BESTSELLERS

Y'all, I'm so excited to announce that today, for the first time since I published them, all four of my books are ranked on 3 BESTSELLER LISTS with Amazon.  Each!  At the same time!  I know that might be, like, "same ol', same ol'" for some authors, but to me that is HUGE beyond huge.  Amazing.  Exciting. Humbling. 

Which brings me to you--readers--the ones who buy my books.  The ones who support my work.  The ones who dare to help a girl make a dream come true.  You can't possibly imagine, won't ever know, how much this means to me.  Thank you.  From the depths of my heart and soul, THANK YOU! 

Now, let's celebrate!  Virtual chocolate and diamonds for everyone!!  I'm still just starting out, after all.  Virtual is all I can afford:)

Giveaway copy of Blood Like Poison

Oh, YAY!  Thanks to Claire over at YA Bookie Monster for hosting a giveaway for Blood Like Poison.  If you'd like to enter to win, skip on over there*.

*skipping is optional and may be substituted for running, flying, leaping, crawling, moseying, jumping, walking, sidling, scooting, shimmying, sashaying, flouncing, moving, ambling, strutting, prancing or gliding.

Happy Hump Day!  WOOHOO!!  We're halfway home:)

Time to Buckle Down

Alright, so life had been determined to get in the way of the sequel to Blood Like Poison.  Last week, I typed a grand total of, like, 250 words.  At that pace, I'll be done by...NEVER!  So, this week I'm tightening my belt and buckling down.  If I keep my nose to the grindstone, I still have every hope of publishing the sequel by the first of June.  What I'm really shooting for is the Wednesday before Memorial Day weekend.  That way, any and everybody who wants to download it before they go vacate will be able to.  Nothing like reading a good book by the lake / ocean with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair.  Ahhh!  I can almost smell the water...

So, I'll keep you posted as to my progress.  Some parts go faster than others.  I'm thinking I can probably pound out a good 5K words today if I stay off the internet:)

On a related note, I'll be including the first chapter of Courtney Cole's Every Last Kiss at the end of this next book, so those of you who haven't checked it out yet will be able to.  YAY!


Alrighty then, have a wonderful Tuesday everyone:)

Interview with Author Courtney Cole

I have a special treat for everyone this morning.  New Indie author of YA Paranormal Romance, Courtney Cole, has stopped by to tell me a little bit more about herself and her book, Every Last Kiss.  I thought I'd share what I learned about this amazing writer with you.

ABOUT EVERY LAST KISS

What would you do if you held Fate in your hands?How awesome is that cover?? 

17-year old Macy Lockhart has the weight of the world on her shoulders.  For thousands of years, she has been a Keeper in the ancient organization, the Order of the Moirae… and she literally holds fate in her hands.

But this is something that she forgets because her memories are wiped clean in every life until it is time for her cycle to start again.  For the last two thousand years, this has never been a problem.   Until now.  And now…Fate, the very thing that Macy was born to keep, is being challenged and she has only one choice:  To return to a previous life to fix it; a life where she was Cleopatra’s handmaiden, Charmian.

And that’s not all.  Unless she interferes with the fabric of time, the very thing she has returned to repair, her soul mate will die leading Marc Antony’s forces against Rome.  Can she really stand aside and allow the love of her life to die all over again? 

ABOUT COURTNEY COLE

Courtney is a novelist who, given the choice, would rather write than eat chocolate (although she seriously hopes that she is never forced to choose).  

After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Indiana Wesleyan University, she discovered that no amount of working in the corporate world could quell her urge to write.  Every Last Kiss is her debut novel, followed closely in January 2012 by the second book in the series.

Courtney lives in Mishawaka, Indiana with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.  Learn more about Courtney and her books at www.courtneycolewrites.com

Q&A With COURTNEY

M:  In one short sentence, tell us about your book.

CC:  Yikes.  I always hate this question.  It’s so hard to fit it into one sentence.  But then, that might be because I talk too much.  Okay, here goes:  Every Last Kiss is a fast-paced paranormal romance based around the idea that the Fates are real… and that they have an active hand in determining the outcome of mortal lives.  

M:  What inspired your story?

CC:  Well, I was pondering fate one day and thinking about tragic people who might change their own fates if they could.  That led me down the path of thinking about Cleopatra… and from there, my idea just developed a life of its own.

M:  If your book were to be made into a movie, who would you cast to play your main characters?

CC:  Hmm.  You know, I think I would like unknown actors to play in it. I always hate it when I go to the movies and I’m distracted because I associate those actors with other movies.

M:  When did you first begin writing?

CC:  When I was just a kid.  I read stacks and stacks of books… and if I didn’t like an ending to one, I just wrote my own. 

M:  What has been the biggest influence to your career as a writer? 

