Mayhem In The Air & Tara Tyler's Simulation

I'm super excited and proud to have a story included in the upcoming anthology from Untethered Realms, Mayhem In The Air. The anthology won't be out until Halloween but I couldn't wait to share about it even though the release is still a little ways off.

Here is the blurb as well as loglines for each story.

Mayhem book blurb:

From Amazon bestselling and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Mayhem in the Air, a supernatural anthology of ten thrilling tales. Meet hot robots, hungry winds and the goddess of chaos. Explore alien planets, purgatorial realms, and a shocking place where people bury the living with their dead. Mayhem in the Air is the second, long-awaited story collection from the dynamic and inventive Untethered Realms group.

Loglines:

"A Strange Penitence" by Catherine Stine - A young artist pays a supernatural price when a drawing trip to North Carolina turns deadly.

"Mass Transit" by Graeme Ing - For Emily, mind over matter is not just a saying, but the gateway to her career among the largest starships built by man.

"A Tangled Weave" by River Fairchild - A TimePulse rips through the Great Tapestry of Life, leaving Earth’s history in a jumble, and Death and Chronos in a race to save the world yet again.

"Corrosive" by M. Pax - In a world ruined by pollutants, Bex sets off to establish a new homestead with her dreamy robotic man. Already farming her plot of land is another dreamy man with radical ideas, presenting new challenges as corrosive as the air.

"Saving Scrooge: A Short Story Prequel to the Saving Marley Series" by Gwen Gardner - Marley is sent from purgatory to save the soul of his old friend. Can he save his own in the bargain?

"The Silent Wind" by Christine Rains - A team of specialists must dispel a mysterious storm on an alien planet to prepare it for colonization. One by one the crew disappears until only a seasoned soldier remains. How can he battle a hungry wind that makes no noise?

"Paper Lanterns" by Cherie Reich: In order to keep his promise to his daughter, Mayor Alfred Merry must betray the woman he loves.

"Chaos. Hope. Love." by Misha Gerrick - Although Eris is the goddess of chaos, her life has fallen into a nice and comfortable routine. Until someone from her past shows up in her bookstore.

"Cardinal Sin" by Julie Flanders: Beleaguered hospital workers bury the living with the dead in the midst of a tuberculosis epidemic and a seething spirit vows vengeance from the skies.

"The Ark" by Cathrina Constantine -Plagued with memory flashes of fiery explosions and running for her life, Fallon emerges from a drugged stupor to find herself in an airborne Ark, and the earth below is a drowning wasteland.

I didn't write a story for the first UR anthology, Twisted Earths, and regretted that from the day it was released, so I'm really glad I was able to come up with something for this collection. I'm so grateful to be part of this group of writers!

In other news, today is the release day for Tara Tyler's latest, Simulation. Yay, Tara! Read on for all the scoop!

After Pop Travel, Geri convinced Cooper to move back to Atlanta, but for familiar reasons, things didn't work out... In Simulation, Geri is fighting her way back to full-fledged, solo agent status, but first has to deal with one more annoying sidekick on an equally annoying case. Meanwhile, Cooper takes his mind off Geri leaving him by throwing himself into his work, investigating an illegal clone android simulation operation. Sparks fly when Cooper and Geri's cases lead them down the same path. Of course Hasan wants to help them with their cases, and connives a plan to get them back together in the niddle of all the chaos!

SIMULATION delivers more technology, more intense action, more humor, and more exciting new characters. Come along for the ride.

SIMULATION
by Tara Tyler
Release Date: Sept 14, 2015

In 2082, androids are an essential part of daily life. Some are helpful, some would make better toasters, and some are so human-like they're creepy. Back in Atlanta, Detective Cooper's latest client has him searching for her boyfriend who she thinks was replaced by a simulation, an illegal clone android. The guy also happens to be a popular new congressman.

As if the case wasn't frustrating enough, Cooper keeps crossing paths with his ex, FBI Agent Geri Harper who's looking for the same guy. As Cooper closes in, Geri is kidnapped. But when she resurfaces in Washington and goes on a killing spree, he knows it isn't her. Now under suspicion himself, Cooper must find the real Geri to prove her innocence, not to mention hunt down the powerful villain behind it all. Never a dull moment.

Available Now!

Amazon ~~ Barnes & Noble
Goodreads giveaway!

