Monday, August 27, 2012

Cover Reveal: BLOOD FUGUE by EJ Wesley


Blood Fugue, Moonsongs Book 1 by E.J. Wesley Cover Reveal Party
Author E.J. Wesley is throwing a blog party to celebrate the release of his new book cover and wants you to join in the fun. Jump over to his blog to learn about how you can win some awesome prizes, including $50 toward a cover of your own and advance reader copies of Blood Fugue.

The Rocking Cover!




Cover work by Sketcher Girl, LLC - http://sketchergirlstudios.com/

What's the Story About? 

Some folks treated the past like an old friend. The memories warmed them with fondness for what was, and hope for what was to come. Not me. When I thought of long ago, my insides curdled, and I was left feeling sour and wasted.”

Jenny Schmidt is a young woman with old heartaches. A small town Texas girl with big city attitude, she just doesn’t fit in. Not that she has ever tried. She wears loneliness like a comfy sweatshirt. By the age of twenty-one, she was the last living member of her immediate family. Or so she thought…

“We found my ‘grandfather’ sitting at his dining room table. An entire scorched pot of coffee dangled from his shaky hand. His skin was the ashen gray shade of thunderclouds, not the rich mocha from the photo I’d seen. There were dark blue circles under each swollen red eye. A halo of white hair skirted his bald head, a crown of tangles and mats. Corpses had more life in them.”

Suddenly, instead of burying her history with the dead, Jenny is forced to confront the past. Armed only with an ancient family journal, her rifle, and an Apache tomahawk, she must save her grandfather’s life and embrace her dangerous heritage. Or be devoured by it.

BLOOD FUGUE by E.J. Wesley, is the first of the MOONSONGS books, a series of paranormal-action novelettes. At fewer than 13k words,BLOOD FUGUE is the perfect snack for adventurous readers who aren’t afraid of stories with bite. Available wherever fine eBooks are sold September 2012. 

Join the Party!

The Open Vein, E.J.'s blog - http://the-open-vein-ejwesley.blogspot.com/

E.J. Wesley on the Twitter - https://twitter.com/EJWesley

Monday, August 20, 2012

Overused Phrases

Sorry about missing Thursday's post, but I was hip deep in revisions on TLP (trying to get it ready for submission).

While reading through and making my own notes (while waiting for my wonderful CP's to chime in with their wisdom) I noticed my new favorite phrases for this book.

The phrases "I'm sorry", "I'm so sorry", and "Sorry" came in first, with  "I promise" and "Promise" a close second. (Each of these occurred over 30 times in a 60,000 word MS)

What words or phrases do you find yourself repeating in your writing? Is it a character trait or something you need to take a look at so as not to annoy your reader? (Mine clearly fell in the latter, they weren't character traits :-) )


Monday, August 13, 2012

Wonderful Weekend

What a weekend! Saturday was a blast. We went to my favorite local (kind of) dirt track, Canandaigua Speedway, to see my favorite dirt series, Sprint Cars, and my favorite driver, Tony Stewart. It was AWESOME! (and yeah, dirty, but hey- a dirt race is supposed to be!)

Yesterday I made great progress in editing The Lost Princess,  a companion novel to Quest of the Hart. Working off the tablet PC makes it seem as though I am reading a book, and lets me make notes about places to change, and typos to fix. It's amazing how much you can catch when looking at your work in a different font and format!

So, how was your weekend? What did you do? I'd love to hear about it!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Updated: Interview and Contest!


Today, I welcome my fellow Muse It Up author, Michelle Pickett to the blog. Michelle's debut novel, Concillium, released July 27, 2012 from Muse It Up Publishing.

Leslee hit a strange animal with her car. Now she’s marked for death. 


It was a simple car accident – the animal didn’t even die – but it drew the attention of the Cruor Imbibo. Driven by their insatiable need to feed, the secret society of Imbibo has devoured the dregs of civilization for centuries. Afraid Leslee will expose them, and put an end to their meal ticket, the Imbibo want her dead.

The Concilium is Leslee's only protection. Guardian of the ancient secret and the protector of humans, the Concilium fights to control the Imbibo and end their feeding frenzy. Miller works for the Concilium. Keeping Leslee alive is his next assignment.

Now Leslee is on the run, and the only thing between her flesh and the snapping jaws of the Imbibo is Miller. He and Leslee quickly form a bond, but will falling in love make Miller’s job more difficult? Because if he fails, Leslee will be next on the Imbibo menu.

