THINGS THAT ARE EVIL

12:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 37 Comments

Happy Halloween!

It's candy time!
Anybody need help with candy eating triage?
Start with the big chocolate bars first, then onto to the small chocolates and caramels. When that's all gone, you will have to make do with Tootsie rolls, taffy, and hard candies.
It is still hard candies, right? My kids said saying that marks me as old.
I remember making fun of my mom for saying Bobby socks.

Oy. Maybe I have dropped down the other side of the hill.

Today is promo day and update day!

Update Day is a blog hop hosted by Misha Gericke and Beth Fred.

Coming Soon!

My goal for the year was to publish two books in a year.

Here's the progress update:
Defying Reason: Done and with the publisher. No idea how long edits and such will take. It's still a "Coming Soon!" release date. I do have a cover....check it out.
Hoosier Daddy: Nothing concrete. Mulling over the plot and planning some changes.
Flip My Heart: Haven't given it much thought at all.
Cherries: Reworking plot outline.

The Soulless are coming.

Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she’s forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

Get your copy now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get your free copy of MOONLESS (book 1) today, October 31 and Nov 7.

Author Bio:

Crystal Collier is a young adult author who pens dark fantasy, historical, and romance hybrids. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, four littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese.

You can find her on her Blog, Facebook, Goodreads, or follow her on Twitter.

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VITAMINS AND DEATH by Medeia Sharif

YA Contemporary, Prizm Books

Release Date December 10, 2014

Deidra Battle wants nothing more than to be invisible. After her mother, a public school teacher, engages in an embarrassing teacher-student affair at Lincoln High, they relocate to a different neighborhood and school. Being her mother’s briefcase, Deidra joins her mother at her new workplace, Hodge High.

Since her mother has reverted to her maiden name and changed her appearance, Deidra thinks no one will figure out they’re the Battles from recent news and that they’re safe. Neither of them is. Hodge brings a fresh set of bullies who discover details about the scandal that changed her life.

Feeling trapped at home with an emotionally abusive, pill-addicted mother and at school with hostile classmates who attempt to assault and blackmail her, Deidra yearns for freedom, even if she has to act out of character and hurt others in the process. Freedom comes at a price.

Find Medeia

Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Add VITAMINS AND DEATH on Goodreads

37 comments:

Adorable and Skinny!

10:14 AM Elizabeth Seckman 53 Comments

Oooh...do I have a treat for you guys!!!

Want some great holiday photos of the kiddos?

Ever wish you knew how to trick the camera into making you look thinner?

I asked writer/photographer Rachel Schieffellbein to stop by and give us some tips.

Take it away Rachel!

First off, I want to thank Elizabeth for having me on her blog today! I’m super excited to be here.

I know a lot of writers have other artistic endeavors they enjoy. For me it’s photography, because, unlike writing, it’s basically instant gratification. And when I’m writing, or revising, or waiting forever for emails, I need a little instant gratification!

Elizabeth wanted me to share some photography tips for the upcoming holiday season.

First question! Photographing kiddos....

One: Get down to their level. Kneel, sit, lay down on the floor, whatever you have to do to get the angle you want.

Two: Get up close and personal. They have such perfect little faces, make them the center of attention.

Three: Get them in action. When they’re ripping open those presents, or dancing around in their pjs, take lots of photos! That’s one nice thing about digital, you can just delete the ones that don’t work out anyway.

Second question! How to appear thinner in photos....

One thing that I think helps is to push your hair back. I know that sounds weird, but often times women with long hair have it hanging in front of them and it hides their neck, making them look rounder.

Also, stretch out that neck, and pull your shoulders back! Posture helps.

Bonus Tip!!!

PicMonkey. It’s a free photo editing site online. It’s easy and fun to use. Just don’t go crazy with all the different effects! Keep it simple. :)

Have a great holiday everyone!

Thanks Rachel!

Rachel is a writer, photographer, cover designer, and all-round sweetheart.

