Monday, February 29, 2016

Win a Print Copy of The Lost Princess

My second Goodreads Giveaway is for The Lost Princess, which is the final installment in The Peasant Queen series. It was awesome to be able to revisit these beloved characters to tie up the dangling plot elements.

You can enter the giveaway HERE. Again, the contest is for your chance at one of 3 print copies.

If you haven't yet read what happened after the end of The Tyrant King, now's your chance to find out.

Best of luck!

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Win a Print Copy of Tea for Two!

As promised, the first of FOUR Goodreads Giveaways: Tea for Two.


It's super easy, especially if you already have a Goodreads account. Just click HERE to enter!

I'm giving away 3 print copies, so your chances are good. The giveaway runs through the end of March.

I wish you all the best of luck!

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

'Til We Meet Again

I had an "aha" moment today. I was explaining to my Dr how nice it was to have a sinus infection, because my brain focused on that rather than the concussion headaches.

Let's pick that apart a little. Ever had a sinus infection, where your cheekbones and brow bones hurt so much when touched or tapped that you want to hit back? HARD?

This is a relief from my headaches. I can't even.

I know I posted last week about going dark, but after talking it over with my family and my doctor I'm expanding the timeline.

So this is goodbye. Hopefully for just a few months. Hopefully just till summer.

I can't even tell you how hard this is. I've spent over 5 years developing an online presence, networking, getting to know other writers and readers. It's like admitting defeat. I feel like nobody is even going to remember me in 3 months if I'm not steadily chirping away from my nest.

In an effort to make peace with this decision, which has become a necessity to try and heal physically, I've had to step back and reevaluate where I am. In truth, I'm not in a bad spot.

I have SIX published novels, including my very first completed series. I have a handful of published short stories, at varying lengths. Those are still all going to be out there for general consumption.

I have my VERY FIRST AWARD NOMINATION! City of Light is up for a Swoony this year. If you're not familiar with the Swoony's, you can check out the page on Goodreads. In short: The Swoony Awards are a reader’s choice award recognizing excellence in clean romance fiction. We wanted a way to show our appreciation to these awesome authors who write the kind of books that we love. It’s also a great way to find new books and a good go-to when looking for something fun to read.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out. Seriously, this is one of those moments where you're just happy to be nominated. Recognized. Sure, I'd love votes--I'm not gonna lie--but just being on the list is enough. The coolest thing is, as a reader, you can vote for up to 100 books on the list, so if you're an avid book devourer (as most of us are) you can vote for ALL of your favorites. :)

Also, if you're in the market for some free books, I've got some Goodreads Giveaways scheduled for the next couple of months. Stay tuned, the links will be up once each giveaway goes live.

I've already stated that I have no plans to publish this year, so there's no pressure for me to write. I can just step back, concentrate on my family, and let myself heal. I'm not going to say that will be easy. Last night I was bitten by the urge to write so hard that I almost got out of bed to do it.

I may even have to resort to handwriting, although I don't think that would give my brain a rest any more than an hour or so on the computer. It would just be a different sort of exercise. That being said, I'm not going to push it.

So, farewell. Though I can't say when I'll be back I want to say it'll be soon. It all depends on my brain.

Now that's a terrifying thought.




 

Monday, February 15, 2016

As it Pertains to Writing

This is a health update. Normally I'd keep this on my personal blog, but it does pertain to my writing so I wanted to be sure everyone interested was informed (which is why I'm putting it here).

First of all, City of Light is now available in print. I'm so pleased with how beautiful this book turned out. Here is the AMAZON link. I'm not sure why it hasn't connected this version with the ebook, but I'm sure we'll get that straightened out this week. Jjust a side note, I had some fun looking at the other sellers who've picked it up already--and want to charge you more to purchase it from them. It's kind of funny when you consider the book has only been available since the 12th!)

Secondly, I started kind of a craze on Facebook last week when I told my friends and readers that one of my projects for 2016 is a book where the main character is somewhat vertically challenged (read: short). Okay, she's 4'10". And the bad guy is tall (for the race). The tallest person my MC knows is her mom, at 5'5". It's actually a story that I started last summer, but since my accident I haven't worked on it much. I'm just really in love with the idea and want to get it written.

Now, back to my health. I have to say the biggest problem I have with this ongoing issue is that SO MUCH ATTENTION IS ON ME. I have to prove at every Dr visit that I'm not exaggerating my symptoms. They keep sending me to specialists that may or may not take my insurance. It's such a hassle, and, I'll be honest after SIX months of this I'm more than done.

Lately, though, I've had a serious increase in daily pain and nobody really knows why. Isn't the brain fun?! (not) From our research, Bryan and I have figured that in my efforts to live as normally as possible with this disability--I'm probably doing more harm than good. That said, the hours I spend online, writing, socializing, doing puzzles, reading my Kindle, etc is not giving my brain the down time it needs to heal. Yes, in retrospect that makes perfect sense. Yeah, I feel kinda stupid for being so stubborn. (In my defense, since I can't work I've been trying to increase my exposure as a writer and, hopefully, increase revenue--which is why I'm spending so much time online every day)

But it's not working. And I'm in serious pain. And if I give in and take my pain meds I run the risk of rebound headaches--where the medication is what is causing the headache, and that just seems stupid so, ya.

So I'm going dark for a couple of weeks, with the possible exception of an hour a day writing. I'm going to try to minimize my reading, my TV watching, etc, as much as possible without going insane. That's the part that really scares me, I'll be honest. If you take an average of 10-12 hrs of awake time every day, and then plan to do nothing for most of it so your brain can rest, yeah. I'm not sure I can do it. But I have to try. The current situation is untenable. I can't take it anymore, and I have to try a new approach.

Wish me luck, and thanks for reading!