Who's this gal?

Who is that lovely gal pictured on my post? Author Tamara Hart Heiner. Her blog tour starts today for her debut novel, Perilous. Check out Nephite Blood, Spartan Heart for the first stop. For the rest of the stops, check out Tamara's blog for the run down.

I will be taking part in this blog tour. I'm currently reading Perilous. You're jealous, I can tell. I'll be giving my review on November 11th. So keep your eye out for that.

In addition to the tour, Tamara is also holding some awesome contests.

1) There will be two book giveaways. Signed copies of Perilous, of course. All you have to do to get in on that action is make a comment anywhere in the blog tour. The drawing will be completely random. Of course, the more comments you make, the more chances you have of winning.
2) There will be a Kindle giveaway. This WON'T be random. Kindles are kind of a big thing, so she's going to make you work for it. The giveaway will be point based, in other words, whoever has the most points at the end of the blog tour wins the Kindle. The contest will run until Dec. 15, at which point all hopeful winners will email her at-- tamara at tamarahartheiner dot com with their points and their proofs.
Here's how you get points:

+1 for each comment on the blog tour

+1 be a follower on my blog (old or new)

+1 retweet

+2 blog about the blog tour

(You prove all of those by emailing Tamara the links.)

+5 purchase the book; ebook or paperback, doesn't matter

(Email Tamara the confirmation number of your purchase.)

The ebook is out now and paperback will be out November 16th. You can pre order here.

So check it out.

I hope to be back into the swing of things, including commenting, next week. Sorry things have been hectic and a little rough, but good. I'll explain next week.

Any weekend plans?

Have a great weekend!

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Sorry for posting so late. The hubs being off this week has thrown my schedule off.

Thank you guys for participating in Writing the Next Line. It turned out awesome. You guys totally rocked it. I will post it early next week.

Today, I thought I would do a quick review. I just finished The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. Yes, I'm behind on my books so if you've read it, well let me know what you thought.

The blurb--

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.
Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

I loved this book. I think I have a new literary crush too. He (Jay) will be added to my list. Anyway, this book had it all and was fast paced. I love books like this. My heart pounded not just from the beautiful romance but the mystery/suspense, especially the parts where the author got into the mind of the kidnapper. Plus, the end. I don't like to give spoilers so I will not say much. Let's just say, this story has stuck with me and there will be another book about Violet. Desires of the Dead will be released March 15, 2011. Can't wait. This story makes you think for sure. I have a daughter so this put the scare back into what I already know is out there. Also, makes you look over your shoulder when you are alone in the dark, possibly in a wooded area. I would highly recommend this.

This book has also made me feel like I still have a long way to go in my writing journey. Oh well, that means back to practicing. 

There you have it, my quick review.

Have any books left you looking over your shoulder lately?

Have a great day!

Writing the Next Line

Before I start, I wanted to let you know I did start another blog. Yes, I'm crazy. Christine's Journey is my writing blog and I will be on it on a regular basis. The other one, Ramblings of an Overage YA Reader, will only be updated every so often. I will mainly have book reviews and how the adult world perceives adult YA readers. Trust me, I've had some weird moments. If you get a chance check it out.

Welcome to Writing the Next Line. This is not a new activity by any means so I can't take credit for it.


The Rules: In your comment you must continue the story so whoever is first to comment must continue from where I left off and the next person to comment must pick up from where the last comment left off and so on. Please keep each comment 1-2 lines but come back as often as you like. This post will be up for a couple of days so keep the story going. When I return, I will put the whole thing together and post it. Should be fun! The story starts below:

The clouds stretched across the full moon which made it look like it wore a collar. The shadows from the bare limbs created a spider web like pattern on the small dirt path. I took in a deep breath, inhaling the chilled winter air and walked ahead. Of course, I was the one who had to gather the firewood. Old reliable. Plus, I wasn't passed out or throwing up in a toilet, so I was the only capable one. Josie, my best friend, thought it would be a brillant idea to have a party at her father's log cabin in the middle of winter. Little did she realize, you had to keep a fire going so we wouldn't freeze to death.

I picked up a couple of sticks and placed them in a leather bag. A light breeze rustled a few dead leaves and pushed the lifeless limbs above me to create a creaking sound. I could hear Ryan's bellowing laugh, echo through the hills.

Nothing like attracting attention.The cabin wasn't far. I knew to stay close. Being in the woods, at night, by yourself, can make you a little anxious. I walked down the path further, quickening my step.

A scratching noise, like a knife to a rock, came from my right. I held my breath. It could be the trees dancing in the breeze. I hesistantly searched and saw nothing. Adrenaline began to pump through me and my body shook a little.