Tara Tyler writes sci fi and fantasy action-adventures from her little corner of the world in Ohio as she tries to keep up with her three boys and coach husband. Always making time to write, she sometimes puts off chores and lets laundry pile up... hence, she's also the Lazy Housewife, offering advice and tips to other gals out there trying to do it all without going crazy. She and her housewife friends blog at The Really Real Housewives of America.

tara tyler talks and tweets and facebooks

And don't forget the Rafflecopter!

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Summertime Blues & The Miracle Girl by T.B. Markinson

I'm over at Untethered Realms today talking about my hatred of summer and how that played a role in the development of my novel Polar Day. I know I'm in the minority when it comes to summer, but I really don't like it at all. By the time we pass the July 4th holiday all I can think about is how anxious I am for autumn to arrive. Anyone else with me or am I totally alone when it comes to the summer season? I have a feeling I'm alone and that's okay, I can take it. :D

Please visit me here at Untethered Realms and check out all the fantastic books by my fellow group members while you are there.

I'm also helping to spread the word about the new release from T.B. Markinson, The Miracle Girl. Congratulations, T.B.! Here's all the scoop on the book, along with a short excerpt:

Tagline: To secure a loving future, she must shed an addicting past.

Blurb:

Newspaper publisher and world traveler JJ Cavendish continually feels pressured to live up to her Miracle Girl nickname. Not many people know she’s living a carefully crafted lie. She may not hide ties to the LGBT community, but she does hide past struggles with addiction.

When the Colorado native is handpicked to take the helm at a dying Denver newspaper, she ends up reconnecting with her long lost love in this contemporary lesbian romance. Only there’s a catch. If JJ fires the most belligerent editor at the paper, she risks losing the love of her life.

Mid-afternoon office romps abound in this romantic comedy while also focusing on what it takes for a newspaper to remain relevant in this age of social media.

Must JJ lose everything in order to gain a life more fully her own?

Praise for The Miracle Girl:

“The Miracle Girl is phenomenal!” Christine

“The best one yet.” Shellie

“I don't often give 5 stars to books, but I loved this book.” Heidi

“Impossible to put down.”  Windowwasher

“I was hooked by the first sentence.” Cheryll

Excerpt:

Maybe it was best to make a clean break. College was over. Like she said, time to grow up.  

         I wiped my eyes, determined to be strong. A small object by the door caught my attention. It took me a second or two to finally figure out what it was. Claire’s matching friendship bracelet, the one we made our first summer together when we were co-counselors for a day camp. Since the day we had made them, neither one of us had taken them off. That was her parting gift: a clean break.

         I snatched her bracelet from the floor and then yanked mine off. While rolling both of them in my fingers, I made a decision.

         Yes, it was time for me to grow up. Leave my college love behind. Move on with my life.

         The next morning I boarded a plane and never intended to see Claire again. It wasn’t until the plane took off that I realized I had made a terrible mistake, but it was too late. Or so I thought.

         Running was easier.

Buy Links:

Amazon US       /      Amazon UK       /     Amazon Canada

Author bio:

T. B. Markinson is an American writer, living in England. When she isn’t writing, she’s traveling the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order.

Mailing List:

To sign up to TB’s New Release Mailing List here. Your email will never be shared and you will only be contacted when a new book is out.

Where to find T. B. Markinson:

Twitter        Facebook        Blog        Goodreads     Amazon Author Page

W is for Warm

Clancy

Happiness is a WARM puppy ~ Charles Schulz

And a warm middle-aged dog. :)

I'm also at Untethered Realms today with a short teaser from Polar Day. Visit me there for W is for Witchcraft. 

The Letter F and the Dragon of the Stars Release Day!

I will get to my F quote in a moment but first I want to say congratulations to Alex J. Cavanaugh on the release of his fourth novel, Dragon of the Stars. Yay, Alex! I'm participating in the scavenger hunt so read on for all the info on both the book and the hunt, as well as a visit from Mini-Alex himself.

 

SCAVENGER HUNT! Comment to win an autographed copy of Dragon of the Stars, tons of bookmarks & postcards, and a $20.00 iTunes gift card–where is Mini-Alex? Visit Alex for a list of the participants. (Open through April 11 – winner announced April 13 at Alex’s blog.)

Available today!

Dragon of the Stars By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Science Fiction – Space Opera/Adventure/Military

Print ISBN 9781939844064 EBook ISBN 9781939844057

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/    http://whatarethekargrandes.com/

The ship of legends…

The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter. But when the Alliance declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray and told he won’t make captain. One chance remains–the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?

