WIP IT GOOD!

DL Hammons at Crusing Altitude 2.0 and I welcome you to WIP IT GOOD a bloghop intended to spotlight your [W]ork [I]n [P]rogress. 

I'm actually working on three projects that are in different stages of the writing process. The first one, is an epic fantasy that's still incubating. I want to keep this one all to myself for now. The second, is starting to crawl on all fours, but already has so much potential it makes me want to scream about it from the top of the blogosphere. But alas, this one is still top secret.  (; So that leaves me with my final project to share with you guys today. 

WIP Title: The Falling Witch

Word Count: current: 110,571: projected ~85-90,000. 

I know what you're thinking, that's a lot of words to slauter. Luckily for me, I know which ones to murder. Muwahahah.

Genre: N/A Paranormal/Romance

How long you've been working on manuscript: Too frickin long, which for me means 3.5 years.

Elevator pitch line (if you came across an agent in an elevator, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book): 

Ok, so if I came across an agent in the elevator I'd say: 

"Represent me or I'll stab you in the eye with my click pen."   *clicks twice for effect.*   

How's that? You don't look convinced. Am I giving away too much? I've been told I have a tendancy towards melodrama. . . 

Fine. Then how about this (the super short version):

Twenty-three year old Edessa Scottwood would do anything to find her mother's killer, even if that means becoming a powerful witch and falling in love with the wrong vampire. 

Brief synopsis (250 words or less)

Ok, I suck at writing synopses so here's a brief blurb/description that I was still rewriting this morning! ugggg.....

Under the influence of an evil spell, twenty-three year old Edessa Scottwood had parts of her memory erased. Gone were questions about the mysterious Anchor Protein her mother was working on or the contact who tried to retrieve the protein after her mother was murdered. The spell had Edessa convinced suicide was her last option. She found herself at the edge of a cliff, and jumped. But instead of meeting death, someone or something saved her.  

In a secluded safe-house, Edessa’s estranged aunt reveals the truth about her lineage—Edessa is a witch like all the women in her family before her. With help from her aunt’s coven and a vampire named Ayden, Edessa will unlock her hidden powers and retrieve lost memories. She realizes the only way to get revenge for what happened to her mother is to uncover the importance of the Anchor protein and its connection to a warrior-like witch who is being hunted by a secretive group of vampires. Edessa will do whatever it takes to find the Anchor Protein before it gets into the wrong hands, even if that means traveling across the world with Ayden, a vampire with dark secrets of his own. Many lives depend on Edessa’s success—witches, vampires, and possibly the whole human race. 

Beta reader? Yes! This wip is currently going through a few more targeted rewrites but I'll be looking for one courageous Beta reader willing to suffer read through my ms sometime near the end of July.  

Thanks to everyone sharing with us today and for stopping by and showing support! DL and I are looking forward to reading all about your projects. 

Oh, and one more thing . . . because it's been a while since my last Friday crackmeupology, I decided to post this--

Have a great weekend everyone!

:D

Get Healthy Bloghop

Good Health: The slowest way to die

I want to thank Stephen Tremp, L. Diane Wolfe, Michael Di Gesu, and Alex Cavanaguh for hosting this blogfest. Eating healthy and trying to live a  healthy lifestyle is something I feel very strongly about and I wish more people would take their health and diet more seriously. Most of what I'm going to say are things that people reading this blog already know, which is why I'll try to keep this short because YOU know what's good for you and what isn't. But what baffles me is despite this knowledge, many people still choose to eat foods that are destructive to their health and the environment. Why? Why do that to yourself? Is it a false sense of security in modern technology that makes you think if you get sick, there's a pill you can swallow that'll make everything all better? You have to know that in the long term this is crazy thinking. Right? On top of that, a lot of people who don't value their health are folks I know, they are people I care about, people I consider my friends, it may even be you and you know what? I'd like you to stick around for as long as possible and in the best possible condition. Seriously.

I grew up on a western diet, and having lived in the States for almost twenty years (I now live in France), I'm convinced that the western diet promotes obesety, lifestyle diseases, and puts the planet at risk. One of the problems is that people on a western diet eat too many animal products (by a factor of 10) and don't eat enough plants. Plus, they eat far too many calories than necessary, and most of these calories are absorbed from foods that promote diseases instead of preventing disease. While I'm mostly concerned about people living in the States, the trend is spreading world-wide and is showing up here in France. 

