Z is for Zepplin

That is - Led Zepplin!
So now you know a little about me and what I grew up with!

 

My kids listen to these albums with us now.

These were the good old days!

Y is for YOU Made It!

On day left in the A to Z challenge and this year, I've made it! This being my second year, I knew what I was up against. I had a better plan, a list of ideas and several set in stone topics to write about. This planning, made it so much easier.

What this challenge has really done is made me sit and write, every day for a month. No excuses. This has established a new pattern for me. One that makes me think of writing every day. After I write my A to Z post, I've been working on an outline for a new book.

I only spend 20 minutes researching the different themes that I want to include, it keeps me writing.

This is an exciting time. This idea that has been with me, festering for a few years, now feels fresh and new. I can't wait to work on it more.

So tomorrow is Z and I look forward to to it, knowing that I and many others have made it through this challenge. 

I finish with more than I started. Thank you!

X is for Xeranthemum

What exactly is a Xeranthemum? Why a flower, of course! There are many variations on color but they all have the same shape bud.

Wow, got though x with having to do an X marks the spot post! I do love this year's A to Z challenge and am so close, I know I will finish. Hang in there, I'm almost done. Just y and z to go!

W is WIN A Book!

Spring Fling Giveaway Hop

Win 1 of 3 Books!

Click Here For More Spring Fling Giveaway Excitement!

Can't Wait To Win It? Buy it Now

Robyn must decide her future at the coming of age ceremony, but choosing the right path is a challenge. Most girls in Robyn’s village will choose traditional roles of healing, midwifery or farming. None of these choices appeal to Robyn. Instead, she yearns for the red-hot crucibles full of molten bronze and the roaring fire of her father’s foundry. But her future brother-in-law, Gilhey, her most ardent challenger at the foundry, has other plans. Will Robyn find the courage to stand up to Gilhey and become the bronze caster she longs to be?

Can't Wait to Win It? Buy it Now

As the littlest Hapenny, Maewyn Bridgepost spends her days from breakfast to midnight nibble scrubbing the hearth, slopping the pigs, and cooking for her guardian, who never spares a kind word. Mae dreams of her long-lost mother, the day she can be rid of Gelbane and finding a life worth living. As if life as a servant wasn't bad enough, Mae learns that Gelbane is a troll-and Hapennies are a troll delicacy.

New eBook Available June 1, 20

This Young Adult Romance Anthology makes its way through time, visit the Holy Roman Empire, French Revolution, Victorian England,











Giveaway Details 
1 winner will win any one of the above titles.
Paperback to US only, Ebook open Internationally
Ends May 8, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

V is for Virgin Olive Oil

Everyone knows the V word - that's right, Virgin. This word has long been used to represent purity.

For girls and young women, this word has great meaning of how you are perceived by the world.

For olive oil it represents the very first pressing of the olives, unadulterated and unrefined.

For Madonna, it's just about getting close. Like a virgin.

Oluvu!

Under and Over the Snow by Kate Messner

Listen!
Listen!
Listen!

To understand the beauty of this book written by Kate Messner with art by Christopher Silas Neal, you need to hold it in your hands and read.

What is your favorite picture book with an outdoor theme?

T is for Training

Training yourself to do anything takes time. You have to train to break bad habits and to build new ones. Writing daily is a habit, but you can form this habit by writing daily.

Recently, (okay, last week) I started training for the C25K. The first day was horrible. I could only make it through 6, 60 second runs. But the second day, I made it through 8. The third day, I did all 9.

I thought that if it gets easier and easier the more you do it, why don't I put this same concept into practice for my writing? So yesterday, I wrote for 20 minutes. Today, I wrote for 23 minutes. I do have a job and still want to run, but if I manage my time, I can do a little of everything on a regular basis.

How to Make Writing a Habit
Do this three times a week.

• Brisk five-minute free write warmup. Write about anything: grocery list, character traits, setting.
• Then alternate 60 seconds of writing and 90 seconds of reviewing, do this 8 times for a total of 20 minutes. 

Before you know it, you aren't stopping to review what you've written, instead you are writing for 20 minutes.

Stop The Presses!

I've wanted to shout this since I was kid!

Just saying!

R is for Retro

Want to go retro? Thinking about the past? Need a fix from your childhood?
GO RETRO!

Quality Books

Quality Books! That's what Pugalicious Press is all about. My "Partner-in-Publishing," Jen Carson and I, have been so impressed with the many wonderful manuscripts we have received for consideration.we are amazed at the amount of talent out there. And you are a talented bunch of writers!

You can review the guidelines here.

But think long and hard about whether your manuscript is polished draft. Because most often, we reject because they aren't. The ones we accept are.

So if you want to be let into the Doghouse, send us your very best.