Purchase:

Amazon - Kindle ~ Print

Barnes and Noble 

Kobo 

Chapters 

Amazon UK 

Goodreads

Itunes

Overdrive

Congratulations again to Alex! 

And now for my F post: F is for Fail

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. FAIL again. FAIL better. ~ Samuel Beckett

I like that this quote gives a new perspective on failing, something I have plenty of experience with. :D 

I'm also at Untethered Realms today with F is for Flames. Visit me there for a teaser from Polar Day. 

And don't worry, I didn't forget about Mini-Alex and the scavenger hunt. I was saving the best for last. 

Thanks for coming by, Mini-Alex!

IWSG and A is for Animals

It's April and the start of another A to Z Challenge. This is round number five for me and I'm excited to kick off my A to Z of favorite quotes. I'm also happy to start the alphabet with one of my favorite subjects. What else could I pick for A but animals?

"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms" ~ George Eliot 

This has long been one of my favorite quotes even though I'm not sure how true it is. My Clancy has no problem being critical, and letting me know just how he feels, when I keep making him sit to have his picture taken. 

And as for Nate, being a cat, passing criticisms is basically part of his DNA. ;) 

Still, the quote captures the beauty of our relationships with our animal friends and just how lucky we are to have them in our lives.

We are also doing the A to Z Challenge over at Untethered Realms. Stop by there all month for quick and fun teasers from our books!

Of course, the first Wednesday of the month means it's also IWSG day. IWSG is the brainchild of Alex J Cavanaugh and gives all of us a chance to air our insecurities or lack thereof each month in a supportive and encouraging environment. If you're not already a member and would like to join in, just click here and add your name to the list!

I'm happy to be able to say that I am not really struggling with any insecurities this month. A total miracle! But I am still feeling excited about writing and blogging again and I think my months-long slump really is over, so I'm happy about that. I think April is going to be a great month. :) 

Happy April, all! 

A Change of Mind by Nick Wilford, Reviving the Blog, and The AtoZ Challenge Theme Reveal

As has been clear to anyone who has visited here, this blog has been on life support for months now. If not for the IWSG and promo posts for friends, I probably wouldn't have been blogging at all. My heart just hasn't been in it.

But a crazy thing happened this weekend. I was walking in the park with Clancy on Saturday morning and suddenly I was inspired to get back to the story I had intended to write for the second Untethered Realms anthology, Mayhem in the Air. I had abandoned any hope of finishing the story a few weeks ago as I couldn't focus on it any more than I could any other writing.

When I got home from the park all I wanted to do was write. I sat down and did just that for most of the day and I can't even say how great that felt. I finished the story yesterday morning and as soon as I did I wanted to write something else. And I wanted to blog.

I want to bring my blog back to life and I can't think of a better way to do that than by joining the AtoZ Challenge. So I just signed up yesterday and I'm so excited about it! This will be my fifth challenge and I know it will also be a great one. It's funny as I have been totally against joining the challenge this year since before the sign-up list was even posted but now I've done a complete 180. It feels so good to actually want to blog again!

When I first started this blog I listed several favorite quotes and many of them remain on the side of the page. I've always loved quotes so for this year's AtoZ my theme is going to be favorite quotes, with photos to go with them.

I'm looking forward to checking out everyone's themes and also to celebrating another crazy April with you all!

We are also going to be doing the challenge as a group over at Untethered Realms, so visit us there for quick and fun teasers from our various books and stories.

I'm also excited to be sharing the cover for Nick Wilford's upcoming release, A Change of Mind and Other Stories. Congratulations to Nick!!

Here is all the info on the book:

Title: A Change of Mind and Other Stories

Author: Nick Wilford

Genre: Contemporary speculative fiction

Cover Design: Rebekah Romani

Release Date: May 25^th 2015

A Change of Mind and Other Stories consists of a novella, four short stories and one flash fiction piece. This collection puts the extremes of human behaviour under the microscope with the help of lashings of dark humour, and includes four pieces previously published in Writer’s Muse magazine.

In A Change of Mind, Reuben is an office worker so meek and mild he puts up with daily bullying from his boorish male colleagues as if it’s just a normal part of his day. But when a stranger points him in the direction of a surgeon offering a revolutionary new procedure, he can’t pass up the chance to turn his life around.

