"Dancing in the Wind" Cover Update

I've been sitting on this for a while because I needed to update things in all of the stores. And then things like writing kept getting in the way. =D

Anyway, here's the new cover for "Dancing in the Wind"!

I also reformatted everything for Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and Smashwords (Smashwords also distributes it to iBooks and some other stores). Things look a little nicer, plus I added some back matter (About the Author, Newsletter Sign-Up, Connect Online, and Other Stories). If you purchased a copy already, you can probably contact who you purchased it from to get the updated version (it's not a new edition, since there were no changes to the story or front matter).

Also, if you've read it and liked it, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads! Reviews are one of the best things you can do for writers, aside from buying their stories and books. ;)

You can also find a snippet on one of my older blog posts, HERE.

That's all I got for today. I hope you all like the new cover. I know I do!

NEXT UP: Chains of Nect: Obsidian's Obsession - Prologue

NaNoWriMo 2012!

Yes, I am attempting NaNoWriMo again this year. Last year I had no hope of hitting 50k, but this year I seriously hope I can finally reach that goal. Most of my writing will likely be done on the weekends. I plan to write a little bit each day though.

I'm approaching NaNo slightly different this year, though. I'll be working on short stories, mainly ones from my Fate, Tarot card based series. I have a couple stories started in that series that need to be finished, plus plenty more that need to be written (I mean, I do need to write 78 stories, and I only have 2 done!).

And I hope to keep updates going on my blog when I switch over stories! I will have my first excerpt from the story I'm working on now ready for Science Fiction and Fantasy Saturday tomorrow. First up is "The Magus" card. I likely won't have titles for the stories until a later time, not unless some slap me across the face - lol.

My current tracker is at the bottom of this post, and I'll make sure to have a new one in each NaNo post for the month. So the previous tracker will stay at the word count I ended at before the next post. =)

Also, please don't forget that my short story, "Dancing in the Wind" is now available for purchase! If you go back two posts, you'll even get to read a snippet, and the purchase links are there as well.

And even though it's NaNoWriMo this month, I am still running Writing Quest - November! So, come on over and join us, whether you are NaNoing or working on other writing goals.

Good luck to everyone undertaking NaNoWriMo! May we all reach 50,000 words!

NEXT UP: SFFS Snippet - 11/3/12

SFFS Snippet - 10/27/12

The barn doors lay open, welcoming the night, but the sky outside was black. No hint of stars or moon. Close to the door, a nail pierced one of the beams that held up the roof. And on that nail hung the silver shoes.

Click, click, click. Tap, tap, tap.

The wind and its tricks made the shoes dance. First they knocked against the beam three times, followed by tapping together another three. A long pause, and then the dance started again. The consistency was eerie.

Excerpt from "Dancing in the Wind".

About "Dancing in the Wind":

The Wizard of Oz is a timeless story that nearly everyone knows about. So what happens when that timeless story is turned on its head? Dorothy is a bully who is thrown into the world of Oz. She gets a taste of her own medicine from a crazy trio of munchkins and the Wizard of Oz himself.

This story received an Honorable Mention in the L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest for the 4th Quarter of 2009.

You can purchase this short story from Amazon, B&N, Smashwords and Kobo!

Please visit Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (SFFS) to read more great snippets!

NEXT UP: Magic is Reality, Reality is Magic - Samhain

October = Break Time!

A day late and a dollar short? Sorry for the delay. My daughter had a field trip early this morning, and I didn't want to stay up late to post last night!

Anyway, as seen from the last post, I'm still in a bit of a funk. I honestly think that the weather is affecting me more than usual even. The winter blues have pounced on me and they are digging their claws in! Therefore, I think I at least need a bit of a blogging break. Only for a couple weeks. I will probably have two more posts this month, then if I do NaNoWriMo, I'll likely be posting frequently in November.

That doesn't mean I'm not going to write. I'm through Chapter 4 for revisions on Dead As Dreams. I hope to revise at least another 10 Chapters, but we'll see how the month goes. I need to get my head and house in order so I'm not worrying about a million other things when I write. Maybe it's time to start meditating again (although if I try that, I may just fall asleep instead).

The Mind Behind the Mind received another rejection, and I hope to send it off to the Harper Voyager open submissions call in the next few days. I also received another short story rejection, so I have a few short stories to push out into slush piles again. One I may need to edit first though. =)

Speaking of short stories, I will be editing and formatting "Dancing in the Wind" and placing it up on Amazon for sale (may also go up on B&N and Smashwords) later this month. I need to finish the cover art for it, and I'm waiting on a friend to help out with some nice art. My initial goal is the 15th, but definitely by the 25th, as long as I get the artwork! I can always change the cover I guess if the art is delayed.

So, that's really what I have on my writing plate. I just need to keep plugging along. The two posts I hope to write up this month will likely be a contribution to Science Fiction & Fantasy Saturday with an excerpt from "Dancing in the Wind" and then on Halloween I'll have another Magic is Reality, Reality is Magic entry talking about Samhain--the first sabbat (holiday) in the Wheel of the Year!

Don't forget about Writing Quest - October!

NEXT UP: Only two more posts in October--one for SFFS (date to be determined) and the other will be a post about Samhain on Halloween!

Summer's Over!

It's September 1, and even though the Fall Equinox isn't for another few weeks, summer is pretty much officially over. This is good and bad. Good because it's no longer sweltering outside (or in my house). Bad because I didn't make as much progress with some things on my to do list, especially in August. August was not a waste, though, as it included much needed family time. I need to have some balance in my life!

Of course, Hazard Yet Forward is still available for purchase, so please if you have a few bucks to spare, buy yourself a great anthology. Not only will you have numerous wonderful stories to read, but you'll be helping a good cause. =)

Since August didn't produce much, I'm mostly going to talk about my plans for September. I'm heaping the goals on my plate!

Dead As Dreams has been waiting patiently for me to dig back in to the revisions, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. After some reverse outlining, notes on the world history, and some character exploration, I hope to get a good chunk of the novel revised in September. I'm hoping I'll finish this revision pass by the end of October, just in time for NaNoWriMo!

In the next month or two, I will also be indie publishing my short story "Dancing in the Wind". It will be available through the Kindle, at the least. This story is a twist on the Wizard of Oz story--a modern Dorothy tumbles into Oz and finds that there are worse bullies than herself, including a trio of evil munchkins, one who happens to fear the color yellow. "Dancing in the Wind" received an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future Contest. I'll be sure to post here when it's available for purchase.

As always, there is a new Writing Quest up for September. If you have any writing goals, even small ones, please join us!

Happy writing, all!

NEXT UP: School Time