Ta Ta For Now

It's that time Imaginarians.  I have to stop posting for now as I have deadlines to meet and other obligations. I know, I'm sad, too. I miss you guys when I'm gone. But, I know you all want the sequel to Nathan's Angel as well as Maxie Briscoe: Werewolf so I've got to get writing.

Before I go, please check out the cover reveal for the amazing  Siv Ottem's book The Secret of the Ash Tree illustrated by the brilliant Michael Di Gesu.

Now, lest you think I'm completely disappearing, I'll still be lurking about and commenting, I can't quit you all cold turkey. And I'll still send up a post for special occasions like the Insecure Writers Support Group, blogfests and author spotlights like Writers 4 Writers, etc. I don't know how long I will be, but I'll try to hurry back, my friends. So, to quote my favorite resident of the Hundred Acre Woods, Tigger, "TTFN Ta Ta For Now."

Cover Reveal, News and Thank You

It's FRIDAY!!! Yeah, Baby! Ok so I am in a great mood. I want to thank all of you out there for the incredible response to mine and Gwen Gardner's Writers 4 Writers event on Monday. I appreciate each and every one of your efforts. You made my entire month and did my heart good. So thank you. I am still working my way around for more personal thanks.

I have some news now...I find myself with the need to be more organized of late. To that end, the Imaginarium will now be going to Monday and Friday posts instead of as often as I can during the week. I'm hoping to be better at reaching all of you out there so I am limiting my posts here to that end.

Now for the BIG COVER REVEAL....

It is my great pleasure and honor to reveal to you the cover for Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh's third book Cassastorm

Isn't it gorgeous? Now here is a little teaser about the book and I am counting the days til release... 208 lol

Cassastorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

Release date: September 17, 2013

Science Fiction - Space Opera/Adventure

Print ISBN 9781939844002

E-book ISBN 9781939844019

Writers 4 Writers

Today is the Big Day, Imaginarians. Writers 4 Writers is here and the awesome people of this group are helping me and the incredible YA author, Gwen Gardner, promote our work on Amazon and around the Twitter/Facebook realms.

How this works is that I have some tweets below, which I would HUGELY appreciate if you could copy and paste onto Twitter and then send out to your followers. They contain links to my work on Amazon. The goal is to increase mine and Gwen's exposure on Amazon and hopefully boost some sales by reaching more people than we could with just ourselves.

Tweets for Maxie Briscoe: Werewolf

It's hard being a Beast among Prey MAXIE BRISCOE WEREWOLF http://www.amazon.com/Maxie-Briscoe-Werewolf-ebook/dp/B003HO5UYC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361126074&sr=8-2&keywords=maxie+briscoe%3A+Werewolf #Amazon #Kindle #Download #W4WS Please RT

Sex, murder and werewolves MAXIE BRISCOE WEREWOLF  http://www.amazon.com/Maxie-Briscoe-Werewolf-ebook/dp/B003HO5UYC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361126074&sr=8-2&keywords=maxie+briscoe%3A+Werewolf #Amazon #Download #Kindle #W4WS Please RT



Tweets for Nathan's Angel

What could be sexier than a werewolf and an angel? NATHAN'S ANGEL http://www.amazon.com/Nathans-Angel-ebook/dp/B005W8J0HO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1361164676&sr=8-8&keywords=nathan%27s+Angel #Amazon #Download #Kindle #W4WS Please RT

Sometimes, the laws of Heaven were meant to be broken NATHAN'S ANGEL http://www.amazon.com/Nathans-Angel-ebook/dp/B005W8J0HO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1361164676&sr=8-8&keywords=nathan%27s+Angel #Amazon #Download #Kindle #W4WS Please RT

Thanks everyone for doing this. I really love you all for your support. You mean the world to me and I would not be the writer/blogger I am without you.

Hanging In And Some News

Hey there Imaginarians, my friends, my online family...I have MISSED you all so much. I'm still out, but I found a way to at least keep in partial touch so look for me in the shadows, lurking about and leaving a comment or two before I go dark again. I'm hoping to have a new computer this weekend.

I wanted to share some news while I had the opportunity. First, W4W, Writers 4 Writers, is going to be co-starring Yours Truly and the awesome Gwen Gardner this month. Cue Kermit the Frog's wild cheering...Yay!!!! So on Februay 18, pretty please get ready to do some serious tweeting. I thank you tremendously in advance.

Next, we have an awesome blogfest from our Captain Ninja, Alex. The Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest blasts off on March 18. Go sign up, have fun, meet the other brilliant participants.

The incredible E.J. Wesley has launched his Moonsongs blog tour See where he'll be and all the good stuff he's talking about.

Too cool for words Jessica Bell has released her newest, The Book. Go check it out, she's a great writer.

Last, but most certainly not least, is the awe-inspiring Overcoming Adversity Blogfest hosted by Nick over at Scattergun Scribblings. He is compiling the entries into a book and the proceeds will go to fund college for his son Andrew, who has cerebral palsy.Here is my entry:

Silencing the Crowd

The crowd roared, a thunderous boom as Tommy Pike went down stealing second. One out, one on, they were down two and crappy Frankie Cisco followed her. Man,  she had to get on base.

"Lani, you're up next." Coach Miller barked.

She huffed out an irritated breath. "I know."

"Just relax. Take your time, watch the ball. Clark's got some stuff on his curve and you always fall for it."

Much as she didn't want to take Coach's advice, Lani knew he was right. She always fell for that hanging curve like stupid Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty's fastball.

"Come on, Little Lady, speed it up. We ain't got all day around here."

