Monday, January 11, 2016

Monday Mishmash


Thanks again to author Kelly Hashway for introducing me to this great blog subject! "Monday Mishmash is a weekly meme dedicated to sharing what's on your mind. Feel free to grab the button and post your own Mishmash."


  • The Golden Globes: I found it interesting that many of the nominated shows and their stars are either on cable networks, premium channels or streaming. What happened to the good ol' days when great TV was available on the network channels? Look for a blog post on this subject coming soon.
  • Schedules: I've been working on scheduling my writing time and other various activities I do in a way that doesn't overwhelm me, thanks to the Fired Up & Focused Challenge. There are so many apps I can use to keep my schedule neat and organized, such as Windows Calendar and Cozi, but I'm old-fashioned; I like using monthly and weekly organizers. So, I found an inexpensive one and am awaiting its arrival in the mail. I know, I'm strange; I love office/school supplies!
  • Book Covers: Specifically, my book cover. As I get closer to what feels like the end of the first draft of New Avalon, book 3, I'm beginning to think about the cover. I have a couple of prints in mind, and i'm asking my readers to help me decide which one is best. Head over to my FB Author Page and check the pinned post to vote for your favorite.
Now that I have a few projects to get me started, I can kick off the second week (already?!) of the year. What's on your plate this week?

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Meet Grammarly

Are you familiar with Grammarly? I wasn't until recently. I received an invitation to join Grammarly and decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! I realized how valuable this tool was just in the first few moments I used it.

If you're not familiar with the app, let me introduce you:

Grammarly is a plug-in for your web browser to help you ensure your posts are free of grammar and spelling errors. As you write your posts, you'll see the Grammarly icon pop up and begin to count your errors. When you're done writing your post, you click on the icon and go through each error, one at a time, until you have a clean copy.

The app is set to work with several different sites, including blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and buffer. These are the sites I've used Grammarly on so far, and it has really helped clean up my posts.

And all of this is free! That's right, you can sign up for the Grammarly app for free. And the Grammarly team is really cool too! Check out a recent blog post they published just in time for The Force Awakens:


  Yodify your Grammar Infographic

Isn't it cool?! As a member of Grammarly, you can sign up for their blog posts and receive weekly grammar tips.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for Grammarly now and begin to experience a whole new appreciation for publishing good content. You'll be glad you did.


Thursday, January 7, 2016

Blog Tour | Revenge by Sonya Weiss

Revenge
by SonyaWeiss
Release Date: December 22nd 2015
Lyrical Press


Summary from Goodreads:


Their love is a ticking time bomb.

Juliet Sawyer was born to save the world. Gifted with incredible powers, she’s the only one standing in the way of The Great Extinction, the prophesied battle between Supernaturals and humans. In order to keep her sister safe and avenge her father’s murder, she’ll have to infiltrate the ranks of the Supernatural leaders who wish to destroy her. But the one thing she didn’t count on was falling in love…with someone who wants her dead.

The gorgeous and dangerous son of one of the Supernatural leaders, Riley West is in charge of training the group for war—now including Juliet, whose father is responsible for killing his family. But the more they train together, the more intensely their passion for each other burns. The deeper Riley is drawn in by Juliet’s beauty, the closer he gets to the secrets she keeps: one that will challenge everything he believes in—and one that could lead to her death. Together, can their forbidden love help stop the war? Or will one of them be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice?


Addto Goodreads

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Earth, in the year 2034.

If they knew, I was as good as dead. The thought jerked me awake. Heart pounding, I glanced around the room to see if my classmates were watching me.
They weren’t, but the one who was watching me made my stomach clench with unease.
Riley West, head of the Probation Officers. I’d known him for years. But only from a safe distance.
He wore his wild black hair a little longer than the human boys in the class and had a strange symbol with burned edges on his biceps. He was the hottest Supernatural I’d ever seen in my life. Unlike me, he easily   fit into the human world. His looks and his I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude made him a popular source of gossip in the girls’ bathroom.
He was the leaders’ number one guy, a major rule-keeping badass because he was the son of Dacce, our king. By Supernatural law, he would assume the throne on his eighteenth birthday.
The fact that Riley watched me intently could only mean bad news. Had the leaders discovered that I was the one who’d rescued and hidden some of the newly outlawed mixed-blood children? Or that I was the  one giving information to the humans’ FBI organization?
I hoped not, but it was this fear that had woken me. My mouth went dry. I wasn’t worried about myself if I got caught. I was worried about what would happen to the children. Who would save them?
     Shifting in my seat, I tried to get comfortable, but it was impossible. My back still hurt from the welts I’d received a week ago. My heart squeezed so painfully I thought it was about to break in half. The images of that day were frozen in my mind, and I still felt trapped in the horror of it all. The pleas…the screams…the futility as I’d tried to save the children from the edict designed to kill them. I still cried myself to sleep every night over the ones I hadn’t been able to save. I had to fight to keep tears at bay now as I thought about it.
I started doodling madly to take my mind off the unknown reason why Riley was looking at me.
The teacher began to read excerpts from Romeo and Juliet in such an awful way that he slaughtered Shakespeare’s greatest work. I tuned him out and kept doodling and worrying.
“Juliet Sawyer! Pay attention.”
I stopped scribbling as Mr. Sands squeezed his excess ass—clad in too tight plaid red and yellow polyester pants that gave him a perpetual wedgie—through the row of desks to snatch my notebook and close it. He put it face down on my desk and stared at me.
“I asked who wanted to read the parts of Romeo and Juliet.” His eyes were feverishly bright. Almost maniacal.
Not me. No way. I couldn’t bear standing up in front of groups of people. It made my palms sweat and my heart race. I ducked my head, my hair swinging down to hide my face, hoping the teacher would take pity on me and go away. He didn’t.
“Yes, Juliet Sawyer will read the part of Juliet. Now, who for her Romeo?” Mr. Sands looked around the room.
I darted a glance at Riley West to see if he was still watching me. Big mistake.
Mr. Sands saw the direction of my gaze and announced, “Riley West will read the part of Romeo.”
I jerked my gaze to the teacher, then back to Riley. How freaking ironic was that?
Even if falling in love wasn’t against the rules, with Riley West as Romeo, I’d be just as lucky as that Shakespearean heroine. Death would be my end credit, too.
“Juliet and her Romeo? If you’ll make your way to the front?”
My cheeks warmed and I wanted to slide beneath the desk as the snickers of my classmates dotted the room. Behind the ugly glasses my father had made to camouflage my secret, I closed my eyes, needing inner calm, seeking to stay in control of my power.
The way I’d been taught by my parents.
Deep breath.
     Hold it in.
     One, two, three.

