IWSG and the Polar Murders series

Hello, friends!! Today is the February meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, or to sign up and join the group, visit the IWSG page here.

I'm excited today as I have a new book coming out later this spring! Polar Curse, the sequel to Polar Night and Polar Day, is tentatively scheduled to be released in May. I'm so happy about it as I had reached the point where I thought this book would never be completed let alone make it out in the world.

My publisher is going to re-release Polar Night and Polar Day with new covers, so I'm also thrilled about that. I can't share the covers yet but I love them and love the ideas the artist came up with. After those two are re-launched Polar Curse will be published. The three will be marketed together as the Polar Murders series.

I can't wait to be able to share the new covers and more information about the new book, but for now I am just busy doing a happy dance with Kermit. It took me so long to write this story that I can't believe it's actually coming together now.

Happy February!

IWSG & Writing for the Fun of It

Hello, friends! Today is the October meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, or to sign up and join the group, visit the IWSG page here.

Now that we are in the last quarter of the year I can officially say that 2019 has been the least productive year I've had since I started on this blogging and writing journey nine years ago. Some of that has been due to circumstances out of my control but, if I'm being honest with myself, most is due to my own lethargy and the apathy I've felt towards writing for far too long now.

Somehow over the past few years I've become so obsessed with needing to publish something new that I've managed to take all the joy and fun out of writing. Any time I'd start writing something I'd immediately start thinking that I'd never be able to get it published or find an agent or publish it myself. As a result I have more scattered notes and half-finished chapters and pages with no more than two sentences than I can count. And as a result writing has become something that feels more like a chore than something I love to do.

So for the rest of 2019 the only goal I am setting for myself is to figure out how to enjoy writing again. This all started because I loved playing with words and characters and bringing the stories that had always danced around my head to the page. I want to find that joy and fun again, even if it means the only person who sees what I write is me.

This quote by Margaret Atwood is my motto for the rest of this year.

Before I wrap this up I also wanted to give a quick shout-out to my long-time blogger buddy Deanie Humphrys-Dunne. Deanie has an adorable new children's book out called A Tractor Named Wilbur and I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy. The book is wonderful and if you have any little ones in your life I'm sure they would love it.

How cute is Wilbur? For all the info on the book, visit Deanie's site here.

I hope this new month finds you all well and I wish everyone a very happy October!

IWSG & The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith

Hello, friends! Today is the September meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, or to sign up and join the group, visit the IWSG page here.

Back in July I returned to the IWSG and planned to spend the rest of the summer actively writing and blogging. But instead some unexpected health issues popped up and totally derailed my plans. Fortunately I'm doing much better now and am starting a new plan to be active and productive for the rest of the year. Fingers crossed!

Each month the IWSG administrators suggest a question to answer in our post for the month. This month's question is:

If you could pick one place in the world to write your next story, where would it be and why? 

This was a fun question to think about! 

I'm totally enchanted by Scandinavia even though I have never been there. I love the scenery, the winter landscapes, and the remoteness of some of the areas. I have always found winter to be a muse for my imagination and writing. 

Recently I learned about the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway and I would love to go there and settle into a house by the sea for my own private writing retreat. 

Source

If I ever do make it there I'm hoping I can see the Northern Lights. 

Source

So that's my writing retreat daydream. I'm looking forward to reading where all of you would love to go. 

Before I wrap this up I want to give a shout-out to my friend Luanne G. Smith and her fantastic book The Vine Witch. Luanne was one of the first friends I made here in the blogging world, back when she was running her Bards and Prophets blog, and I'm so happy to see her finding such success with her books now. 

I received an ARC of The Vine Witch and I can't recommend it enough. If you love witches, wine, France, or just a well-written story full of intrigue and great characters, this is a book for you. The book is one of Amazon's first reads this month so if you are a Prime member you won't go wrong picking The Vine Witch as one of your choices. 

Congratulations to Luanne! 

Source

And Happy September, all! This is the start of my favorite time of the year and I am looking forward to the months ahead. 

The Importance of Friends from Windy Hollow Author Tara Tyler

Hello, friends! Today I'm thrilled to be hosting my friend and all-around awesome person Tara Tyler as part of her Windy Hollow book tour. Welcome, Tara!

***

I wish Julie and I could get together more often. It's great living near my friend, but even when you live close to your friends, life makes it tough to see them!

