Gone Baby, Gone...

I'll be off line most of this weekend. Wish I could say it was for a really cool reason, but I can't.

Everyone have a safe weekend, here in the States. Everyone else, just have a cool weekend!

Can't Forget...

Every now and then, someone out there needs help and we, as authors and readers and reviewers, can help more than you realize.

My sister-in-law, Cheri Chesley, has been helping out her friend Rebecca. Rebecca is a 35 year old mother who, after being diagnosed with breast cancer, had to have surgery a couple days later. I'm doing what I can to help out, although it isn't much. I'm reposting Cheri's blogs and links to her books because Cheri is turning over her proceeds to Rebecca's medical bills.

Now... people, my sister-in-law is a mom to 5 kids. You read that right. FIVE. She stays at home to take care of the kids, she babysits, she has little time to write but has published a book and has a couple more up that are self published. She has submitted the second book in her series. I have no IDEA where she gets the energy from!!! Their financial situation could be better, but I won't go into too many details. The point is, she's presenting this selfless act of loving and kindness to her friend who didn't ask her to do this. But this is Cheri. She thinks of everyone but herself. More often than not, we all get wrapped up in our own lives and just don't give a rat's arse about anyone. Cheri isn't like that and never has been. She's an awesome sister to me.

So please, help us out. We don't like to beg and refuse to do it. If you can't buy the books, at the very least, link her latest post on your blog and show links on your pages where people can buy these books. Tell them where the money is going.

My current "good deed" ended this year. I had crocheted, with the help of my mom and her friend, breast cancer awareness scarves. I worked on them for a full year and then donated them to the local Relay for Life chapter here in Homer. They were a smash success! So help out in some small way or even a major one. You will be rewarded!

It's Monday...

Not that it means anything significant. I wonder if I missed a Meme? And I know that my friends "across the pond" or "down under" are a day ahead of me. (Hello from the future!)

I got frustrated and fed up with the two programs that I use to write. Okay, in all reality, I only use one. I use Open Office. I had a trial version of Microsoft Office on my laptop and apparently never got rid of it. So when I did a "save as" for my MS and saved it in Microsoft Word to send out to my Beta Readers, I thought... no problem. I always try to send it out in Word because most people use that. I continued happily on my merry way, writing down about another 3,000 words. I saved it in Open Office.

Well, when I opened up the document to continue, the newer stuff was gone. I almost flipped out. I tell you what... I had been sort of tired the night before and really didn't remember all I had written. Pantser, remember? So I opened up the Word file. Sure enough, there it was. And because I only have a trial program on there and no product key, I can't copy and paste.

The computer geek in me wracked my brain to try and figure out how to remedy this situation and I think I have it under control. But man... I had lost an entire MS once when my old desktop caught a worm virus and my entire hard drive was destroyed. Lost art work as well. NOT fun.

So, I'll get back to writing. Just super tired and still feeling irritated about the bump in the road. Doesn't take much to get me all riled up and I still have to smooth my feathers, put my claws back in and talk nice to the laptop I threatened to throw under the next moose I saw.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I'm Such A Pantser...

Yes, I said Pantser. As in, I write by the seat of my pants and don't stop 'til I am done. My husband teases me all the time that I type at the speed of light and he is awed by how few mistakes I make. I learned how to type by hunting and pecking, then staring at the keyboard til things got a bit more familiar and took off from there. My typing teacher hated me. Hehe!

Anyway, back to this Pantser thing. Why am I mentioning it? Because I'm such an unorganized sot that I have blown off several Memes these last couple weeks. I must have ADD....ooh shiny!

::Coughs::

Okay, I'll try to refrain from being such a smart arse. VERY difficult thing to do, however. So I am hoping that I will be back to participating in said Memes next week. This week has sort of been shot with appointments, voices speaking in my head and Muses whispering in my ears. However, I will NOT complain because I've been doing a very good job writing the past couple of days. I wrote over 3,300 words yesterday and last night. I have not written a single bloody thing in months. I've reached over 85,000 words and have yet to hit the battle scene. Oooh battle scenes!

I cannot wait. ::Rubs her hands together in glee:: Don't worry, I am not drooling... yet. :D

Lookie, Lookie...

So. Don't know if you've noticed. If not, no biggie, I got ya covered. If you'll notice (in case you didn't notice before) I have a couple of writing/revising progress bars over to the right. Down, just a little. There, you got it!

Notice that the one for Crowning Absolution has grown. That's right! Woot! I wrote quite a bit last night. The voices in my head are speaking to me once more. My Muse has returned and I have given her the gift of using my gift. Well and chocolate. But don't tell the other Muses!! I'll have a freakin' stampede.

