Julia Kings' 200/1000 Followers Book Giveaway

So, my wonderfully awesome critique partner, Julia, has reached 200 blog followers along with 1000 twitter followers. That only means one thing... Contest time!!!

So here is the details that you need to know about this holy cow contest!

Prizes:

Winners will be chosen by randompicker.com

For a complete set of rules, hop over to Julia's blog! And while you're at it, check the entire thing out. She's a wonderful writer & you will love her once you know her. I do!!

Happy writing!!!

Best Critique Partner Award Giveaway

In the last two days and even before that, I have been hard at work on the first page of my ms. During this time, I gained something wonderful. A new critique partner. That is why I feel like making & giving out this award!

So, here is the awesome winner of my first ever, it starts with me, award ceremony.

And the winner is....

The awesome Julia King! She was so kind to help me on her writing day off and I really believe that she has a bright writing career ahead of her. You should check out her blog for great tips & just to check out what she's got to say. You won't regret it.

So, I couldn't just give this to my awesome CP. There was somebody else that went above and beyond this weekend. She may not be my CP; but she is an awesome writer and a dear friend. That is why I am also giving this award to the wonderful Brenda Drake! She offered to help me when she really didn't have to and I could never thank her enough for her great suggestions and advice. If I were you, I'd check out her blog ASAP! Once you see it, you'll know why I say that.

Both of these women are going to be big in the writing world and I feel blessed to have them as not only my friends; but also as people that I can bounce ideas off of. Thank you both! I truly do value you more than you will ever know!! :)

Birthday Blowout First Page Contest with Victoria Marini: Contest Entry

The freakingly fantastic Birthday Blowout First Page Contest with Victoria Marini hosted by Shelley Watters starts today!!! Below you will find my 250 word entry. Actually, it's 257 words; but Shelley said not to stop in mid sentence. I hope that you enjoy & feel free to critique/comment!!

NOTE: I spaced the paragraphs so it'd be easier to read.



Title: The Demon Chronicles: The Black Light Of Purity
Genre: Young Adult/Horror Fantasy Romance
Word Count: 60K

Contest Entry

All of her life, Taisie Monahan knew the hollow feeling of loss. She had never experienced it before now; but she always felt it. As if a memory from another life were haunting her and begging her to find it. Find…him once again. At least that’s what she always thought and her mom even encouraged her to believe that some great love was out there…waiting to be rediscovered. That emptiness she could deal with. This…was something different in every way possible.

As she climbed out of her father’s black Lincoln Town Car, the rain felt like an icy dagger being driven into her fair skin. Her blue eyes flicked up at the ever-graying evening sky and watched as a lone raven glided across the silver clouds. Standing there in the cold winter’s rain; Taisie could swear that someone, or something, was watching her every move. The icy wind stung her face as she glanced around in hopes of catching a glimpse of her admirer. It’s just your imagination, Tais. Get a hold of yourself. 

“Taisie…go up to your room and start packing,” her dad said as he tried to hold back the tears that he had been walling up all day.

She tugged at the bottom of her black cotton knee length dress as she turned around swiftly, making her brown hair fly wildly into the piercing rain. “Why can’t we just stay here?” Anger rang in her voice; but pain filled her heart. None of this made sense and her father’s decision wasn’t helping things either.

The Power Of Lightning

The title of this blog is the power of Lightning and I'm not talking about the weather phenomenon. I'm talking about the kick ass protagonist from Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2. She is not only a beautiful woman; but she can fight her way out of any situation too.

The reason that I decided to write this blog was because I noticed something lately as I was bouncing around from blog to blog. A lot of my fellow female writers enjoy playing the game that I've grown to love and we all seem to gravitate towards Lightning. I can see why too. She is vulnerable in a way; but she is strong and smart also.

As I was talking with one of my friends on twitter the other night, she mentioned that she bases strong female characters off of her. I have to say, whenever I am looking to add a little umph to one of my MC's, I do this too. Lightning is just that woman that you long to be. Even if her world is falling apart, she finds a way to keep moving. To keep fighting until she has all the answers that she needs. I love taking that strength and adding it to my female characters. Her strength just adds the right amount of badassedness that is required at that point and time.

Lightning is a lot like her namesake. Beautiful and deadly. In one strike, she can kill whatever her gunblade touches. She is not only a character in a game; but she is also inspiring. She has inspired writing and women to embrace their strength. I urge you all to find the power inside of Lightning inside of your own selves and your MC's. You might find that you like what you see once you do!

Happy writing!!

Brenda Drake's Redesign A Book Cover Blogfest Contest

Brenda Drake's Redesign A Book Cover Contest!

So, I went on a design spree after Brenda announced this cool contest! After talking it over with my hubby, I came to the conclusion to submit something that made us both giggle and not be so serious. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!

Please click the image so you can see the writing clearly! Thanks!! :)

My Entry for Brenda Drake's Redesign A Book Cover Blogfest Contest

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And Because I couldn't stop with just one:

My Dream Cover

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The funny-ish cover of Stephen King's IT

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Better than the Stepford Wives & scarier!

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A quick one done just on a whim.

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One of my fave movies and books!

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The not so lovable Cat In The Hat

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First one that I made after signing up!

Bottle Drunk Bird

You Love Me?! And You Find Me Irresistible?! This Is All So Wonderful!!

