Write Stuff: February 2016

Monday, February 29, 2016

Leap Day: February 29th, 2016

As a kid, I remember the first time someone explained Leap Year to me. I totally didn't believe them. I *may* have been a bit of a skeptical kid (and adult.... :). Anyhow, it is one of those kind of random phenomena that I find really interesting. I mean, really, adding another day to the calendar? Who gets to decide that kind of thing?

Well, apparently, Julius Caesar, around 46 BC. Unfortunately, he didn't get the math quite right, so

things were wonky for a while until the dates were worked out by Pope Gregory XIII introduced his Gregorian calendar more than 1,500 years later (info from here--also, how does one cite on a blog? MLA? APA?). Random, right?

The other bit of info that most people know because of the terrible movie that came out in 2010, but there's this tradition that women can ask a man to marry then on Leap Year. How this all got started has a bunch of different stories, from St. Bridget complaining to St. Patrick and the latter deciding to give her a day (from here), or that it got started in Scotland, but there was a fine for the males who got asked (from here), and a variety of other versions on the web. Personally, I find the different accounts of the origins of the gender-bending stereotype more amusing that the tradition itself, but there's neither here nor there :) I mean, let's get real, can't a woman ask a man to marry her at any point she pleases? *eye-roll*

But, other than that, I do think it's rather unfortunate for those who are born on the day. Birthdays are a big deal to celebrate, and being stuck not celebrating on your actual day 75% of time would kind of be a pain. But, there are plenty of people who have a Leap Year birthday (AKA leaplings, which is a cute enough name to almost make up for things!). A few famous ones include: composer Gioacchino Rossini, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, jazz musician Jimmy Dorsey, actors Dennis Farina and Antonio Sabato Jr., and rapper/actor Ja Rule (from here).

Overall, it's a bit of a random event that deals with our earth's spinning and humanity's way of dealing with in on paper. Really, it's just another day. Do you have any fun associations with Leap Year?

Cover Reveal: A SHOT OF BURBON by A.C. Land

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

It would seem that this is the week of pimping people's books :) Which is all find and dandy because I love doing this, and the books are awesome. Granted, maybe next week I'll actually come up with something more content-full, eh? ;)

In the little highway town of Bourbon, Missouri, deadly secrets lurk behind Southern charm.

Seventeen year old Charli Valentine didn’t expect to spend the last few weeks of summer break nursing a broken heart, icing a black eye, and watching her ex kiss another girl. Since being a good girl has gotten her nothing but heartache, Charli decides to give rebellion a try. She pigs out, drinks, and hangs with Luke Parker, the son of the infamous Bourbon Butcher.

But there’s more to Luke than meets the eye. His tough exterior and terrible dialect hide a good person despite his bad boy reputation. No matter how hard he tries to fight it, Luke is drawn to Charli’s innocence and finds her clumsiness too charming to resist. Though they’re from opposite sides of the tracks, neither can resist the magnetism drawing them together.

When Charli discovers a box in her mother’s closet, she pieces together the truth about Bourbon’s past and uncovers a deadly secret about her family. And once Luke learns of it, he vows to protect Charli no matter the cost.

About A.C. Land:

Author of the Bourbon series, A. C. Land has been a lover of stories since she first read about Peter Pan giving Wendy an acorn and teaching her to fly. She always dreamed of telling big stories about small towns.

Residing on a cattle farm in Missouri, A. C. loves playing with her rambunctious Jack Russell, Riley, making decorative cakes, taking pictures, drinking pumpkin spice coffee, and hanging out with her nephews.

Facebook: Instagram: Twitter: @AuthorACLand

New Book Release: FABLE RANGER: SUMMONS by A.L. Brown

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

I have another fun book to share today :)

Take care of what you wish for. You just might get it.

Twelve-year-old Casey doesn’t think life could get anymore unfair. Plans for her special basketball tournament are tossed aside by her sister’s change in wedding plans. She even has to be a bridesmaid now, with all the lace and silk and - oh the horror! All she wants is an escape, but she never imagined she’d be swept away to a world of Mother Goose rhymes, fairy tales, stories of Arabian Nights, and oh, by the way, all but one fairy godmother is kidnapped.

Casey learns she’s been summoned as the Fable Ranger to lead the search and rescue of the missing wish-makers. She also discovers she isn’t the hero they would accept. In the world of fairy tales, damsels aren't meant to swoop in to save the day.

Now all Casey wants is to go home, a wish easy to grant if the veil between worlds weren’t on lockdown. Taking fate into her own hands, she embarks on an airship flight to find the phoenix tears that can help open her way home. Her journey would’ve gone as smooth as the perfect layup if it weren’t for that pesky bounty the evil Dovetail placed on her head. Casey refuses to fail knowing it would allow the legends of Arabian Nights to disappear forever and leave her trapped in a world unraveling one fairy tale at a time.

Pick up a copy on Amazon!

Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, A.L. Brown now calls Central Texas home. She's a lover of Wild Cherry Pepsi and chocolate/chocolate covered delicious-ness. Steampunk, fantasy, and paranormal to contemporary — mostly young adult — fill her growing library of books. Mother to a rambunctious darling girl aptly nicknamed Chipmunk, her life stays busy. Her favorite quote keeps her moving: “You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

She is the author of the upper young adult paranormal Neverlove and its new adult follow up They All Fall Down of the Shadow Jumpers series, Frailties of the Bond and Atone of the NEO Chronicles: Characters Revealed series, andBeacon, the first action-packed title in the young adult urban fantasy series, Ripped Ties. Her debut MG (middle grade) title is coming soon from Dingbat Publishing: FABLE RANGER: SUMMONS.

You can find her on her blog, Dingbat author page, and Facebook.

Guest Post: Stephanie Faris, author of PIPER MORGAN TO THE RESCUE

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

I have a special treat today: Stephanie Faris, who is an amazing blogger and author is here today to talk about her new releases! Take it away, Stephanie:

My Inspiration for Piper Morgan

The Piper Morgan series was my first attempt at a chapter book series and I was so excited my agent liked it. She was the first person to read it and she said I had the voice for chapter books down perfectly. The voice came to me after reading a stack of chapter books by some of the best children’s authors of all time. One of those authors is Barbara Parks.

When my agent told me publishers were looking for chapter books, the Junie B. Jones series was the first thing I read. I’d never even heard of it before—it came along in the early 90s, when I wasn’t really paying attention to what six-year-olds were reading. From the first book, Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, I was hooked. I have never seen anyone capture the voice of that age group like Barbara Parks did.

Piper is slightly older than Junie, though, and as I wrote, she developed her own voice and a very distinctive personality. She manages to get herself into trouble in interesting ways, but mostly she just wants to make friends…and stay somewhere long enough to keep those friends. I don’t know if I’ll get to write past Book Four, but I’d love to write an ending where Piper and her mom finally stay in one place.

Piper helps some four-legged friends find the perfect home in the third book of the brand-new Piper Morgan series.

Piper is super excited to help out at Bark Street, a local animal shelter in town. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by adorable puppies and dogs all day? And when Piper sees Taffy, the cutest dog she has ever seen, Piper is determined to find a way to bring Taffy home. But it won’t be easy—especially when she finds out someone else wants to make Taffy a part of their family, too!

About Stephanie:

Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.

Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, as well as the

upcoming Piper Morgan series. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive.

Links:

Website : Blog : Facebook : Twitter : Instagram

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day: BIG YEARNING (Sasquatch Susies #1) by Christine Rains

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

It's always awesome when one of my writing buddies has a new book out, and this new series promises to be lots of fun :) Check it out:

Yummy ;) Catch more info on Goodreads!

Suzetta Hughes has it bad for gorgeous forest guide Rayce Webb, but her best friend already called dibs on him. He hasn’t shown interest in anyone other than Suzetta, though. Clearly that means the claim is canceled, right? But after Suzetta shares more than a kiss with him by the river, everything goes wrong. Suzetta flees into the woods alone, leaving behind both her pissed friend and a hot guy who’s actually attracted to her. And exploring a potential Sasquatch hideout only makes things worse—and more dangerous.

Reader Advisory: This story has graphic sexual language and scenes—no closed bedroom doors (or other rooms) here!

Grab a copy at Amazon or Kobo!

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has BIG dreams and a BIG desire for chocolate. She's a proud member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. She has one novel and several novellas and short stories published. The Sasquatch Susies series is her third from Ellora's Cave. She puts a twist on erotica with humor and the supernatural.

Author page at Ellora's Cave: https://www.ellorascave.com/author/christine-rains/

Website: http://christinerains.net/

Blog: http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CRainsWriter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorchristinerains

What do you think? Ever read anything with Sasquatch in them? :)

After Reading: CRIMSON EARTH by Anna Soliveres

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Aeva Storm finally has the answers she’s been looking for since the night she was struck by lightning. She knows who she is—and more importantly, what she is. But her secret isn’t hers alone to keep, and some of those who know the truth will do anything to control her.

In the sequel to the acclaimed Violet Storm, Aeva must decide how far she’ll go to protect her identity and to find her missing sister in a world she hardly recognizes. She must embrace her new life—and her strange new body—if she hopes to save the only place she and her family have left to call home.

Filled with action, mystery, and heartbreak, Crimson Earth finds Aeva, Ruven, and Karth on opposing sides as the war between The False Alliance and the Monarchy draws near.

Can they band together to fight against the evil threatening the City? Or will they destroy each other before the war has even begun? (Goodreads)

It's been waaaaay too long since I posted a book review. I've been in a total reading slump so far this year. Not because I haven't had good books to read, but because somehow my time keeps getting eaten up by extraneous things that I can't seem to get a handle on. Anyhow, I will somehow rectify this. Even if it means slowing the rotation of the earth to get a few more hours in ;) Okay, on with my review:

I LOVED the first book in this series. The characters are wonderfully drawn, the world is amazing and frightening, and the ability to Modify humans seems natural and quite ingenious (if a little freaky at times...but I'd get over that if it meant I could have wings!). Soliveres does not falter whatsoever in her second book in the series. The action does not pause and the characters continue to change and grow. I absolutely felt for them all throughout the entire book, especially watching Aeva make such heart-wrenching decisions (there *may* have been some serious eye-misting at a particular scene with her sister, but I'm going to try and avoid spoilers). The antagonist, Behr, presence is felt throughout the story, even if he isn't actually there, which ramps up the tension and made it difficult to put the story aside. Overall, this is definitely an amazing novel and a stellar follow-up on the first the series. The only trouble will be waiting for the third!

BookFish Book Blitz: THE BONE TREATY by T.C. McKee

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Once a month I'm helping feature other BookFish authors here on my blog, and this month I've got THE BONE TREATY. I love this cover!

Some family secrets run bone deep…

Addie Heaton’s not your average high school student. Orphaned at two, she’s spent most of her life reading the emotions of others. It’s a little trick she likes to call color-vision. But lately, a stranger has been trailing her, putting off shades of black and red—colors Addie hasn’t seen since the night her parents were killed—colors Addie never wanted to see again.

But when Addie comes face to face with Conal Reed, owner of the terrifying shades, she learns her stranger’s a little different too. He’s brooding hot, mysterious, and all too elusive. Conal loves to materialize, and then vanish at all the wrong times. Nice.

Not.

After years of keeping her ability a secret, Addie’s found another person with gifts, someone who may know what she really is. But Conal’s not talking. He’s having more fun showing up uninvited, teasing her senses, and disappearing at all the wrong times. Instead of finding answers, Addie finds herself reconsidering ever being alone and naked again.

Curious? Grab a copy while it's only 99 cents!

And find T.C. online here:

Facebook: Blog: Goodreads: Twitter

The Writing Debate: Morning vs Night (vs When You Can Squeeze in 10 Minutes)

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

We've all heard about the whole plotter vs panster debate when it comes to novel writing. As a dyed in the wool panster who wishes she were a plotter, I find it a lot of fun to talk about that bit of writing style. But there's also something that I've seen crop up in writing discussions from time to time: the time of day people write. As someone who is absolutely NOT a morning person, I never really considered writing in the morning. I mean, honestly, it's all I can do to get up and ready and to work at a reasonable time (and thank goodness my job doesn't care what time I arrive...). But there are a ton of people who get up at the crack of dawn (or well before) to get their words in. Lately I've been trying to find time to do this and get in some words before I get out the door. And while the jury is still out on whether these will be good words, it's been really interesting to me to see how this has changed my thinking on my writing habits.

Also, minor disclaimer: writing this and saying I'm writing more in the morning is new. Only a couple of weeks. So this whole post? Totally a way to make myself try and keep up this new trend :)

But, here's the thing: getting my words in before I leave? It makes me feel so much more productive! Like, when I think about my day, I know that at the very least I've managed to get in a little progress on my novel by lunchtime. That is an amazing feeling. And while I'm definitely not as creative in the mornings (even copious amounts of caffein take time to kick in), I do find that my novel is moving forward. Considering I was totally stuck a couple of weeks ago, this is awesome! So, being a little later to work--especially as no one there cares--has made this new trend possible. Here's to hoping I can keep it up!

What about you: when do you write? Morning? Night? Whenever there's a spare moment?

Repost Love: Top Time Travel Novels

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

This post was originally part of the Travelers blog tour, but sometimes I happen to like a post a whole lot and figure I can re-use it a little :) Plus, I love a good time travel novel, and am always looking for good suggestions. Here are a few of mine:

Probably one of my all time favorites is The Time Travelers Wife. While the movie was good, the book was amazing. It was one of those that I read and ugly-cried through, but then had to sit down and re-read as soon as I’d finished it. I love the writing, the world, the story…ah! It’s a great one!

Another that I’ve utterly loved is the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I’ve been really pleased with how awesome the show has been, but again the books are better. And Jamie…seriously, he is one of my all-time favorite male characters in anything ever (which is saying something!).

Of course there’s always Ray Bradbury’s The Butterfly Effect, which is a classic. I’ve enjoyed reading this one a few times too and I love the punch it packs in such a short space. Another more recent read was When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, which was great, and also tied in A Wrinkle In Time, which is one of my all-time favorite books.

I could probably spend a few days going on and on about time-travel books, but I’ll stick to these as some of my favorites. What about you, do you have a favorite time-travel novel?

How time-travel is "explained" in Travelers :)

Monday Mishmash: kicking off February

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Okay, wow, how did it end up being February already? Is anyone else doing a massive damn? Because I am totally not sure how that happened. Anyhow, here's what's up in my neck of the snowy and gray woods :)

I survived the first week back of classes! And my students so far are great and I am very much looking forward to how this semester is going to go. I do hope I am not speaking too soon, but I have one class that's 100% all my favorite students and so long as I don't let them down, I think it's going to be awesome :)
Last week two of my favorite undergrads were accepted into prestigious graduate programs, and I couldn't be prouder and happier for them. Helping students meet their goals is definitely one of the reasons I love teaching.
I actually managed to get some writing in last week. I'm hoping I can keep it up this week. And the weird thing? I wrote in the morning. I am NOT a morning person, so this is kind of epic for me. Here's to hoping said words weren't totally crap ;)
I got a new phone! It is very pretty and fast, and I had a lot of fun nerding out on specs and getting it all set up.

That's about it from here. What's going on with you?