     Exhale.

Buy Links:

About the Author
Sonya Weiss is a freelance writer, ghostwriter and author. She's addicted to great books, good movies, and Italian chocolates.
She's passionate about causes that support abused animals and children. Her parents always supported her bringing stray animals home although the Great Dane rescue was a surprise.


Author Links:


GIVEAWAY:


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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

#2016Goals - #1, Exercise!

Instead of making resolutions this year, I have created goals for myself. One of the most important ones is to exercise. Now, for me, this does not include joining a gym or signing up for an exercise class. Due to my heart condition, I have to choose my exercise plan very carefully. I had found a video a couple of years ago on Amazon Prime that includes a wonderful 10-minute stretching exercise:



The session slowly gets all of my muscles moving, and boy, do I feel them! It's great and a bit painful at the same time. I also know how good it is for me, and I'm so happy I'm getting it done! I have done two days in a  row and plan to keep it up daily.

If one of your goals for 2016 is to exercise, there are plenty of options for you to get started:
  • join a gym
  • sing up for a class
  • find a good exercise video like I did
  • make a pact with a friend to work out together

Web MD has a list of 5 very helpful tips for teens who are completely inactive to get moving. The list includes starting slowly, exercising while watching TV, finding an activity you like, try strength training, and participating in sports at school.

Once you determine what type of activity you want to join in, set up a regular schedule. You can pick a 10-minute daily session as I do, a few 30-minute sessions spread throughout the week, or any other reasonable time frame you know you'll stick with. Just be sure to work it around your current schedule so you won't miss any sessions.

If you have any health issues, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program to make sure it's ok for you to do so. Your doctor can also give you ideas on what would be best for you.

What activities do you like to do to stay fit? Comment below.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Monday Mishmash

Good Monday morning readers! I am borrowing author Kelly Hashway's Monday Mishmash blog theme again this week. If you haven't checked out her books, I highly recommend visiting her website and checking them out. OK, on with this week's ideas, etc.


  1. Getting back to work: It's the first Monday of the year, and Christmas vacation is officially over. Time to get back to work! I need to pull out my draft of New Avalon, book 3, dust it off, and get to work!
  2. New articles: I wrote a few articles for eZine last year, and I enjoyed writing them. This week, I'll be coming up with new topics for future articles so I can begin to submit them on a regular basis. If you have an idea, let me know! You can post it in the comments below, or send me a quick note via my contact form.
  3. More blog posts: I've enjoyed blogging regularly this past week while I didn't have any tour posts booked. I will still be posting them, but I also plan to include my own posts when I don't have a tour booked. Again, if you have any topics you'd like to see me cover, let me know!
  4. Reading: I didn't make my reading goal last year, though I did discover some wonderful books, including The Fault in Our Stars and The Selection. This year, I intend to add more books to my READ list. I'm starting with The Elite, and will continue on with the series before moving on to something else. If you've read it, or are planning to read it this month, join me in the book discussion on Facebook.
I'm all set to begin the first week of the year! What's on your agenda this week?

Saturday, January 2, 2016

2016 Reading Campaign




Another year has passed us by, and a new one has begun again. Last year, I began my annual reading campaign, to help me read more than I had been. I loved reading as a kid, but for the past several years, my reading has really dwindled. I don't know why, it just seems I read less and less. So, every year, I make one of my goals (I've replaced resolutions with goals) to read more. These were the ideas I came up with last year to help get you started on your reading campaign, and you can use them again for this year's:
  • Take a look at the books still sitting on your TBR shelf. Set them up in the order you want to read them in, and then give yourself a goal of when you’ll start each one.
  • Keep track of the books you read. There are several ways you can do this:
    • Keep a notebook to list the title and date you read the book
    • Keep a spreadsheet on your computer to track the books and the dates you read them
    • Use an online tracker, such as the Goodreads Reading Challenge App.
  • Join or form a book club.
    • Gather friends and family, set up a schedule, pick some books, and start your 2015 reading group.
    • Start a book club at your school or library
    • Start a reading group on line. Facebook is a great way to set this up!
    • Find an online group to join, such as the Indie YA Wolves Book Club.
Once again, I am challenging you: Join me on the 2016 Reading Campaign. I have challenged myself to read 24 books this year, 2 books per month. I am signed up with the Goodreads Challenge to track my progress. If you're on Goodreads, sign up for the Challenge and we can track each other. Leave a message in the comments with your challenge, or a link to your Goodreads Challenge.

I'll post updates to the Campaign from time to time to help keep us on track. Join me! I look forward to connecting through our reading.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Happy New Year!

To all of my wonderful readers. May 2016 be your best year yet.