Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

I must take care of some InkRipples business before I get to this month's post.    Mary Waibel ,   Katie L. Carroll  and I have decided to continue the meme into 2016, and we'd love for you all to join us! We have a new streamlined name: #InkRipples (formerly Ripples in the Inkwell) and brand new images to go along with it.  We also have a new set of monthly topics for discussion in 2016: January - Travel #InkRipplesFebruary - Chocolate March - Feminism April - Poetry May - Memories June - Movies July - Inspiration August - Guilty Pleasures September - Banned Books October - Masks November - Heritage December - Cookies How can you participate? Glad you asked because there are lots of ways. The idea of #InkRipples is to toss a word, idea, or image into the inkwell and see what kind of ripples it makes. We provide the topics and will be blogging about them on the first Monday of the month. You can spread your own ripples by blogging a...

Welcome to my stop on the Twisted Sisters blog tour! Here's a link to the host list if you'd like to follow the tour  Click Me! Excerpt I sense movement, and in the next moment Tracy throws herself at the barrier, a screaming, howling banshee. She fights against the magic barring her. Static electricity sparks through the room, zooming around, visible in the darkness. I push Kacie behind me as the manic ghost continues her relentless assault on the barrier. A deafening boom reverberates through the room, followed by a wave of energy. I push Kacie down, falling on top of her to shield her from the ghost’s wrath. Pain lances up my back like thousands of cat claws, making me cry out both in shock and pain. I glance back—Samson and Delilah hiss their displeasure at Tracy, their claws digging into my back. The claws retract when I yell at them, and all the other pain surfaces. Ignoring the throbbing in my ribs, I roll to my side to free Kacie, sending the cats leapi...

Five years ago today I became a published author with the publication of The Weaver. I suppose technically I was published before that with several short story publications to my name, but my goal was to have a book published, and that goal was realized on December 10, 2010. I still chuckle at how anti-climactic the moment was. I found The Weaver available on Amazon. I lifted my laptop and spun it in all directions to show off the Amazon page to my family. Then the oven timer beeped and I got up and finished cooking dinner. Yeah, being a published author is just that sexy. But I’ve had many amazing moments too. The Weaver was a finalist in a couple award contests I entered it in. It received (still receives—bless all you reviewers out there) really positive reviews. And it opened the door for me to step into classrooms. One of my favorite things to do as an author is to be able to visit with readers. Plus, it doesn’t hurt when you walk into a room and hear a child whispe...

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Judith Natelli McLaughlin and revealing the cover for her middle grade novel Dear Diary, E.P. Thompson Here . More about Dear Diary, E.P. Thompson Here Dear Diary, E. P. Thompson here. Worst. Year. Ever. First semester in sixth grade, and my best friend Debbie has dropped me because my boobs aren’t big enough. Well, she didn’t say that exactly, but I just know that’s the reason. Then I got paired with Adam Berry, the biggest pencil-protecting geek of the decade, for the never-ending, semester-long math project. And as if that’s not bad enough, Thomas Maxwell, the cutest boy in my grade, only pays attention to me when I’m making a total fool of myself. Ugh. Weirdest thing of all: it seems Lucas C. Tanner Middle School has a full-on, bona fide thief! Now all the teachers are going crazy and all the students are too, because Mrs. Peule has promised to make this year a living nightmare until the culprit is caught. We have to fin...

Speaking of free books...'cause we were, weren't we? My critique partner and dear friend, Mary Waibel's book is free for a couple more days. If you like kick butt heroines, twisted fairy tales, and princesses, this is the book for you. The whole series is great, but you can take it for a test drive for free with Quest of the Hart. Princess Kaylee has never had to fight for anything. Her entire life has been arranged, even her marriage. But when Prince Devlin falls under an enchantment, she finds she is willing to do anything to save him, even if it means fighting a dragon. Devlin's own sister, Princess Arabella, is behind the deadly plot. She wants the throne and will use any means necessary to gain it. Her perfect plan unravels, leaving Devlin caught in a magical sleep that is slowly spreading through the kingdom of Breniera. All Arabella needs to finish her spell and claim the crown is a drop of Kaylee's blood, but obtaining the single drop is proving mor...

The tough part of self-publishing is that it all falls to you. ALL being the operative word. Because I publish independently as well as with small press, there is always something going on that gives me an excuse to put off that which I don't know. This is my official excuse for why it took more than a year for me to publish my Worth the Effort series in ePub. But ALAS-the deed is done! And to celebrate, I've decided to offer Ella's Story for free. Forever. Or at least for now, since this industry can change faster than my underwear, which I promise I change daily. Here are the links for the Worth the Effort series on all the major ePub retailers. Ella's Story Barnes & Noble iTunes Kobo Ayden's Story  Barnes & Noble iTunes Kobo And an exciting bonus: while I slept Amazon did their amazing price match thing for Ella's Story and by the time I woke up, she'd already started to climb the charts. Seriously, it'...

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love to introduce readers to the people involved in children ’ s publishing. Today we welcome middle grade author, Rita Monette. Rita, can tell us a little about yourself? I was born and raised in the bayous of Louisiana, and I write stories set in my home state. I retired to the mountains of Tennessee, which is above sea level. Yep, no swamps or gators! I stay busy writing and doing face and body art at local festivals. I enjoy painting, visiting waterfalls, and being entertained by the birds and other wildlife around my humble pad in the woods. I ’ m sure you weren ’ t sad to leave those alligators behind. Can you tell us more about your most recent release, please? The Curse at Pirate ’s Cove is the second in the Nikki Landry Swamp Legend series about a young girl growing up in a houseboat in the bayous of Louisiana in the 1950s. The stories are based on the many legends told surrounding the swamps of southern Louisiana. There’s al...

Ripples in the Inkwell  is a monthly meme hosted by  Mary Waibel ,  Katie L. Carroll , and me,  Kai Strand . We post on the second Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on this page, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation. Themes remaining in 2015: December:  Celebration /Gifts *** I'm feeling really pathetic here. My #InkRipples post is supposed to go live in a few hours and I'm having a heck of a time coming up with the content for it. The worst part is that this month's topic is Remembrance/Thankfulness. Seriously - what is wrong with me? It isn't as if I'm not thankful for anything or anyone in m...

The lovely and talented Beverly Stowe McClure has a new book coming out and I'm excited to help her show off the stunning cover and share some information about the story. I'm even more excited for the book to release. I've read this book several times during its creation process and I love it.  The four main kids really find their way into your heart. Their struggles are so relateable and I love how their friendship grows when they begin to trust one another. Even when it isn't your own book, it's always so fun to have the final version in your hot little hands. But it isn't out yet. So I'm: Waiting...waiting...waiting... Under a Purple Moon By Beverly Stowe McClure No Love in the Garden of Eden... Eden Rose has learned to deal with her mother’s criticism that she can do nothing right. What she can’t deal with are the arguments between her parents. To escape their angry words, she finds refuge in an old abandoned house. She always returns h...