Where it stops, nobody knows...

Anyone else in need of a vaca? I know this girl is! 

The cover vote was a success!!! You all voted this cover in for Binding Secrets and with a few added touches, it will be just as epic as the story itself! For a teaser, click the picture!!!

 

For the last few weeks, I've been working closely with the Indie Author Network (affectionately called IAN). We've been creating a new interactive fansite for a group of incredibly talented independent authors and it's been exciting and exhausting at the same time. The members of IAN are all self-published, hard working and incredibly dedicated authors. I've never met a greater group of people!

The dead line for Fire & Ice is inching closer (I know, it's freaking me out!), but I have faith I will complete it in time. Char is working on a great cover for me and I can't wait to see it! Writing this novella has actually been pretty refreshing. I enjoy taking time trips every now and again to see how my characters lived before I knew them! I know it sounds cheesy, but I'm only a vessel folks! My characters are all alive inside my head...and no I'm not schizophrenic! *Sigh*

Currently, I'm reading The Ancient Fae by Terry Spear. I've enjoyed The World of Fae series and look forward to more from her. I decided that I needed to recharge by reading a nice, long novel and Terry sure did deliver! 

On a side note, I've met a new author recently. Her name is Rachel Olson and I think she has such great potential and a contagious positive attitude. She's definitely someone to look out for. Rachel is currently writing a Sci-Fi novel and is also co-writing on another project. Her vision is definitely intriguing and while she's not yet published, I'll definitely be buying her debut...won't you? :) You can view some of Rachel's writing here.

Well folks, I'm off! I promise to write you all more often once the whirlwind settles. Stay tuned for more teasers and special offers!

xoxoxoxo

Change isn't always bad, right?

Sorry to have stayed away so long! I've had my fair share of craziness attacking from all fronts lately. Sometimes personal matters get in the way of my writing, and while I hate it, it is necessary. On the upside, I'm about to make some pretty exciting changes in the coming months that will be revealed as they unfold. (Sorry, folks! I can't give away all secrets just yet!)

In case you didn't know, the cover vote for Binding Secrets is currently going on until next week. There are four to choose from and since it's difficult for me to pick, I'm leaving that decision up to you all! The artwork is amazing and I promise you won't be disappointed! 

Fire & Ice: A Legacy of Secrets Novella will be released very, very soon. So soon, in fact, that I'm putting on the finishing touches before it goes to editing and beta readers. I'm extremely excited for this installment as I've been wanting to delve more into this part of the story for a while now. Undoubtedly, there will be more novellas to come as the story unfolds. 

In celebration of the new changes and impending release, I'm throwing in a tasty little morsel from Fire & Ice. If you want to know more, please keep in touch by going to my website. All my social connections and highlights are listed on the main page. If you want to know more, you can always contact me via my website and I'll respond as soon as possible. I love my fans!!!!

We cool?

How do you critique authors? Do you speak honestly or try to spare their feelings? Should writing be considered as strict of an art as others? You have to give reviews to get reviews, so should you be nice or honest?

I have to say that I struggle with these questions. While attempting to review the works of my peers, I find myself wondering what type of criticism I should lend. I cannot lie and say that while reading (no matter if it's a rough draft) I'm constantly thinking of rephrasing sentences, spell checks, punctuation errors, etc. I try to be subjective, but my brain doesn't exactly work that way. So where do I go from here? 

I want to be a part of the community and contribute, but I also cannot go against my urges as a writer. What is an acceptable way to tell someone they need A LOT of work without sounding like a jerk? For instance, I would rather have people be honest with me, but not in a "bashing" type of way. I want to know what needs improvement or where things fell flat. I want to know about typos and other formatting errors. I want to know whether I'm even close to being on the right track. However, as anyone else who's been writing knows, it's a growing process. Just because your first few stories or poems are poorly put together, doesn't mean it was necessarily bad.

*Sigh*

What would you do?

Wonderful People

    I truly believe that I am surrounded by wonderful people! So many of my friends and extended family have pulled through with this book and I couldn't have asked for more. I now have an awesome illustrator working on some sketches for cover art. I have a few more reviews of my manuscript's first edit rolling in. Currently I am working on the second edit to tighten up a few more sections and I've been in contact with my publisher about my current material.

     The only phrase that comes to mind is WOW! So much has happened in such a short period of time it's honestly both exciting and unnerving. So I've decided to include a bit of a bonus with this post. I am going to include an excerpt from Cursed Secrets.Please enjoy and comment and share with your friends! Thanks everyone for all you've done for me!

         

Give me art!

     My vision of art comes from words. I can't draw to save my life. Those who know me can attest to the fact that anything I draw looks like one of my kids did it. In fact, the only way I can even make anything look decent is if I trace it. It's sad, I know. So I'm calling in a favor!