She is celebrating the upcoming ghoulish holiday with a book sale! I love her stories and I've already grabbed this title for myself! Get yours HERE!!!

53 comments:

Contraband

12:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 30 Comments

Thanks for stopping in on this leg of the Island Adventure Romance tour and many thanks to Elizabeth for hosting me.

Contraband holds a special place in my heart because although it wasn’t the first book I wrote, it was the first one to be published. The novel came out of listening to a news item and thinking ‘what if?’ A short story took on a life of its own and became a novel about a good man living on the edge because of his fear of poverty.

What makes the book special, you might ask. When we read about people who do bad things, they are in it for the money and not much else. Paul, my main character, sells marijuana and won’t lay off because he doesn’t want to even think about returning to the most unpleasant part of his life, which was his childhood.

Contraband isn’t just a regular tale. It’s a story about one man’s struggle to give up old habits and take on a new way of living with the help of a good woman by his side. Another interesting thing about this book is that it has spawned several others. The island of Xantrope became almost a living creature and has played host to the characters in Taming Celeste and well as Grudge, which will be released in December.

Sign up on the Rafflecopter if you’d like a chance to read the books in this series or win a gift card. Also, feel free to download Anya’s Wish, which is a complimentary novella from the Island Adventure Romance series.

J.L. Campbell lives in Jamaica and writes romantic suspense, women's fiction and young adult novels. She also writes non-fiction and is a certified editor. Visit her on the web at http://www.joylcampbell.com or at her Amazon page. She's enjoys good company, so feel free to follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

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30 comments:

Why We Do What We Do...

1:35 PM Elizabeth Seckman 24 Comments

It's no secret. Kids keep you busy. They're hug giving, money absorbing, mess making little time suckers. I always thought life would get less busy when my four boys were all out of diapers.

Ha! Not a chance. They went from diapers to schools and ball fields. Their schedules started filling up my schedule. I'm busier now than when I was up to my nose in Power Rangers.

And you know why?

Because I am one of those parents. You know, the kind who does committees, cleanings, and feedings for my kids plus others I didn't give birth to. Some days, I ask myself why...why do I put myself behind?

So, I asked some other moms like me...why do we do it? And here's what we decided:

1. It's glamorous. I mean those Mom tees and hoodies are just so incredibly chic.

2. It's drama at it's best. Move over Housewives...you don't know excitement until you mix the competitive edge of sports with the intensity of mommihood.

3. It's the gossip. We know what's up. We see kids in their natural habitat, and we probably know what their doing before the po-pos.

4. It's the cash. We get to see the budget short falls and get first opportunity to donate money to the cause making us givers...and givers get extra cosmic blessings, right?

5. It's the power. Everyone knows booster/committee parent's kids get extra play time...oh wait...mine warmed the side line most of last night?

6. It's the entertainment. Who wants to sit at home where it's warm and read a good book or watch TV when you can go out in the cold and hang signs or clean locker rooms?

7. It's the exercise. Why shell out cash for a gym when you can lug coolers and haul crates of food?

8. It's the free food. Did you know if you work five hours in the concession stand and there is a crusty hot dog left over, you can have it? Come on...that's a perk. That hot dog would cost you a buck fifty hot.

9. It's skill building. Juggling jobs, homes, and volunteer work will have you CEO ready.

10. It's the social network. Who needs shopping dates with friends when you can sweep up stale fries with the other moms?

Not buying it?

Hmm. Well, then let me just simplify it to one single reason:

It's for the kids.

All the work. All the hassles. All the stress.

We do it for the kids.

24 comments:

Souls and Soulless

12:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 31 Comments

All last week, I spent most of my days helping my mom clear out her house so she can sell it. My family lived in that house for over fifty years, so it was bitter sweet. Sad to say good bye to a place that was home, but nice to bump into small treasures. I found this little note, written by my grandmother. I'm not sure who the original recipient was, but I called finders keepers.

A note from my mother's mother. Rose Helmick.

