COVER REVEAL FOR SEBASTIAN FALLS BOOK 2, CLOSER TO NEVER

Hey everybody,

My apologies for going MIA on you guys. I've been busy writing and swimming through the murky waters of life.

I hope to get my blogger butt in gear and do my writerly cyber duties better than I have lately, so have mercy and bear with me as I try to balance the crazy that is my world.

All right, you're all really here to see my new cover, so feast your eyes on this awesome design, created by Lindsay Anne Kendal Graphics.

Isn't it stunning?!?! I hope you all love it as much as I do!!!!

Until next time, happy writing or whatever makes you smile. :)

What's that sound?

Hellooooo!

It's back to school time, and my ears are exploding from the sound of writers all over the world, popping the corks on their champagne/sparkling grape juice bottles. I love my kiddo more than anything in this world, but I gotta say, it's been one looooong summer.

I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I did very little writing or blogging while the fruit of my womb was home. At my house, even though I only have one kid, there's usually a few running around, during the summer. That's because my child thinks everyday should be a party, so I borrow lots of kids while school's out.

I've spent the last few months as a short order cook, maker of slushies, slime/play dough wizard, alien hunter, cookie crumb cleaner, bug bite doctor,  taxi driver, and late night Nintendo buddy to Letty and friends. It's been a ton of fun, but now I'm ready to write.

Now that you guys know why I've been a lazy blogger, let's all join in the cork popping fun and make a toast to extra writing time. YIPPEEEEEE!!!! It's on now, folks. There will be furious fingers racing across the keyboard around here!

All right, I'm out! Until next time, happy writing or whatever makes you smile. :)

An Awesome Friend With An Awesome Book Trailer

Hello, my goood peeps!

Today, I want to share a super awesome book trailer from one of my favorite friends and writers. If you guys don't know J. Andersen, click here Reflections of a Rabid Writer to see how spectacular she is and how award worthy her YA novel, At What Cost is.

Okay, with all the meets and greets out of the way, check out the trailer....
At What Cost Book Trailer from Travis Carlson on Vimeo.

Cool, right? Makes me want to find a super genius person to make me one! I hope you enjoyed the show.

Until next time, happy writing or whatever makes you smile. :)

Friday Night Alibi Blog Tour And Q&A With Author, Cassie Mae

 

  Hey, Everybody!

Today, I'm happy to welcome Author, Cassie Mae, for the release of her New Adult novel, Friday Night Alibi, available here.
I'll tell you more about Cassie Mae's latest projects, but first I want her to give up the goods, so let's get on with the juicy dirt dishing.


1. What inspires you?

Anything and everything. Usually when my hubby says something super cute AND dorky. Or when I listen to the girls I coach talk about the funniest things. Sometimes I’ll just be writing and it flies out of nowhere. Movies, music, books, LIFE inspires me.
 Wow, sounds like you've got plenty to be inspired about. I'm kind of jealous. :)

2.    How many hours of sleep do you get a night? (on a good night)

Well, I have a newborn. So on a good night, about 6 hours.
Gosh, that's pretty good. It seemed like my kid never slept when she was a baby. I'm glad your baby sleeps, otherwise, you might be a zombie, and we'd miss out on your fab stories!

3.    Do you have a special writing spot—do you need silence?

If I needed silence, I wouldn’t write a word, haha!  And my recliner is the only place I write. 
Me too! I love my recliner!

4.    If you were stranded on an island and could have just one book, which story would you choose?

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. (If I must choose ONE Harry Potter.)

5.    How has your recent success changed your life?

Writing quickly turned from hobby, to passion, to career. I have to treat it as if I was actually leaving the house to go to work. (good thing I enjoy it!) But I think my hubby is still getting used to the idea that when I get on the computer and sit there for a good two or three hours, that I’m actually working and not just farting around, lol. 
Grrr, I know what you mean!

6.    What advice do you have for writers trying to get published?

Be yourself. Write what you love. Get critique partners, then get some more. Prepare for bad reviews, good reviews, meh reviews. Don’t give up. Be TEACHABLE. Open to change and critique. And enjoy the crap out of all of it.
Great advice!

