Beyond the Book: I Do and I Don't

This week I'm talking about using notes. Well, I do and I don’t. I bought myself a nice appointment book, and I write down everything there. I do a schedule for my blog posts, doctor visits, outings with friends, etc. If it isn’t in the book, it probably won’t get done. Years ago I could keep a mental list and all was well, but as I’ve gotten older I need a little help keeping up with things. My husband tells me to use the planner on my phone, but by the time he can pull it up, I’ve already opened my book and found what I wanted. Yeah, I guess I’m a little old-fashioned that way, but it does work for me.

What about using notes as I write? This is going to be a fairly short paragraph because the truth is, I don’t usually take any notes. Before I begin writing I see my characters in my mind. I know what they look like and how they feel about the world in general. I name them based on the way I see them in my head so I’m never confused about how they look. I know where I want my story to begin and where I want it to end up, and then I just start writing. Different scenes come to me as I’m writing. As I said, I know where I want to end up, and all I have to do is figure out how to get there.

Would taking notes help? I don’t know. I thought I might try it sometime and see if it made my work better. I could have one of those enormous charts I’ve seen other writers use, full of descriptions, details, and plot summaries. The one thing that worries me about doing that is that I like for my characters to drive the story and take me where they want to go. If it was all written down I wonder if I’d lose some spontaneity.

Authors, what about you? Do you fly by the seat of your pants like I do, or are you a little more organized?

Bandits and Ball Gowns

This post is part of a Cover Reveal Tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Christina Bauer will be awarding a Fairy Tale Charm Bracelet to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

One Prince Finds True Love ... And Risks It All

Elle Cynder has fallen hard for Alec, the 'prince' of Le Charme Jewelers. Time for some happily in their ever after, right?

Not so much.

While the new couple shares joyful moments--and sizzling kisses--serious trouble is brewing. Elle's evil stepmother, Marchesa, schemes with none other than Alec's twisted father, Legend. Their plan? Destroy Elle and Alec, along with everything the young lovers hold dear, including Bry, Knox, and Wilhelm.

Another Royal Freezes His Heart ... But For How Long?

As a prince of the dark fae, Jacoby focuses on one goal: avoid assassination. Marrying Elle would certainly aid in that cause, considering how she's both a Cinderella life template and a powerful fae warden. Even better, Jacoby doesn't truly love Elle. In court life, deep romantic attachments only mean certain death.

Then Jacoby notices Elle's youngest stepsister, Agatha.

For the first time in his life, Jacoby's cold heart warms with true affection. The elven prince struggles to ignore his feelings, but it might be a losing battle. And what would the prince's newfound emotions mean for Elle and Alec? Could Jacoby really stand by and watch another's true love be destroyed?

Buckle up for a wild ride as Cinderella's time-honored story gets some all-new twists.

FAIRY TALES OF THE MAGICORUM

1. Wolves And Roses
2. Moonlight And Midtown
3. Shifters And Glyphs
4. Slippers And Thieves
5. Bandits And Ball Gowns

About the Author:

Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates

Stalk Christina On Social Media – She Loves It!

Blog: http://monsterhousebooks.com/blog/category/christina
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorBauer/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CB_Bauer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christina_cb_bauer/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-bauer-481b12139
Web site: http://monsterhousebooks.com/authors/cbauer

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Worlds of Light: The Cleansing

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Title: Worlds of Light: The Cleansing

Author: J.W. Elliot

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release Date: July 2020

Some secrets are written in ash and fire.

Kell Crawford lives alone with his mother, who has a bizarre fascination with light. When she is murdered by a mysterious stranger, Kell goes on the run to escape the murderer and find the father who abandoned him as a baby. Chasing his mother’s last cryptic message, Kell finds his way into an underground tomb, which transports him to a strange temple where skeletal priests worship the Light and think he is their Promised One. But something has gone wrong. Some other being has possessed a portion of his soul. The priests fear and hate him, and a terrible darkness seeks to claim him—all while an ominous power is growing inside him. Now, Kell must learn to harness that power before he loses everything—even his soul.

James is a twenty-nine-year-old stuck in an older man's body. He loves to paddle his canoe, shoot his handmade longbows in the woods, make knives, study martial arts, and generally enjoys challenging himself. When not teaching or writing about the real past, he is imagining worlds and histories that might have been, should have been, or may yet be.

