So, here I am blogging and promoting and giving crap away

It's almost been a year since I published Dissected. Copies have sold. It has great reviews. Honestly though, it has not been stellar. Why you ask? Well, right after I published that book my world pretty much fell apart in many ways. I won't go into all the details of my drama, but I've been busy, I've been dealing with matters that needed dealing.

On top of all the drama, I've also had some health issues that were finally summed up for me last week in as disappointing a way as they could be. Basically, I was told, "This is who you are now, learn to like yourself this way and learn how to live with it."

Yeah, no magic cure.

Don't worry, I'm not dying or anything. I apparently just can't function like ordinary people, therefore any time I have during the day to get stuff done is basically cut in half so I have to choose between activities: cleaning, writing, marketing, working from home, etc. etc. My house is always half messy, my lawn is unmowed, and I've been working on this same manuscript for about forever (trying to finish it during NaNoWriMo).

Now that all that is out of the way, and now that Dissected is almost one and hasn't been nurtured in the way it should have been, it's time to start. And how do we do that?

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yep, I'm giving some crap away. What you ask? Well,  we have a size L got Cassiopeia? short sleeve black t-shirt, a copy of Dissected with SWAG, a 1 pound bag of wild cherry gummy bears and a jar of glow in the dark stars.

How's that for starters? Click on the Rafflecopter link to go to the giveaway. Winner to be picked November 11th, announced November 12th, right here on my blog.

On top of that, on November 12th I will be offering the Kindle version of Dissected free on Amazon for 2 days.

It would do me a great honor if you'd spread the word (of course, some of your prize entries require it, so there's that).

For a short summary of the book and to read reviews, you can visit the Amazon page.

I'll also be changing the look of this blog. I've already updated my Twitter and I'm working on my website, so this will be next on my list as well as my Facebook. I'm growing up, moving forward, keeping on.


I'll be posting more links to reviews and whatnot up until the giveaway/anniversary date, so come back.

You can find me on Facebook and Twitter, and most anywhere authors hang out on the interwebs.

Thanks to those of you who have supported me along my journey. It's been smooth at times, choppy others, but you have to put things into perspective. I suppose as long as I wake up every morning, I can't complain too terribly much.

Book Review: The Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner

The Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Francesca “Beans” Schnell’s world has been falling apart ever since her little brother drowned. Her father seems to be hiding something, her mother can’t look her in the eye, her best friend is dating the boy of her dreams and worst of all, she hates herself as she feels she’s to blame for her brother’s death.

While trailing her father trying to get to the bottom of his odd behavior, Francesca happens to meet Frankie Sky, a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to her dead brother. But it’s more than that, there are also inexplicable coincidences that lead Beans to believe her brother’s soul might be living in Frankie Sky.

Gae Polisner’s prose is like poetry. It reads as if every word of every sentence is handpicked with precision creating a perfect flow like ocean waves. This book was so evocative, I smiled, I cheered, I cried. Francesca’s story is haunting, yet hopeful and every time a new twist of fate occurred, my heart stopped, waiting to see what it might mean. I loved learning about Saint Florian, Christmas Island crabs, and sand dollars. I loved seeing how throughout the book Francesca grew stronger and further away from that place in her past, and closer to letting go.

I fell in love with the characters in this book. So many readers will be able to relate to those characters with that air of sadness about them — when you feel so heavy inside, like you’re drowning, but have to continue to move and stay afloat on the outside — the Schnell’s, Mrs. Schyler, Mrs. Merrill. Lisette is a perfect best friend, and lovely, and I love that she doesn’t act like she’s beautiful even though she clearly is. I adore Bradley's, quirkiness and even Peter’s peculiarity.

Then there is Frankie Sky. Gae has written him so well…I picture him in my head perfectly. His voice is adorable and I’m sure will stick with me for a long time. I wonder if Gae spent a lot of time around 4 year olds while writing this because it seems so spot on. And I love his spirit, the spirit of a young boy, full of energy and adventure who believes himself invincible.

I read Gae’s first book, The Pull of Gravity, and her writing is even better than before (and it was beautiful before) — This storey even more beautiful and heartfelt. If this is what we should expect from Ms. Polisner in the future, I'm in.

This book will resonate with me for weeks, I can tell. It will make me take a closer look at the world, at chance occurrences, coincidences and karma. I try not to live in the past and to live life profoundly and passionately like Frankie Sky, but sometimes I still need reminders, as I’m sure we all do, and this book as given me one.

Do yourself a favor and buy this book. You won’t regret it.

View all my reviews

In Sickness and in Health

O.M.G. I'm actually going to discuss writing and books on my blog today. I don't think I've done that in awhile because my life has been in such chaos lately, but yes, here I go.

