Wednesday, March 26, 2014

MS Hatch and West of Paradise

Halo, fine friends!!!

I am giving you a special treat today--Marcy (aka: MS Hatch of Mainewords) is doing here FIRST guest blog post, and there is a BIG BIG reason!  Yesterday was her debut book release!

So I'm special because I'm her first stop, YOU'RE special because you are her first guest post readers, and Marcy is special because she's a PUBLISHED AUTHOR!!! Everybody wins!

So huge congratulations to Marcy and best of luck with your book release!!!

~~~

So. Here I am, my very first guest post! A giant thank-you to Hart for inviting me to talk about my book – another first! Not that I haven’t written a few books (six, actually), but this is the first one to be published.

I’ve also been writing a really long time (I have grey hairs if that’s any indication) so for those who are still waiting to see their words in print, have hope and don’t give up. Seriously, if I had any advice it would be that - and to keep writing, a lot!

Now about that book I wrote…

Katherine Kennedy has it all; she’s beautiful, she’s wealthy, and she’s engaged to the perfect man: Antonio D'Salvatore. There’s just one problem. She can’t marry him. Worse yet, she has no idea why. All she knows is there is suddenly nothing she wants, not Antonio, or any of the other hundred thousand things money can buy.

Jack McCabe comes home from the war with a pretty medal and a lot of ugly pictures in his head. He has little in the way of possessions, less in the way of wealth, nowhere to go and no one to go anywhere with. All he has is a vague sense of discontent, a restlessness that will not abate.

Separately, they are drawn to Paradise Tours on the privately owned Cristobel Island. There they meet Louis Cade, a man who offers them the unimaginable, something neither can quite believe until they actually find themselves over 125 years in the past, 1881 to be exact.

For Jack McCabe it’s the adventure he always dreamed of – until he meets a beautiful but deadly train robber. Katherine can't believe an ignorant bounty hunter has mistaken her for a criminal – until she sees the picture, which looks exactly like her.

Set in the old west, this is a tale of mistaken identity, romance, and murder.


And finally, three fun facts about me:

Not Marcy (It's Marcy's dog Jonah)
1. I hate sticky. Hate.
2. I wrote West of Paradise because I wanted to write a crossover historical romance, something that would appeal to an even wider demographic. Not that I had a clue what a crossover novel was when I wrote it, lol.
3. I have a dog named Jonah, a yellow lab who is almost 8-years old and still acts like a puppy. My son and I call him an infini-puppy.

[insert pic of Jonah in lieu of me – I know, big cheat, but honestly I don’t even have a pic of me that’s less than five years old]


Interested in knowing more about me? Stop by my blog, mainewords [link: www.mainewords.blogspot.com] where I talk about writing, history, books, birds, skyrim, and zombies, among other things.  

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Big News Up the Wazoo!!! (in a good way)

So somehow this is cool kid book week, or something.

FIRST, I will give a big shoutout to my buddy Gae Polisner who has just released her second Young Adult Novel--her first is the stuff of classroom analysis (teachers pairing it with Of Mice and Men, which it uses to tie themes together)--you know... like respectable, literary reading... It has had the movie option purchased and a script has floated, so this is the real deal, as books go.

Her latest is The Summer of Letting Go:  Just when everything seems to be going wrong, hope—and lovecan appear in the most unexpected places.

Summer has begun, the beach beckons—and Francesca Schnell is going nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca’s little brother, Simon, drowned, and Francesca’s the one who should have been watching. Now Francesca is about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lisette, is moving on—most recently with the boy Francesca wants but can’t have. At loose ends, Francesca trails her father, who may be having an affair, to the local country club. There she meets four-year-old Frankie Sky, a little boy who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon, and Francesca begins to wonder if it’s possible Frankie could be his reincarnation. Knowing Frankie leads Francesca to places she thought she’d never dare to goand it begins to seem possible to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky. 