But this isn’t your average surgeon. For a start, he operates alone in a small room above a mechanic’s. And he promises to alter his patients’ personality so they can be anything they want to be…

In Marissa, a man who is determined to find evidence of his girlfriend’s infidelity ends up wondering if he should have left well alone.

The Dog God finds a chink in the armour of a man with a megalomaniacal desire to take over the world.

In The Insomniac, a man who leads an obsessively regimented lifestyle on one hour’s sleep a night finds a disruption to his routine doesn’t work for him.

Hole In One sees a dedicated golfer achieving a lifelong ambition.

The Loner ends the collection on a note of hope as two family members try to rebuild their lives after they are torn apart by jealousy.

Bio

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare 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. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. You can find him hanging out on his blog or on Goodreads or Twitter.

Preorder Links: Amazon US, Amazon UK

Add it on Goodreads

A 99 Cents Sale & Changing Things Up

All of my books, including the just released Polar Day, are on sale for 99 cents this week on Amazon Kindle. You can find a link to each book, as well as the other Ink Smith books on sale, at the Amazon sale page here. If you're interested in any of my books now is a great time to check them out. :)

Also, it's no secret that I've been in a major slump and haven't been able to get any writing accomplished in months. I seem to just be constantly distracted by various things in my life and I can't focus.

So I thought instead of continually beating my head against this wall I've found myself at I'd try focusing on some different kinds of writing for a while and see if that can help me get some motivation back.

To that end, I signed up to help with the Be the Change for Animals site and write for their action alert newsletter. I thought this would be a good way for me to get back to writing about one of my original interests while also learning about causes I can write about in more depth either here on my blog or elsewhere. I'm excited to get started with the project.

I also went to a meeting last weekend of the regional chapter of Sisters in Crime and I really enjoyed it. The chapter is small and they are looking for help with writing content for their blog and website, something I said I would be glad to try. It will be a totally new experience for me to work with something like this and I'm looking forward to trying my hand at it.

So I'm hoping that trying some new things will help jump start my writing and I can get back to enjoying writing and blogging again. I also hope to take Clancy on some little day trips now that the weather seems to have finally turned a corner, as I would love to go back to the Travels With Clancy posts I used to do. I don't know how much Clancy will enjoy more trips but I know I will. I have a feeling he won't like the idea at all.

I think I got it in my head that I had to write another book immediately and when I couldn't do that I simply became discouraged and couldn't focus on writing anything at all. I realize though that I was being silly and it would make more sense to enjoy what I do have instead of worrying about what I'm going to do next. I have several book signings and conferences coming up this year and, unlike last year when I was a nervous wreck about them, I'm actually excited for them now and don't feel nervous about the panels at all. So I want to focus on enjoying those events and stop beating myself up about needing a little break from fiction writing.

But speaking of fiction writing, stop by the Untethered Realms blog tomorrow for a group post about the movies or television shows that have inspired us as writers. My entry is about a certain high school girl who battled vampires.

I hope you all enjoyed the weekend and have a great week coming up! If anyone is willing to tweet or share about my 99 cents sale I'd be very grateful!

Polar Day tour weekly wrap-up & the last day to get The Turnagain Arm #free

In what has become a broken record for me, I got swamped this week with real world work and fell way behind on my blogging. One of these days I will surely get back on a regular schedule, at least I hope so!

But for now I wanted to share links to all my posts for the first week of my tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. And for the record, I think Goddess Fish is fantastic! I have really enjoyed working with them and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone interested in setting up a blog tour. Their prices are reasonable, they are organized, and they do exactly what they promise.

Here's a wrap-up of my tour stops this week. Thanks to all the hosts who were so generous in opening up their blogs to me!

Monday: Character interview with Polar Day antagonist Jamie Dzubenko at Unadbriged Andra's

Tuesday: Ten Things Most People Don't Know about Me at Long and Short Reviews

Wednesday: Interview with Booklover Sue (Sue asked what kind of book I've always wanted to write and it was a treat to be able to say I actually did what that very thing!)

Thursday: Interview at Yeah Books! Blog where we discuss who I'd love to cast to play Aleksei & the short story I'm working on for the next anthology put out by our Untethered Realms group.

Friday: Another fun interview at Kit 'N Kabookle which has to be one of my favorite blog names ever and a visit to SBM Book Obsession where I talk about the inspiration behind my characters and my long-time love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Visit any of these wonderful sites to enter to win a $25 gift card. The giveaway will continue next week during week two of my tour travels!

