Saturday and the house is quiet.

My first week of November challenges went really well. I had 12,ooo words written for my NaNoWriMo thriller/futuristic novel and 7,500 of the second novel, a paranormal fiction with romantic elements for RWA 50/30. I had an idea a day for PiBoIdMo and a few spare and I was sketching something every day for SkaDaMo and the flow on from Inktober31 and I was also keeping up with my 52 week challenge art pieces. A fantastic first week of November. I even had the dishes done. Wonder Woman would barely keep up.

insert some dramatic music here....

Then came week two and guess what. My 4 month old grandson came to visit without his parents. I forgot how often babies cry and how little they sleep. I know a four month old sleeps sixteen to twenty hours a day, it says so in the user manual. What it failed to mention is that they do so in twenty second bursts and want to be fed, changed, cuddled and put down for their next twenty seconds. I am seventeen years out of practice at babies. My giant 29 year old actually deigned to entertain the baby on one occasion if you can imagine a six foot four -and-a-bit, pale as a ghost games programmer with sandy red hair and bushy mutton chops, dangling a rattling toy a metre above the baby's head as the baby wriggled and kicked on the bed gooing and gurgling and thoroughly mesmerised by the giant at the edge of his focus ability. My daughter(teenage angsty girl), who has had virtually no experience with babies was curled in a foetal position weeping because I had left her with the baby for seventeen seconds longer than I promised. The other lad, also six foot fourish and also without baby experience looked like I had handed him an unpinned grenade when I plopped the baby in his arms. It has been a very interesting week. I adored having the little one with me but I surely missed sleep while he was here. He is the cutest, sweetest little person with a happy disposition and a delightful chuckle. His smile melts hearts. I shall miss him now that his Mumma has collected him though I am going to reacquaint myself with sleep.

Of course, during his visit my writing counts dropped to zilch, nada, nix, none, zip, not any, naught, nothing what so ever. Next week I will have to do double time to catch up. That equals around 7,000 words a day for a week if I wish to get back on target. Wish me luck.

I did manage to squeeze some art into the twenty second windows of opportunity so I shall share that.

 I tried out my new ink markers on this piece.
I have been making art daily for over a year now and I can see the growth in my work. I have said this before but I am finally seeing the benefits of constant practice. This is for week 46 of the 52 week challenge. The theme this week is Circus.

 My young friend Laura gifted me with a box of metallic pencils and I felt that they would be perfect for this week's theme. The card is only A6(about the size of a post card) so these pieces are quite small. I was delighted with the affect the metallic pencils have on the black background.

This was my favourite of the three pieces in metallic pencil. I love the bronze and silver and the lines of the body. I looked at a lot of images of circus performers to get a feel for the eventual picture I had in mind and made preliminary pencil sketches in grey on white paper. I am in awe of the health and beauty of performers who can do the most amazing things with their bodies.

My Little Circus

woman on balance pole

  

So did I do more art than that? Yes I did. I decorated several calico panels for a memory quilt for a one year old and I did many quick sketches of circus things and animals, leaves and fairies and things a child might like. I am putting most of them on my Pinterest page which can be reached via my gallery button on the right. 

I attended a book launch on Monday evening. This was for the Warrnambool Writers Group anthology. This was my final anthology as I made myself a promise I would not longer contribute to anthologies. (This was also the occasion in which I asked my daughter to mind the baby.) The anthology is filled with delightful stories and is of a high standard. I am quite pleased that my last anthology is filled with good quality writing. The title 'Flotsam and Jetsam" was the suggestion I anonymously tendered for the group to vote on. It was one of several suggestions and I am quite pleased that mine was selected. The working title was 'mixed grill' which did not suit the eventual maritime and semi historical theme of the collection. 