Bottom line, if you want to live longer, in a healthy body, and in a healthier environment, your eating habits must change. And for change to happen, you must make life changing decisions. Getting on a diet is not going to cut it because diets don't work. If you're serious about improving your health and leaving behind a postive impact, you must be willing to change your behavior and your philophy about food. I've made a lot of changes to my eating habits since moving to France. I buy organic (about 80-90% of everything I buy is organic), we have a vegetable garden, I don't own a microwave and haven't used one in over a decade (shocking I know, but you can survive without one).  I cook our meals and have reduced our consumption of red meat. Plus, we don't eat meat at night. Another important thing is EXERCISE. I just recently started exercising six days a week. Anyway, I'm not going to detail all the aspects of my eating habits because it's not perfect and I'm not perfect however, I will leave you with this one piece of  advice for those willing to change their eating habits and get healthy:

INVEST IN A SIMPLE STEAM COOKER

My steamer and cast iron skillet. 

It doesn't have to be fancy with a lot of buttons that'll eventually break down. Simple is best. A steam cooker is easy and versitile. I  make soups in it, cook vegetables in it, and use it to reheat the occasional dish. This is a picture of mine and I use it practically every daily. For cooking vegetables, all you do is put about 1/4 water in the bottom, place your vegetables in the basket on top, cover, and steam cook your food for a few minutes. Vegetables taste different when they are steamed--they taste good, they taste like vegetables! <===this is a good thing! 

Your health is important people. 

You are important. 

Get healthy.

3Ups Bloghop: Krystal Jane

Click HERE for the complete bloghop list. 

As part of Randi Lee's 3Ups bloghop, I have the pleasure of spotlighting writer and blogger Krystal Jane at The Narcissistic Rose: Writer of the Fantastical, Supernatural and Magical. If you don't know Krystal or Randi, please head on over to their blogs. They are both really nice and great bloggers to get to know. 

I recently met Krystal, but after reading some of her posts, and interacting with her a few times, it's clear I'll be stalking keeping a close eye on her blog.  Krystal's posts are well constructed, and articulate, and I think she has what it takes to become a successful writer. 

First, she's a determined and motivated individual. That quality jumps right off the page and it's those kinds of writers that are going to be successful. 

Another quality I like about Krystal is she's honest about her writing. We all go through our little successes and failures along the road to publication and Krystal isn't afraid to talk about what worked and what didn't work for. The writing community is about sharing and helping each other out and Krystal gets that. :)

I also think it's great that she's willing to experiment with her writing. I wish more writers were like that. In some of her more recent posts, she talks about an experiment she did involving the dreaded query process. She also talked about the breakthrough she had when she her main character convinced her to change POV in her story. What I'm trying to point out here is that experimenting, taking risks, and moving outside our comfort zones, will help us grow and develop as writers, and I think Krystal already knows that. 

I'm happy to have gotten the chance to get to know Krystal better and I want to thank Randi for putting together and hosting this special bloghop. You ladies both rock! Oh, and I can't leave without mentioning one more thing. Krystal has a cat named Hamlet, and that, my friends is purrrr awesome.   (= 

CHASING MEMORIES by Tia S Bach

I'm excited to share with you, Chasing Memories by the very talented, Tia Silverthorne Bach. I was lucky enough to beta read an early version of Chasing Memories a few months ago and immediately saw great things ahead for Tia. It's an exciting and well written YA book that weaves in the paranormal with elements from the human psyche--a nice twist for the genre. And check out her amazing book cover designed by Jo Michaels--isn't it great?! 




"E, get out of the way! You're distracting from the cover."

"Oops. Sorry. I can't help it, just look at those eyes! And did you notice the symbol in the letter 'g' of the title?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well I know what it is, but I'm not telling you! You'll have to read the book to find out." 

"Looking forward to it. But can you get off the screen somehow or maybe duck down behind the book cover so we can get a better look at it?"

"Ok. Is this better?"

"Perfect. Now stay."

"Ruff." 

