New Release ~ Kross Out 2 by Rhys Flint

Cover Reveal for Sweetness, He Said by Jude Starr

Sunday Brunch - And that awkward moment when you tell someone you're an author and they tell you about the book they wrote, or thought about writing, or were told to write back in 1998...

It never fails. Okay, it rarely fails. There are exceptions to everything. Just ask my daughter the extrovert who will put on a public performance on any sidewalk, anytime, anywhere, but then will randomly claim she's too shy to sing in front of her own mother...

Anyway, as I was saying...It doesn't happen often, but, on rare occasions, I do venture out of the house and mingle with the other human beings I sometimes watch from afar through my living room window. I know they're out there. And I like that they're out there. I just don't always like to talk to them. It's an introvert thing. Not an 'I'm a total biatch' thing. Truth is, people scare me a little. Okay, truth is, they scare me a lot.

On these outings, it's not uncommon for me to meet new people (I am a lonely introvert, closely surrounded by people-loving extroverts. It's my cross to bear in life, and I'm surviving...some days better than others). Inevitably, my mother, or someone, will say, 'oh, yeah, she's an author,' which may briefly trigger a moment of interest in my work, but more often than not, it triggers some long lost, buried - but not dead, memory of their work. Shockingly, I've discovered since coming out of the writer closet, I am not as alone as I thought. Or, even as I'd hoped. It seems, in fact, that EVERYONE has written a book, thought about writing a book, been told to write a book, would like to write a book or has PLANS to write a book. Which is awesome and all, but frankly, I don't give a fuck. 

I don't want to hear about the publisher who wanted to pick up your children's book three decades ago. I don't want to read your poetry collection. I definitely do NOT want to listen to you break down the table of contents of your book, or hear about the writing process in general. It's all right up there with having a person who knows I was born in Germany, but now live in the U.S, tell me what it's like to look out of an airplane window. How the fuck do you think I got here, lady? By boat?

Don't get me wrong. If you are in fact, a fellow writer, published or otherwise, I WANT to talk about writing with you. It's my thing, it's what I love, and finding others who share that love and connecting with them is a beautiful and greatly appreciated thing. Also, if you are new to writing and have a genuine interest and are looking for genuine advice or feedback, I am always happy to give it! Always. Supporting each other on this writing adventure, is what being a part of this Indie Community is all about to me.

All I'm saying is this. 

If when we meet and you tell me that you're a cop, or a teacher, or a doctor, or a barista, or a what-the-fuck-ever your calling is in life, consider whether or not you'd like me to tell you my experiences and thoughts regarding your chosen profession, preferably in a very detailed and time consuming way that suggests the information is brand spanking new to you and highly important to your general existence. Because, as a writer with an extensive imagination, I should warn you, in one way or another, I've done them all.

Cover Reveal - Protective Hearts by D.S. Williams

New Release - Treasured Moments

TREASURED MOMENTS

Presented by the Crazy Lady Authors, a collection of the good, the bad, and the ugly side of relationships. Hold on to your seats. Some of our tales will have you doubled over in laughter, bring tears to your eyes, and some will make you thankful for the place you call home.

Click on the book cover or author's name to be taken to their profile.

A Moment in Time - Kelly Cozzone Alexa Wright is a happily married mother. Her son, Eric, was born in a previous marriage and he struggles with his place in both families. She has vowed to make the best decision for her son. Eric wants to live with his dad. How can she possibly figure out what the right decision is?

 

Haunted Raine - R.E. Hargrave Lorraine Morrissey let life pass her by. Her wake up call comes when she realizes that her husband is rarely home, and she's filling her days with trivial tasks. A crazy idea to save her marriage leads to a summer vacation unlike any she's ever taken; one that involves buying a haunted house.

Coming Home - Teri Riggs Abby, a young Navy SEAL's wife, must learn to cope after her husband dies in the line of duty. Hoping to learn how her husband spent his final days, she heads to Bethesda to sit with her husband's best friend, a soldier who remains in a coma caused by the same IED blast that killed her husband. But can anything mend Abby's broken heart?

 

15 W. Gibson - Aubree Lane Knowing Uncle Sam is about to come knocking, Jimmy Franks enlists in the Navy. Leaving Suzy is the hardest thing he's ever had to do. Left alone to deal with their feuding families, Suzy Franks is heartbroken when Jimmy ships out. Her husband's letters of love brings comfort, but 15 W. Gibson is a lonely place without him.

The Agent - Samantha Jacobey An author of dark tales is looking for someone to represent her. An agent who thinks all writers are the same wants the job. Will one lunch date be enough to convince him that she's different, or will her clouded past continue to overshadow her future?

The Bench - Nikki Lynn Barrett Ten years ago, Neil spent a summer with his grandparents when he couldn't deal with problems at home. That one summer led him to his first love, Amber, until a family crisis pulled him away. Now he's back in town and face to face with the woman he never could forget.  

Summer Song - Linda Lee Williams June Gorman might be imprisoned in a nursing home, but her mind roams free. In her private world, memories and melodies go hand in hand. Every day she embarks on a musical journey through her life, one filled with laughter, love, pain, and tears ... her summer song.

