Friday Catch-all

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I have been even more scatter-brained than usual lately and haven't been able to focus on my blog, but I wanted to write a quick post to share what I've been up to and once again try to get back on track with regular blogging.

• A publisher responded to my Polar Night query and asked me to send the full ms, so I am just thrilled beyond words about that. Even though I know they could easily still say no to my story, it was still a thrill that someone was interested enough in my query to request more and the response gave me a big boost. :)

• I had a dream that gave me an idea for a new novel, and I'm so excited about that I've hardly been able to concentrate on anything else all week. This story will take place on Martha's Vineyard and will involve a real shipwreck that happened off the coast of the island in 1884. I wrote about the Vineyard and my connection to it during my first A-Z in April challenge in 2011. If you're interested, those posts are here and here. My father's family has been on the island for centuries, and one of my ancestors was a lighthouse keeper there back in the middle of the 19th century. My family vacationed there nearly ever summer when I was a child, and I have been fortunate enough to visit many times as an adult. I am excited about the chance to write about the island, and the story has special meaning to me since I feel like it is a connection to my dad. I have been struggling to come to terms with his death back in June, and the ideas for this story have come together so quickly that it somehow feels like it is meant to be. 

• I had the honor of interviewing Michael Pierce, author of Provex City, for my books column, and will have that interview published next week. If you haven't already read Provex City, I highly recommend it! Michael is a great writer and his blog is always fun to visit. 

• Thanks to a blogger buddy I learned about a writing organization in my area called Women Writing for a Change. I've been wanting to find a local group but hadn't had any luck, so I was thrilled to get this recommendation. Even better, the group is holding a free sampler of their programs in a few weeks, so I couldn't have discovered it at a better time. I admit that groups are intimidating to me and I've been nervous about trying one, but I really want to force myself to get over that fear and take this step.

• I ordered business cards for myself. This is another thing I've been meaning to do for a while and kept putting off, but I wanted to get them now in order to have them available when I work on my columns. I know it's silly, but it made me feel very giddy to see my name and "freelance writer" on the card. :D

In addition to my ongoing total obsession with the Game of Thrones books, that's where my head has been the past few weeks. I am looking forward to catching up with everyone and seeing what you all have been up to as well. I hope everyone has a great weekend ahead. :)

Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge Launch Party!

Today is a great day for sci-fi readers and anyone else who loves a good read, as M.Pax's Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge is now available! This is the sequel to The Backworlds, which was released in April, and promises to be another fine entry in this excellent series.

Here's the scoop on the new book:

The sequel to The Backworlds is now available. Craze and his friends continue their adventures in Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge. See what role chocolate plays in the galaxy this time.

The interstellar portal opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. A battleship spoiling for a fight, yet the war with Earth ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She claims one of Craze’s friends is a traitor who summoned the enemy to Pardeep Station. A betrayal worse than his father’s, if Craze lives to worry about it.

 

Available for all ereaders from:

Amazon / Amazon UK / B&N / Smashwords

iTunes and Kobo will be available shortly.

If you haven’t read The Backworlds yet, it’s available as a free read from many outlets. See HERE for links.

About the author:

Inspiring the words M. Pax writes, Mary spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon where she lives with the husband unit and two loving cats. She write science fiction mostly and has a slight obsession with Jane Austen. Mary blogs at http://www.mpaxauthor.com/blog/

 

Congratulations to Mary!!! 

WWW Wednesday

I've been meaning to participate in this weekly meme for a while but kept forgetting each week until Wednesday had come and gone. So I'm glad I finally remembered and am able to join in this week.

The meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and I learned about it from my buddy Susan Oloier's site.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading? 

Before I started watching Game of Thrones on HBO last year I'd never heard of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. I originally thought I didn't want to read the books because I love the show and didn't want it to be spoiled, but I got so addicted to the whole universe that I changed my mind and started reading the books. I'm glad I did, because I'm now on the third book and I love the books even more than I love the tv show. I am obsessed and a total Westeros fanatic now. :)

I was so happy to finally be able to order Carol's In Name Only yesterday, and it's a great read so far.