The Cruor Imbibo are coming, and they're coming for Leslee.

[Doesn't that sound awesome? And how about that cover!!!]

Now, for an interview with Michelle!


How long have you been writing?
I started keeping a journal in college, but I've only been writing seriously for two years.

Where do you write?
I have a small desk in a corner of my living room. I also have a small section of my bedroom that I use for writing when the kids are too noisy and I need to get away.

Why did you choose to go with a small press?
I love the attention authors get at a small press that they wouldn't get at one of the big six. I also love the relationships I've made with the other authors. I don't know if I would've had that opportunity at a larger publishing house.

What three things must you have to write?
My laptop, my wrist brace, my husband's hoodie.

Where do you like to write?
I can write just about anywhere if an idea hits me, but I like to write at home.

What do you listen to when you write?
It really depends on the story and the scene. Sometimes I listen to Classical music and others I listen to the Stones and Eagles. One day my daughter walked in and I was listening to Linkin Park. I think she thought she was in the wrong house.
I have a long playlist for Concilium. You can find it at www.michelle-pickett.com under the "my writing" tab.

What is your beverage of choice when writing?
Caffeine.

Do you have any other works coming out in the future?
The sequel to Concilium is scheduled to release in November 2012
I also have a young adult science-fiction/romance titled PODs through Spencer Hill Press that will release in paperback June 4, 2013 – my son's 12th birthday. [How cool is that!]

How did you come up with your title?
I knew I wanted the book to be called "The Council" but I didn't want it to be in English. So I played around with a translation website until I came up with Concilium, which is Latin for Council.

How long does it take you to write a book?
It usually doesn't take me long to write the book. Concilium was the longest. It took three months. The revisions and editing are where I spend most of my time. Nearly a year with Concilium.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
During the school year it's pretty standard. After I get the kids off to school, I write for most of the morning and early afternoon. Then I do household chores, grocery shop, laundry, cook dinner, help kids with homework, put the kids to bed and, if I'm not dead tired, I might edit what I wrote that morning.
Now that school is out for the summer my schedule is all over the place. Actually, there is no schedule when it comes to my writing. I just fit it in when I get a spare minute! Mostly I stay up after everyone else is in bed.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I always wear my husband's hoodie while I write and I have to have my hair in either a clip or a ponytail. I have no idea why.

Where is the one place in the world you have always wanted to go, but have never been?
Ireland.

Do you work on one project at a time, or do you jump back and forth between projects?
Right now I'm jumping between projects. I'm editing PODs, my YA novel. I'm editing a novel and getting it ready for submission and I'm working on a new WIP. I'll also be beginning edits on Concilium: The Departure, the sequel to Concilium.

Is there anything you'd like to tell your readers?
Yes, I'd love to hear from you! I love comments on my blog and emails in my inbox. Whether you have good things to say, or constructive (that means nice) criticism, or even if you just want to say "Hi," I want to hear from you. Here's where you can find me on the web:
Email: michelle @ michelle-pickett . com
Twitter: @Michelle_kp
Book Webpage: www.conciliumbooks.com
PODs Webpage: http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/PODs.html

Thanks for stopping by Michelle, and congratulations on the release of Concilium!

Concilium is now available at the following:

MuseItUp Publishing
Amazon
Kindlegraph

To enter Michelle's Giveaway, follow the directions here! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, August 6, 2012

I Have a Goodreads Author Page!

Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was busy and hot, but hey, it's summer, it's supposed to be hot.

In addition to running around, Michelle helped me set up (as in she did all the hard work and pointed me to the page to finish it up!) a Goodreads Author Page.

It is very sparse at the moment , but if you want to check it out, it's HERE.

Have a great Monday, and be sure to come back Thursday for an interview with Michelle!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Announcement, Announcement, Announcement!

(Come on, you know all of you just sang that in your head like you did when you went to camp! Wait, what do you mean I'm the only one who did that?)

OK, as you can see, I have an announcement to make. I wanted to make it Monday, but had already promised to do the cover reveal, so I am making it today.

Drum roll please!

I have signed with MuseItUp Publishing for my YA Fantasy Quest of the Hart. Stay tuned for more details!

Also, today I am over at TC McKee's blog for "Yeah, but would you date me". Go and check out my submission-- would love to know what you think!