The nicest thing about this anthology is that I received a free copy. No other anthology of the thirty I have contributed to has given me a free  hard copy. I have two PDF versions. Unfortunately I do not own copies of several anthologies simply because I have not been able to afford to purchase them. I did win a three volume set in a writing competition which was wonderful. The costliest part is the postage from outside Australia. It is usually much more than the price of the actual book. Several anthologies I have contributed to are ranking quite high in their categories even months after release so I am supposing that they are selling. With some anthologies the expectation is that the contributors purchase dozens or hundreds of copies at a reduced price and then sell them on to friends and families and their local book store on commission. I am happy if I can purchase one for my own shelf. I am not keen on the idea of self publishing simply because I don't have the energy of a nuclear power plant to be able to do all the business side of publishing by myself. The people I am seeing succeed in self publishing are dynamos and power houses and I am sleep deprived enough as it is. So no more anthologies. 

Which reminds me, I should pop over to my Goodreads author shelf and add two more books. One as a contributing author and one as a contributing illustrator.

Keep warm, keep well, keep reading.

Getting ready for November

http://taralazar.com/   Oh my goodness a year has rolled around and it is time to sign up for all my favourite November challenges.

Last year I signed up for Tara Lazar's PiBoIdMo, also known as Picture book idea month, a month to try and generate thirty first draft picture book ideas.

It is my second year and the sixth year since the challenge's inception. Last year I managed to pluck 45 ideas out of the quagmire that is my mind. I also met some fabulous people and learned a whole lot more about the picture book community and the building blocks of making good reading for little people. It is a learning curve I am still on and through the networking of PiBoIdMo I also discovered some amazing people, communities and forums which are helping me polish my craft. I went on to join Julie Hedland's 12 X 12 (12 picture book drafts in 12 months), Christie Wild's 14:14 (fourteen picture book reviews in 14 days http://christiewrightwild.blogspot.com.au/), Picture Book Marathon (http://picturebookmarathon.blogspot.com.au/), Angie Karcher's Rhyming Picture Book Month (http://angiekarcher.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/rhypibomo-2014-ends-with-confetti-fireworks-and-champagne-for-everyone/), Susanna Leonard Hill's (http://susannahill.blogspot.com.au/) many fabulous opportunities for art and writing and so many more amazing people who generously give their knowledge and skills to help others hone their own stories.  The list grows with each successive month as I explore my new writing and illustrating career.

Last year I hit the ground running, scattered, disorganised and flying by the seat of my pants. As the month rolled along I had to get organised in a hurry because I was also involved in three other challenges. SkaDaMo, NaNoWriMo and RWA 50/30. By the end of the month my eyes had ceased working, my ankles were swollen, my eating habits had become akin to 'nerdy computer single man in flat pizza addict' and I had 104000 words, 45 picture book ideas and 30+ sketches. NOT RECOMMENDED! DO NOT DO THIS especially if like me you are also working a day job and have children. I do not believe one skerrick of housework happened last November.
So this year I have planned ahead.
*I have a folder (hard copy) with a nice neat chart in it with space for dates titles and idea descriptions. I also have a running sheet on my computer.
*The folder has a print out of the PiBoIdMo logo for this year in the front pocket. All my folders for different challenges are now labelled like this.
*I have picture book dummy sheets (30) printed out and slipped into each pocket
*I have an idea sheet that has space for a title, a character description, conflict description, a hook, a synopsis and a box for research/bibliography and a sentence about what the character wants.
*I quit my day job and all my kids are old enough to look after themselves next month.
*I plan to warn all family and friends I am unavailable in November for any reason- births, deaths, weddings, funerals, birthdays...fires, floods and rampaging aliens. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!
*I have pizza on speed dial
*I have a pedal exerciser under the desk
 *I had my eyes checked, bought a book on eye exercises and have reading glasses (four sets so I can find them when I need them)
*most importantly I have BETA readers and critique partners

So the best laid plans of rodents and two legged rodents aside I am ready. I hope. I think I am, maybe I am ready, okay I am planned for readiness and yes I am doing the other three challenges. Good luck everyone in finding fabulous ideas and making them into amazing stories.

Oh I forgot, I did Movember last year to raise money for men's health so I am planning to wear a fake moustache again and get a Movember page happening so if you are interested in supporting a good research cause come find me and donate your spare change.


http://taralazar.com/

three months old today

My little grandson is three months old today. It has been a very busy three months.