 It's only an animal of some sort. Finish and get back to the cabin.

I continued to gather some more wood when the scratching started to my left, but this time it was closer.

Now it's your turn. Have fun!

Fun Facts Friday

Don't forget Monday, October 11th, I will be posting Writing the Next Line.

1. I'm dreading the teenage years because my daughter (who is 4 1/2) is already plotting her own future.
 She already has told me that when she turns six, she wants to get her ears pierced and have an all girl birthday party at a local hair salon. What?

2. She's also taking swimming lessons and claims she does not like to get her face wet. When I told her she must learn to like it because one day she will want to swim with her friends and dive for shells. Yes, I was desperate. She said, "I just tell my friend to get the shell for me."  Yeah, I'm in for it.

3. I figured out I'm really tired when I type 'a pilled' for the word applied.

4. I'm thinking of starting another blog about how someone gets treated if they are over 18 and read YA. It's worse when your in your late 30s with kids. Not you folks --you guys are awesome. I'm talking about some moms I encounter on a day to day basis. Sometimes they will talk about what they are reading then ask me. I usually never say anything but when I do tell them, well, they look at me funny and there is an awkward silence.

5. I'm trying to figure out how to start a YA book club near me for those who feel like I do. (see point 4 above).

6. I really have to get caught up in the entertainment world. Can anyone tell me what the new Matt Damon movie is about? I saw the commercial, which I found intriguing, but still don't get it. I'm blonde, cut me some slack.

7. I'm so excited for Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick, I may pee myself. Okay, too much info, but it doesn't take much after two kids. To top it all off there is a third book, Tempest. She is awesome.

8. To my lovely cats--Is there a reason why you whine when there is food in your dish? Oh and another thing--Please tell me why you insist on throwing little crumbs of food into your water dish. It only makes the water smell funny and makes you whine even more for fresh water.

9. The weekend should be interesting. The hubs comes home. I never discussed this on the blog but he has been away for six months for work. His assignment has ended--yeah. Now, he must understand my writing schedule. :)

10. I started reading The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. I really, really like it. One of those books that makes me feel like I have a long way to go.

Any weekend plans?

Have a great weekend!!

The "F" word.

Yeah. I know what you're thinking so get your mind out of the gutter. I have used the word you're thinking of in a desperate moment of anger or frustration but that's not the word I'm going to talk about.

Fail.

It's quite a scary word at times, maybe dirty. We try to avoid at all costs but it's there waiting, possibly lurking next to the fruit bowl, ready to charge in.

It can happen in anything we do, at any moment. I think about it quite often and not only for my writing but for everyday life.

Will I fail as a wife?

Will I fail as a parent?

Will I fail as a human being?

Will I fail at opening the soup can?

The problem with fail is it has to happen in order for us to learn, to grow. I really don't like when it happens, in fact, most of my anxiety is due to worrying about failing. It has gotten better over the years. I'm more confident now than I was 10 years ago, but the thought of putting WiP#1 out there only to get nothing, stings. Of course, it's in no shape to go out into the wilderness, yet. I have to prepare myself that there will be a load of rejections and I have many more stories to tell. Yes, I have to rely on Opti for that one.

So, how do we cope?

We move on. Easy to say, right? Depending on how big the fail is--we may need to mope a little, eat a ton of chocolate then turn to our favorite alcoholic beverage before we can weed through and figure out what we can learn from it. I'm guilty of moping, big time, but I've learned to try to find something in it that I can learn from because if I don't, I will not be able to move forward.

I do worry about failing my goal in my passion for writing. I'm finally pursuing what I love so much and if I don't reach my goal, well it will hurt like hell, but I have to remind myself that living with regret is worse.

How do you handle the dreaded fail?

I'm going to move Writing the Next Line to Monday, October 11th. The hubs is off so I can leave it up for a few days.
I kept it short today to make up for my long winded Monday post.

Have a great day!

Get the idea?

If you have been following me for a while, you probably know where I get my ideas. But lately, I started to open my eyes and see other ways to "get the idea."

The majority of my ideas come from music. A lot of you know this and I thank god that some of you work this way because I really thought I might have to be committed at some point. Certain songs can hit me just the right way and I see my characters in action like a movie trailer. This is why most of my ideas and stories develop a soundtrack. See the one over there in my sidebar. That's for my baby, WiP#1. The song that started it all --"Panic Switch" by Silversun Pickups. Blame them for all my madness. Each song on my soundtrack has helped me create many chapters in this story. If you read a chapter, I could name a song that would go with it. See you know this already because I have posted about it before. 