P is for Pasta

I LOVE Pasta!

What is your favorite Pasta dish? Post your recipe below and you have a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card.

O is for Owl

I love owls. I'm not sure why. It's not because they move their heads around like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

That's just creepy!

It's more about how unique they are.

And, how there are so many different types of owls

They are creatures of the night. They eat their prey whole and regurgitate the bones. All these things are cool yet scary.

NESCBWI - No Place Like Home

     It was a great weekend and I hated to see it end, but it was nice to be home.
     I sat with my husband at the kitchen table and between bites of salad I explained why it felt to so good to be at a conference.
     My conference peeps aren't just colleagues, they are friends. They are genuinely happy to see me, make feel loved and appreciated, and inspire me to more than I would settle for.
     He smiled. He understood.
     To every single person who attended this year’s NESCBWI Conference in Springfield, MA, Thank you. You made this past weekend one I will never forget.

Marketing your book – 3 Ways to Promote Your Books

We all want our books to sell. So how do we make this happen?

1. Join in on Twitter Chats. I like #MGlit, #YAlit, #indiechat, #bookbloggers. Lots of love for those trying to get the word out. Read and review the books of other authors, and they will read and review yours. It's called sharing the love.
   
2. Post book discussion questions on your blog or website, along with a press kit. This can go a long way.
   
3.  Join a Book Blog Tour. Really, this increases your books visibility.

Do You have more marketing ideas that have worked for you? You could win a Hardcover edition of The Casting. Please add your successful marketing idea to the comments below. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win.

Want more chances to win? Tweet and Facebook this post. Include the URL in the comments section for additional chances to win.

this post, and  and and you could win a Hardcover edition of The Casting.

Labels

Labels help identify things.

Putting like things together helps your organize.

It can help make the right choice.

It can make finding an item fast and easy.

Putting like items together keeps life neat and organized!

 Don't label people.

 Everyone is unique.

Killer Book Covers

I always wonder why there are multiple covers for books. Was the first one a fail? Is the second one better? What about the numerous editions? I found some examples so let's take a look.

Which covers do you like?

Journey to Publication

The journey to publication is different for everyone. With today's rapidly evolving publishing arena, options are open to emerging authors who are not afraid of taking the plunge into self publishing, now repackaged as Indie Publishing.

The stigma of self publishing is still alive. Many who work in traditional publishing continue to turn up their noses at Indie Publishers because the quality of the end product doesn't meet certain perceived standards.  It's true that there are many self published books that are less than perfect.  This was and still is for many, because of the cost involved in hiring talented editorial and copy editors, the cost of designing a brilliant cover, and the cost of having it professionally designed.

This is all changing at lightning speed. Yes there are still many Indie published books that are less than perfect but there are many that are very good and so affordable.

And don't overlook the small press, they are having a significant impact on bringing, often overlooked, great books to print.

 RESOURCES

All Indie Publishing

Independent Publishers & University Presses

Nathan Bransford on Indie Publishing

The 2012 Indie Publishing Contest

And check out #indiechat on Twitter, Tuesday nights at 9:00.

Where is your publication journey taking you?

ISBNs

I've known what an ISBN is for as long as I can remember. I've been a reader since I was 4 years old and those numbers on a book cover or jacket flap always represented something secret. Add a barcode and you have a secret language.

Hello Guidebook

As some of you know, I am this year's NESCBWI Conference Co-Director. I've been able to work on some fun projects for the conference. One of them has been building the NESCBWI's debut guidebook app. If you don't know about Guidebook you need to check it out at guidebook.com. 

Guidebook is user-friendly on iPhones, Android phones, Blackberries, and any other devices that you might use. The app is compatible with iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches and Android devices. Windows Phones and Blackberry users can access the same information via Guidebooks mobile site at m.guidebook.com. 

Are you interested in checking out the Guidebook app I created, then scan:

What technology are you crazy about?

Glorious Blooms

Spring it about to take hold here in New Hampshire. The Weeping Willows along the pond have yellow buds. The snow drops are already receding and the crocus are in full bloom. The lush dark green of the tulip foliage, dark against the newly greening grass, heralding the glorious color about to burst forth has me pulling out the Adirondack chairs and looking through garden catalogs.

I've always loved the meaning of flowers. Each bloom has a different meaning. During Victorian times, life was emotionally strict and people use flowers to express their feelings toward each other.

Tulips are the symbol of The Perfect Lover.

Wisteria  means Youth and Poetry

 Forsythia means Anticipation.

Purple Hyacinth means I am sorry, Please forgive me, also Sorrow.

Cyclamen means  Resignation & Goodbye.

Iris means  Faith, Wisdom, Valor, Your Friendship Means So Much To Me.

 

I can't wait for my garden to bloom!

What would you say with flowers?