That's why summer is great for me--I get to plan trips and lunch dates to see my friends. Friends can talk about anything--we chat about life as if no time has passed. From college friends to writer friends to neighbor friends close by. And getting together in person is so refreshing--I need my hugs!

my writing buddy Christine!

my bff from college

baseball mom friends!

my travel buddy and old roommate friend

friends from our wedding and childhood

my old neighbor and great listening friend

Friends are so important in life. They're honest, caring, helpful, and empathetic. We run the gamut in our conversations, from baring our souls to peeing our pants laughing! We talk, commiserate, encourage, and comfort. I don't know where I'd be without my friends!

at lunch with my parents we got these fortunes
--coincidence?

Julie and I go way back to the beginnings of my writing life. I'm so glad we've done events together--the down time can get pretty boring! Thanks, Julie, for being there--online and IRL!

2017 - we need to do this again!

Do you plan trips to see friends? Do you like to travel? How do you keep in touch?

Friendship bonds can form early and last a lifetime. In Beast World, the kids learn they can't always do things on their own and should depend on their friends sometimes. True friends won't let you down when things get tough!

WINDY HOLLOW
Beast World MG Fantasy Series, book #3
by Tara Tyler
Available NOW!

This summer, Gabe and his friends fly over the Great Sea for the wedding of the century: a dragon prince and a beautiful harpy. But Gabe can't relax on this vacation. Besides competing in rigorous wedding events, he overhears the nearby human village WINDY HOLLOW is in danger from an evil human scientist and a vengeful were-ogre experimenting on beasts. Gabe and his friends risk crossing the mountains to help, despite several warnings. 

Maybe he's going too far this time, but he's in too deep to quit. It's do or die, hopefully not die!

Paperback ~~~ Ebook

Goodreads

Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After moving all over the US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her husband and one boy left in the nest. She has two series, Pop Travel (sci-fi detective thrillers) and Beast World (fantasy adventures), plus her UnPrincess novella series where the maidens save themselves. She's a commended blogger, contributed to several anthologies, and to fit in all these projects, she economizes her time, aka the Lazy Housewife—someday she might write a book on that... Make every day an adventure!

website: Tara Tyler Talks

twitter: @taratylertalks

facebook: Tara Tyler - Author

Instagram: taratylertalks

newsletter: tara tyler news

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Corruption by Nick Wilford

I'm happy to be hosting Nick Wilford today as part of his Corruption blog tour. Corruption is the second book in his YA dystopian series. Welcome, Nick!!


Hi Julie! Thanks for hosting me today. I'd like to share the opening of Corruption with your readers.

*

Wellesbury took his lunch out of the food production unit and followed Ezmerelda through the newly installed double doors to the grass area outside the canteen. Grass. A concept that had been alien to him until a few months ago. So many things were new, it was making his head spin. But in a good way. Everyone seemed more relaxed. He and Ez sat down on opposite sides at one of the tables that had been placed in the picnic area.

“Taste good?” he asked as his girlfriend took a bite of the steamed trout on her plate. He’d chosen a vegetable lasagne. Okay, so the food was still synthetic, but they were working on that and at least there was a choice of menu options now. 

“Mmm,” she said. “Yeah. I wonder what the real thing will be like.”

Newly recruited teams were at that moment exploring coastal areas, to see if any fish still lived there. Early reports had been encouraging.

“It’s weird to think there could be actual animals here,” said Wellesbury, slicing into his lasagne. “Like the ones we saw in Fusterbury, but a bit cleaner, hopefully.”

She laughed. “Yeah, we need just the right amount of dirt to be healthy. I really hope George gets his expedition together soon. People are still dying over there.”

“I hope so, too. I mean, we don’t even know how many family members Mal’s got left. They need to set up the communication system.”

Ezmerelda skewered a potato with her fork. “I suppose we’ve just got to trust he knows what he’s doing. I know there’s a lot of things to do here, but we’re not the ones in dire need.”

“He’s getting there. The immunity potion is a big thing. No point him and his team dying of the same disease they’re trying to save people from.”

She sighed. “I know, I know.”

The sun peeked out from behind a cloud, and she closed her eyes, a smile lighting up her face with pleasure. Wellesbury wasn’t going to get tired of seeing that smile any time soon. And real weather was so much more interesting, now they’d got rid of that atmospheric cloud that only permitted a watered-down outline of the sun to peek through.

“Well, let’s go and see what Mal’s up to before we go back.” Wellesbury rose from his seat and put his empty plate in the outside vaporiser. That was one piece of technology that was certainly worth keeping. Not everything the Reformers had done was bad.