So what are the other ways to get ideas--

--Another way is to add a character to your favorite TV show or movie. I have done this so many times, it's ridiculous. I added a character to the TV show "Angel." It developed into two journals worth of stories but it has also helped me learn how to write characters. I'm not saying I'm totally awesome at writing characters, it just helped.  

--Dreams. I alway thought this would never happen to me, but WiP#4 is from a dream. Yes, I said WiP #4. It's just in scribble notes now but it should be interesting later.

--Out of nowhere. Yes, I have had this too. WiP#3 just popped in. I now have a soundtrack developing for this one but the idea caught me off guard.

--Eavesdropping/people watching. I'm known to people watch. I admit it. People are interesting. I sometimes try and pick a person and make up where they are going or who they are. It's a fun little exercise.

For example--On the south end of my town there is a university. While sitting at a stop light one day, a student crossed infront of me. He was dressed like most college students--jeans hanging low, some sort of graphic T-shirt, baseball hat tilted to the side but what caught my eye was what he was carrying his books in. It wasn't a typical backpack or messenger bag. It was a beat up soft leather briefcase. Now of course I don't know the real reason, but here is what ran through my head. What if it was his grandfather's whom he loved dearly, but couldn't let go after he died. He goes to class where a young girl sits across from him and notices it. She wonders. Then some bully kid tries to steal because as it turns out the guy (who owns the briefcase) is super smart and he hates him. Girl falls for him... blah blah blah. See what happens.

Eavesdropping--First of all, don't invade peoples privacy but if they are blabbering for the whole world to hear then listen.  

 For example--I'm waiting for my daughter at swim class. While I try to keep my son from dashing into the water, I overhear a lady's conversation. She wasn't too private about it.

She is on her cell phone responding to an invitation for a wedding. Now, I don't know her relationship with the other person nor do I know what their response is but I found it strange and interesting. She told this person she would be at her wedding but she wasn't sure if she would be at the ceremony or if she would just leave the reception early. The reason is she had another family event to go to and it was important. She said, "I don't want you think I'm getting back at you because you were late to my wedding."

Interesting --right? A whole character can be developed from this.

Look around you--If I put my mind to it, I could write a story about the day in the life of my cat. I have to pinpoint her personality and write away. Actually, the hubs already dubbed her personality as Cartman from South Park and he even does the voice, which is hilarious.

The point is --I'm learning to open my eyes. My usual method of music still works but there are other ways  to get ideas.  This can also help if you are stuck on your MS. Sure there will be times when trying to come up with an idea is like trying to find a clear Lego in a high pile carpet, but just look around something just might spark.

How do you come up with your ideas?

How was your weekend?

Sorry for the super long post. I'm a blabber mouth this morning. Have a great day!

Fun Facts Friday

Help Talli Roland take Amazon by storm. Check out her blog to find out the details. You know you want to. She not only sweet, she's an awesome and talented writer.

Well, on with the fun facts.

1. I learned a lot this week. The -ing thing, overwriting...I feel a little overwhelmed but I'm letting it stew.

2. I think my son is ready to potty train--yeah. Accidents --yuck. Why do I think this? He took all his clothes off, but didn't make it to the bathroom. Accident #1.

3.I'm excited to catch up on what I recorded on the DVR. I'm not into too many shows, but Bones is back and I need to catch up. David Boreanz. (I miss Angel.)

4. I'm thinking of changing my blog background. Clean it up a little. So if changes alot...sorry.

5. I love apple cider in the fall. I've been drinking it everyday.

6. I'm going to write a post about how I get my ideas. One is people watching and eavesdropping. It's an art to look as though your not intentionally doing this. I have one hilarious story to tell you on that.

7. I will post Writing the Next Line on October 8th. Be there.

8. For once I'm excited to revise some more, but I'm sure I'll change my tune in the near future.

9. I also watch Project Runway. I skip over most of it just to see what the contestants came up with. I'm team Mondo.

10. I'm interrupted a lot during the day. My train of thought is usually broken, so my mind gets jumbled. I write strange comments, my characters say weird things and I forget a lot. This leads to comments like this from my 4 yr old. "It's okay mommy, you forget a lot."

11. I've finally decided on the beginning of WiP #1 and it feels good. It also will require a lot of work because I'm now going to write the whole story with alternating POVs (male and female). Yikes! Any advice?
How was your week?

Any fantastic weekend plans?

I hope to get back to commenting more soon. I feel like a jerk. I'm trying. I hope everyone is well and welcome to my new blogger buddies.

Have a great weekend!!