How quickly they grow and become aware of the world around them. This little guy has perfected a particular type of cooing when he wants me to sing to him and I am so grateful to have had such a close association with him that I am able to tell that is what he is communicating. He enjoys when I sing and i enjoy singing to him. I found a book of 1001 popular tunes in an op shop just recently, the newest tune is from 1967 and the oldest was copyrighted in 1887 and interestingly I know a large proportion of the songs in the book. My grandson is beginning to learn them too. He doesn't like songs in a minor key and he is not keen on slow pieces. He bounces about and smiles, waving his arms and cooing loudly if I sing upbeat bouncy tunes in a major key. Already he is developing his own tastes. These early developmental stages are so incredibly important in setting the foundation for our children and their future. I was especially happy at an announcement by the government that in establishing a national curriculum, music will takes its place again as a foundation subject at the early stages of schooling. Music is such an intrinsic part of our world culture that it seemed almost insane that previous governments and school systems would devalue it and even remove it from the curriculum. Music stimulates the brain as no other activity can. I am doing my little bit and singing to my grandson.

So Inktober continues and here I have days 9 - 14 for your viewing pleasure. One of the difficulties with being away from home is that i can only take a limited amount of my art gear and I am reduced to uploading my art via my mobile phone, which is not idea for many reasons not least of which is my strained eyesight however I am pleased that I have a short amount of time each day to dedicate to producing some art.

 Day 10 theme is Cycle so I drew the water cycle; that old standby of science teachers everywhere. I think I will enjoy doing a colour version of this for grand baby's wall at some time.

 Day 11 Lock, many of the participants drew some magnificent locks including water locks. I used fine tip markers for my lock and key. Unfortunately this picture does not do it justice and I will have to scan it properly.

Day 12 is Fresh. and I decided fresh breath fitted the theme. Once again using fine tip markers. Day 13 was Dragon and I do like my dragon on a turret.

 

Today I am drawing some fern leaves for the day 14 theme, Fern. I am not finished yet and I have some other art to complete for a deadline so I will get that done shortly. 

Portland has been interesting. I found a set of stairs going up a cliff and decided I needed to jog up them. I made it to the first landing after about 25 steps, wheezing and gasping and clinging to the rail. A gentleman passed me at a slow and steady pace and wished me a good morning. I managed to gasp out a response and said I hoped I made it to the next landing and off I went. Eventually I made it to the top of the cliff with the gentleman passing me at his slow and steady pace going up and down. My thighs screamed protest at me as I began my descent. My lungs almost went on strike and as for my pour pounding heart well it put the percussion section of the greatest orchestra to shame. The gentleman suggested slow and steady and build up to jogging. I crawled across the sand of Nun's beach, narrowly avoiding nesting plovers in the small grassy islands and gasping dragged myself into my car vowing never to exercise again. 

 How do plovers survive? They lay their eggs on exposed pieces of ground in the middle of parks, beaches, playgrounds, highway median strips and schools then think some squarking, fake injuries and occasional swooping with deadly intent is going to help them raise a brood of chicks? Crazy birds but they are around so something works for them.

This morning I backed the car out of the drive at 6am, began to drive toward the east and flipped down my visor. This landed in my lap, or its twin did. I hit the brake only it was the accelerator and did some fancy break dancing and hit a note somewhere at c above c above middle c almost shattering the windscreen, found the brake, leaped out of the car doing yet more fancy dance moves and brushed the poor creature onto the bitumen and watched it go into the spider equivalent of the foetal position. I apologised to the spider for the agony its innocent leap landed it in, climbed back into the car and drove on. Irrationally I could not then flip the visor back down, knowing the spider was gone I could not bring myself to flip it again. Totally irrational behaviour but I simply could not do it. 

Interestingly my blood pressure was very high around the time I made it to my doctor appointment. Hmmm I wonder what caused that?

So more art. This week the theme for the 52 week challenge is Black and White and here are my contributions.

