I'm Back!

1:25 PM Elizabeth Seckman 37 Comments

Conner, Cole, Carter, Caleb, Chad, and me

That's the family and me (I'm the girl with her eyes closed). That shot was taken by some nice lady who offered to snap our pic as we were saying farewell to our beloved sand and surf. I agreed, though I was in my comfy travel home wear, no make up, and my hair was styled by wind ad humidity.

And yes, we are very white for having just spent two weeks surf side. It's called factor 70 and this cancer phobe bathes the family in it.

So, let's catch up real quick....

My mom married her online boyfriend, Frank. My friends have gotten a great lot of fun teasing me about coming from a "broken home" and joining the world of step parents and step brothers and sisters- do I have some? Uh yeah, but not sure how many! Never asked. Anyhow. Frank seems nice. He didn't come off the plane carrying an ax to chop my mother up, so it was all good.

Bella's Point got a new release date, moved from July 1st to July 15th. I'm planning a blog challenge (no Gary, I won't call it a hop, just so you don't hate me!!) to celebrate the release, but I'll tell you more about that next week. Still getting my ducks in their little rows, making sure they have all their feathers in order before I let you know the deets.

**A very special thanks to Mark Koopmans for stepping in for me while I was away. If you didn't catch his Fairy Fails, you need read them now HERE!

Misha Gericke and Beth Fred host a monthly blog hop that's meant to support each other and keep ourselves looking forward and staying on track.

The last Friday of each month, tell the hop members how you've done- like a Weight Watchers weigh in. Time to put the cookies down and tell us how well you've done.

1. Decide what to do to launch Bella's Point...suggestions in the comments is greatly appreciated ;)
I get a check for this one! I do have a plan...now to plan the plan!!
2. Get Bella edited...remind editor to edit...just joking. He's a pro, he'll remember.
Okay, so this is sort of funny...checked in with my editor and time had gotten away from him. He was in the middle of a move, with young kids and a toddler...so, release date is pushed back two weeks. Better done well than done quickly.
3. Get ready for vacation. Two weeks at the beach!!! Woot woot. Might even beg Dixie Browning (my retired novel writing hero) to get a picture with me.
I didn't bug the lady. I kept wanting to, but totally chickened out. Maybe next year....
4. Do some promos for Past Due while on the Outer Banks and while it is on sale.
I get another check!! Sold 16 paperback copies while on the island, placed rack cards at stores and rest stops, and kept looking for places to advertise my 0.99 sale.

*Please pause a moment for more shameless self-promotion. For those of you who got it- THANK YOU!!!

For those who haven't...what are you waiting for? ;)

Buy it HERE!

5. Add some exercise to my life. Graduation pics glaringly prove that my eight hour days on the computer are catching up with me!! I am naturally sedentary, so this will be a challenge!
Score half a point for me. Being active at the beach is so easy and felt so good. Now that I am back home? Well, we'll see how next week goes.

6. Break down the plot of Defying Reason. Must do this to make sure the story makes sense and every character has an arc (is that what you call a beginning and an ending?)
It's stewing in my brain. Made some notes...think I am headed in the right direction.

7. Start thinking about what to do on Cherries, the collab with that-Tammy Theriault. I am the weakest link here. I can't wrap my brain around a story until it starts to paint a plot picture in head and so far, this story looks a bit like a Picasso. But it's a great premise with such wonderful promise, so I have to start thinking it out.
Still a fail. Sigh.

For July:

1. Launch Bella's Point
2. Stay sane
3. Move more
4. Start polishing up Flip My Heart
5. Draft out new story in my head and find a title, right now going with Swept Away

Now, let's see if I accomplish my goals next month! Need a group to keep you on track?
Join us HERE!

37 comments:

Beastly Blitz Day!!!

12:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 28 Comments

It's Beastly Blitz Day for the most awesome Tara Tyler!!! I got to meet Tara in Atlanta and trust me, she is even more lovable in person as she is on the web. I am happily extending my blog vacation (just long enough to unpack the car!) and turning my blog over to the overly capable Tara so she can tell you about her newest release that is NOW available!!!