If you happen to by in the NYC area, you can actually GO to her book release (and should). It is at the Book Revue in Huntington.


NEXT:  My buddy Stacy Gail releases the fourth and last in her Earth Angels Series next week. Some of you may recall Stacy and I share a brain, and it really hasn't been fair that she seems to have really hit the ground running as an author while when I have it it seems to mostly find innuendo and distractions to toy with.  But ANYWAY...

About Dangerous Angel:  Book four of the Earth Angels series

Miami's best bounty hunter, Nikita Tesoro will do anything to collar a fugitive. Including stepping into a stripper's stilettos for the night. Outsmarting her rival Kyle Beaudecker is just a bonus. Despite the sexual tension sparking between them, Nikita keeps a professional distance from "Hurricane" Kyle. After all, she can't get hurt if she doesn't care.

A descendant of the archangel Barakiel with the power to harness electricity, Kyle should be focusing his energy on tracking down a demon that may be hiding in the human realm. But he's a lover, not a fighter, and he'd much rather use his special talents for pleasure: specifically Nikita's. And teaming up to find a bail jumper means spending lots of time together…

But when their case takes a turn for the demonic, Kyle can no longer hide his true nature from Nikita. He'll do whatever it takes to win her heart—even stop the apocalypse. But he can't do it alone.


And then TOMORROW I am hosting our blogging buddy Marcy (MS Hatch) for the release of HER debut, West of Paradise (so come back tomorrow to learn about THAT!!!)

And FINALLY, another blogging buddy, Carol Riggs has just announce her first book contract!!!   http://carolriggs.blogspot.com/2014/03/i-have-book-contract.html

So CONGRATULATIONS, FRIENDS!!!

Friday, March 21, 2014

Be Careful What you Wish For!!! (Cover reveal: Warning: SPICY)

So one of my FABULOUS go-to beta readers and supportive writing buddies has a book release coming. But I ALSO really relish the chance to display a nice pair o' pecks if the opportunity arises...

Be Careful What You Wish For (Wishes, #1)
Jade C. Jamison




Forbidden desire is just the beginning...

Jessica, a college student struggling with day-to-day bills, is given an offer she can’t refuse. A married woman who is convinced that her husband Kage is cheating on her offers Jessica enough money to repair her dying car in exchange for Jessica’s attempt to destroy the woman’s marriage.

Jessica succeeds but discovers something else—she and Kage are soulmates, destined to find each other.


But as they attempt to carve out their places in each other’s lives, Jessica finds herself plagued with doubts, and she begins to suspect that Kage is once a cheater, always a cheater. Can their relationship survive or was it doomed from the start?

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Jessica's New Baby: Degenerate Dictionary

So one of my earliest bonding points--the first big seller where I KNEW Jessica was a keeper, as friends and blog buddies go--was visiting her blog and seeing her alternative definitions in her sidebar.  Arsenic sold me (a cut on your bum)... I LOVE misattributing, I think you all know that, and this is a misattributing tool of EPIC proportions.

So Jessica is putting out a DICTIONARY of these gems... but I should let HER tell you about it...

Okay, let’s have a bit of fun with words. You in? It’ll be short and sweet and funny.

I promise.

And you can win somethin’ for just having a bit of fun.

Jessica Bell and Adam Byatt are celebrating the speedy progress of Degenerate Dictionary. And they are giving away two $20 Amazon gift cards.

Jessica is also throwing in any eBook of hers that you wish to have (i.e. ALL of them if you want them.)

There are two ways you can enter:

The FUN way:
Write an example sentence using one of their Degenerate Dictionary words and tweet it to @DegDic. The author of the sentence they like best will win a $20 gift card + Jessica’s books. With your permission, they will also include it in the book when it’s published. With credit of course!

Example tweet:
Everyone saw my sparkly string while waiting in the *stationary*. @DegDic Join in to win here: http://ow.ly/uEvA8 #giveaway

Note: When you tweet your example sentence, make sure the word in question is inside two asterisks, that the link is included, the #giveaway hash tag is included, and that the @DegDic handle is included. Otherwise they won’t see it. Don’t forget to replace the sentence with your own!

