Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

This is the time of year I reflect and then look forward. Usually. Last year I purposefully avoided the big think. I was in such a bad place in my writing life. I didn’t want to look back because that was what opened the dark hole in my head. I didn’t want to look forward because I really didn’t care if I ever wrote another word. So I went into 2016 without any goals. Without a plan. Without guilt. It was AMAZING! Now as we approach 2017, I’m excited to say that I’m writing again. I completed two new manuscripts in 2016 – quite surprising actually. To be honest, when I see that sentence, “I completed two new manuscripts in 2016” I think, Holy sh*t! I did?! Oddly, I now have a new set of problems. What to do with them. However, this post isn’t about my screwed up writer’s head, so I’ll simply say I keep changing my mind as to what my next path will be in the world of writing and because of that, my career is still pretty halted. As hard as it is to have two completed manuscripts d...

I'd like to welcome a writer friend of mine, Denice Hughes Lewis. She is celebrating the release of her young adult novel, Enchantress, Sacrifice.  Welcome Denice! Congrats on the release. (Throws confetti!) Tell us about the book. An invisible barrier protects an uncharted island and its natives from the world. A Beast grows deep within the island ready to destroy it. Only a baby can save the island, if she survives her forbidden birth and gains the powers of an Enchantress. Elandra, the newborn, struggles in shadow until she can breathe light instead of air. Rescued after her mother’s murder by a monster with the soul of a woman, she hides underground. A secretive healer becomes her mentor. He sends her to the surface before her sixteenth birthday to gain the power that will fulfill her destiny. He hasn’t taught her how to control her emotions--the only thing that gives her a chance of survival. A shipwrecked young man complicates her feelings making her unwilling ...

You may remember that I participated in the cover reveal for InHuman by Kama Falzoi Post. And now I’m happy to host Kama herself as she celebrates the release of her book. Welcome to Three Times A Charm, Kama. Tell us a little about you. I discovered a love of writing as a young girl and haven’t looked back since. My short stories have appeared in various online and print magazines, as well as an anthology of speculative fiction.   InHUMAN is my first young adult novel. When I’m not writing, you can find me living on the outskirts of a small city with my husband, son, step-kids, and too many cats. Congratulations on the release. There is nothing like a book release and the best part is each release is as exciting as the one before. It never gets old. Please tell us about your book. Mira’s mother sizes up bodies at the morgue like she’s rifling through the sales rack, until she finds one just right for the one they call Adam. Since Adam’s survival is the key to dra...

Are you ready for some freebies? Jen Finelli is the mastermind behind this collaborative giveaway. You can receive free chapters, a short story, a novella, and an awesome book by the awesome authors Jen, James Beamon, Ray Anyasi, and Crystal Collier. Oh and me. I’m talking scifi, historical fantasy, romance, super heroes and my very own super villains. Meet new authors, test drive their writing and be entertained all in one link! Click here to find out more: http://bit.ly/2hiU5V8 Be sure to tell your reading obsessed friends!  Happy reading. 

Three years ago we started #InkRipples with the idea that if we tossed an idea into the inkwell, it would give fellow bloggers food for thought. We love to see how many different approaches there are to a single topic. We continue that tradition with our monthly 2017 #InkRipples topics. Each of these topics can be approached with a slant toward writers or readers, from the eyes of historians or researchers, with the idea of what has happened or what you’d like to see happen next. For those of you who are always searching for topics for your blog, please consider joining us. There are no hard and fast rules on how to participate, we have the loose suggestion that you can post on the first Monday of each month, but last year Katie posted multiple Monday’s on the same topic and I think I’ll follow suit on some of these topics this year. If Monday doesn’t work because you already have a feature that day, then post another day. The only two things we’d like you to do is 1) link b...

Yesterday (December 4) was National Cookie Day. According to Punchbowl , the English word “cookie” is derived from the Dutch word “koekje,” which means little cake. Dutch bakers used to test oven temperatures on small amounts of batter so that they would not waste the entire cake mix if the temperature wasn’t right. It was not long before they discovered that these tiny pieces of cooked batter were actually quite tasty! Funnily enough, I didn’t know about National Cookie day, but the day before, my daughter mentioned that she wanted to celebrate by baking some cookies. I thought to myself, “Hey, I have a blog post due to post on Monday about cookies. Sweet!” So I asked her what kind of cookies she wanted to make so I could buy the ingredients. She chose chocolate and peanut butter chip cookies. Not once did I complain. When I was a tween I used to love experimenting with cookies. I would throw anything that seemed compatible into cookie dough, I’d make huge cookies and t...

If you aren't an author yourself, you might think that we all hobnob with each other regularly. But the truth of it is, we almost all have our own holy grail of authors that when/if we meet we are reduced to squealing fans around. Before I was published, I met Tamora Pierce. The reason I was at her reading was because I was a fan, not because I was an aspiring writer. So when I won a copy of her new book in a drawing, I was beyond happy. But I've always been painfully shy, and I couldn't even bring myself to approach her to get the book signed. What a dork! I really wish I could relive that moment. Just to prove I'm not the only author out there who fangirls when she meets her faves, I collected a few stories to share. Tracey M. Cox on meeting Bruce Coville: It was amazing. One of those moments when you tell yourself to, “Be cool. Be cool”, but inside your hopping around going, “Oh my gosh. Oh. My. Gosh. OH MY GOSH!” Hahaha. Kim McDougall  on m...