Wellesbury’s long-lost twin brother, Mallinger, who had come to their country looking for help but instead had only narrowly avoided an agonising and lonely death in a jail cell, had enrolled in Magnificence High School. Ability groups had been organised for the first time, and while he was obviously at the opposite end from Welles and Ez due to his lack of any previous learning, he’d picked up reading and writing remarkably quickly. His practice sheets were bordering on legible.

Mal was sitting at a table at the opposite end of the grass area, chatting and laughing with his classmates. He’d settled in well, picking up his own set of friends. A far cry from his arrival, when he’d been callously labelled a demon by a closed-minded mob. Welles was glad people had become more accepting since the curtain had fallen on the government’s activities.

“Hey Mal, what’s up?” said Welles, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

“Oh, hey bro,” said Mal. “Just chilling with the guys.” About ten of them were squeezed round the small table, and the rest continued with their boisterous conversations. Welles saw a lot of himself in Mal; what he might have been like if he had been raised in a less constrictive environment, and had more love from his parents. They were twins, after all, but separated from the moment they were born.

“What you doing after school?”

“Got a big football practice with my team here.”

Football was the game that Mal had brought over from Fusterbury, and it had proved wildly popular. It was simpler and less elitist than gravball, the version that had been invented by the Reformers. Welles used to be the star of the school gravball team, but had lost interest since his friendships with his former teammates had gone awry. He’d washed his hands of them. Somehow, they seemed to prefer the old, regimented way of life. He enjoyed a kickabout with Mal now and then, but these days that was as far as his sporting activities went.

“I’ll see you at home after, then.”

“Not got a hot date?” asked Mal, grinning at Ez, who rolled her eyes and tutted affectionately.

“Oh, you know. Don’t want to get sick of each other,” said Welles, looking at Ez and winking.

She shook her head and said, “Right, that’s enough of you silly boys’ antics. Time to get back to class.”

“Yes, ma’am!” said Mal, raising his hand to his temple in a mock salute.

“See you later,” said Welles, waving at Mal and going after Ez.

At first, his parents had resisted having Mallinger live with them, even after the truth of Fusterbury had been exposed. It was just such a culture shock having more than one child in the house, they said. But as Dr Tindleson had explained, Mal was their child too, and if it hadn’t been for Wellesbury, they would never have known he even existed, let alone have had the chance of a relationship with him. And, thought Welles, Mal had softened them a little bit. There was still something about him that seemed so innocent, and he was so trusting and eager to please, in spite of everything he’d been through. Amazing, really.

The three of them hung out in Welles’s room often, and this might also be a beneficial factor for his parents; with the scientists slowly working on people’s biological make-up to effect a return to a previous, primitive state, Mal could act as a sort of chaperone.

Title: Corruption

Author: Nick Wilford

Genre: YA dystopian Series: Black & White Series #: 2 of 3

Release date: 11th February 2019

Publisher: Superstar Peanut Publishing

Blurb:

Wellesbury Noon and Ezmerelda Dontible have found themselves in a position where they can make their native land somewhere that lives up to its name: Harmonia. However, they’re setting their sights further afield for their number one task: eradicating the disease that has plagued the neighbouring country of Loretania for generations and allowed the privileged Harmonians to live in a sterile environment.

After dispatching a team of scientists to Loretania, armed with cratefuls of an antidote and vaccine and headed up by their friend, Dr George Tindleson, Welles, Ez, and Welles’s brother Mal – who grew up in that benighted nation – start to worry when they hear nothing back, despite what they had agreed. Commandeering a fishing boat to follow the science team over the sea, they soon find that, while the disease may be on the way out, a new kind of infection has set in – the corruption they thought they had stamped out in Harmonia.

Can they get to the root of the problem and eliminate it before even more damage is done to an innocent people?

*** Warning – this book contains themes that some sensitive readers may find upsetting. ***

Purchase Links:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

Add it on Goodreads

Meet the author:

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those early morning times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. Visit him at his blog or connect with him on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, or Amazon.

Elaine Kaye Interviews the Witch!

Hello, all! I've been on an unplanned blogging break but I'm excited to jump back into the fray today  to help spread the word about the latest release from Elaine Kaye, Halloween Ride! Elaine is here with an interview with Halloween Ride's very own witch, Bertha.

Take it away, Elaine!

Elaine Kaye: Hello, Bertha. It’s nice to talk to you today. Our readers are very interested in you. The first thing they want to know is…where do you live?