This one is titled 'friends' and is inspired by a photograph of two models. I will add the link to the original when I locate it again.

 This is a Gown and is done on bleed proof paper with liquid ink and brush as well as finger smudging. Then I used fine liners and a white ink pen. I didn't like the paper.

 Masque. A mixture of graphite, ink, fine liner, markers and pencil on bleed proof paper again.

 This is the cover of my black sketch pad. Occasionally I like to explore white on black and I was using my white ink pen on the plastic cover of the pad. It was an odd sensation drawing on plastic. This is titled Moonlight.

The happy and sad theatre masks are done in fine liner on cartridge paper.

This week my friend Melissa is having a launch of her book 'Swallow me now' at the Oakleigh library in Melbourne. I would love to be there to support her but I may still be in Portland and not sure if I can do the 7 hour round trip in a day. The book contains a number of pieces of art by me. The girl on the cover, 'Sam', is my creation based on the character in the story.
When: Saturday 25 October, 2014. 1 – 2pm
Where: Oakleigh Library, 148 Drummond Street, Oakeigh, VIC, 3166
Children and adults are very welcome to attend!
 http://melissagijsbers.com/swallow-me-now-invitation-to-a-book-launch/

 So a busy week as usual and of course I managed to come up with an idea for 12 x 12 October picture book. Now I just have to develop it and write it up and do a few drafts and then see if I can send it out into the world. So far this year I have managed about 45 ideas with some research, some rhyme, some prose and some complete drafts. Some of the stories are in their tenth draft, some have gone out to critique groups, some are gathering dust motes and some are just waiting for the right moment to jump out at me.

I am going to do PiBoIdMo again this year and see if I can come up with 30 more ideas in November along with SkaDaMo(30 sketches) NaNoWriMo (a novel in 50,000 words in a month) and of course RWA 50/30 except this year I will make NaNoWriMo and RWA be the same 50k.

I am going to finish off with some pictures of the curators cottage in the Portland botanic garden.

 This is the entry gate to the gardens.

 The cottage itself is a little museum filled with interesting items donated by locals and cared for by the historical society of Portland (Sorry Gwen and Margaret if I got that wrong) and of course open to the public for a nominal donation to help with upkeep. It is personned by wonderful volunteers who share their wealth of knowledge about the items on display, the cottage and its occupants. Their enthusiasm for preserving this little piece of history is commendable. Thanks to Gwen and Margaret for giving your time. The offset chimneys are noteworthy.

According to the tales, William Allitt and Henry Hedges had no children but Joseph Couch did and according to local legend it is said when he asked where his children were to sleep the local council replied "We are not in the business of housing children". They did however pay to have the cottage extended from one down stairs room to two. Three rooms in all, two downstairs and one upstairs, a narrow flight considered dangerous to the public in today's litigious standards, plus an out house, a camp oven and a woodshed. It makes me appreciate my modern abode. What a garden for the children to play in though, with two croquet lawns and  all the trees they could climb.

On that note my lovlies I shall finish up and drive back to Portland. Farewell and have a wonderful week.

Fifth of July

Today is the fifth of July. It is 2.16am and my sleeping patterns are all over the place. I have been pinning my art work on boards on Pinterest and it takes a lot of time. It is amazing to me to see my art work all in one place and to realise just how much art I have been doing this past year. Like my writing I am trying out all sorts of new things and having a forum like the 52 week challenge I am able to feel encouraged and supported by the 1900 other artists from around the world who are also contributing their art as they too try new things and brush up old skills. When we don't have enough place to share our art we can make it and Tania McCartney has done a wonderful job of providing that space. Now she has two assistants to keep it all in line as it grows exponentially week by week.

My gallery button now takes the click through to my pinterest. I have started putting in boards for my anthology contributions and wall murals past and present. It will take a while for me to upload it all but I will feel better once it is done.

here are this weeks art pieces for the theme SNOW

a snow gum in fog. Copic markers and pencil

 a snow scape. Copic markers

snow fairies, copic markers

Mixed medium, copic markers, chalk pastels, gouache and pencil

then I did a little cropping and enhancing with digital which I haven't had a lot of time to learn effectively.