Cover Reveal time. I love participating in cover reveals. Covers are so much fun! First, let's find out what this book is all about. Fading Into the Shadows by Kelly Hashway When sixteen-year-old Ella Andrews’s best friend, Avery, goes missing, she’ll do anything to get him back—starting with punching the no-brain cop who couldn’t care less about the disappearance. Ella’s convinced Avery’s been kidnapped, and she tries everything to find him—even following a strange shadow to another world where the constellations are real-life figures in the sky. But three star groups have fallen and are destroying the world. The fallen constellations are not the only enemy. Melanie, the princess of Stellaris, is forcing Ella, Avery, and an army of other kids kidnapped from their world to fight the rogue constellations, even as the land is draining away their life. The longer they stay, the more they fade into substanceless shadows—a fate worse than death. Stay up to date: Facebook...

Heritage: Noun 1.  something   that   is   handed   down   from   the   past,   as   a   tradition 2.  something   that   comes   or   belongs   to   one   by   reason   of   birth;   an  inherited   lot   or   portion 3.  something   reserved   for   one Yeah...seriously. I got nothing to add to this topic. Is that sad, or what? My maiden name is SMITH, so that doesn't help. We have no family traditions, no titles, no HERITAGE.  So help me out. Do you have a heritage you like to brag on? Please share it in the comments. #Inkripples   is a themed meme hosted by   Mary Waibel ,   Katie L. Carroll , and   Kai Strand posting on the first Monday of every month. To participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, and link back to the three host blogs. Feel free to post whenever...

Yay – it’s Friday! Friday’s begin the weekend and weekends offer all sorts of READING time! So to help you make your reading decisions, I’d like to introduce you to Alexia Dumont from her newly released book Timeless by Crystal Collier. Alexia & her author Crystal are on tour promoting Timeless (Maiden of Time #3) and they have AWESOME giveaways going on, so be sure to spin the wheel at the bottom of this interview. Welcome to Strands of Thoughts, Alexia. Can you tell us a little about you, please? Hello. *waves uncomfortably* I am Alexia Dumont, only child of Baron Dumont and heir. While my father’s estate is impressive, it compares little to the heritage my mother left me: the power to manipulate or travel through time. I am the Maiden of Time. My mother before me, who left this world when I was born, was also the Maiden of Time. Maiden of Time? That sounds fun. So, do you just hop from decade to decade and enjoy the current fashions, or what? I left m...

Today, I have the distinct pleasure of revealing the cover for InHuman, a sci-fi thriller by Kama Falzoi Post ! Without further ado, here's the amazing cover! Title :  InHuman Author : Kama Falzoi Post Genre : YA Sci-Fi Release date : December 13 , 2016 Publisher :  BookFish Books Cover Artist :  Anita Carroll at Race-Point About InHuman Mira’s mother sizes up bodies at the morgue like she’s rifling through the sales rack: this one’s too big… this one’s too small… ah, here it is. Just right . The perfect vessel for the one they’ll call Adam. Since Adam’s survival is the key to drawing out the Conduit—a slippery sort bent on evacuating souls from their human bodies—Mira must help him pass for a typical teenage boy. That means showing him how to talk right, walk right, chew with his mouth open... blend in . Ironic, because blending in is has always been a challenge for Mira, especially with hair the color of a Dorit...

It strikes me that we have two things going against us (at least in the U.S.) today. An intense political climate and the fact that it's Monday. So to help you relax a little, here are a few pictures of my cats. They are siblings born almost a year ago on Friday the 13th, making their all black fur extra fun! They've been a part of our family since January when they were old enough to leave their mama. Whisper (who is actually really loud) Jett (who we refer to as parkour kitty) Jett is big with medium length fur. Whisper is small with short sleek fur.  If a black cat crosses your path - pet it. Make it a great week!

There are certain decisions that become more important when you know they will be on display. Which travel mug to use? The ceramic Starbucks hot air balloon. Lip color? Nothing too dark. The shadows can make you look like you’re going for the goth look. Pants or skirt? Pajama bottoms – it’s Skype, headshot only. If you’re on my social media, you know I had the amazing opportunity to visit with a class of tenth grade literature students from Lycée International Nelson Mandela, Académie de Nantes . For those of you who have no working knowledge of French “Acad é mie de Nantes” means school of Nantes. As in Nantes, France. Nantes, France is approximately 5,000 miles from my hometown of Bend, Oregon. Needless to say, I had to get up early that day. But not to travel, just to do my hair and make sure to catch the students before they went home for the day. There's quite a time difference between the west coast of America and France. Last July the very innovative teacher, M...