I also posted at our Untethered Realms blog this week about my discovery of Russian witches and my love of all things history.

And I've offered the Polar Day prequel The Turnagain Arm free all this week on Kindle. Today is the last day to get a free download so if you are interested just click here.

It's been a crazy week and I apologize for once again managing to get behind on my blog reading and commenting. That's something I am determined to catch up on next week. I'm disabling comments as I have not had time to keep up with those but thank you to everyone who stops by here and who has stopped by during the week!

For now, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ahead and a Happy Valentine's Day!

Polar Day Excerpt, #SpecFic Chat, and Thunderclap

My new book Polar Day will be out on February 5 and I thought I'd share a little taste of the book here today. This excerpt features Aleksei Nechayev, the antagonist of both Polar Night and The Turnagain Arm. Aleksei is a supporting player this time around, but he's still up to no good. :)

The inquisitive Fairbanks detective Danny Fitzpatrick had ruined the peaceful home Aleksei had maintained in the Arctic town of Coldfoot for decades. He enjoyed checking in on the detective and, while he couldn’t help but feel a strange fondness for the man he had chosen to let live, he always hoped to find him struggling with some new problem. He was tickled to see that this time he got his wish.
Aleksei grinned from ear to ear as he read about the mysterious fires that were plaguing Fairbanks while the city suffered through its worst heat wave in history. How fascinating! And by all accounts, the police, including the dear detective, had no idea who was starting the fires or even how they were doing it. 
Fire was one of the few things Aleksei feared and hated as much as humans did. He still remembered the time he had been nearly burned to death by a male witch not long after he’d arrived in Alaska. He couldn’t help but wonder if a supernatural force was responsible for these fires as well. Was there a witch on the loose in Fairbanks?
Since he was safe and sound on the other side of the world, Aleksei desperately hoped so. How would his favorite detective deal with a situation like that? And what of the fire starter? What was his, or her, motivation? What was the game? 
His lousy winter here in Australia had suddenly taken a surprisingly lovely turn. Clearly, the summer in Fairbanks was turning out to be more horrific than anyone there could have imagined. He couldn’t wait to see how it all unfolded. It was going to be such fun.

If you'd like another peek, you can also read the first chapter here at my website. And to enter to win a signed copy of the book, check out my Goodreads giveaway. 

Also, my writing group Untethered Realms has started a new monthly chat on Twitter: #SpecFicChat. We're talking about all things Speculative Fiction. M.Pax kicked things off on Friday with the topic "Punking it up. What’s the attraction of Steampunk?" The chat is ongoing and you can join in any time - just use the #SpecFicChat tag. River Fairchild will be hosting the next chat on Friday, February 20. If you're interested in Speculative Fiction please jump in and join us!

Finally, thank you to everyone who has supported my Polar Day Thunderclap campaign! At the time of this writing I'm at 80 supporters and only need 20 more to get my message sent out. If you haven't already and are willing to support me please do so here!

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and has a good week ahead! :)

Untethered Realms News from Christine Rains & Angela Brown

As many people know I am proud to be part of the Untethered Realms writing group. So it's exciting for me to be able to share great news from two of my fellow UnRealms members and help spread the word about their work.

I had also planned to shamelessly beg people to help me promote the Thunderclap campaign I want to start for Polar Day today. But as is typical for me lately I can't seem to get in gear to actually set up the campaign, so I will save my begging for another day. Twelve days into 2015 and I am apparently still as lazy as I was in 2014. One of these days I will get my focus back.

For now though I'm happy to share the new release from Christine Rains, Loose Corset. Yay, Christine!

Loose Corset is the first installment in Christine's Dice & Debauchery trilogy with Ellora's Cave. It's a contemporary erotic romance and was released on Friday, so here are the purchase links for you to get your copy now:

Amazon
B&N
Kobo

You can also add Loose Corset on Goodreads.

Unfortunately my Word and Google drive software decided to act up last night when I was trying to open the document with the book blurb on it so I can't share that here, but you can read the spicy synopsis at any of the above links. In addition, Christine is hosting a fun and geeky giveaway this month to go along with the release. Enter through the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post!

I also want to share some awesome new covers from Angela Brown for her Shadow Jumpers Trilogy. (I've read the first one and it is a fantastic book!)

