Write Here, Write Now

Can you believe it’s been almost two years since we last did this? Well, WIP: The Movie Bloghop is back, and Rachel Schieffelbein and I are co-hosting again! For those who didn’t see this last time, or who need a quick reminder, here’s what it’s all about: Almost all of us have imagined who would play the characters in our WIPs if they were ever made into a movie. On February 28th, we want you to “cast” your WIP, and post photos of the actors/actresses you would choose to play the characters in your latest manuscript. You don’t have to cast everyone if you don’t want to, just show us your MCs and tell us a little about them.  Also, we’d like you to tell us which songs you’d have on your WIP Movie soundtrack! This can be one song that fits the main theme of the story, or several songs that make you think of your story. Rachel and I will each pick a winner at random, and we’re giving away one of our favourite books which were turned into movies!  Rachel’s prizes: The B...

So... it's been more than a year since I unleashed Game On on the world, and while I did some heavy marketing at the time, I have said very little about it in the past few months. That would be okay if the series was over, and I was moving on, but I still have three books to go, and I need to keep the interest levels high! So, over the coming weeks, watch out for some character blog posts and some snippets for Bree's story so you can re-connect with the world of the Westberg Warriors! Today, I thought I'd throw out some links for you, so those of you who are new can take a look, and those of you who have been around a while can remember what the books are all about! I'm sharing Smashwords links today because - in spite of them being on Amazon forever - the two free books are still not free on Amazon. I also would like to ask a favour. For unknown reasons, Game On is being sold for more than $5 on Amazon.com. I would be super grateful if you could follow this link and...

I'm planning to release my next Game On book towards the end of February/early March, and already, I'm thinking about promotion. When I released the first book in the series, blog tours were a big deal, and they worked. I had exceptional (well, what I would call exceptional lol) book sales for a year after the book was released, and I can't help thinking that most of it came off the back of a blog tour and a high level of networking. And I used to love being part of other people's cover reveals and blog tours. And reading about them! I'm not against it now, I'm happy to host anyone when I can but when I see cover reveals on a blog post now, my eyes start to glaze over. I think it's the sheer amount of them. If it's a blogger I know, I will absolutely take a look, but when it's someone I've never heard of, I tend to skim. Which got me thinking, if someone is showing off my book cover to people who have never heard of me, are they skimming, too...

Today, I have something a little different on the blog. A guest post from the fantastic Alex Tanner. I recommended her book "Paradise Incoming" right before Christmas, and she's here today to talk about the importance of book covers!  **** Judge a Book by its Cover Since we were children, we ’ ve had the mantra ‘ never judge a book by its cover ’ drilled into our heads. After all, what ’ s important is what ’ s inside the book. But whilst this is good advice when turning it into a metaphor for people, is it good advice when we ’ re actually talking about books? No, it isn ’ t. In fact it ’ s terrible advice. People are going to judge your book by its cover, so it ’ s important that your cover is the absolute Regina George of the Kindle store. Being a cover designer myself, I ’ ve come to learn a lot about what it takes to make a decent book cover. It has to pop, it has to stand out, it has to be simple. Less is more where book covers ...

New! From Bloomsbury Spark, a sunny heartwarming story of discovery and sisterhood.  A road trip. A singing competition. And super-hot cowboys.  What could be better?  For Charlie, a post-high school road trip isn't just a vacation, it's  life changing .  While her parents think she's helping a friend move, a chance at fame is the real reason to grab her best friends and  drive to L.A . But when her  super annoying, uber-responsible, younger sister, Lucy, has to tag along, it isn't quite the summer of  fun  she imagined.  Add in a detour to her grandparents' ranch in Texas, and between  mucking the stalls , down-home cookin’, and drool worthy ranch hands, this could just turn into the best, and most complicated, summer of their lives.  SO, Jenny Morris and Kelley Lynn are two people I have known pretty much since I started blogging. I love these ladies, and I was so excited when I heard their boo...

Morning! Today I have two things going on on the blog! Firstly, Carrie Butler's cover reveal for Honesty! How gorgeous is this?! Honesty (Mark of Nexus #2) Category: New Adult   Genre: Urban Fantasy   Book Description: Note: This title is best enjoyed after Strength (Mark of Nexus #1) and Courage (Mark of Nexus #2). Cole Blake is more than just a roguish ladies’ man. He’s also a dedicated worker—so dedicated, in fact, that he’s willing to blackmail his boss with a falsified sex tape in order to keep his job. And his proactive efforts don’t end there. After hours, he uses his Dynari abilities to moonlight as a vigilante, keeping his neighborhood safe from drunks, dealers, and would-be thieves. Until a mistake stops him dead in his super-accelerated tracks. Now burdened with the closest thing he’s ever had to a conscience, Cole struggles to justify his once-reckless actions. It’...

Firstly, thanks for all your thoughts about Game On 3. I feel a lot better about writing Bree how she is supposed to be now! I did get a little bit of work done on the story, and I'm hoping to squish in time to write some more between work over the weekend. (Working at the weekend is a habit I need to break!) Next question. You know in the front of books, where the author writes that thing about "any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental"? Is that ever REALLY true? Every author, well, most authors, confess using incidents and occasionally characters based on people they know within their stories. So, how does it work? How much is too much? I get that using a work of "fiction" to fully chronicle something that happened in your own life might not be the best way to do things, but where is the line drawn? Have you ever used personal experience in your books? And if so, did you ever feel like you'd put in too much of yourself, or peo...

This is a very bold announcement to make, since I have a bunch of work on this week, but I've decided, this is the week I write a massive chunk of Game On Book 3. See, I started it during NaNo last year, and never completed the challenge, never mind the book. The reason? I genuinely thought I'd written drivel. The issue with writing a series like Game On - which doesn't follow the same MCs throughout - is that each character is SO different, it sort of messes with the balance a little. Game On was all about passion and fire. Therefore, people expected more of that when they read Blindsided. (Keeping in mind it should have been clear from the blurb that those two books were going to be very different!! But apparently not everyone reads blurbs). Game On Book 3 - loosely titled "Sidelined" - is different again. Where Blindsided was sweet and romantic, Book 3 actually has very little romance. It's more to do with Bree's struggle to find her place in the wo...

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2014 is everything you want it to be and more! So... I took a very extended break from blogging last year, popping in and out whenever I found the time, and while I really did try my best to fit everything in, blogging was one of the things that mostly got lost amongst everything else I was doing. Here's the thing. Every time I come back saying I promise to be better at blogging, I always fail. It's like a New Year's Resolution I make four times a year, and it pretty much falls by the wayside as soon as the words have left my mouth - or fingertips. SO, instead of that, I am going to say that from next week onwards, I plan to blog on Mondays and Fridays. That means I know when I need to post, and I will use those days to catch up on everyone else's blogs instead of trying to follow everything every day, and flailing because it's too much. See, I figure giving myself definite posting days is better than a wishy-washy promise to ...