The CLINICAL way:
Enter the contest via the rafflecopter below. The winner selected via the rafflecopter will also win a $20 gift card + Jessica’s books.



You may enter both ways to double your chances.

[RAFFLECOPTER EMBED CODE]
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck! Please spread the word!


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Last Stops and Newses

I wind up my blog tour today...

I had two reviews over the weekend (I've been extremely pleased with my reviews for Keeping Mum--all of them have been good)

So if you get a chance, go see my the review Dru Ann did at Cozy Chicks

And I had a guest post at Lori's Reading Corner
The actor in my head for Cam's Dad

And then TODAY is my last blog stop. At Dru's Book Musing, Annie is doing a feature article about Nelson Harris (Cam's Dad).  These two have some good chemistry--not sure if any of you had a best friend's parent you really hit it off with, but these two are great buddies. I like Dru's feature about characters, but thought Annie was the best voice to talk about Nelson with. Nelson would NEVER just talk about himself and Cam is too close, as his daughter. Besides, any of my readers knows I am having the most fun when I channel Annie.


And then finally... the NEWSES!

Yesterday was the first ABNA amputation and I am please to say I still have all my limbs.  The pitch stage is a rough one. Writing a pitch is a lot harder than writing a novel, in my opinion... at least sometimes. I've had a book or two that the pitch nearly wrote itself (though one of those pitches got cut, come to think of it.)

My ABNA record is as follows:

2010: Confluence (1st book) cut at pitch
2011: Kahlotus Disposal Site (6th book) semi-finalist
2012: Legacy (2nd book) quarter finalist
2013: Medium Wrong (10th book) cut at pitch

So let's hope what you see is a PATTERN, as that would lead to semi-final material, though honestly, I can't see passing past quarter-finalist, as this is really only the first third of the story (but SHHHHHHH--I can always hope the writing does it--Jade compared me to Stephen Freaking King, after all *shifty*)

Anyway, for anyone curious, here is my pitch:


A Shot in the Light (mystery/thriller)


A beach covered in dead seagulls brings Sidney Knight's quest for quiet to a halt. She's come to the Oregon coast to hammer out a few freelance deadlines but this breaks her concentration. According to her brother, a scientist at the Centers for Disease Control, the avian flu has reached epidemic classification. His warning not to get the flu shot, contrary to authority recommendations, scares her. 

Back in Portland she begins to dig and notices a disturbing trend: the shot, rather than reducing risk, is increasing deaths. Health departments, hospitals, and news sources are silent and care providers have been warned not to "scare people". Sidney, young and inexperienced, doubts she can handle a story this big, but what if she's the only one looking? When the CDC is locked down with her brother inside and one of her closest friends dies from the vaccine, Sidney's mind is made up. Green or not, she has to figure out how this happened, who is responsible, and who can set it right. 

A Shot in the Light is a new adult epidemic conspiracy thriller and will appeal to people who like a complex plot, powerful relationships and an emotional roller coaster.


Thursday, March 13, 2014

Delinquent Blog Tour

And by delinquent, I mean me... I missed a few days telling you what was going on. We've had a record breaking misery sort of winter and I got distracted, but... GREAT stuff going on!

Check out this Review and Giveaway at A Prairie girl reads!

And I love this review from Molly!  (She was very enthusiastic!)

And THIS giveaway at Socrates Book Reviews! [the comments on this one really warmed my heart--seriously]

So it's still going!!!

Tomorrow's stop is at Book Dilettante (man, that's not my favorite word to spell)


And in OTHER News, my buddy Jade posted the most FABULOUS review/recommendation for my A Shot in the Light Serial where she compared it to Stephen King's The Stand (my favorite King work).  I wonder how those lists work... you know what I mean. "If you loved XX, you should read..." Does the first book in the statement have to be current? I saw a ton of those lists for "What to read after 50 Shades of Gray" but I don't see them for old favorites.