Me, Tara, and Ashley at the Novel Experience in Atlanta

BROKEN BRANCH FALLS (MG Fantasy)

by Tara Tyler
Release Date: June 24, 2014 - TODAY!!
B&N ~~~ Amazon ~~~ Kobo
Publisher: Curiosity Quills

Gabe is an average fifteen-year-old goblin. He’s in the marching band, breezes through calculus, and gets picked on daily by the other kids at school, especially the ogres. But Gabe wants to break out of his nerdy stereotype and try other things. He has his eye on the new ogress at school. Though it’s against all beastly rules, there’s just something about her.

Gabe starts a fad of mingling with other species, forcing the High Council to step in and ruin things by threatening to destroy the school and split up Broken Branch Falls. With help from other outcast friends, Gabe sets out on a quest to save his town. They'll show 'em what different friends can do together!

Add it to your GOODREADS list!

Tara Tyler has had a hand at everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After living up and down the Eastern US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently, she has two series, The Cooper Chronicles (techno-thriller detective capers) and Beast World (MG fantasy) She's an adventure writer who believes every good story should have action, a moral, and a few laughs!

Twitter ~~~ Facebook ~~~ Blog

Also by Tara Tyler, techno-thriller detective series,

The Cooper Chronicles, Book One: POP TRAVEL

a Rafflecopter giveaway

28 comments:

Please Don't Distract the Erotic

12:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 11 Comments

I'm still on vacation. I'll be back next week, promise...I know you've missed me ;)

But today, you're in the good, erotic hands of Rayven Godchild ...enjoy.

Distracted.

Yes, that can happen a lot during the process of writing and publishing. What are some things that I find necessary yet can be such guilty-pleasure-distractions? Here are my Top Five:

5. Research - The devil in making a story as appealing as possible is in the details. Writers of historic romances know this all too well. A person could get lost traveling back in time preparing to write a story. I got lost - happily - doing my own bit of research about tools of the trade, particularly for my BDSM-themed Retreat Bound that is part of the Confessions of a Sex Fiend boxed set.

4. Music - I totally love music: from neo soul like Jill Scott, flamenco like Jesse Cook to rock like Linkin Park. When I'm working on a story, I could get lost in the music finding that hint of inspiration for the mood of a particular scene.

3. TV - So, this is all Scandal and Sherlock Holmes's and them fault (I know that was far from grammatically decent but I place the distraction blame on ABC for letting Shonda Rhimes put out such fantastic shows and BBC for being BBC).

2. Positioning - Confessions of a Sex Fiend boxed set is about sex. It's in the title and in the genre description (erotica). When we engage in - erm - sex, we don't simply stand and point at each other. We engage, physically, actively and eagerly. Working out scene positioning is important. Designing and writing the proper flow can be the big difference between a reader experiencing the scene or feeling as though they're reading directions (hint: reading directions is not the way to go which is why fantasizing about scene positioning can be such - erm - fun lol!)

1. Checking out stock photos for potential covers and inspiration - (photos courtesy of BigStock.com) See what I mean? Nuff said lol!

As you can see, it's sooooo easy to get distracted, but finishing the Confessions of a Sex Fiend series was both loads of fun and rewarding. This is a set of short stories I can easily find myself going back to read again and again and again some more. I hope, after you download your copy, you're able to find the stories to be a perfect distraction to a long day and words worth re-reading in a pinch-need for a little heat-tertainment.

~ ~ ~ On the path to earning his degree in mechanical engineering, Chancellor Baltimore, geek-extraordinaire, experiences a detour of a lifetime. He discovers his inner sex fiend and an incurable yearning to be the fantasy, bring the pain, and ensure unbridled pleasure for his clients. But even he experiences a bump in the road. ~ ~ ~

In Tasting Cherry, everyone has a first time.

In A View to Ecstasy, it’s so much more fun when there’s more than two in the tango.

In Retreat Bound, there’s pleasure in the pain.

And in Bound to Collide, Chancellor experiences a collision course that is inevitable.