I am in the middle of making art for another writer who has a middle grade book well along the track of being publishing ready. It is a fascinating journey to work with another author to try and produce the images that are her vision. It adds a whole new perspective when trying to make an image that is satisfactory to two people.

I think I almost have it though.



Last month I entered the Romance Writer's of Australia 50/30 as I have mentioned and at the 30th June had written 81101 words. I finished off one novel and began on a new one. the new one is almost at 50k already with the 5k I have written so far this month.

This one feels like a trilogy in the making as I have a whole cast of characters and some interesting plots lines to weave together.

I am going to make a wish board and put on it the kind of things I hope and desire for the future.

Oh another rejection today (that makes ten), the story I pitched to Allen and Unwin's Friday Pitch did not elicit a response so I shall pop that in my rejections folder and start hunting for a new potential home.

Oh dear it is 2.30 now and I need to sleep so I shall finish up here. Looks like once a week is where my blog is going to sit. Hugs everyone.

Saturday 28th June

Today I wrote enough words to be 55 words short of my 70,000 word goal for the Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) 50/30 challenge which is a challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I surpassed that and set my goal at 60k then 70k and today I upped it again to 75k so I have 5055 words to write in two days.

I gave up on meeting my WOW NonFicPic goals of writing 7 non fiction first drafts for children. I had the seven ideas from MiniWOW but I could not dedicate the time to writing a good first draft while I was so immersed in my new novel (or novels) and also trying to meet an art deadline.

The 52 week art challenge has grown to 1900 participants from around the world and watching the art go up each week it a complete joy. Tania McCartney asked us to tell her how many pieces of art we had done since joining the challenge and three words for what it means to us. The words were things like Inspiring, Hope, Alive, Joy, Meditative, Love, rediscovery and so many more. For all the participants the art challenge has become a way to rediscover their art skills and the joy of creating art. It is also a safe and supportive environment to challenge ourselves to try new art medium and to inspire each other to look at the world in a different way.
I counted up mine thinking I had created about 60 art pieces for the challenge when in fact I have done more than 170.

This week the theme is Clouds. Here is my latest cloud. A revisit to cross hatching.

 

I have signed up for next month's Camp NaNoWriMo and intend to continue the novel I started this month in RWA 50/30. I feel a series happening or a very big single title. I shall keep you posted. 

Wild and Windy Warrnambool

Firstly I am freezing. I will gain no sympathy I suppose from those in the northern hemisphere where cold is a way of life but here in Australia there are not too many places that get very cold or experience snow. Today the wind chill factor was minus 6 and there is a cloud formation similar to a cyclone over the Tasman sea sending winds of over 122km/hr onto the coast. Windows have been blown out of houses, aerials flying around the town and landing in my back yard. Plants uprooted and trees over the road.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mb985dU55c#t=12 (video on youtube of the breakwater today)

Martins Point Carpark and Ocean Drive at The Passage are currently closed to traffic.
The 986hpa Low which looks like a cyclone in Bass Strait. It is delivering cyclonic wind gusts up to 122km hr to South West parts of Victoria.
 There have been some truly awe-inspiring shots from the storms this morning, including these two from Dan Atkinson, who was at the Warrnambool breakwater at just the right moment. Wow. We are sure it is just a matter of time until these start appearing as posters for sale, and so they should! Well done Dan! www.bluestonemagazine.com.au


and 38 pictuers on our local newspaper website Take a look.
http://www.standard.net.au/story/2371753/wild-weather-warning-for-south-west/?cs=72#slide=25 

Life has been busy. I passed  61000 words on my tally with the Romance Writers of Australia 50/30 challenge and have reset my tally to 70k. I am very excited about this new story. It has all sorts of mischief and mayhem not to mention magic and mystery.

This week on the 52 week challenge, several participants found themselves winners of awards in a competition for children's literature illustrators. Very exciting for them. The theme this week was dots and I put up my pictures of the Iris several days ago but I also did three other pictures and here they are. The daffodils are a present for my sister.