What did you recently finish reading?

Easily one of the best books I've ever read. I couldn't put it down.

What do you think you'll read next?

I did mention I'm obsessed, right? :D

I'm also looking forward to reading the latest from J.L. Campbell. I loved reading J.L.'s posts about her native Jamaica during the A-Z in April Challenge, and I know I will love her new book as well.

I've been doing a lot of reading this summer, which of course is never a bad thing, and I'm looking forward to participating in this meme and learning about more great books. Thanks to MizB for hosting!

In Name Only Release Party

Today is the big day and In Name Only is officially available! Congratulations to Carol Kilgore on the arrival of her new baby! :)

If you've not heard about "In Name Only," here are some enticing details from Carol's website:

No Home. No Family. No Place to Hide.

For Summer Newcombe, that's only the beginning.

The night Summer escapes from a burning Padre Island eatery and discovers the arsonist is stalking her, is the same night she meets Fire Captain Gabriel Duran. As much as she's attracted to him, five years in the Federal Witness Security Program because of her father’s testimony against a mob boss have taught her the importance of being alone and invisible. No matter how much she yearns for a real home, she relinquished that option the night she killed the man who murdered her father. But Gabe breaks down her guard and places both of them in danger. She's vowed never to kill again, but she's frantic she'll cost Gabe his life unless she stops running and fights for the future she wants with the man she loves.

 

 

To purchase "In Name Only" for your Kindle, click here. If you'd like a paperback version, you can purchase that here.

Carol will be my guest here on August 6 as part of her blog tour to promote "In Name Only." I know she will have a wonderful post to share, and I'm excited to have the chance to be part of the tour.

Congratulations again to Carol!!

New Books Column

Source: Wikimedia Commons

As some of you know, I have been writing a column on animals for the Examiner.com site for a few months now. It's been fun to do and of course I love writing about animals, but I was also anxious to expand and find an opportunity to write about more topics. I got my wish when I was given the chance to write a column about books for their national site.

I wrote my first column this week and I was thrilled to have my friend M. Pax and her Backworlds series as my first subject. It was a lot of fun to try something new and have the chance to help promote one of the great writers I have met through blogging. Click here if you'd like to read my interview with Mary.

I'm going to be publishing an interview with Carol Kilgore next to help promote her novel In Name Only, which will be released next Tuesday, July 10. I'm so grateful to Mary and Carol both for helping me kick off this new project!

I'd love to write about all of the great books and writers I have discovered thanks to the blogosphere and hope to be in touch with you all soon. It's a treat for me to be able to combine a new writing project with the opportunity to help spread the word about the wonderful writers I've been fortunate enough to meet.

Hope you all have a great weekend coming up and, for those like me who are in the middle of the heatwave covering so much of the US, I hope you stay cool!

Sincere thanks

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I just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who left such kind words on my post about the death of my father. I truly never expected such a response, and I am very touched by your comments.

I was in a fog when I wrote that post and at that time I wasn't sure if I'd even get back to blogging. But as I turned the calendar to July and left a heart-breaking June behind, I realized I wanted to start getting back to my normal routines and the things that I enjoy.

I did learn one thing during this difficult time of my life. I know there is never a good time to receive rejection letters from agents but I think it's safe to say that receiving them when you've just buried a loved one has to be one of the worst times possible. But at the same time, the circumstances helped me to easily put the letters in perspective. I can say without a doubt that, while disappointing, receiving letters from strangers who are just doing their jobs is truly not the end of the world, and nowhere close to the worst things we have to face in life. I'm viewing it as a learning experience and moving on from there.

I have missed blogging and am looking forward to catching up with my blog reading. I know there are several book launches and other exciting milestones coming up, and I look forward to joining in the celebrations.

To my American friends, I wish you all a safe and happy July 4th holiday. :)