James has two homes (though only one house)--the mountains of Idaho and the forests of New England--where he canoes, hikes, camps, rock climbs, and shoots the longbows he makes himself. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife. ​

James is a professional historian whose published works include two histories of the Inquisition, a documentary history of Columbus's first voyage, a transcription of a colonial era account book from Weymouth, Massachusetts, and a global history of piracy. This means that he is a professional teller of stories, both real and imagined.

James's favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien, though he will never be able to watch the Peter Jackson Hobbit films again. The first viewing nearly gave him a fit. He loves The Giver and The Book Thief. He has read all the Hunger Games novels, but thinks Katniss should have ended up with Gale. (Sorry Peeta fans.) He enjoys Harry Potter, and thinks magic should be real--so long as he owns the Elder Wand.

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Saturday Sample and Weekend Writing Warriors

Welcome to Saturday Sample and Weekend Writing Warriors. Today we'll continue to share excerpts from Never Trust a Pretty Wolf. On Sunday when you finish here, do go to http://www.wewriwa.blogspot.com for more excerpts from a bunch of great authors.

Blurb:

Liesel Wolf has a secret, a dangerous secret she’ll go to any lengths to conceal. When she’s paired in a charity game with sexy marshal Andy Bryce, a man with secrets of his own, her carefully constructed world comes crashing down, and Liesel’s on a collision course with her past.

Buy link:  https://amzn.to/2KY04Rj

Excerpt: 

Chapter One

Last Week

This week: I'm picking up where we left off last week.

A Beginner's Guide To Wealth Building

 

Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a two-week book tour for A Beginners Guide to Wealth Building by R. LaMont. W. The book tour will run August 10-21, 2020.

            

Genre: Non-Fiction

 

Book Title: A Beginners Guide to Wealth Building

            

Genre: Financial Literacy

                                                        Meet R. LaMont W. 

Retired: Partner at the Institute for Fiduciary Education (www.ifecorp.com). Event planner: International investment education seminars for large institutional pension and endowment funds. 

 

Retired: State of California for 28 years (16 years at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, Investment Officer II). 

 

13 years — Trustee for the Sacramento County Employees Retirement System (SCERS) Retirement Board...6 years — President, African and African American Alumni Association (5A)...3 years — Trustee, Cal Aggie Alumni Association, University of California, Davis...3 years — Trustee for the Cosumnes River College Foundation...3 years — Mortgage Broker, Summit Funding, Currently — Board Member and Financial Education Consultant, Greater Sacramento Financial Literacy Group.

 

Adjunct Professor, “Essentials of Personal Finance” — University of Phoenix, Sacramento Valley Campus, Teacher of the Year).

 

Passion: To share his knowledge of financially literacy through the Art of Storytelling. 

About The Book 

 

“A Beginners Guide to Wealth Building ” is a book on the Fundamentals of Money Management. 

It is written in simple English to demystify the cryptic world of investments including, the importance of income tax deductions, the importance of budgeting, how to construct a stock, bond and mutual fund investment portfolio. You will learn to do a Spending Personality Assessment Review, a technique used successfully for more than 20 years to teach you how to better manage your money. 

This book is transformational. It will empower you to be your own champion and master of your financial universe. You will find this book informative, at times funny and very rewarding. 

 

 

Excerpt

 

Investing Today for a Secure Tomorrow

Defined Contribution Plans (DC Plan(s)) - IT’S A GOOD MOVE!

 

Here are a few of the worst financial mistakes being made today:

25% of people have no savings (1 out of 4 save $0 for retirement).

More people are spending time thinking about vacations than about their retirement.

According to USA TODAY article, having $1 million in retirement savings might not be enough.

 

 

Connect Socially

 

Website       Twitter          Facebook

 

 

 

Purchase The Book 

 

Barnes & Noble     Amazon

 

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Dark Matter

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Alyssa Huckleberry will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

“Survival is light years away.”