And speaking of souls, how about some Soulless?

Welcome Crystal Collier on the characters for her new book!!

Casting is especially difficult for me because I'm a SUPER visual person, so when I create characters, I have a VERY specific image in mind. It's almost impossible to find a match. Because of that, there are no easy-fit actors or actresses for my characters. (Contains spoilers for those who haven't read MOONLESS. Get your copy October 20, 27, 31 or November 7 for FREE.)

Villains first (because they're so stinkin' interesting):

Bellezza

(Olivia Little...but a unique angle on her.)

Bellezza is driven by only one motive: revenge. She has no qualms with killing or initiating a war to get what she wants, and she especially enjoys head games. With unique abilities to travel by mist or kill with a scream, she's a formidable foe.

Amos

(Amos Oz and Skull Face)

(Before and After)

Amos has been one of the Soulless for centuries, slowly decaying but unable to die. Since the battle between the Soulless and Passionate began, he's been leading a faction of the Soulless to undermine the Passionate and take absolute control of his kind.

Now to the Outcasts (who are equally as awesome):

Sarah

(Katie McGrath)

Sarah is a total flirt and Alexia's (the lead's) best friend/aunt. She's also recently become one of the Soulless, and went into hiding. Lighthearted, vivacious and occasionally unladylike (despite her noble upbringing), she is always the heart of the party.

Miles

(Jamie Bell)

Miles is a friend, protege and sidekick to the leader of the Passionate. He has a gift to "see through other's eyes." Because of that, he's been feared and avoided by most the Passionate. His parents became Soulless when he was 4 (enemies to the Passionate who hunt them on moonless nights) and he hears them calling for him every new moon. Loyal to the death, he's a timid soul who truly and deeply desires to do what's right, willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good. A recent turn of events made him too dangerous to remain among the Passionate.

About SOULLESS:

Book 2 in the Maiden of Time trilogy.

Meet the characters for yourselves by getting the books HERE,

or enter to win some AWESOME prizes.

31 comments:

Welcome Gwen!!!

12:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 21 Comments

Mom move update...over fifty years worth of living in one house clutter and treasures have been cleared out and the house is just about ready to turn over to a realtor. Mom's pooch is vet checked and ready to fly. All of this with just a few melt downs and snaps. ;)

Just kidding. It's gone pretty smoothly, but I am still way behind...and my own home is looking like an episode of hoarders, so I have invited the fabulous and sweet Gwen Gardener to entertain you this week!

Thanks Gwen! You're one awesome chick :)

Thanks for hosting me today, Elizabeth!

I know that Elizabeth enjoys a bit of romance, and nothing’s hotter than danger to get it all going. Somehow danger always seems to go hand in hand with romance. Ever notice how the population increases every time there’s a war? Soldiers figure life is short, so embrace it while you can.

It works the same way in books. Heightened danger gets the hormones going. Well, there’s definitely no baby-making in my Afterlife series. My characters are way too young for that. And they’re mostly too darn busy investigating spirit deaths and disappearances to put much effort into romance. And besides, a girl who talks to ghosts and a guy with a murdered father? Let’s just say they have some heavy trunk-sized baggage.

But sometimes Cupid shoots that arrow in the darndest places, as you’ll see in the following excerpt…

Wiping my palms on my jeans, I took a deep breath. We began to climb, all in a row, like ants on a mission. Franny had disappeared, presumably to join us in the tower. The first two flights weren’t much of a problem. But that was before I decided to look down to see how far we’d gone. First my right foot slipped, my left following traitorously after like cows going home. I bicycled in the air, scrambling for purchase. A strong arm grabbed me around the waist, holding me until both my feet found the rung. I clung with both hands to another rung and squeezed my eyes shut tight.

“Just breathe, Indigo. Slowly, in and out.” Badger’s voice was low, whispering close to my ear. With his arm around my waist and chest tucked tightly against my back, it could have been a stolen moment between lovers—if we weren’t twenty feet in the air. “Now, open your eyes.”