Tonight I head up to the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference (AWP), which happens to be in Seattle this year, as tomorrow I will be on a panel titled, In Sickness and in Health: Writing about Illness and Loss for Young Adults.

"Sick - lit" as it's been so charmingly nicknamed has been quite a hot topic in the last year and the subject of controversy. Some people think we as writers have a cavalier attitude toward the dark subjects such as death, suicide and self-harm, and we are doing teens a disservice by writing about these subjects during a time when they are more apt to go through them.

Yet others believe that teen should be reading about the issues that they are sure to relate to at their age, that reading isn't purely about escapism, it's also about thinking and feeling and having characters you can relate to.

What is your opinion on the subject?

I think you know where I stand as someone who has written about death and
self-harm. I also have an unpublished book about a school shooting. Life isn't always pretty and it doesn't always have a happy ending. Are we doing our teenagers a favor by shielding them from the hard things in life? Things they will have to face, whether it's them, one of their friends or family members.

Shit happens. You can't hide from it, so why not face it head on.

If you're attending AWP, my panel is from 1:30-2:45 at the Washington State Convention Center, Room LL5, Western New England MFA Annex, Lower Level.

Other panel members are Roberta Borger. She is the one who assembled the panel. She is pursuing my MFA in Creative Writing at Chatham University. Selene Castrovilla, Jolene Perry, and Katherine Ayres.

MIA, Super Bowl, Writing, Oh My!

Where has the week gone? Have I blogged once this week? I really couldn't say, I've barely known what day it was all week. It's been crazy...

The day job has been so busy. We have some big changes in the making, so I've been putting together a marking blitz to publicize them, which will come out next week. On top of that, I had two marketing events Martini Monday and  Legal Marketing Winter Social and Awards Night.

I enjoy my day job, but, Oy, it's been crazy busy lately.

I've been doing a little writing. I've been working on A Tattered Life, and I started a new WIP. I know, I'm crazy. It's women's fiction. Humorous. Well, I hope it is at least. I've been wanting to write the book for about 3 years. When I was on my vacation...wait...have I already told you this story? Anyway, when I was on vacation, I was lying in bed one morning and specific sentences came to mind. So I started writing it. Stupid, I know. But stupid is how I roll. *cough*

Of course I had to fit the BF in because I'd barely seen him.

Then there were the debates over gun control over Facebook and Twitter. Not going there now, nor am I ever going there again. Agree to disagree. Period.

House cleaning, exercise.

Thinking about marketing my book then not doing it.

I swear I'm going to this weekend.  It's selling without marketing it. Imagine what it would do if I actually told people it was out there.

Anxiously awaiting the Super Bowl. GO HAWKS!!!

Anyway, busy busy busy...

Have a great weekend, relax, don't play with guns, buy my book and root for the SEAHAWKS!!!

Friday Scribbles:

Pandora queue song: Not That Kind of Girl by Miss Li (Miss Li station)

Book of the Week: I'm reading Allegiant by Veronica Roth. Such a great series. Really have enjoyed it. Just started the book a little bit ago. Hope to finish in the next couple weeks.

Netflix of the Week: Damages Season 5. I cannot believe I already almost done with this series. At least it's almost gotten me to the last half of Walking Dead Season 4.

Quote of the Week:

30 days of thanks: Day 12

Today I'm thankful for books. Books that showed up at my door yesterday. Yep. So I could have a release party tonight.

Of course, not only those books, but books in general. I love reading books. My mother instilled the love of reading in me. I've been reading since I could, devouring Dr. Seuss, Donald J. Sobol, Judy Blume, then on to S.E. Hinton, then Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkein, Ray Bradbury. I even enjoy some Shakespeare from time to time. Those are authors whose books (and plays)  I've read a lot. 

Some favorite books:

• Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• The Crucible by Arthur Miller
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
• Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice.

More contemporary novels I've liked have been:

•  The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich
• Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
• The World According to Garp John Irving
• She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
• Mystic River by Dennis Lehane (I also enjoyed his McKenzie series)
• Red Dragon & Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (never read Hannibal)
• Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

When it comes to Young Adult fiction, some of my favorites are:

• The Wicked and the Just by J Anderson Coats
• Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
• 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner
• Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
• Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach
• Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay
• Popular by Alissa Tregay
• XVI by Julia Karr
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (I can't wait to read the rest of the series)
• The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
• The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Truly, I could go on and on all day. And if you're looking for recommendations from me, note, that aside from a few of these books, I read very much like I write, books that tackle tough subject matters. The stories aren't always pretty and there aren't always happily ever afters.

Are there any books you are thankful are in the world?