I quite enjoyed this week's theme and found using dots to be a very therapeutic activity.

Next week (starting tomorrow) the theme is clouds. That should be fun.I quite like clouds however I do have a commision to produce art for another writer and I have a deadline to meet so my clouds may have to wait until I have completed the other art first.

Speaking of art, I used my piece from the architechture week to put on my new business cards. They arrived in the post this morning and I am very pleased with them.

I was so excited to make them and have them arrive. I have found recently that business cards would have made interacting and networking a sight more professional if I had had them to hand  around. Now I have them and I can. No more need to scramble around in hand bags for pen and paper and then try to spell out the email and name four times.


I submitted another novel to a publishing house and am trying not to be nervous about it. keeping busy helps. I keep a tally of my submissions through a facebook group called sub six. it is predominantly for picture book writers but I use it to keep a track of how ofen I am sending work into the world.

I vowed no more anthology pieces though. I have made a gargantuan effort to send work out to anthologies this past year but they don't seem to be generating the kind of interest or feedback that I had hoped. They have added to a portfolio of published work for me to speak of and they have given me an opportunity to find outlets to try different genres so I have written Christmas stories, mermaid stories, fairy stories, stories of hope, horror, humour, romance and fantasy, science fiction and non fiction. Picture books, adults and teens. I have enjoyed writing every story. I have won some competitions and plenty of little prizes that make me smile but now I am settling down and thoroughly enjoying the longer pieces, the novels that really let me explore a world and plot and characters. I am engaged in the kidlit world through monthly challenges, SCBWI, 12x12 and  WOWNonFicPic, Chapter Book Challenge, 14:14, Feb Picture book marathon, Revision Month, start the year off write, Rhyming picture book month and so much more, there is a plethora of challenges for anyone who really wants to dive in head first into the world of story writing and I have tried so many things and studied up on all sorts of aspects of writing and publishing. I have also had my fingers burned by vanity publishers, dodgy small press and some shonky characters and thank goodness I am not young and impressionable or so desperate for other people's approval that I would fall into the glib trap of the grooming techniques they play.

There are some lovely people running quite legitimate small press because they love books and writers and want to be there but it is always important to look before leaping and do some research before signing on the dotted lines. Double check those contracts and get advice. Don't take the first offer because of the excitement of being published the first time.

It has been a wonderful 18 months of exploration and I am anticipating a good long career ahead.

I joined the local Warrnambool Writers Group and I volunteered to put a FB group together for them. They are also doing an anthology with will be the last one I contribute to.

My blog has had to take a back seat to the novel but i will be here a couple of times a week.
Anything else exciting to tell you? I am sure there are some things and I will pop them on the next blog entry. Keep safe and warm or safe and cool depending on where you are. Love and hugs.

not quite a whole week but a busy one- launch pending

Monday: I attended the Warrnambool Writers Group which I had found through the FAW website. It has taken me months to find a day to go and say hi and finally I did. At 1pm in the Archie Graham Centre in Timor street on the first Monday of the month usually unless a public holiday falls as it did this month. I paid $2 to the centre to cover insurance and from next meeting will pay $2 to the group to fund events such as a book launch. The group is preparing an anthology titled "Mixed Grill" to denote the mix of stories and styles already being submitted although they hoped to have a maritime theme running through the stories. A face book group is in the planning stage and should push the group to a wider audience. I also write several thousand words on my new WIP and sprinted in the RWA sprint room and put my word tallies in the 50/30 forum on the RWA website and some encouraging words for others.

Tuesday was quite busy. Enrolling darling daughter in Distance Education and taking her to the eisteddfodd so she could play her sax with the school band to compete against the other contenders.
I also had morning tea with friends, gooed and chatted in a high pitch to a cute baby, ordered a blanket for another baby to be, took the washing to the laundromat to get it dry, organised for the sheep to find a new home with more grass and wrote several thousand more words on my new WIP. I also looked at options for submitting my novels and contract details, potential for a shorter story which needs another 10k to be submitted to a new home and cooked dinner for the kidlings.

