’ needs to reread Rochelle’s reaction/description of him. Also some intriguing displays of the Alpha power/magic that hasn’t been explored much in the Dowser Series.
  • Texting with Kandy – I love this scene.
  • Are cupcakes a possibility? LOL
  • Rochelle’s bravery is so compelling and even heart wrenching through these few chapters. She is totally lost, and yet willing to do anything for Beau. Even defending him against the Pack.

Favourite Quotes

“What magic to you wield, witch?” Desmond asked me. I raised my chin. “I’m not a witch.” “What are you then?” I thought about this for a second, then answered, “Crazy. Though psychotic might be a better word choice.” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Eleven.

“Rochelle doesn’t eat meat,” Beau blurted, as if he was confessing some terrible sin. The three other shapeshifters turned to stare at me, completely aghast. Like I was condemning their religion or something. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Eleven.

I See Me (Oracle 1) read-a-long

Chapter One

Chapter Two & Three

Chapter Four  & Five

Chapter Six & Seven

Chapter Eight & Nine

Chapter Ten & Eleven (above)

Chapter Twelve & Thirteen

What were your thoughts, comments, and/or questions on Chapter Ten and Eleven?