Anyway, check out Jade's review!  It made me VERY happy.

Keep in mind that for Amazon Prime members, the first one can be read FREE.


And In Digression News (since it is what we delinquents do)...

I have a couple things I am VERY excited about.

FRIDAY the Veronica Mars Movie comes out... I LOVE this series--mostly from the perspective of a writer. I love the BIG mystery over each season and the little mystery each episode. And I REALLY REALLY love the relationships in this show. I think my VERY favorite relationship is the friendship (friends in low places) between Veronica and Weevil--she is after the truth. He gets blamed for a lot. So she gets him out of trouble more than once and it forms an odd, not always stable, but they have each other's backs sort of friendship. Even what goes on, though, with colleagues/competitors of her dad--brilliantly done.

And then we are just over 3 weeks from the next season of Game of Thrones. This is my current obsession, books AND show. The books have a lot more depth, which I prefer, but they are doing a solid enough job hitting it with the show that I can't help but love that, too. And they've really nailed some of the critical characters.

Oh, Joffrey... don't you just want to smack him?

Monday, March 10, 2014

March Madness Progress and Blog Tour Stops

Halo, friends!!!

Totally forgot on Friday to point you at a fun review--I like this one at Open Book Society.

And then TODAY, I am doing a guest post at Debbie's Book Bag Blog with a giveaway, and a more personal, significantly sillier post at Princess of Procrastination about Cats and Cozies.


And now onto MARCH MADNESS

So me and my forty best friends... or something like that... are writing like crazy this month. We are about a third of the way in and I thought I'd fill you in on where I am.

Thus far I've EDITED Books 8 and 9 from my Shot in the Light serial, plus the first 11 pages of book 10--this is the current project (209 pages total). And this weekend I WROTE about 6000 words of book 11. My calendar for what I'm trying to get done looks insane. In includes another round of editing for all three of these, publishing 8, and FINISHING book 11, so 600 pages edited in the month and 30,000 words-ish written. Can I do it? I CAN... What I'd REALLY like to do is ALSO edit What Ales Me. We'll see how that goes.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Day 3: The Thrill and Fear of Reviews

There are two of them... They intimidate me. I know Mason and she's always fair (Thoughts in Progress) and LOVES books, so that one isn't quite as scary, but it is always intimidating to see what people think of our babies...

Will they measure up? I guess we will soon find out!

03/06/14 Thoughts in Progress
Review, Guest Post, Giveaway 

03/06/14 Gotta Write Network
Review, Guest Post 

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Figuratively Naked (much more insecure than the literal sort)

Halo Fine Insecure Friends!!! We've arrived again at Insecure Writer's First Wednesday, all in need of some support, eh? First though, and not unrelated... I would be remiss if I didn't share my Book Tour Stops with you...


03/05/14 Mochas, Mysteries, and Meows
Guest Post, Giveaway 

03/05/14 Reader to Reader
Review 


Book Tour you say? YES! And that gets to the current insecurity!!!

Anyone who has ever been here before (or run into me on Facebook in all my silly wonder) knows I am a true advocate for nudity. Frankly, I just can't be bothered with all this itchy binding nonsense we call clothes. It is expensive. It perpetuates class differences. It enables us to act like something we aren't. It makes us focus on stuff that just doesn't matter. It strains those of us with no sense of style or an overdeveloped sense of whimsy. Naked people are NICE people. And I'm all for that.

But with a BOOK RELEASE I feel FIGURATIVELY naked!!! In a cumbersome BARREL naked! All open to scrutiny!  I do a blog post and nobody comments. There is a giveaway and only a few sign up. I can't seem to break below the 5 digit mark in Amazon rankings... I am feeling TOTALLY inadequate, which is far worse than LITERALLY naked... it is FIGURATIVELY naked... Like everyone is going to spot that I'm only a pretender... I fooled someone into publishing my books and now everyone is pointing out that I have no clothes on... Figuratively speaking. If this were literal, it would all be good... see what I mean?