Wednesday Missed my public speaking night looking for a book I didn't have :( enrolled daughter in distance ed and had a phone call confirming her choices. Visited and had visitors. Wrote another 2.5k on my older wip needing upgrades.

Thursday: Daughter to band. She is allowed to stay with the band even though she has transferred to distance ed. Did a pointillism piece of art titled: Iris for the 52 week challenge week 25 Dot

 I had to photograph the canvas because it was too big to scan.

 This is the detail of on of the Iris. I used copic markers on primed canvas.

 Another of the details.














and of course there is another release party for an anthology in which I have two pieces of work. The following is code stuff made by Catherine and I hope it works when I publish this bit. If not I will come back and edit...oooh I just learned where to put code in future so it works. Thanks guru net nerd techie person.

Step into the realm of the fairies, where darkness and light come together to create a world full of mischief and magic. A place where pixie dust and brownie favors are often counter balanced by the sinister temptations and mad schemes of the darker side. Here, you can choose to walk with the heroes or be carried away by the fairy lover of your dreams. Just be careful not to fall too deeply, you may never come home.
In this collection, ten talented authors have come together to bring you sixteen fantastical stories of the lighter and darker sides of the fae. The product of this collaboration is an incredible journey into a world that will whisk the reader away on gilded wings, but might not let them go
 

Fairy Rules by Lexi Ostrow: Sometimes the rules are meant to be broken.

Darkness Rules by Lexi Ostrow: Darkness starts in the soul.

Bellafina by Shannon Eckrich: Love is the key to unlocking the magic inside our hearts

Soul Seeker by Shannon Eckrich: His soul wasn't for the taking, but his heart was


Wings of a Butterfly by Zoe Adams: Falling in love is a punishable offence...


FM by Andrea L. Staum: We all Need a Little FM

Keeper of the First Book by Andrea L. Staum: One word can change one's destiny


A Bird in Hand by Shebat Legion: A Fairy Tale

Saltwater by Shebat Legion: Am I adopted?


Don't Let Go by Katherine Wilburn: Keep your friends close...


Champion of the Forest by Lillie J. Roberts: One will answer the call...


Bringer of Light by Cecilia Clark: Revenge and love cannot share the same place.

Finding Us by Cecilia Clark: Be warned—If you push too hard, the family will push back.


Broken by Catherine Stovall: Sometimes it takes being broken to heal.

We Danced by Catherine Stovall: Every night we danced, and every day I wasted away.

Purchase Link: Amazon

Don't miss out on the great Facebook Release Party happening today at 7:00pm CDT! Click here to join!

About the Authors:

Shannon Eckrich ~ Born and raised in Delaware, Shannon Eckrich lives with her husband, two children, and chocolate lab, Chewy, along with her newest addition, Taylor, a spunky little kitty who loves to terrorize her while she’s writing. Shannon’s second love is the paranormal. Ghosts, angels, vampires, aliens, immortals, it doesn't matter, she’s obsessed with it all, which is why she’s compelled to write stories in the paranormal genre.

Cecilia Clark ~ Cecilia Clark has had a number of short stories and flash fiction published over the last year along with numerous art works. She writes everything from mild horror to children's tales and is especially fond of fractured fairy tales. Her recent works can be found on her Goodreads and Amazon author profiles and her daily ramblings can be seen on her blog http://ceciliaaclark.blogspot.com.au Cecilia has previously had one story and one piece of art published with Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly.

Shebat Legion ~ Shebat Legion's many stories include "Dree, On Wednesday," for Hoblin Goblin; Sha'Daa Facets: I Am Anastasia's Bracelet, written in collaboration with Michael H. Hanson; "Ophie and The Undertaker," for Dreamers in Hell, the latest volume in the award-winning Heroes in Hell series and "The Cast Iron Skillet" published by CHBB. She is the author of Vampire Therapy: Chronicles of The Cat's Ass Boutique, which includes "A Cat's Ass Christmas," "A Cat's Ass Valentine," and "Lilly Brings Home A Leprechaun." She is the producer of the anthology Klarissa Dreams: The Art of Klarissa Kocsis. Shebat Legion is the author of Vampire Therapy: Jackson and Eva, and is presently at work on book two of the Vampire Therapy series called "Elizabetta."