If you're in the Tacoma area, don't forget about my book signing tonight at Garfield Book Company at 7 pm.

Writing Wednesday: A Tattered Life

I posted part of this on my Facebook a couple days ago, got some positive comments, so thought I'd post it here. 



Setting it up a bit, this is my book about a journal that travels some miles in a tornado and ends up in the hands of a teenage boy, Jaden Hatch. The journal is written by a girl down on her luck, who at first Jaden thinks of as a loser, but eventually becomes attached to.  Jaden is a douchebag, cheats on his beautiful girl friend, Ava, with Payton, a girl he considers white trash, he's a bully, homophobic and takes his mother, who has raised him alone for granted.  It's prom night and he and best friend Eli are going to pick up their tuxes.

I realize I never asked Payton if she was going to the dance. I’m curious. I text her. Will I c u 2 nite? I throw on sweats and shoes, grab my keys and take off for Eli’s. Time to pick up the tuxes. When I get to his house, I check my phone to see if Payton has texted back. Nothing.

Eli jogs out, dressed much the same as me, and we head to one of the only two tuxedo rental shops in town, Threads. On the way, I say, “You know, you should officially make Maddy your girl tonight.” Maddy is Eli’s prom date and happens to be Ava’s best friend. It would be perfect.

Eli turns to me, lowers his head, raises his an eyebrow and says, “No thanks.”

“But dude. She’s smokin’ hot. And that ass?”

“Again, no.”

“Why?”

“She’s not my type.”

I look over at him to see if he’s full of shit. He looks dead serious. “Are you kidding me? Maddy is everyone’s type.”

“Not everyone.” I shake my head, not believing what I’m hearing.

We enter Threads, and though there’s a line, we’re helped immediately because, well, I’m Jaden Hatch. We pick up our tuxes, mine, black, black shirt with a red vest and tie. Eli’s is all white with a pink vest and bow tie. “You know how gay you look in that?”

“Fuck you, Hatch,” is all he has to say to that. I drop him off and go home.

“Let’s see it!” Mama calls right when I walk in the door.

“Can’t you just see it later?”

Brows wrinkled, pouty lip in full action she says, “I just want a sneak peek.” 

“Fine,” I say rolling my eyes.

I go to my room and lay the tux on my bed. Before taking it out to Mama I check my phone one more time for messages. Have a couple silly texts from Ava about how excited she was about prom, which I care little about and immediately delete. Then Why aren’t u texting me back? Again, delete. Then there was one from Payton. Not if I c u 1^st. Lol.

Cute.

 I unzip the plastic sheath that reminds me of those bags they put dead people in; I pull it off, and when I take the tux out to Mama, she squeals and claps, jumping up and down like a child. When she stops, tears well up in her eyes and she says, “You’re going to look so handsome.” She gawps into my face. “When did you get so old?” She reaches up to brush some hair out of my eyes and I playfully swat her hand away.

“Oh Mama, you’re being silly.”

She wipes her tears away. “Maybe. Now go get your chores done before you run out of time.”

“You’re making me do chores today?”

“Did I stutter? Is it your birthday or some kind of national holiday? No. It’s prom. Now get your ass going.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” I hang the tux up in the kitchen doorway.

“Okay, have fun, now. I’m headed to work.”

“Wait. What? Work?”

As she grabs her purse Mama says, “Yes, boy, how do you think that tux and tonight’s dinner and limo are getting paid for. Mom doesn’t stand for Made Of Money. I’ve had to pull extra shifts at the hospital. Make sure Ava’s parents take lots of pictures. Have them text me some.”

Saying nothing, I stand there, nodding stupidly as she leaves. I’m dumbfounded. Mama’s never missed any of the important events in my life, not a football game, an awards assembly…a formal dance. She works a lot, but her nursing job is flexible and she usually takes time off or switches with someone—she doesn’t grab her purse and walk out the door.

I do my chores, and not the half-assed job I normally do, but I do them meticulously because suddenly I’m realizing what Mama sacrifices for me. Maybe I’m still being a prick because this time I see how it affects me, I don’t know, but at least I’m finally noticing, right?

Writing Wednesday: A Tattered Life

This is from my WIP, A Tattered Life. I wrote most of this section last night. First draft. Leave comments if you wish.

When I course up the driveway, gravel crackling beneath my over-sized tires, Mama glances up, only for a second, then gets right back to cleaning up the tornado debris from our yard. She’s pissed, I can tell. I put the truck in park and sit, conjuring up an excuse for being late.

She doesn’t speak to me as I pass her to put my backpack in the house, but I feel her eyes on me, boring a hole straight to my soul. I toss my coat on the couch, run into my room, throw on some shorts, grab a garbage bag and my gloves from the morning, which are right where I left them by the front door.