She glanced over at Mr. Cisco, father of said crappy Frankie. He gave a her greasy smirk as he hoisted another slice of pizza into his big mouth. Lani wanted to gag. No wonder Frankie stunk.

The cheers grew louder as she grabbed her helmet from Coach and fit it on her head, grimacing at the pressure. She jogged to the plate, taking a couple of practice swings. The pressure on her ears increased and she stepped back, giving the umpire a "Time Out" sign.

She shook her head. How could she have forgotten something so simple?

Trotting back to the dugout, she winced as she removed her helmet. Coach held out his hand and she took off her hearing aids, settling them in his big palm.

The crowd immediately fell silent, the world now a quiet place where she could concentrate. She put on her helmet and smiled, a steely calm coming over her as she headed back to the plate. Time to swing for the fences...

Hope you enjoyed my little piece. It was inspired by one kick ass little girl, who plays on my nephew's baseball team. Not only does she play with the boys, but she does it without being able to hear the coach or the umpire when she bats.

Writers 4 Writers, Good Things And Something To Remember

Today kicks off the big Writers 4 Writers campaign. Started by M Pax, Christine Rains, Stephen Tremp, and C.M. Brown, four of the most incredible authors out there, this project aims to help we writers get the word out about our stories via Facebook and Twitter, increase traffic to our blogs/sites, help an author make the Amazon Top 100 in at least one category and create a buzz that will hopefully increase sales beyond the initial promo period.

The first author for this tremendously brilliant undertaking is Nancy S. Thompson and her debut novel, The Mistaken. Please visit her site and see what you can do to help Nancy and Writers 4 Writers get the word out. You can also visit the Writers 4 Writers Facebook page and Like it to support the cause.

Here's a bit about The Mistaken...

Tyler Karras is an honest man, a transplanted Brit living the American dream, but his charmed life takes an unexpected turn when his brother, Nick, is coerced into joining ranks with San Francisco’s Russian mafia. Ty intervenes to secure Nick’s freedom, yet only succeeds in incurring their wrath. With no choice but to accept Nick’s new life, Ty returns to his own, but his dreams are dashed when his wife—pregnant with their first child—is killed, the victim of a reckless crime.

Despondent and bitter, Ty macerates his grief in alcohol. From the depths of the bottle screams a voice, howling for vengeance. His target is a stranger, the woman who drew his wife toward her death. He doesn’t know her, but he’ll find her, and when he does, he will make her pay, for a deal has been struck with Nick’s Russian associates, enslaving her into a life of bondage. But as Ty moves forward in a cloud of alcohol, he mistakes the wrong woman for his intended victim and now all his plans have gone straight to hell.

More Good Things...

If you're looking for books and ebooks for those awesome people in your life, my publisher, Amber Quill Press and its affiliate sites, the ones I write for, Amber Heat and Amber Allure, are having some great deals. You can even pick up some of my stories to spice up your holidays. ;)

Thanks to everyone for stopping by my IWSG post yesterday and supporting me with wonderful comments about my title tribulations. I got some great advice that I will be trying next time around. 

Sarah Allen at From Sarah, With Joy is celebrating 600 posts. Stop by and give her some props. It's hard creating posts and to reach 600 is awesome.

And now for that Something to Remember. I want to encourage all of you out there to donate to your local food banks. I found myself in the position of needing to get my groceries from mine this last week and it brought back memories of childhood when the steel mill closed. There are so many of us struggling to keep our heads above the rising tide and those food banks are a life line. Whether it's just a few cans of soup to last the week til that meager pay day or whole box of food because you got sick or hurt and had to go the Emergency Room which wiped out your food money, those food banks are an amazing resource. So please when you read this, donate some food or even your time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart in advance, you guys are the best.

Insecurities Oh My! IWSG December Edition

It's time once again for the Insecure Writer's Support Group and holy cow it's the last edition for 2012. Where has this year gone? Hopefully there will be no zombies coming on the 21st and if there are, well, I'm ready. I took the Walking Dead's What Character Are You Quiz and I was Daryl. So if you all want to be on Team Mel come apocalypse time, head on up to Chitown, I'll hold a place for you. Just bring some supplies. ;)

Anyway, the IWSG is the creation of Captain Ninja Alex so we writers can have a safe place to air our insecurities, triumphs etc. More info and the other awesome participants are here.

Today I am talking about giving that story a title. I have the hardest time trying to name my stories. I suck out loud and sideways at it, going through pages and pages of notebook paper or staring for hours at a blinking cursor to try and figure out my titles. Even after all that, I STILL dither and tinker, only settling on a name at the midnight hour/last second before hitting SEND.

I just don't know what my problem is. Why is it so hard for me to give my stories names? Man, even my working titles don't help. Dream On was Contemporary Story, Maxie Briscoe: Werewolf  was Werewolf Story and my steampunk story was, you guessed it, Steampunk Story. And I do officially have a title for it now. The Physician's Lieutenant should be out in February. I guess this is something that I will struggle with until I die. Do you all have problems with generating titles for your stories?

Cool News

My sister friend Robyn at Life By Chocolate has her first book out, yay! Go check out Just The Right Time and give her a big congrats. :)

The brilliant Jamie at Mithril Wisdom is celebrating 3 years in the blogosphere. Yay! High fives Jamie!

Fellow writer, friend and kick ass babe extraordinaire, Morgan H has a great new writing blog called Write Drunk, Edit Soberer. Head on over and give her some props.

Writers 4 Writers starts tomorrow so head on over to Christine Rains' blog or Stephen Tremp's get all the pertinent details. Nancy S. Thompson is the first writer spotlighted.