Here are the original covers, which were wonderful in their own right. But as Angela put it, these covers did not let readers know that the titles were part of a series.

So Angela conferred with designer Heather McCorkle and together they came up with these exciting new covers!

Duty or love...there can be only one.

A love worth fighting for...

Aren't they gorgeous? I've been meaning to read Book 2 for ages anyway and this made me want to hurry up and get to it ASAP.

Just click on the covers to get the titles on Amazon.

Congratulations and best of luck to both Angela and Christine! :)

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Riding the Rails at Untethered Realms & Wickedly They Dream by Cathrina Constantine

I'm posting over at the Untethered Realms blog today about the inspiration for my novella The Turnagain Arm. What was the inspiration? Train whistles!

Visit me over at UnRealms here and check out all the other writers and books in our group if you have the chance while you are there. I'm really lucky to be part of such an awesome group!

And speaking of awesome books and people, Cathrina Constantine has a cover for her upcoming release Wickedly They Dream. Both Cathrina and her cover are all kinds of awesome!

Here is the blurb for the book, which will be released on November 5:


After Seeley is possessed by an evil wraith, Jordan must dig deeper into the Satanic realm. Against Markus’s direct orders, she offers herself, body and soul in a blood covenant to rescue Seeley from the clutches of hell. Jordan assumes her guardian angel will not leave her to fight alone. But there’s trouble in paradise, and Markus has been reassigned. Can Jordan defeat both her internal and external demons to win him back? Or is he gone for good this time?

I read Wickedly They Come last year and it was a fantastic read. I have no doubt this one will be just as good. Jordan is a great character and I am looking forward to catching up with her again. :)

Congratulations, Cathrina!!

Untethered Realms 100 Followers Giveaway

Last week the Untethered Realms blog reached 100 followers when Chemist Ken became follower #100. Thanks, Ken! And thanks to everyone else who has followed our blog since we started it a little more than a year ago in June of 2013.

To celebrate reaching the 100 followers milestone, we are holding a gigantic ebook giveaway with a large assortment of our books up for grabs. The books run the gamut from science-fiction to paranormal to fantasy to paranormal romance and include both adult and young adult titles. The contest is open internationally and one grand prize winner will win the whole set of ebooks.

Just check out the rafflecopter below to see all of the books included in the prize package and to enter the giveaway. The contest is open now and will run through July 31.

Thanks again to everyone who has followed our blog and supported our group through our first year!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

IWSG: One Last Public Speaking Post

It's the July meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, hosted by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, and I am once again going to post about public speaking. But first, if you'd like to join the group or visit other members, go here for the sign-up list.

I first posted about my public speaking phobia/anxiety/insecurity back in March. I was overwhelmed with the encouragement and support I received so now I am thrilled to be able to share that all of that encouragement and great advice really did help! I've completed all of the events I was nervous about back in March and all of them went so well I still have to pinch myself to believe it.

The event I was most nervous about was held last Tuesday, June 24. I did a presentation at my local library about The Ghosts of Aquinnah and my family history on Martha's Vineyard, as well as the Vineyarders who moved to Cincinnati in the early 1800s and helped found the township I live in. I also planned a book signing to go along with the event.

I knew I was going to have to stand up alone and speak for about 30 or 40 minutes so I was trying my best to remain calm and not have a panic attack. I was totally amazed, but once I got there I wasn't even nervous at all! And once I started my presentation I actually enjoyed it and barely even needed to look at my notes. I even managed to make people laugh a few times (intentionally) which was awesome. Here are a few pictures from the presentation:

The librarian told me there were 31 people in attendance so I was thrilled with the turnout, especially since it was a very rainy and stormy evening. Several people asked questions after I was finished and everyone seemed interested throughout. It was so much better than I ever could have imagined. And to top it off, I managed to sell a few books. :)

I feel safe in saying I'm officially over my public speaking phobia. I made it through two book signings, a book festival and panel, and a presentation and with each event my insecurity decreased and my enthusiasm increased. So you can't ask for more than that. Thanks again to everyone who supported me through these past few months!

In other news, my Untethered Realms buddies and I shared some of our geeky belongings over at the UnRealms blog yesterday. If you missed it, check out our nerdy treasures here.

Speaking of Untethered Realms, we are just one follower away from making it to 100 followers on our blog. When follower #100 joins us, we plan to host a fun giveaway with lots of our books. Stay tuned to see when we reach that milestone!