So there is my awesome post for the end of a crappy week. Well, maybe not so crappy. But just frustrating and irritating in lots of different ways. But not because my mom is here. My mom is awesome and I love that she's here and helping me out in my time of crappiness and frustrating... ness.

Have a good weekend everyone!

MC Blogfest...

Elizabeth Mueller is having her Getting to Know Your MC Blogfest today. Woot! I love Elizabeth, she is an awesome author and artist!

Okay so we have to plop our MC down in the spotlight (like they're not already in the spotlight? Psshh) and ask them 3 very difficult questions. I would like you all to welcome Kayta Ni'adzul from 'Crowning Absolution'. (The photo below is how I personally picture Kayta.)



1. What is your greatest fear?

That I will spend the rest of my days fighting a war that had absolutely nothing to do with me or even my father. That the people of the kingdom I am sworn to protect will continue dying for a cause no one can remember.

2. What is your biggest accomplishment?

I suppose that would have to be survival. I mean, my parents, my sister and recently my uncle all passed to the Plains of Afterlife. I don't know what Fate has in store for me, but I pray to any god or goddess that'll listen, that I will continue to survive.

3. What is your biggest regret?

That I wasn't closer to my sister. We didn't exactly get along. She was several years older than me, but we never bridged that gap between us.

There you have it. Kayta, thank you kindly for putting yourself under the spotlight once more to answer those questions.

I'm looking forward to reading more in this blogfest!

What Song Defines You?...

So if you could only pick one song to define you or where you are at in life right now, what would it be? What would be the song to define your MC?

For me, personally, it is Jimmy Eat World's song, 'Middle of the Ride'. That song is pretty much my theme song. Not exactly sure what it wold be for any of my characters. I'll have to think about that and get back to you.

Is It Friday Yet?...

I know, only two more days to go to Friday. I think I can wait til then. But I still wish it would hurry up!

It has been a long week. Already. Now that I have gotten a few things out of the way, I can get back to writing. Maybe. I need to get back on the ball! I've been working out a few things in my head. I need to finish the entire book (what will soon become a trilogy) and then work out where book one ends, edit, send off to BR's and repeat the process, skipping the first step of course.

After that I have to get on the ball with the Black Rose story. Then I have a short story to submit to Realms of Fantasy magazine as well as two other stories waiting in the wings. One is a paranormal and the other is historical fiction. Phew! I'm a busy girl. I want to get this stuff done!

So I hope everyone else's week is going well?

Review: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Now don't judge me. I didn't know this was a Teen Harlequin til after I bought the book and had gotten myself hooked.

Yeah, I know I don't like romance. But you know what? This book was about more than romance. I'm a sucker for a good story as well as an even bigger sucker for faeries. Yeah, I love me some faeries.

I have to say that I absolutely LOVED this book. Why? Well, let me tell you! Here is the synopsis:

In less than twenty-four hours I'll be seventeen.

Although, technically, I won't actually be turning seventeen. I've been in the Nevernever too long. When you're in Faery, you don't age. So while a year has passed in the real world, agewise I'm probably only a few days older than when I went in.

In real life, I've changed so much I don't even recognize myself.

***

MY NAME IS MEGAN CHASE.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

THIS TIME, THERE WILL BE NO TURNING BACK.

I got sucked in right away. The back of the book more often than not will disappoint me. I usually feel like I got ripped off or something after reading the back of the book and finding the book nothing like what is written on the back. That is not the case with The Iron Queen. First of all, I haven't read the previous books in the series. I picked up this book simply drawn by the title, cover and synopsis on the back. Like I said, I got so involved with it right away that I didn't notice which one in the series it was, that it was even part of a series or that it was a Teen Harlequin. Once I found out it was a TH, I thought... hmm... do I really want to read this?

Yep!

So, while reading this book, I didn't feel lost like I normally do in a series of books I pick up in the middle. I was able to continue reading and get a general idea of things that had happened in the past books. Overall I was well informed. The story was so awesome! I don't know how else to describe it. It was a very good read and most importantly (for ME) the romance was kept to a smouldering minimum. Yes, there was romance. Yes there was a bit of a love triangle. But it didn't over power the story to the point where I wanted to throw it through a window and choke girls wearing "Team Whoever" shirts. The fey involved with the half breed were actually mature. The girl, Meghan, also seemed mature, but not overly much. She still seemed to be a teenager, but had matured and grown due to all she had been through. All I can say is read the book or even recommend it to a teen. I'll be suggesting it to my niece. The whole series as a matter of fact!

So... I give it 4 out of 5 skull and crossbones.