Expected Publication Date: June 10, 2013

Below, is a little more about Chasing Memories to wet your appetite, and some information about the author, Tia Silverthorne Bach. If you don't already know Tia, check out her site over at Depression Cookies. She's a talented writer and an award-winning published author. Plus, she's a genuinely nice person who simply loves the craft. I wish Tia tons of success with Chasing Memories!

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About Chasing Memories (Tala Prophecy, Book 1):

There isn’t another way; not now. The others are coming. I can’t let them have you…

Seventeen-year-old Reagan has a problem: She can’t remember what happened the night her brother was taken. Now, the dreams haunting her from the incident are becoming more intense by the day. All the while, the lines between what’s real and what’s a product of her paranormal-obsessed mind are becoming blurred.

Is she losing her mind or has she just stepped into a world she thought only existed in books? 

Caught in a web of worried parents, competing boys, Wiccan relatives, protective amulets, and psychiatrist babble, Reagan must determine the truth before it’s too late.

Add Chasing Memories on GoodReads

About the Author:

Tia Silverthorne Bach is an avid reader, sometimes runner, involved wife and mother, and rabid grammar hound in addition to being a multi-genre writer. Her three daughters were born in Chicago, San Diego, and Baltimore; and she feels fortunate to have called many places home. She's the award-winning co-author of Depression Cookies, a coming of age story written with her mother. Tia's office is wherever her laptop takes her and any place that's conducive to allowing a wild imagination like hers to flourish.

Please visit her at her blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on GoodReads.

Hold Them Close

The day before yesterday, 

I wanted to be a Ray of Sunshine, 

So that my children may feel the warmth of my light and my affection, 

For they mean the world to me.

So, I took them in my arms and held them close.

Yesterday, 

I wanted to be Love, 

So that my children would know how much I love them and how much they mean to me, 

For they are my world.

So, I took them in my arms and held them close.

Today, 

I want to be an impenetrable Shield, 

So I may protect my children from the horrors of this world and make them feel safe, 

For they mean everything to me.

So, I took them in my arms and held them close.

I don’t know what I will wish for tomorrow,

But at least I know,
It will start by holding my children close. 

--EF

Virgin Atlantic Has Restored My Faith in Airline Customer Service

My next few posts I'll be highlighting parts of my vacation. Some posts will be simple, others will be long (like this one), and some will be just photographs. Now, I know a few of you arn't the biggest fans of vacation posts so, I promise to keep out the cheesy pictures of my feet in the sand. Actually, no I won't. :P

****

Remember when TWA was the top airline in customer service? I don't. Actually, I did fly TWA when I was a wee one. The only thing I remember, since most of that time was spent nose first in the courtesy barf bag, was that passengers always applauded when the plane landed. My mom however, remembers TWA back when it was king of the sky. It was a time when flying was a luxury and it was fun. Unfortunately, when the company went belly up, customer service and the whole unique flying experienced died with it.  

Since then, I've done a bit of traveling and have had my share of flight delays, cancellations, damaged luggage, stolen items, and lost bags. And when my bags aren't the very last ones to tumble down the carousel, they've missed the connection flight. I remember a trip to the US few years ago. I was with my kids and we arrived at Dulles, exhausted, and cranky, only to find out our bags were lost. It took AIR FRANCE FIVE days to find and deliver our luggage. You know what I got for compensation? A care kit. You know, the ones with a comb, mini toothbrush, toothpaste, one-time use deodorant and socks. Because, nothing says 'we're sorry we fucked up and lost your bags' like an ugly pair of unisize socks. It's sad the number of times my bags have been delayed. Then, there was the time I was sick on the plane, suffering from Ménière disease, which is a nasty middle ear viral infection that causes spinning vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus. Basically, every time I turned my head, my world would go into a spin and make me throw up. Anyway, the whole flight was a nightmare and a few hours before landing in Paris, I asked the flight attendant if I could lie down. I was dehydrated, dizzy, and on the verge of passing out. You'd think that on a commercial airline, the plane would be equipped with a cot or some kind of drop-down bed for passenger with medical issues. Well, it was my luck that nothing like that was available so the flight crew laid me on the floor in between cabin sections. Worst flight ever, except for maybe the time I flew to California. That plane did an emergency landing in Texas due to problems with the plane's hydraulic system. And I wonder why I have visions of planes crashing to the ground in a fiery ball of Hell fire. 

Needless to say, I'm not a fan of flying. However, my tumultuous heart and fear of flying seems to have been quieted thanks to my recent flight over to the US. I had planned a family vacation, was on a tight budget, and needed to get four people from Paris, France to Orlando, Florida. For the first time, I chose to travel with Virgin Atlantic Airlines. And guess what? I actually enjoyed my flight. That hasn’t happen since I was . . . 

It all started in Manchester. While waiting to board the plane, all the kids received a tote bag that could be converted to a backpack. Inside were an activities booklet, Virgin baseball cap, a small digital watch, a pen, and a book. So, lesson number 1: you want happy passengers and parents flying on your plane? Give their kids gifts that keep them quiet and occupied. 

 Like the plastic, stylized purple utensils  
I stole found in my carry-on? (; I do.
Remember when airline cutlerly used to be metal? 

Then, there was the food. I felt like I was fed stuffed for 8 hours straight. Right after take-off we were served drinks with cheese pretzels (nomnommnom). Then, dinner was served and holy kazoo-playing zombies, it was edible! I had the Butter Chicken with mixed Basmati Rice, Caesar salad with Parmesan cheese and croûtons. And then we finished it off with Gü dessert. I have no idea what Gü is, only that it tastes better than it sounds. Anyway, I was tickled the food was so good because my previous experiences have been mostly THIS. Anyway, lesson number two: keep passengers happy by keeping their bellies filled and not charging them for a damn soda, ahem--FLYBE! 

Feel Good Kit: Eye cover, toothbrush, toothpaste,
pen, ear plugs, charity donation card, ugly unisize socks.

On the trip back from Orlando, each passenger received an amenities "Feel Good Kit." I wasn't impressed over the contents of the kit (airlines still have a love affair with unisized socks that I will never understand), but what impressed me was that each passenger in economy class received a kit. Rejoice! Everyone gets ugly socks! Note, if you want me to "feel good" pack the kit with gummy bears since the other stuff is probably illegal to have on-board. :P

As for the entertainment, everyone had their own individual touch screen which is pretty standard now on international flights. They had a decent selection of movies, TV series, music, games, and everything you could think of to entertain the kids. And, guess what? The headsets were FREE and they worked! Did you hear that US AIRWAYS?

In the end, what I appreciated the most (aside from not dying in a horrible explosion and having parts of my body scattered for miles over the Atlantic Ocean), was finding our luggage waiting for us next to the carousel when we arrived in Orlando got through US Customs in Orlando. And, when we arrived in Paris, our bags (all 4 of them) were almost the first to come down the carousel--in one piece!

Though I still can't say I love flying, I can say that this trip has tamed some of my apprehension of air travel. Is Virgin Atlantic perfect? No. But Air France, KLM, United, Delta, US Airways and many others can go back to airplane school and take serious notes at what Sir Richard Branson has manage to do with Virgin Airlines in only a few years time. And if you want to read a fun post about Richard Branson, visit Michael Offutt’s post HERE.

So in conclusion, I want to say to Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic Airlines, thank you. Thank you for restoring my faith in air travel and airline customer service. Keep it up and you'll have a loyal customer for life. But for crap's sake, lose the damn unisize socks!  

A-Z 2013 Reflections

Apologies for posting this late. 

I will be traveling all day as my vacation finally comes to an end. ): I'm sad to have to leave the States, but mostly dreading the trip back home. It starts at 4am, then a 12 hour drive back to Orlando, getting on a plane for 8 hours, waiting for a connection for 3 hours, getting on another plane for 1 hour, then driving another 4 hours to get home. Three cheers for traveling on the cheap. The only thing missing is the camel ride and a stiff drink. (; 

The Good

Visiting New Blogs: This really goes without saying. I read many interesting/pee-in-your-pants-funny/inspiring and all out fantastic posts. Wish I could name them all.

Ninja Minion: I enjoyed helping out as one of Alex J. Cavanaugh's  Ninja Minion. Being assigned to a small portion of the list allowed me to give back to the massive bloghop and still meet bloggers along the way.

Daily Posting: As opposed to last year, I came into this years challenge better prepared with short pre-written posts through the letter S. That took a lot of pressure off my shoulders for the first two and a half weeks of the challenge. After that, I was a complete stressed out mess trying to get posts written and published on time. (;

Most Popular Post: This year my theme was to write about the odd, obscure, fascinating, and bizarre things people study in this world by highlighting different 'ologies. With the exception of the A post, R for Rumpology was one of my most popular posts. And I have to admit, I got a kick out of writing it but the comments were by far what made it that much more hilarious!

Comments: Last year I averaged 9 comments per post. This year I averaged almost 40 comments per post. You all spoiled me and were on of the best parts of this challenge. I'm grateful for every single commenter and I did my best to visit and comment back.

Followers: I gained 30+ followers and followed back almost everyone. The only bloggers I didn't follow back were bloggers I had trouble finding their blog links in their profile.

Re-connecting with Bloggers: I didn't get the chance to visit as many blogs as I wanted this year. However, I did forge new connections with several bloggers already in my GFC list. THIS WAS AWESOME. Getting a chance to re-meet and learn more about these bloggers/writers was great and it added a new dimension to the challenge experience for me this year.

The List: I'm happy the list is available so I can continue to visit blogs for the next couple of months. 

The Not So Good

Time: The whole point of this challenge is to visit blogs, meet new people, and support each other during this crazy and difficult blogging challenge. Unfortunately, I had less time to visit blogs this year and that was damn frustrating. I know I missed out on many awesome blog.

Comments: I didn't have the time to reply individually to comments like I normally do. Again, this was a time issue on my part.

Blog Labels: I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of labeling blogs. However, I can see how in a bloghop with so many participants, category labels (codes) can be useful and a time-saver for many bloggers. Unfortunately, I saw some confusion with the codes, specifically concerning the Adult Content label. Though most labels were self-explanatory, the AC label could have benefited from a brief and clear definition set by the organizers before the challenge (maybe there was one set, but I missed it and it seemed I was not the only one). People have varying opinions as to what they consider to be Adult Content or Mature Content. It really bothered me, on many levels, to see so much anger unfold with regard to the AC label and who should or should not have had it attached to their blog. I hope a suitable solution can be found for everyone for next year.

Going on Vacation: Crazy I should put this under The Not So Good category but, here it is. For personal and financial reasons, I planned a family vacation at the end of April. Trying to keep up with a blogging challenge while catching two international flights and working on my beach tan is not easy. *read impossible* I have over 100 emails to sort through when I get back home. YIKES!

Overall

Overall, I had a good experience this year despite a few frustrating moments along the way and will most likely do it again next year. What can I say, I'm masochistic. :P 

A huge thank you to Arlee Bird, the hosts, and organizers for stepping up to the plate and making this another successful A-Z Challenge:

The Madlab Post (Nicole Ayers)

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Leave it to Livia (Livia Peterson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)

Spunk on a Stick (L. Diane Wolfe)

Wip It Good Blogfest

DL Hammons over at Crusing Altitude 2.0 and I are happy to bring you a blogfest that's intended to spotlight your [W]ork [I]n [P]rogress. Our idea is to provide a forum on Friday, May 31st to allow anyone interested to give the blogosphere an avant-goût of your most recent WIP. We'll provide a few prompts to answer in your own post and give you an opportunity to solicite CP's (partners who exchange material for detailed critique--usually chapter by chapter) or Beta  Readers (test readers who read the entire manuscripts and offer broad opinions) if interested.

Here are prompts we'd like you to include:

• WIP Title
  
• Word Count (current and projected)
• Genre
• How long you've been working on manuscript
• Elevator pitch line (if you came across an agent in an elevator, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book)
• Brief synopsis (250 words or less)
• Are you looking for a CP
• Are you looking for a Beta

Grab the badge up top, sign up on the linky tool below, and mark your calendar for May 31st while I channel a little Devo for you--and let's Wip It . . . Wip it Good . . . Wip it Real Good!

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IWSG

This month, I've opted to deal with my insecurities by sticking my head in the sand. I don't want to face them, I don't want to deal with them, I don't want to drone on about them or give them voice. What I do want however, is to unplug for a few more days, enjoy time with my family, and pretend I live in a world where insecurities don't exist. Then, when my vacation bubble pops, and I find myself back home, I'll pull my head out of the sand, and freak out I'll face my  insecurities. But I'm hoping by then, I'll be armed with overflowing positive energy, renewed confidence, cold determination, and a beach tan.  (;