Let’s enjoy these tales of a sex fiend as Chancellor continues to break the rule that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Shhhhh! Don’t tell anyone. They will be our little secrets…

Book trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IOSgOYpvY8 (music by Kevin MacLeod at http://incompetech.com/music/)

Buy Links: Smashwords | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA

About Rayven Godchild:

Rayven Godchild is an author of erotica/erotic romance short stories, novels and novellas. Her first published work appeared in a fit of obscurity during a tumultuous time in life. That story, Secret Lilies, will see the light of day again with a lot less stress and a lot more joy surrounding its republication in the very near future. Currently, the Confessions of a Sex Fiend short stories are working their way out into the world, with the first one, Tasting Cherry, as Rayven’s re-debut as an author. A View to Ecstasy and Retreat Bound are available. Bound to Collide is the final confession, but certainly not the last the world will hear from Chancellor Baltimore.

Here are some places you can find Rayven:

Twitter | Facebook | Enjoying the Fall Down the Rabbit Hole

11 comments:

Dark Deadly Devotion: Our Beautiful Child

12:58 AM Elizabeth Seckman 21 Comments

Full Moon over the Atlantic

I was taking a walk on the beach tonight checking out the full moon when a storm came in behind me, sending flashes of lightning that lit up the sky. All the sudden the silvery beauty of a serene beach took on an ominous feel.

It reminded me there is danger in the perfection.

That reminded me of a story I just finished.

A story with words spun so masterfully, you can't help but pause and enjoy the beauty. But in the midst of this beauty is the goose bump raising revelation that all is not well in these lovely tales. There is darkness, death, and devotion...and you won't know when to expect it.

I finished this story on Friday the thirteenth...the night the moon was full over the Atlantic and lightning flashed in the west...coincidence? Or not?

"The Boathouse collects misfits. Strange solitary creatures that yearn for contact with the outside world, but not too much. They sit, glass in hand, either staring at the table in front of them, or at some distant point on the horizon.”

… so says the narrator of Our Beautiful Child. And he’s been around long enough to know.

People end up in this town almost by accident. Ella is running away from her nightmares, Sally is running away from the memories of previous boyfriends and Rona is running away from university. Each of them seek sanctuary in the 18th century pub, The Boathouse; but in fact, that’s where their troubles begin.

Ella finds love, a moment too late; Rona discovers a beautiful ability which needs refining before she gets hurt; and Sally meets the captivating Murray, who threatens to ruin everything.

Three women. Three stories. One pub.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I live in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on my doorstep to keep me inspired. I live with my husband, two sons, a dog and a cat.

Despite my location, I neither surf nor sail, and have never had any inclination to try. I much prefer walking along a deserted beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, I really love the beach in the winter!

Buy Now!!!

Amazon/ Smashwords

photo credit: royal19 via photopin cc

21 comments:

Fairy Fales

12:56 AM Elizabeth Seckman 30 Comments

I'm on vacation!!!

So, while I am digging my toes in the sand and enjoying some beach therapy, I asked Mark Koopmans to come by and keep you all entertained! Mark, of course, said yes because he is bound by the Charlie's Scribes creed to help burnt out and/or vacationing bloggers with spectacular posts.

If you need a break, call on Charlie's Scribes HERE!!!

Now, here's Mark with a few Fairy Fales- you know the first crack at anything is rarely the best....

Top Ten Fairy Fales, or beloved children’s’ fairy tales that never quite made it to Release Day.

CinderBella – The story about a female chimney sweep who sought love but was sadly and severely injured by a descending Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

Oops...is that a smudge on my nose?

Peter Palm – Beta readers found his character too oily.

Palms up. I'm free or under arrest....

Christmas Carol – Too many people questioned what Carol did for the other eleven months – and some were convinced she, and not CinderBella (a former love rival) would later became Mrs. S. Claus.

"Back off Bella, you bird nosed freak!"

Alice in Wanderland – People were just tripping on this one, dude.

Fishnet stockings and knee pads? These girls know how to party!

Chronicles of Marmalade – Somehow the history of this jam-like substance never became a hit with the 18-49 set.)

Peter found himself in a sticky situation.

Snow White and the Several Dwarfs: Severe cutbacks at the publishing house curtailed the success of this short story.

Pick seven? Oh, so that's tightening the plot.

Ugly Duckling II – Unfortunately, once Goose started making it personal, all bets were off for this story of running and friendship.

"Sooo, which one of you is named Swan?"

Beauty and the Yeast – This beautiful tale of a former play date model who moved to France to open a small bakery never rose to its right temperature.