 

Crazy Love - Jayne Hyatt Will Meg be forced to resort to using the crazy family tradition, which she has spent most of her life avoiding, in order to win the man of her dreams?

The Treasured Legacy - Holly Barbo Leone uses the last of her strength to share important family history with her only relative: her grandson David. Despite her final wish not to sell the family heirlooms, David and his wife, Anne, look into it because of their desperate need for money. But the pieces have secrets and the young couple finds themselves in unexpected danger.

Ghost Connection: Lost - Jami Brumfield Ghost Connection is a series centered around Cassandra O'Grady and her unwanted ability to see spirits. In episode one, Cassie and her ghostly best friend, Abel, help a girl save her family from a jealous boyfriend.

Poppy - Cherime MacFarlane A teenage girl learns that the father she adores is not her real father. From her friend's dad, Emma Kay learns her Poppy won her and her mother on the turn of a card. Wrecking her mother's car does not help.

Camael's Gift - Michele E. Gwynn In the heavenly realms, conflict and war are as routine as escorting souls to the other side. For Camael, his routine has just been disrupted as he finds himself drawn to a human woman he encounters while comforting her dying child.


Life Storms - Terri Hubbard Carle Throughout life, you face many types of storms. Learning to trust, believe, have faith and stand strong, will help Carley and her family, as well as Carley and Chad grow closer and stronger.


The Tree House - J.B. Yarbrough The day her brother is born, Izzy hears the words Down Syndrome for the first time. Frightened, she runs to the safety of her tree house.

   

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVKSvgfqJHU[/embed]

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On January 16 and 17, 2015, all 14 authors will be gathering at one huge Facebook Release Party. Questions answered, teasers of their upcoming books, visits from special guests and huge prizes available to be won.

Come join the party...it's a BYOBB (Bring Your Own Book Boyfriend), but I'm sure these authors will have some available too.

https://www.facebook.com/events/757801814313647/

     

Sunday Brunch - And things I think about when I'm not writing...

If you know me on Facebook or follow me on Instagram, you probably already know that Sunday is my dedicated BRUNCH DAY. It's the one day a week I don't think about what I'm doing. The plans are set. In. Stone. No, not really, lol. But I wouldn't mind if they were ;-)

So, since I've already got a solid Sunday routine in place, I'm adding a little something else to my line up. A Sunday Brunch Post. One little post a week that could be super writer related or completely random. Because I'm not big on commitments, and agreeing to write once a week is about as much of a promise as I can make...there are no guarantees it will be super insightful or helpful in any way...although I will do my best to at least be entertaining.

There, that's one of the things I've been thinking about whilst not writing right there. The other thing that's been on my mind a lot lately is this quote by Anne Lamott - “You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.” And how maybe I take it a little too literally.

Not that I'm writing mean shit about everyone who's crossed me (and the list is short, so there's really no material there) but I do tend to incorporate a LOT of aspects from my reality into my fiction and some days I wonder if certain people will read what I wrote and go WAIT A MINUTE.

For the most part, it wouldn't be a super big deal. I mean, there's one guy...and I'm not gonna say who or which characters may or may not have been inspired by him, but I like to use my experiences with him as writing inspiration quite a lot. I tell myself that he's so arrogant, he probably assumes I'm writing about him every time my fingers hit my keyboard anyway, so what's the harm? Then, there are others...close friends...family...old jobs...old bosses....old boyfriends. Okay, yeah, that last one, that's the one that makes me nervous. Not nervous enough to stop, but nervous enough to where I'm playing out conversations in my mind of what might transpire between us should said ex ever read said book.

Phone rings. In spite of my better judgement, I answer (mostly because this conversation is imaginary).

"How did you know about the gas station thing?"

"What gas station thing?"

"The gas station thing. Don't play stupid. I know you know what I'm talking about."

"Are you sure you have the right number?"

"I read the damn book!"

SILENCE. "Oh. That gas station thing. You really shouldn't tell my brother stuff. He has a big mouth."

Or...maybe it would go something like this...

"You can't do that. You can't just write about a person without getting their permission."

"I know that."

"Then why did you write about me?"

"I didn't."

"You're going to stand there and tell me FILL IN THE BLANK wasn't supposed to be me."

"It wasn't you. It was my EXPERIENCE with you. And I own ALL of my experiences. In fact, I think I'm going to use this conversation I'm experiencing right now in a blog post tonight."

And then of course there's always this possibility...

"So...you're still in love with me?"

"No, asshole. It's called FICTION."

"Yeah...sure it is." Smiles smugly. Will never believe otherwise.

And that's the scariest part of all. 

On the upside (and much closer to what will probably really happen) this guy, and any other guy I choose to write about, will likely never pick up a single one of my books, them being total chick books and all. We'll never have an awkward conversation and it's entirely possible our paths will never ever actually cross again. But, none of this is stopping me from thinking about the endless possibilities regarding an interaction post publishing. Mostly because I like having imaginary conversations in my head. That's pretty much how I got into writing in the first place :-P

New Release - Black & White by Traci Hayden