I obeyed, slowly, reluctantly, preferring to stay in the intimacy of his embrace.

“Better?”

His warm breath tickled my ear. I nodded.

“Good girl. Now let’s just climb slowly. I’m right here. I won’t let you go, okay?”

“Okay,” I croaked.

I caught my breath when he kissed my neck, right in that sensitive spot below my ear. I nearly leaned back into him right there in midair and asked for more. We had kissed before, but it was always during some kind of emotion-heightened moment—like this. But darn, he was so good at that comfort thing.

Blurb:

Ghostly Gallows:

The case of missing paranormals is far from solved.

Hundreds of Sabrina Shores’ spirits are still missing.

In Second Death, Indigo and her friends escape an eternity underground in evil clutches. Back aboveground with a few missing ghosties happily in tow, one truth is painfully clear: the size of their problem is bigger than the village cemetery itself.

Now in Ghostly Gallows, new information leads Indigo and her fellow investigators to the ruins of Gallowsgate Prison, long abandoned by everyone and everything except malevolent spirits. It’s not called Gallowsgate for nothing when the noose swings a little too close to home.

Indigo Eady:

Much to her chagrin, Indigo Eady is a celebrity among spirits. She’s the girl who can see and speak with them. She has a proven track record in helping spirits find their murderers, so it’s no surprise when she’s drafted onto the Missing Paranormal Committee. Who better to help them than the experienced teenage ghost whisperer- investigator and her friends?

Connect With Gwen Here:

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Amazon / B&N

Buy Ghostly Gallows Here:

Amazon / B&N / Google Play

About Gwen:

Gwen Gardner is a native Californian living in sunny San Diego, where her love of reading and writing led to a BA in English literature. Life is now complete with her husband, two dogs and a daily call from her daughter.

Since ghosts feature prominently in her young adult Indigo Eady Paranormal “Cozy” Mystery series, she has a secret desire to meet one face to face - but will run screaming for the hills if she ever does. Gwen adores travel and experiencing the cultures and foods of different countries. She is always up for an adventure and anything involving chocolate - not necessarily in that order.

21 comments:

Nobody Knows!

10:23 PM Elizabeth Seckman 20 Comments

My mom is in visiting from Alaska.

She has big plans...

get her house cleaned out and ready for sale in a week.

Yeah. I'm busy.

And taking a little bloggy break.

While I'm ~~up to my nose in stuff~~ away...

Check this out!

Title: Nobody Knows

Author: Kyra Lennon

Genre: NA Romance

Type: First in Series (Razes Hell Book 1)

Cover Design: Najila Qamber Design

Photographer: Lindee Robinson Photography

Release Date: November 3rd 2014

It's not easy being friends with rising rock stars - especially when you're the glue that holds them together.

Razes Hell has taken off in the charts, and Ellie can't believe her childhood friends, Drew and Jason Brooks, are on TV and drawing crowds after years spent playing in dodgy bars. From obscurity to overnight success, Ellie soon realises life in the public eye isn’t all it’s cracked up to be as dark secrets become headline news and old conflicts are re-ignited. When a fake feud meant to boost the band’s popularity threatens to rip the boys apart for real, Ellie finds herself torn – a position which only gets more uncomfortable when her loyalty to Jason collides with her blossoming relationship with Drew.

Nobody knows how deep their issues run; nobody but Ellie. With friendship, a music career and a new love on the line, can Ellie keep their tangled pasts from ruining their futures?

AmazonUS | AmazonUK

Kyra is a self-confessed book-a-holic, and has been since she first learned to read. When she's not reading, you'll usually find her hanging out in coffee shops with her trusty laptop and/or her friends, or girling it up at the nearest shopping mall.

Kyra grew up on the South Coast of England and refuses to move away from the seaside which provides massive inspiration for her novels. Her debut novel, Game On (New Adult Contemporary Romance), was released in July 2012, and she scored her first Amazon Top 20 listing with her New Adult novella, If I Let You Go in November.