*Edited to add that we reached 100 this morning! Thanks to Chemist Ken for following and getting us over the hump. We will start getting the giveaway together and share the details soon. Thanks to all our followers!*

And speaking of giveaways, my publisher Ink Smith is holding a giveaway to celebrate their two year anniversary. There are lots of prizes available, including a signed copy of my book Polar Night. If you'd like to enter check out the rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Happy July, all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

World Building with Cherie Reich

I'm hosting Cherie Reich today as part of her blog tour for her debut novel Reborn. Cherie is here to talk about world building, something that I admit intimidates me as an author. I really admire those who take it on and as I know Cherie is excellent at it I'm excited to share her advice.

Also, as part of her tour, Cherie and the rest of the Untethered Realms authors (including me) are giving away more than $50 worth of books to one giveaway winner. Be sure to enter to win through the Rafflecopter below!

Take it away, Cherie!

Five Ways to Improve Your World-Building

1. Take notes. Remembering the world you created is half the battle.

2. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is your story’s world. You don’t have to know your world up front. First drafts should focus more on the characters and plot. As you delve into rewrites and edits, this is where the world-building should start to shine.

3. You may be God, but you also must make sense. We writers are like gods. We create worlds filled with interesting people and animals, but unlike real life, our worlds must make sense. If you go against the rules in your world, then you must have a very good reason—and rationality—to do so.

4. Be an anthropologist. Anthropology is divided into subsets: sociocultural, biological, archaeological, and linguistic. It is up to the writer to be the expert in all those anthropological fields when it comes to your world-building. Think about what we have in our own world and see how you can use it and change it to fit the world you are creating.

5. Be a geographer. Learning a little bit about the land your characters live on will help you. Look at maps. Learn about climate. Knowing a little will help you enrich your world.

Do you have any world-building tips?

 To save a kingdom, a prophetess must challenge Fate.

On the day of Yssa’s death and rebirth, the god Apenth chose her as the Phoenix Prophetess.

Sea serpents and gods endanger the young prophetess’s journey and sour the omens. Yssa is cursed instead of blessed, and her duties at the Temple of Apenth prove it. She spends her days reading dusty scrolls, which does nothing to help her forget Tym, the boy back home. But the annoying yet gorgeous ferryman’s son Liam proves to be a distraction she can’t predict, even though he rarely leaves her alone for two sand grains.

Her boring temple life screeches to a halt when visions of her parents’ murders consume her. Yssa races across an ocean to stop the future. If she can’t change Fate, she’ll refuse to be the Phoenix Prophetess any longer. Fate, however, has other plans for her and the kingdom.

Yssa must either accept her destiny or fight to change Fate.

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A self-proclaimed bookworm, Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her books include the horror collection Nightmare, a space fantasy novella collection titled Gravity, and the fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. Reborn is her debut novel. She is Vice President of Valley Writers and a member of the Virginia Writers Club and Untethered Realms. For more information, please visit her website.

C is for Chilmark

"Entering Chilmark" on State Road (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The town of Chilmark on Martha's Vineyard is the neighbor to the town of West Tisbury, which is the home of my family's cottage on the island.

I think Chilmark is one of the Vineyard's prettiest towns, as it is a combination of rural hills, winding roads lined with farmers' stone walls, and some of the most stunning coastal landscapes on the island.

Even the cemetery in Chilmark, called Abel's Hill, is pretty. At least during the daytime. It's a different story at night.

Abel's Hill Cemetery

Sheep farmers once populated the town and can still be found among the rolling green hills. Stella, the main character in my book The Ghosts of Aquinnah, lives in Chilmark and owns sheep herself.

My own great-great grandparents Franklin and Nancy Hammett lived on a farm in Chilmark. Not coincidentally, Stella's maiden name is Hammett.

If you were a fan of The X-Files, you may remember that Fox Mulder was born and raised in Chilmark, something I did not remember until I was doing research for this post. :D

My writing group Untethered Realms is also participating in this month's challenge and we are presenting an A - Z of fantastical creatures. For today's C post, I shared a fantastical feline called a Cat Sith. Visit us here to meet this kitty and to see our creatures throughout the month!

My A-Z of Martha's Vineyard theme is inspired by my book, The Ghosts of Aquinnah, which was published in December, 2013 and is set on the island. Click here for all the info on the book.