Bertha, the Witch: I live in a cabin in a magical forest that no human knows about, with my ten cats and hundreds of brooms.

Elaine: What are your cats’ names?

Bertha: Puffball, Monkey, Doodle, Coal, Scratch, Merlin, Casper, Shadow, Jinx, and Onyx.

Elaine: Why do you have so many brooms?

Bertha: Because they're magical, dear.

Elaine: We know that the broom Gregory and Sammy find can fly them anywhere in the world. Does each one have a special magic?

Bertha: Some are for flying and some are for cleaning. The cleaning brooms visit people who need their houses cleaned, like the elderly. And the flying brooms go out every Halloween to give special individuals one ride. Except one of my brooms befriended a magical teddy bear, and the two of them go all over.

Elaine: I know just what teddy bear you’re talking about.

Bertha: How much longer are we going to be doing this, dear? I have some soup to eat.

Elaine: Speaking of which, was that really pea soup that Gregory and Sammy saw in your pot?

Bertha: Of course, it was. I make really good pea soup.

Elaine: What’s all in it?

Bertha: Peas, carrots, potatoes, onions, but it’s really the dried ants, worms, toadstool, and spiders that give it flavor and substance. Would you like a taste?

Elaine: Thanks, but I’ll stick to my recipe. It was a pleasure talking to you, Bertha.

Bertha: You, too, dear. Goodbye!

*And Bertha disappears in a poof of green smoke*

NEW RELEASE:

BLURB: One Halloween night, Gregory and his teddy bear Sammy go trick-or-treating, hoping for lots and lots of candy. But Sammy is scared of everything and is constantly asking, “What’s that?” Gregory gets annoyed until one of those things turns out to be a flying broomstick. And this broom wants them to go for a ride. Where will it take them? 

*Story picture book Ages 4-8.

EBOOK 99 CENTS:

Amazon / Nook / Kobo

Print:

Amazon

ALSO ON SALE FOR 99 CENTS!

Pea Soup Disaster: Amazon / Nook / Kobo

Doctor Mom: Amazon / Nook / Kobo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Elaine Kaye is the author of A Gregory Green Adventure series. She first created Gregory Green after her son, who loved her homemade pea soup.

Kaye has worked as a library assistant and teacher's assistant in elementary schools in the Sunshine State. She currently lives in Florida, but she has called Michigan; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Okinawa, Japan home.

She is a grandmother of three boys.

Website / Goodreads / Amazon / Instagram / Facebook

GIVEAWAY:

Enter here to win a signed paperback copy of Pea Soup Disaster, a hand-stitched bookmark, and a pea pod key chain! Open to all from September 16, 2018 – October 1, 2018!

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A Road Trip & a Visit from Diane Burton

Hello, friends! I am not actually here right now as I'm on a road trip to Chicago to see Hamilton - yay! I'm so excited to be seeing the show and also to have Diane Burton as my guest on the blog while I am gone. Diane is here as part of the blog tour for her new release Numbers Never Lie and she's sharing a bit about the novel's Michigan setting. Take it away, Diane!

Isle Royale

Thanks so much for having me here today, Julie. I’m excited to share my latest release, Numbers Never Lie, a romantic suspense, that was over fifteen years in the making. Life intrusions made me set this story aside until this year. It was so much fun to finish it and be able to share it with everyone.

Be sure to see the Rafflecopter at the end of this post and sign up to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

The story takes place in West Michigan, near Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second largest city. Maggie Sinclair’s best friend talked her into helping with a group of girls who loved to camp. When her friend moved away, Maggie “inherited” the group of fourteen-year-olds who desperately want to camp at Isle Royale National Park.

Isle Royale (sounds like “royal”) is a rugged, isolated island in Lake Superior. The only way to get there is by boat or sea plane from Michigan, Wisconsin, or Minnesota. If you want solitude and adventure, it’s a great place. Backpackers, hikers, boaters, fishermen, kayakers, and scuba divers will find plenty to do. Camping on the island is primitive. But, if roughing it isn’t your style, Rock Harbor Lodge is available June through September. Maggie, her friend, and the girls prefer to rough it. Isle Royale and the other 450 surrounding islands make up the National Park.

An abundance of wildlife live on the island. You’re liable to come across moose, wolves, foxes, beavers, squirrels, plus pond life, like frogs, salamanders, and turtles. The girls in Maggie’s group are gearing up for the trip by learning as much as they can about the wildlife. One of the girls, who wants to be an ornithologist, is studying birds in order to recognize the different species. She even has a recording of bird songs so she can identify the sounds they hear.