I run to Mama, grab her by the shoulders and kiss her cheek. “Sorry I’m late, I got detention.”

Her head whips up at me. “Again? What for this time?”

“I towel whipped Duncan Price’s bare ass in the locker room.”

She stares at me for a moment in a state of disbelief, but that usually doesn’t last long, because nothing I do ever surprises her anymore, so I can pretty much tell her anything to get out of trouble. Funny, I’m making up getting in trouble to get out of trouble.

“Very well, but you better leave that boy alone. He could be your boss someday.”

I start picking up garbage. “Mama, are you kidding me? I’m going pro. Duncan may be lots of people’s bosses someday, but he ain’t gonna me mine.”

She stoops over to join me in the garbage collecting. “If you’re going pro you better keep those grades up, make sure you don’t get injured, and stop towel whipping boys in the locker room.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

We work in silence. I don’t dare stop working until Mama gives me a sign that we’re done.

“You hungry?”

“Starved.”

She hands me her bag of garbage, then pulls her gloves off and puts them in my bag. Stretching her spine out, hands on the small of her back, she says, “You take care of those, I’ll start supper.”

I do as she tells me, then go clean up. “Start your homework, Jaden!” Mama calls from the kitchen. A breeze comes through, carrying a trace of fried chicken with it. That meant mashed potatoes or home fries too, and I smell garlic, which Mama always adds to her mashed potatoes. Don’t know if she picked that up in Italy or what, but made them damn good. I hope she doesn’t make brussel sprouts. No matter how big a fit I threw, Mama always made me eat them. Still tells me they’ll make me grow big and strong. I’m 6’2 and 210. How much more big and strong do I need to be?

I grab my backpack, fully intending to do as Mama says and start my homework, but I’m distracted by the crazy chick’s notebook staring at me as soon as I unzip it. I pull it out, lay on my bed, and turn to the next entry.

Monkey Madness Monday: Indie Publishing, Getting Closer

Received my second round of the formatted version of Dissected. Oh, it's so pretty. Found just a
couple more things that needed changing, so the next version should be it, then guess what. I make it a printed book! MEEP!!!!

What comes next? I need to come up with a sale price, set up distribution and get my bar codes in place.

As far as the sale price...the book is about 246 pages. A bit longer the Never Eighteen, which was $7.99. And I'm thinking about upping the book up a buck so I can donate some to my favorite charity, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital for every sale. So, I'm thinking $9.99 or $10.99. What do you think? Is the latter too much?

Then Lori, who is formatting my book will format the e-book version for me. She's been a God send, as have many others in this crazy process. I could not have done this on my own. Well, I could have but I'm sure it would have been a fiasco. :)

I also still have to design and order buttons and I need to get postcards designs and sent to bookstores, libraries, and schools. I'm wondering, do I mention the fact that the book is indie published? Hmmm, what have you other indie authors done if you've actually published in print?

Changing gears and writing about tornado debris

After prodding from a couple people, I'm going to write the story about the journal that travels 50 miles via tornado and ends up in a teenage boy's yard. I've been wanting to write it for two years any way and it has stuck in my head all this time, so while I'm getting Dissected off the ground, revising (probably run football book which still needs a new title through autocrit), I will write this story. It's a long time coming and my friend Gae says she will steal the idea if I don't write it now. :)

I will tell more of the background of where I got the idea. After the 2011 tornadoes that blasted through Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, etc, there was a news report about a man who was picking up debris in his yard, only to find a tattered piece of a pay stub, or something similar (can't remember exactly).

He had enough information from the torn paper to find it's owner. That piece of paper had traveled 100 miles. The man contacted the family at the other end, I believe it was a couple with two daughters. They had lost just about everything. The man ended up helping them pick up the pieces a bit, sending clothing, toys, and such to help them out.

The idea of finding a piece of someones life in another's front yard fascinates me. What if it was

something more than just a pay stub. A personal glimpse into their life. So the idea of sending a tattered journal came to mind and letting this boy, who maybe doesn't care too much about the people and the world around him, find it, and letting him read it, and for once in his life, become involved in something, become attached to it, care about it, and when he thinks he's going to lose it, want to do something about it.

That's it. Working title, A Tattered Life. May change it down the road. We'll see.

Happy Friday everyone. Pray for those in Oklahoma. Remember Zach Sobiech. If you have a three day weekend, enjoy every minute of it.

Friday Scribbles

Pandora song on queue: Runaway by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Postal Service station)

No book or Netflix of the week, as I've had no time to watch or read anything. First time I've skipped. Oh well.

Quote of the week: “When we think of the past it's the beautiful things we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that." Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale