What's Up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join us, you will find the link widget at the bottom of Jaime’s post. We really hope you will take part!

What I'm Reading:
I finished The Curse of Malenfer Manor by Iain McChesney. It was really good. Gothic mystery isn't my usual genre, but the ghost story and the way the mystery unfolded really drew me in. You can find my review here. I haven't picked anything up yet, but I am going to be starting a WIP from one of my critique partners this week, and then reading Kiya: Mother of a King (book 2 in the Kiya series) by Katie Hamstead for my birthday. I'm really excited because this is a series I'm addicted to.

What I'm Writing:
I just finished chapter 21 of the rewrite of Altar of Reality and am really excited! Not just because I'm wrapping it up and am this close to 60k for a novel I feared would be too short, or because 40k of that is for NaNoWriMo. Okay, well those reasons too. But I'm really enjoying how this is turning out. There's definitely a sequel in this story, maybe even a third book. I'm going to traditionally query it, so I'm looking for CPs and betas now.



I'm still working on my short story submission for The Borderlands anthology set in the Actuator universe. The deadline is creeping up on me, which means I really need to go add the snark. It's almost done, all it needs is a dash of snark, possibly a rewrite to first person. But I've been busy and trying to push through AoR, so I haven't worked on it yet. My in-laws are coming into town this week, and next week we are going to visit my family, so it is seriously crunch time right now. I've pulled off 10k days before on a regular basis. Here's hoping I can get there again so I can get both projects done in the handful of days I have free!


What Inspires Me Right Now:
The Catching Fire soundtrack. My favorites: "Silhouettes" by Of Monsters and Men, "Elastic Heart" by Sia, The Weeknd, and Diplo, "We Remain" by Christina Aguilera (this one is on repeat a lot--a very good song to write a dystopian to), "Mirror" by Ellie Goulding, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Lorde, and "Place for Us" by Mikky Ekko. So...pretty much the entire soundtrack. I still haven't listened to the entire Hunger Games soundtrack, but this one is just awesome.

I'm also really inspired by my sister right now. She's gotten back into writing, which is awesome. She's so talented. She makes me want to tell her my story ideas and let her write them because prose just comes so natural to her (and does not to me). There's this elegance to her style. She inspires me to try harder and really try to find beauty in words, because she does that with so little effort. 

What Else I'm Up To:
I am all about organizing social media this week. I finally broke down and made my Twitter lists because I have felt sadly out of touch with so many of my writer friends who use Twitter more than Facebook. I also read an article talking about how to better use Google+ and discussing Google+ Communities, which I knew nothing about until reading the article. So I joined about 20 of them today. =D Now all I need to do is find a good RSS feeder since Google got rid of theirs and start following blogs better. I'm also organizing my blog hosting dates to host specific stop types on specific days. Monday will be the Weekend Review (because I couldn't think of a better title and need a date to post reviews), then Teaser Tuesdays, What's Up Wednesdays, Thursday Takeover, and Feature Fridays. I host enough stops now that this became necessary. Or so says my OCD.

I donated an e-book of Heirs of War to T.K. Leigh for her 5000 (seriously? 5k??) likes giveaway, so I've been basking in the follows I've been getting for that. I don't know if they will stick, but I hit 200 on my Facebook page today. Yay! I have my own end of the month giveaway planned to celebrate my birthday (30--eep!), and have some great prize backs from the donations I've collected so far. I think I am going to cut off the donation offers on Friday so I can start the giveaway then.

As I mentioned earlier, my personal life is about to get really demanding. That happens with the holidays, right? Hubby and I are going to be spending the next two days cleaning up even more than we did for the Halloween party for when his parents come visit. They are staying with us, and this is the first time we'll be hosting anyone since I put the guest bedroom together. I'm both excited and nervous.

I won't be around next week (or much of this week--heck, I'm still reading WUW posts from last week), but I can't wait to catch up with you guys after Thanksgiving!

What's Up Wednesday, Plus Book Sales!

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join us, you will find the link widget at the bottom of Jaime’s post. We really hope you will take part!

What I'm Reading:
I finished up The Actuator: Fractured Earth by James Wymore and Aiden James (you can find my review here). I was really impressed. I'm finishing up The Curse of Malenfer Manor by Iain McChesney to review tomorrow on the blog. It's a gothic mystery, which is way outside of my comfort zone as reading material goes. But I do love a good ghost story, and so far this is definitely proving to be one.

What I'm Writing:
I am fifteen chapters into the rewrite of Altar of Reality, and so far, so good. I'm really pleased with how it is turning out. I'm using this rewrite as my NaNoWriMo novel, which is a bit of a pain but worth it. Tracking rewrites vs words already written is a bit tedious at times, but so much of it is fresh and new that it is worth it.  


I'm also working on my short story submission for The Borderlands anthology set in the Actuator universe. It got a bit boring and I hit a rough point, but I think I've figured it out. My main character doesn't have enough snark. In fact, she's kinda devoid of snark, which doesn't work for me. Not every main character has to be Zelene, but I do like them to be a bit fun to work with, and for me that means snark. So I'm going to rework that this week, hopefully in time to get some CPs to look over it and tell me what they think.


What Inspires Me Right Now:
The television show Reign on the CW. Man, is this show awesome. It really makes me want to ditch my dystopian and get back to my fantasy world. Reign isn't overtly fantasy, but it does have hints of the supernatural, which I really appreciate. There's political intrigue, a slow burning love triangle, a "castle ghost" in the form of a girl who wears a sack over her head (probably meaning she is disfigured and in hiding, but she's still a source of interest), and the mysterious Pagans in the woods. I wrote a bit more on how it inspires me and why at the There & Draft Again blog. I can't get enough of this show. It's a nice end of the week treat (it airs Thursday nights, but doesn't show up on Hulu+ until Friday morning).

What Else I'm Up To:
I'm still running behind on pretty much everything. I was extremely ill the entire week of Halloween with a stomach flu, and in my fevered state I missed a lot of stuff I was supposed to do. Our Halloween party was pushed back a week (to this past weekend), but luckily my friends and family were still eager to celebrate Halloween with us a week into November. Their costumes were amazing. I put a few of them up on Facebook. Four people came dressed as characters from the Borderlands game, which I haven't played, but want to now just because they looked so awesome.

I'm 25k into NaNoWriMo, so that's exciting. I'm confident I'll finish on time, but I'm hoping I'll finish the book period. Wattpad is actually holding a contest for NaNoWriMo entrants, and I've tagged Altar of Reality to enter. I also have Heirs of War on sale for 99 cents during the month of November since it's my 30th (egad!) birthday this month. So far, not many bites, but I'm not doing much in the way of promotion. I'm trying not to sink any more money into the book until I actually start getting paid. =) And the best way to promote your writing is to? Say it with me now: WRITE MORE. So that's what I'm doing.

And speaking of sales, be sure to check out my next blog post which tells you all about another 99 cent book for today: Seal of Destiny by Traci Douglass. Until next time!

What's Up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join us, you will find the link widget at the bottom of Jaime’s post. We really hope you will take part!


You'd think that not much can change over the course of a week, but it can. So I am back again with What's Up Wednesday to tell you how!


What I'm Reading:
I finished Communion by B. Patterson and absolutely loved it, as I'm sure you can tell by my review. Now I've moved on to The Actuator by James Wymore and Aiden James. This book is such a unique concept and a great amalgamation of different genres. Curiosity Quills is putting together an anthology of short stories that take place in the Actuator universe, and the wheels in my head are spinning away with possible story ideas. If you want more information on how you can submit a short story in the Actuator world for the anthology, check out the Borderlands Anthology page on Curiosity Quills' site. 

Next up I'll be reading The Curse of Malenfer Manor by Iain McChesney to review for his tour. I also had the pleasure of interviewing him, so I'm looking forward to reading his work all the more.

What I'm Writing:
I'm still working on Altar of Reality, but I am ten times more excited about it. I work best by bouncing ideas off of others, and my cousin is one of my go-to people for this. We went on a road trip and she had me read what I have of AoR to her, and then we did a little brainstorming and came up with some awesome ideas that I cannot wait to apply to the story. I thought it only had a few more chapters, but now I am thinking there's much more to the end of this book than I thought. I'm so excited about where this book is going and how it is transforming into a series that it might be a little hard to move back to Heirs of War. I will, of course. But I'll be torn.

Speaking of AoR, my husband has talked me into traditionally querying the book once it is done and polished. I fully intended on self-publishing it like HoW, because, well, I like self-publishing better than trying to go the traditional route. But he thinks it is an easier sell than HoW and it is worth a try, so I'm going to go for it. Unfortunately, it is nowhere near ready for any of the query contests coming up. But there's always next year!

What Inspires Me Right Now:
Talking about AoR inspires me. I've also been rewatching Season One of Arrow with my husband, so that's got me in the "Write some kick ass scenes with people kicking ass" mood. I ditched Revolution for the time being. My cover artist suggested I watch The Colony, and I think I'd rather give that a try than deal with Revolution. I've heard it gets better, but the only character I care about a few episodes in is the uncle, and I'm not sure that's enough of a pull for me to continue watching.

And, of course, I am looking for inspiration from Aiden James and James Wymore so I can write my short story submission for their anthology. =)

What Else I'm Up To:
I can't believe I failed to talk about how awesome my blog tour was last week. It's been ten days since the tour wrapped up, so I think enough time has passed from the stress of it all for me to really appreciate it. I only had a couple missed stops, which really isn't a big deal to me. I didn't contact the missed posters because it was already done and as a tour host, I know how life can get in the way and things can slip under the radar. I still appreciate that they signed up to begin with.

I have been doing so many giveaways that I actually lost track of some. I think I am all caught up now, and ready to give away some more e-copies of the book. I'm still trying to think of a way to do something new and fresh, so stay tuned!

In my non-writerly life, the hubby and I are planning a Halloween party and finally have our costumes. I don't want to say what we are going as just yet because I am so excited to post pictures of our clever idea. It's gonna be awesome! After that, we will be getting ready for the holidays (including my thirtieth birthday--what???) and a trip to Nashville to visit some family. And somewhere in between, I will have finished writing three books before school starts in January.

Until next week...

What's Up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join us, you will find the link widget at the bottom of Jaime’s post. We really hope you will take part!


I've seen this over on Stephanie Allen's blog several times, and keep telling myself I am going to take part. But then I never do. Well, today that changes! Today, I remember that my blog is not only for spreading awesome books around, but for keeping in touch with my readers and friends. So, here goes!


What I'm Reading:
I'm on chapter ten of Communion by B. Patterson for the blog tour by Bewitching Blog Tours. I'm completely hooked. His vampires, the dhampir, are so fascinating and such a fresh take for me. It has been a while since I've read a book narrated from a male MC, but Lester is just so likeable and different from other male MCs I've seen. After I finish up Communion, I'll be reading Actuator: Fractured Earth by James Wymore and Aiden James and The Curse of Malenfer Manor by Iain McChesney.

What I'm Writing:
I'm still chugging along with Altar of Reality. I'm on the final chapters, so I should wrap that up soon. Right now it is sitting at 56k, so it is definitely going to be shorter than I am used to. I think there is definitely a sequel or two ahead for it.

What Inspires Me Right Now
I've been watching Revolution to try to get into a survivalist mindset with Altar of Reality. I'm really inspired by my sister, who is finally sitting down and writing one of her awesome ideas. We were bouncing ideas off each other today, and it was just plain thrilling.
My family has been very inspiring lately. They threw me an amazing release party this past Saturday night, complete with a countdown until midnight and balloons dropping--the whole she-bang. It was awesome, and I am so incredibly lucky to have such an awesome support system behind me.

What Else I'm Up To
I gave up my part time job so I can devote more time and brain power to writing. I hope to have three books written and ready for the editor by January, when I go back to school.
I just released Heirs of War and have been obsessively checking Amazon sales. Luckily, Smashwords only gets reports every quarter or so from its distributors, so I can't do that with anyone else. I've sold 6 books through Amazon, though. Yay!
The hubby and I are trying to come up with cool and unique Halloween costumes since we decided to throw a party this year. I'll keep you guys updated on the progress. =)

And that's it for me today. What have you guys been up to?