I have received another blog award. This time it was from the wonderful Kari Marie White! I want to thank her & also say that she is a sweet person that deserved this award more than myself! But it's mine! All mine! LOL!! Okay...just joking! I'm not like that! But I do thank her for thinking about me!

Of course like last time there are rules! And here they are!!! *jazz hands*

1. Thank the person that gave you the award and link back to their blog.
2. Include seven random facts about yourself in your blog post.
3. Link to 15 other blogs. - I say try to do this!
4. Let those 15 people know that they have been awarded this award.

Seven Random Facts:

1. I love designing book covers! I don't claim to be good at it. I just enjoy doing it!
2. The plot bunnies have a mind of their own. It seems that I always have 2-3 stories going at one time.
3. I am the baby of my family & technically an only child. Figure that out! LOL!
4. I love old movies MORE than I love new ones.
5. I didn't eat pizza until I was around 4. Then it was only the crust. Now I can't get enough of pepperoni, sausage, & canadian bacon!
6. Love the Food Network!
7. Thinks that Seth McFarlane and Seth Green should run for President & Vice President next year! We might go down in flames; but it will be funny as hell! Just saying!

The Winners!!

Shelley Watters
Brenda Drake
C. A. Marshall
Kara Stefanowich
Tiffany King
Lili Tufel
Megg Jensen
Jamie McHenry
Morgan Lee
Barbara Kloss
Brielle B.
Jaime Arnold
Booklurv Mindy
Kaitlyn Ann
Lori M. Lee

Congrats to all the sweet bloggers!! Now, happy writing!! :)

Shelley Watters' Birthday Blowout First Page Contest with Victoria Marini

I have been doing a LOT of contest lately. But it seems like lately they have all been hosted by the wonderfully awesome Shelley Watters. I'm not complaining. In fact, I want to THANK Shelley for holding so many contests! It has been because of them that I was able to have my work critiqued by so many wonderful people and also call many of them my friends.

So, on to the newest contest. Shelley's Birthday Blowout First Page Contest with Victoria Marini! Here is what we have to do & I'm hoping that you all are willing to help me take the win!!

On June 25th I will post my first 250 words of my manuscript for everyone to critique. This process will go on through the 26th.

On June 27th, I will be posting my polished 250 words on Shelley's dedicated contest post as a comment. Then comes the waiting and praying part.

I encourage everyone to critique my entry and really let me know what you think. I can take it!

And Shelley...Keep the contest and challenges coming!!

Happy writing my friends and followers!! :)

Anathema By Megg Jensen: A Review

Yesterday I participated in a read-a-thon with some of the most amazing people on twitter! One of the books that I chose to read in a line of many other amazing ones, was Anathema by Megg Jensen. Below is my review.




So, Megg was kind enough to allow me to read Anathema so that I may review it. Honestly, I had been looking at this book for some time and wasn't sure. I had been let down by others before and I really wasn't looking forward to that again. Once I finally cracked Anathema open however, boy was I surprised at how awesome that it actually was/is!


I found myself seeing the world and people through Reychel's eyes. I felt what she was feeling as she was going from slave to savior. Every scene was written in a way that I completely understood what was being said and done. The characters came to life in a way that even I wasn't expecting. When they were happy so was I. When they were betrayed, I was too. That is a rare thing in books. In fact, I've only found a few that have drawn me in this far. 


Here is how Megg describes Anathema in her own words:


Magic. Lies. Manipulation

Reychel is a slave girl sheltered from the outside world with no hope for escape. The night before her dreaded fifteenth birthday, her best friend disappears, leaving her to face her branding ceremony - when her master's sigil is burned on the back of her bald scalp alone. She soon discovers nothing is as it seems when people desperate for freedom beg for her help.

Can Reychel learn to believe in herself in time?


Anathema is filled with, friendship, betrayal, mystery, love, and much, much more. I give it a solid A! It is definitely a must read for anyone into fantasy romance!


You can find Megg on twitter or her blog. 

Sand By Lili Tufel: A Review

I have been promising to post this review and I'm so sorry that it's so late. After being sick & getting bogged down with work that I couldn't do while being sick, this review had to be put on hold. I thank Lili for her patience and for allowing me to still post my review.


If you read any review for Sand you will see how nobody could put it down until they were done. I found this to be completely true! Lili has a way of making the characters come to life and have their own personalities. When the settings changed, it happened quite naturally. Never once was I confused & that is a very important thing for me as a reader.


Lili is very gifted. I found myself waking up and wanting to read Sand even when I was done. I was invested in the characters and their lives. Dallas and Abby are written in a way that made me believe that they were real.The ending was a surprise that I didn't see coming either. This book, to me, is a must read. 


Here is what Lili says about Sand in her own words:
Dallas is a Special Forces Lieutenant who is driven by his promise to protect the Colonel’s daughter Abby from an opium drug lord. He is torn between duty and his love for her and when he discovers that the drug lord's charming—murderous son has befriended Abby, there's no limit to how far he is willing to go to protect her.


Lili Tufel has a promising career ahead of her. Sand is a wonderful book for a debuting author. I encourage anybody who wants an action adventure novel to read to pick up Sand ASAP! Bravo Lili! I'm giving Sand a solid A+.