7.    Do you believe with practice, everybody has the ability to be great writers?

Absolutely. Writing is so subjective. There will always be readers who will hate even the “greatest” writers. I barely passed my creative writing class in high school, lol. My first book is COVERED in passive voice, telling, tense changes, plot holes, horrid dialogue, and boring crap this and boring crap that. Each word you put down makes you better. And once you find your voice, your story, you’ll also find your audience. 
Bet my first draft is worse than yours! :P

8.    What keeps you going on crappy days?

Mountain Dew, critique partners, blowing raspberries on my baby’s belly, wrestling with my boys, and sweet kisses from the hubby.
Aww, you're such a mushy bear. I love it!

9.    If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

I used to work in the billing department at an OB office and I loved it. After my babies grow up and go to school, I’ll probably head back there if I’m not writing ten million books. LOL.
Whatevs, ain't no way you're going back! You have too many stories to write!

  

10.  Who is your favoritist character ever?

Of mine? Can’t pick! LOL. But of someone else’s… hmmm…

Ron Weasley. He rocks my pink fuzzy socks. 
See, and I'm kind of partial to Harry.

All righty, now that we know she doesn't go into spasms while under pressure, I'll tell you more about Cassie.

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. She’s the author of the Amazon Bestseller REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND, and is the

debut author for the Random House FLIRT line with her New Adult novels FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI and SWITCHED. She also has a three book deal with Swoon Romance Publishing, including her book HOW TO DATE A NERD. She spends time with her angel children and perfect husband who fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.




Blurby: In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for
school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.

Okay, that's all the excitement I have for you guys today, so until next time, happy writing or whatever makes you smile. :)

To learn more about Cassie Mae and her books, click on the links below.
 
Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend
Friday Night Alibi to be released July 29th by Random House FlirtHow to Date a Nerd to be released September 24th by Swoon Romance Publishing
Facebook
Blog

7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Celeste Holloway

7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Celeste Holloway

How did Justin Bieber and my daughter get involved in promoting Sebastian Falls?

Hey!


 All righty, I suppose you're all wanting to know the answer to the above question. No? What's that? You say you're tired of hearing about Justin Bieber?  Welp, you're already here, so you might as well quit being a grouchy-boob-bag and read the post. It's not like anything more important is happening in the world.

Okay, here's how it all went down....My kid said, "Mom, what if we make a video of me talking about your book and post it on Youtube?"

And I'm all, "Well, that would be great. Except you haven't read my book."

Letty with a big grin on her face, says, "So? Maybe Justin Bieber will see the video, and he'll want to marry me."

After a fit of snorting laughter, I explained to her that she's too young to marry The Biebs, but by the time she's of age, surely he'll be evolved enough to meet my approval. (not that any guy ever will, but she can dream)

She agreed, deciding she could wait for him, but argued that it couldn't hurt to go ahead and get his attention. That way he'd pass on all the other girls vying for his affections. Actually, the kid dropped to her knees, pleading for me to allow her to make the video, and she promised her great marketing skills (not in those words) would surely put Sebastian Falls on all the bestsellers lists.

Knowing she wasn't about to let this grand scheme die, we broke out her iPod and went to work on this cinematic masterpiece.

After about 20 takes, she was satisfied, and I was the happiest mom on the planet because even though I don't have piles of $$$ to promote my book, I have the most gorgeous, smartest, and sweetest human being in the universe, talking up my work. And that's better than any amount of publicity I could ever receive.

Until next time, happy writing or whatever makes you smile. :)

No Whiney Hineys In Da House-IWSG Post

Welp, peeps, here we are again, staring at another IWSG-Wednesday.

I thought about pouring out all my frustrations, but decided nobody really likes to read sobbie-boobie-bag posts. And yes, I did make up those words. You should try using them. They'll make you smile. Go ahead, say, "sobbie-boobie-bag," real fast. I dare you.

Okay, since I'm not dumping out all my reasons for despair, I obviously have to fill up the blank space with something. And since we could all use a good laugh, I'm sharing a hilarious MAD TV clip. If you haven't met Stuart, then you're all in for a treat. Also, watching Stuart is great for the self esteem, because I doubt any of us are in as bad of shape as him. I'm already feeling more secure just thinking about the guy. I know you will too. :)

All right, I'm out, so until next time, happy writing or whatever makes you smile. :)

Thanks to our awesome Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh and his IWSG-co-hosts Nancy Thompson Mark Koopmans and Heather Gardner for bringing us all together to dish on the good, the bad, and the ugly stuff that comes with the territory of writing.