Catherine Stovall ~ Catherine Stovall is the author of Faire Eve, The Requiem of Humanity Series, Arcana: The Maiden, and the short stories, Fearful Day, Bloody Freedom (Broken Mirrors, Fractured Minds Anthology), Condemned to Die, and The Freak (Cirque D'Obscure anthology). She also has the privilege of being the editor and a contributor to the Cogs in Time Anthology--where you can find her short story, Wren City, and a poem entitled The Cogs in Time, and the Rise of the Goddess Anthology--where you can find her story, A Goddess's Revenge. Catherine is a fearless creature who surrounds herself with the joys of life both in and out of her fictional worlds. She lives in Southeast Missouri with her husband, three children, and pets. When not writing, she spends her time riding motorcycles, wearing elaborate hats, and genuinely enjoying the oddities in life.

Mariana Thorn ~ Fueled by Coffee, Mariana Thorn creates worlds that are action packed and full of snark. With her little dog, Tony Stark, by her side she tortures her characters. Fur, Fangs, and Fairies is her first published series. It’s filled with everything that goes bump in the night and then some. Urban fantasy is Mariana’s main genre but she also dabbles in fantasy and mystery. She looks at her story and goes, well how can I make this worse for my characters. Mariana’s love of writing hit at a young age. She was always writing stories and never dreamed of publishing them. Then one day not long ago, she looked at her books and went: I need to share these with the world.

Lillie J. Roberts ~ Lillie J. Roberts is a multi-published author who loves to read as much as she does to write. You can most often find her lost in her favorite genre or maybe she's writing one. She writes Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Chillers/Thrillers, Suspense from Modern Contemporary to New Adult and YA. She lives in central Illinois with her husband, three children, one wild Westie, and a wicked cat. She loves movies and listens to them while she writes, as well as all kinds of music. Some of her favorites are mentioned in her books.

Andrea L. Staum ~ Andrea L. Staum is author of the Dragonchild Lore Series, The Attic's Secret and contributor to several anthologies. She holds an Associates in Supervisory Management, is a certified motorcycle technician, and an amateur house renovator. She lives in Southwest Wisconsin with her husband and three 'unique' cats.

Lexi Ostrow ~ Lexi Ostrow has been in love with the written word since second grade when her librarian started a writing club. Born in sunny southern California she's spent time in various places across the country and can't wait to settle down somewhere in the French Quarter when she's able too. Lexi has been a writer ever since the second grade in some form or another. Getting her degree in creative writing and her master's in journalism she couldn't wait to get a chance to put her fantasies down on paper. Her debut novel, Torn Between Two Worlds is something that was simmering in her mind since middle school and she's so grateful to put it out into the literary world. From paranormal romance to thriller there isn't a genre she doesn't love to spend her time reading or writing. Reading and writing are her first loves but her passion for shopping, love for yummy food and her love for all her many pets. She hopes to one day help other readers fall in love with writing as she did.

Zoe Adams ~ Zoe Adams hails from a seaside town on the east coast of England. Books and writing are her passions, and this has led to her gaining a degree in Professional Writing. Zoe takes inspiration from different cultures and their rich mythology. This is evident in the Shōjō series, beginning with Best Served Chilled. When not reading or writing, Zoe indulges in a healthy obsession with anime, spending time with her family, and listening to a wide variety of influential music. Amongst other things anyway. With her alternative mind, who knows what she will write next?
K.R. Wilburn ~ KR Wilburn has traveled the world with her family but currently calls Fairbanks Alaska home. When she isn't writing, she is reading everything she can get her hands on. She is the mother of six crazy, creative and hilarious children and married to her childhood best friend and hero Ben. When she isn't busy with family you can find her counting down the moments until she can find inspiration capturing the perfect Aurora through the lens of her camera.
— with Catherine Stovall.

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