20 comments:

Book Deals and Cover Reveal!

9:41 AM Elizabeth Seckman 6 Comments

Need some good books at a great price?
Ashley Chappell's stories have it all- humor, a clever, fast paced plot, and a cast of lovable, charming characters...sort of like Harry Potter with a divine twist anyone. Get them now at their sale price of 0.99!

Alice Will: Dreams of Chaos #1

Tilt: Dreams of Chaos #2

FIRST PLACE in the Readers' Crown Award for urban fantasy.

FIRST PLACE in Central Florida RWA's Touch of Magic
contest for paranormal romance.

Title: A Touch of Darkness

Author: Yelena Casale & Tina Moss

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Release Date: March 2, 2015

A Touch of Darkness

Key Series, Book One

Cassie Durrett dreams of the darkness. And lives the nightmare. She's working for a tightwad boss at a pretentious NYC diner, dealing with paralyzing pain that doctors can’t diagnose, and trying to hide her hands that glow purple whenever she ...well, whenever.

So, when mystery man, Gabe, walks out of her dreams and into her life to spout some nonsense about her being a mythical creature, she chalks it up to one more crazy thing to add to her it’s-a-crappy-life list. Yet, when his predictions start to come true, she'll need his help to beat back the darkness-spawned creatures invading her reality.

Pretty soon Gabe has her running half way across the country in search of answers. As a bond grows between them, Cassie worries not about losing her mind to the paranormal madness, nor her life to hellish monsters. Rather her deepest fear is surrendering her heart to a powerful man fallen from grace.

Pre-Order | GoodReads

Teaser

About the Authors

Yelena Casale is an award-winning author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Being very curious and inquisitive, she has been a devoted reader and writer since childhood. As a 2nd degree black belt and instructor in Shotokan karate, an avid traveler and history and art enthusiast, she weaves universal themes with martial arts philosophies into her stories. She lives with her amazing, super supportive husband. In her spare time, she reads, paints, watches cool shows on TV and tries to get more sleep. Like the samurai of the old, as well as the ultimate Renaissance man and Yelena's favorite historical figure, Leonardo da Vinci, she believes that nothing is greater than mastery of oneself.

Tina Moss is an award-winning author of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and New Adult novels. She lives in NYC with a supportive husband and alpha corgi, though both males hog the bed and refuse to share the covers. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching cheesy horror flicks, traveling, and karate. As a 5'1" Shotokan black belt, she firmly believes that fierce things come in small packages.

Giveaway

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6 comments:

You May Be a Writer...

12:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 33 Comments

I know the ninja master is busy putting the ISWG Anthology together, but fortunately, he has the awesomeness of Kristin Smith, Elsie, Suzanne Furness, and Fundy Blue to be our wise co-hosts :)

You can join the IWSG by following the magic link HERE! and signing up. Easy, right?

And look for this great read coming soon!

You may be a writer if…

You read a great book and it depresses you with its stellar brilliance that you fear you lack

You read a horrible book and it depresses you because it got a contract and you didn’t

You consider eavesdropping research

You Spend hours wrestling, no searching…ooh wait…possibly hunting? No, no rifling…yes! You spend hours rifling through words for the perfect one for each sentence

You have visons of book covers dancing in your head

Your hope to money ratio is 100:1…AKA you dream big, and cash out small

Your characters pester you day and night to tell their story because their imaginary fingers can’t hold a pen

You often get asked if you’re an epileptic having a petit mal seizure when you stop mid conversation to think

You love the smell of a library, and agree it’s so unique, words cannot describe it

You get excited when faced with a blank page, and then get a little more excited when it’s filled

You feel as nervous sending your word baby out into the world as you did sending your human baby to kindergarten

You never know when to quit. Rejection after rejection, you keep coming back like a junkie looking for a fix

*Really seriously, what does a library smell like?

(I emailed my submission, this post is for fun)