In preparation for the trip, the girls need to toughen up. Walking every day and hiking each weekend would be ideal. But there’s one glitch. For safety reasons, Maggie won’t take the girls camping without another adult. The moms don’t want to and the dads are too busy. If only someone would volunteer.

When the girls thought all was lost and their camping days were over, Ellen says her dad (Drew) will chaperone their weekend camping trip. Yay!

But did Drew know what he volunteered for?

 Blurb:

A shocking secret brings danger to Jack Sinclair and his sister Maggie.

As kids, they were the fearless threesome. As adults, Jack's an accountant; Drew, a lawyer; Maggie, a teacher and camping troop leader. Upon returning from a weekend camping trip, Maggie receives horrifying news. She refuses to believe her brother Jack’s fatal car crash was an accident. If the police won’t investigate, she’ll do it herself. Convincing Drew Campbell to help is her only recourse.

Drew Campbell was too busy to return his best friend’s phone call. Too busy to attend a camping meeting important to his teen daughter. Too busy to stay in touch with Jack. Logic and reason indicate Jack’s accident was just that--an accident caused by fatigue and fog. Prodded by guilt, he’ll help Maggie even if he thinks she’s wrong.

A break-in at Jack’s condo convinces Maggie she’s right. Then her home is searched. What did Jack do that puts Maggie in danger?

Excerpt

Maggie Sinclair wondered for the tenth time that morning why she hadn’t had her head examined before agreeing to Ellen’s offer. The week before, Maggie called off the trip when not one parent volunteered to chaperone. She hated disappointing the girls who had been crushed when their leader moved away. For the past two months, they talked about camping again. But week after week they returned with the same news. Their mothers refused, and their dads were too busy.

So when Ellen said her dad would help, the girls went wild. And Maggie, who should’ve known better, believed Ellen who swore she’d asked and her father agreed. Maggie should have followed up with a phone call, but years of avoiding Drew Campbell prevailed. Years of unreciprocated longing—from when her heart first took notice, through the years when he was single, then when he was married. Except for that one time, she never let him know. Avoidance was best.

Now here she was needing his help with the girls. Preparing them for a week-long camping trip to Isle Royale had been Trish Morrow’s goal when she started the group four years ago. The girls loved roughing it. They just needed more hiking and camping experience before tackling the primitive island in Lake Superior.

Though they’d gotten a late start this morning because of the fog, Maggie noticed the girls’ energy start to flag after the fifth mile of the hike. That was when she put Drew Campbell at the front of the line. From the rear, she watched him trying to set a faster pace—especially after Gretchen’s assurance that they could keep up. The man was in a world of hurt even if he was making a concerted effort not to show it. He looked so trim, so athletic, Maggie had assumed he was in good shape.

Typical desk jockey. He probably got his exercise in a climate-controlled gym. No, wait. In a health club.

For better or worse—and she was afraid worse was the operative word—she was stuck with him for the next thirty hours.

Are we having fun yet? she mocked herself as she tromped through the woods with eight tough little girls on the brink of womanhood and her brother’s best friend. From the back of the line, Maggie watched his long-legged stride and the way his navy golf shirt revealed his strong shoulders and the way his obviously new jeans conformed to his butt. She lifted the tail of the bandanna knotted around her neck and wiped the sweat from her upper lip. She couldn’t blame the sun for the heat coursing through her.

Okay, Sinclair, she told herself, keep your mind on the matter at hand. And not how good Campbell’s butt looked in tight new jeans.

Good Lord, she felt fifteen again—instead of thirty-four. Her stomach in knots, her skin on fire. Lusting after the man who said she kissed like a guppy.

Numbers Never Lie is available at Amazon.

About the Author:

Diane Burton combines her love of mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic fiction. Besides the science fiction romance Switched and Outer Rim series, she is the author of One Red Shoe, a romantic suspense, and the Alex O’Hara PI mystery series. She is also a contributor to two anthologies: Portals, Volume 2 and How I Met My Husband. Diane and her husband live in West Michigan. They have two children and five grandchildren.

For more info and excerpts from her books, visit Diane’s website: http://www.dianeburton.com

Connect with Diane Burton online:

Blog:  http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/dmburton72

Facebook:  http://facebook.com/dianeburtonauthor

Goodreads: Diane Burton Author

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/dmburton72/

Sign up for Diane’s new release alert: http://eepurl.com/bdHtYf

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