Much more delicious than talking tea kettles.

Little Red: Riding in the Hood – After her trippin’ Caddy was rendered on blocks for the third time in a month, readers suggested the fairy tale be moved to a forest. There, a male lead was introduced and Red was recast as a Gretel.

The forest setting needs far fewer operational permits.

Rumplestiltzkinheimer – No one could spell the dude’s name, so R’kin was born. That, too, became less of a success than was at first envisioned.

"Okay, so I can spin gold, yet I still I have to kidnap me a princess?
Can I just buy a Kadashian babe?"

Rapunzachoo – Beta readers kept saying, “Bless you” whenever this title was mentioned.

This may be picked up as a mini series, sponsored by Zyrtec.

The Three Little Osha Pigs – After two were injured in separate house demolitions, the tale was shut down as government workers investigated workers’ comp issues.

Building permits, the new big bad wolf.

Morsel and Gretel – A hungry boy and a former Caddy driver bond over a lost journey, but this story was marred by Gretel always going on about “keeping it real” and wanting to visit her “homie.” (Ed. Note: No address was forthcoming.)

This caption has absolutely nothing to do with Hansel and Gretel.
I just liked it.

Thanks Mark!!!

Want to win an autographed copy of Bella's Point when it's released? Visit Tammy HERE

Photo Credits:

photo credit: kevin dooley via photopin Michael Taggart Photography via photopin Castles, Capes & Clones via photopin dontshoot.me! via photopin cc photo credit: JD Hancock via photopinCastles, Capes & Clones via photopin ehpien via Giovana Medeiros via photopin cc photo credit: PMillera4 via photopin cc photo credit: crowolf via photopin cc photo credit: Laurence & Annie via photopin cc photo credit: chris.alcoran via photopin phxcc via photopin cc

30 comments:

Coach and Cato: An IWSG Post

12:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 45 Comments

Coach Bobby Pruett; my baby, Cole; Rakeem Cato
At the WV All-State Banquet

It's IWSG Time!

Thanks to this month's co-host!
C. Lee McKenzie, Tracy Jo,Melanie Schulz, and LG Keltner!

Share your insecurities with the world, or at least the many, many fellow writers in the group ;)

Started by the ninja master, Alex Cavanaugh, the IWSG has grown to include its own website and Facebook group. Check out all the details HERE!

*********

Coach Bobby Pruett and Rakeem Cato. Marshall University fans will know who they are, for those who don't, here's a brief run down of their laurels:

Coach Pruett lead Marshall University to six conference championships, five bowl wins, and is responsible for recruiting such talent as NFL greats, Randy Moss, Chad Pennington, and Byron Leftwich. He is a coaching legend.

Rakeem Cato Marshall University's current quarterback. As a Junior, he's already passed Chad Pennington's touchdown pass record in a single season. The big question at the end of this season was: would Cato come back to MU or move onto to the NFL?

At the All-State Banquet (Cole was an All-State lineman, did I ever mention that? LOL) Coach Pruett and Mr. Cato were honored at the banquet. As each took the stage and spoke, neither of them said, "I woke up one day and bam I was great!"

Nope. Coach Pruett mostly wanted to thank his family for supporting him while he chased his dream. He spoke of years of coaching, getting fired, and moving from one town to another. Finally he made it back to West Virginia to coach Marshall, his life goal. And boy what an excellent job he did! Before Bobby Pruett, few people knew WV had another university other than that one with the Mountaineers.

Cato, seriously one of the most humble men I have ever met, thanked everyone, credited all, and made no praise for himself. But there was a sport's writer who told the tale of his challenges. How he grew up in a hard neighborhood, his mom dying when he was thirteen, and his dad spending most of Cato's life behind bars. All Cato said was he wouldn't be there without the backing of his family, the one related blood and the one bound by turf, and by the help of God.

When you look at these men, you see where they are right now. On top.

It's easy to call them lucky when they are all dressed up and collecting trophies.

What you don't see is the work. The fails. The brushing themselves off. The tenacity to stay in the game.

*Taking a moment for some shameless self-promotion.

My first book in the Coulter Series is on sale all through June.

Buy it HERE!

Feel free to share and tell a friend, and their friends, and their friends....