Earth is dying. The only salvation for humanity is colonizing space, yet so far that has failed. The last hope for survival exists on a planet light years away…and the mission is fraught with danger. Teenager Selina Alois leads a group of six high achievers who pass the exam of a lifetime to earn a position on the precarious expedition. As the mission launch approaches, dark secrets are exposed about the planet. Further digging reveals a sinister plot that not only risks humanity’s fate but also puts Selina and her team to the ultimate test.

Read an Excerpt

“How did he infect you?” I asked, ignoring Gunther’s other statement.

“Don’t worry, they’re not going to infect you,” Gunther scoffed bitterly. “You don’t have to guard against them.”

“I still want to know,” I pressed. I was surprised and a little bit doubtful that the Heidel beings weren’t trying to infect me. It was a topic I’d revisit after I learned more about infection.

“It’s not a onetime deal,” Gunther explained. “They start small, they interact with you casually, so you feel a false sense of security. They build slowly from that foundation. And then one day you realize you’re infected. I don’t know if it’s that way for everyone.”

I was preparing my next question when a strange look overcame Gunther. His face twisted and he grasped his head in both hands in apparent agony. A pit settled in my stomach as I realized that our topic of conversation was somehow responsible for Gunther’s torment. I didn’t need any explanation to know that the Heidel being was insidiously protesting Gunther’s report.

“Gunther?” I asked nervously.

Gunther ignored me. He squeezed his head tighter and let out a low moan.

“Gunther,” I repeated earnestly, this time leaning forward across the table to nudge my friend, “are you okay?”

Again, no answer. I shook Gunther’s arms and was finally able to elicit a response. But when Gunther looked up, it was with finesse that I’d never seen from Gunther before.

My breath caught and my blood froze. I was sitting across from Gunther the human, but the Heidel being had taken over.

About the Author:

Alyssa Huckleberry grew up in San Diego as the oldest of four children. After earning a business degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Alyssa spent a short time working in finance before transitioning to work in education. Today Alyssa works as a fifth grade teacher and she LOVES her job!

When she isn't teaching or writing, you can find Alyssa running, reading, practicing yoga, traveling the world, or spending time with those dearest to her. She loves spending time outdoors, growing in her faith, and learning new things (hence, the great amount of time spent reading, traveling, and going on adventures!). A true lover of whimsy, she also believes everything is better with a latte in hand.

Alyssa's first novel, Rescuing Racei, was published in 2004 (while Alyssa was still a high school student) and later won the San Diego Book Award for Best Young Adult Novel. Since then, Alyssa published three other books to complete the series: Stealing Splendiferous, Magicus, and The Maleku Map.

The Struggle is Real was an inspired piece written for an adult audience as a stand-alone work. Her latest novel, Dark Matter, is written for a young adult audience. It is the first book in what will be a science-fiction series imagining a future of space exploration!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssa.huckleberry/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3162224.Alyssa_Huckleberry
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Alyssa-Huckleberry/e/B00J8X3RSM/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1

Dark Matter purchase links:

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Matter-Alyssa-Huckleberry/dp/1734419865/ref=sr_1_2
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Matter-Dystopian-Science-Fiction-ebook/dp/B08CS2HPDN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

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Protecting Anna

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Title: Protecting Anna

Series: A Lucky Strike Lovers Novel

Author: Julia Jarrett

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 13, 2020

Cover Design: J.M Walker of Just Write Creations

A snowstorm brought them together, but her past might tear them apart...

Bartender Ryan Carlisle is ready to leave his playboy days behind. He used to believe commitment was something to be wary of but watching his best friend fall in love and get engaged has him starting to think differently. His path to finding love won’t be easy, since the first and only woman to stir his protective instincts and make him dream of forever, is running scared and looking for a place to start over.

When Anna Thorn comes into his pub, desperate for a safe harbor, the last thing either of them expects is the thrill of instant attraction. They’re both trying to move on from their past and find happiness in their future. Together, they must learn to trust, and ultimately, to love.

As Anna’s past catches up to her, their relationship – and her life – will be thrown into jeopardy.

Julia Jarrett is a busy mother of two boys, a happy wife to her real-life book boyfriend and the owner of a rescue dog. She has a passion for writing contemporary romance novels that are full of relatable heroines and the men who fall in love with them. If she isn't writing or chasing kids, she's most likely drinking tea, reading a book and dreaming of a sunny vacation.

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