Anyway... suffering a big batch of imposter syndrome today.

If you might be really kind and buck up my ego, I'd really appreciate it... simple as clicking LIKE in one of the following places...

Alyse Carlson Author Page
Alyse Carlson Amazon

Or visit me at one of the links above so I don't look like I have no friends!  Love you guys!!!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

BOOK RELEASE!!! And Visiting Gae

It's the DAY!!!!

A little odd, these non-launches. No event. Who would come out in this sub-zero weather. But to help me launch the day, I've added a stop to my blog tour, which is really also part of my buddy Gae Polisner's Book release. It's funny, because of my writing friends, Gae is one who brings out my silly the most, and you know I can do silly. She's pretty goofy, too, but in a totally sincere, caring way. Go figure. Two cancers of a certain age from opposite sides of the country (at least until I closed two-thirds of the distance). Anyway, in spite of this shared goofiness, her theme brought out the pensive me. So there you go... go see me if you want to see me being reflective. (I think she posts at 7 or something): http://ghpolisner.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-summer-of-letting-go-karma-or_4.html


Here is a bit about Gae's book: The Summer of Letting Go releases March 25th:

Summer has begun, the beach beckons—and Francesca Schnell is going nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca’s little brother, Simon, drowned, and Francesca’s the one who should have been watching. Now Francesca is about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lisette, is moving on—most recently with the boy Francesca wants but can’t have. At loose ends, Francesca trails her father, who may be having an affair, to the local country club. There she meets four-year-old Frankie Sky, a little boy who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon, and Francesca begins to wonder if it’s possible Frankie could be his reincarnation. Knowing Frankie leads Francesca to places she thought she’d never dare to goand it begins to seem possible to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky.



Monday, March 3, 2014

Keeping Mum Blog Tour: Alex and HEA


Hola fine friends! Tomorrow is my release for Keeping Mum and today are my first two stops on my Keeping Mum blog tour, so I invite you PLEASE to come along!!!

Today I am visiting the AMAZING Alex Cavanaugh, most generous of bloggers.  I know all of you know Alex--he is part of the sticky goodness that holds this blogging community together. I'm also at HEAs are Us, where there is a review and a book giveaway through my publisher.

This blog book tour was largely set up by my publisher, which was a huge relief--I tend to be bad at this particular piece--asking for stuff. The ones I set up are in blue and have original content from me--the other guest posts split content of two posts I wrote for the tour, just so you sort of know what's what... Reviews, of course, are from the bloggers.

The Full Blog Tour Schedule is Here

03/03/14 Alex Cavanaugh 
Guest Post: 3rd Time's the Charm

03/03/14 HEAs Are Us
Review, Giveaway

03/04/14 That Wee Bit Heap
Summer of Letting Go Entry

03/05/14 Mochas, Mysteries, and Meows
Guest Post, Giveaway 

03/05/14 Reader to Reader
Review 

03/06/14 Thoughts in Progress
Review, Guest Post, Giveaway 

03/06/14 Gotta Write Network
Review, Guest Post 

03/07/14 Open Book Society
Review 

03/10/14 Princess of Procrastination
Guest Post: Cozies and Cats 

03/10/14 Debbie’s Book Bag
Guest Post, Giveaway 

03/11/14 A Prairie Girl Reads
Guest Post, Giveaway 

03/12/14 Reviews by Molly
Review 

03/12/14 Socrates’ Book Reviews
Guest Post, Giveaway 

03/14/14 Book Dilettante
Review 

03/15/14 Lori’s Reading Corner
Guest Post, Giveaway 

03/19/14 Dru's Book Musing
Guest Post: A Day in the Life of Nelson Harris (Cam's dad)