CC:  Well, I was lucky enough to really start getting serious about writing after J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer blazed the way for fantasy and paranormal writers.  After they wrote their blockbusters, people really started to understand that anything can happen in fiction.  We’re not limited to the constraints of reality. 

M:  What made you choose this genre?

CC:  I chose Paranormal Romance as my genre of choice because of that very reason…. We’re not limited to the constraints of reality.  If you can dream it up, you can write it down.   I mean, we all live fairly ordinary lives (unless say, you’re Lady Gaga or someone).  When we read, don’t we want to get taken to fantasy worlds?  I know that I do.

M:  What is your favorite book? 

CC:  My all-time fave book is The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom.  I love that little book for a hundred reasons… and everything Mitch Albom touches is magic.

M:  Who is your favorite author and why? 

CC:  I have tons of favorite authors—in several different genres.  I’ve added you to my list, btw.  And Richelle Mead and Mitch Albom are on there.  My friend Wren Emerson has a series coming out soon that is phen-om-enal.  I’ve been lucky enough to read it before it’s released.  So, she’s on my list now.  My list is long.  J   

M:  If there was one thing in life that you could go back and do differently, what would it be?

CC:  Oh, like everyone else, there a hundred things I would change if I could. But I try to remind myself that I can’t.  And every road that I’ve ever been on has led me to this moment—and I kind of like it here. 

M:  Favorite food?

CC:  Mexican.  Hands down, every day of the week, if I could.   (Extra cheese and calories, please!)

M:  Favorite saying?

CC:  Saying?  Hmm.   I’m a realist, so I try not to get all worked up about daily drama.  I mean, we’re all going to have drama at some point, so there is no reason to get high blood pressure over it, right?   I tend to say, “It is what it is,” a lot. 

And when I’m going through a rough patch, I always remind myself that “This too shall pass,” which is something that my grandma used to tell me.  And you know what?  She was right.  It always does. 

You can read more about Courtney in this article that was printed in a newspaper local to her.  You can also find her on her blog, on FB or on Twitter @CourtwritesYA. 

I would like to thank Courtney for agreeing to let me interview her.  I've begun her book and will be posting a review in the future.  But until then, y'all go out and buy it!   You can find it at Amazon, B&N, and at Smashwords.

Thanks to everyone out there who supports Indie authors by buying our books and then spreading the word.  So many dreams couldn't come true without you.

Happy Manic Monday everybody!

Turn About is Fair Play

I have had the privilege of meeting and becoming acquainted with the new YA up-and-comer Courtney Cole.  I will be featuring her on Monday, posting a Q&A with her as well as an article that was done by a newspaper local to Courtney.  Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, go check out her blog and the neat questions she asked me.  Of course, my answers are goofy.  I'm a terrible interviewee.  Come to think of it, I'm probably a terrible interviewer, too:)  Luckily, I write novels rather than report for E.T.  *wink wink*

Now, time to get back to Bo and Ridley...

Mosey on over...

...to Electrifying Reviews where you can enter to win a copy of my new book, Blood Like Poison.  I'm working on the sequel now, though I'm not as far along as I'd like.  I still hope to be finished by the end of next week and have it published by the end of May or early June.  All y'all that have "that question"--you know, the one about Bo at the very end--you'll just have to wait a little bit longer and read the next book to find out.  Aren't I mean?  Muah-ha-ha-ha  :)

FYI:  for those who don't believe that "mosey" is an actual word, for those who think it was just something John Wayne made up, I took the time to confirm it.  To mosey is to walk or move in a leisurely manner.  That's what I'm going to be doing today:  moseying.  It's the weekend, y'all!  It's no time to hurry.  That can wait until Manic Monday.

TGIF everybody! 

A Worthy Cause

I have recently been befriended by a lovely lady by the name of Lora.  I am going to be the feature author on her blog for the month of May.  The post that includes an interview and giveaway should be up later today at the link in the next paragraph.

In the course of our conversation, among the other wonderful things I learned about her, I found out that she is involved in fighting illiteracy.  Through her blog and her organization READ FOR YOUR FUTURE, Lora collects books to stock for underprivileged children who don't otherwise have access to books.  Chances are, if you know who I am, you read, or else you probably wouldn't be here.  Imagine your world if you either couldn't read or didn't have access to any books even if you could.  Think of all the wonderful imagery you get from reading a good book, all the places to which you can travel without ever leaving your home.  Think of all the people you get to meet and all the things you get to do, all from the comfort of your favorite chair.  The least we can do after getting to spend a few hours in the exciting life of someone else is to share the joy. 

If you are an author who would like to donate a set of your books to Lora's cause or if you're an avid reader and your bookshelf is overflowing, get in touch with her and send her some books.  You'd be helping to feed the hungry minds of our youth as well as enriching the lives of the masses.

Ok, I'm climbing down off my soapbox now:)  Happy Thursday everyone.  I'm off to get Bo and Ridley out of their latest mess...