NaNoWriMo – A Tale of 50,000 Words in Thirty Days – WOW!
Along with millions of writers around the world, (okay maybe not millions, but close) I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWrimo).
UPDATE – Day twenty-five and I’ve logged 50,520 words. Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner. Even better only two chapters left to write! Yippee!
A challenge to
write fifty-thousand words in thirty days. For weeks, our minds have worked out the logistics of the story, our fingers are twitching to tap that keyboard and kick off the race to our latest novel. The National Novel Writing Month challenge is a great confidence builder and something we writers look forward to November 1st every year.
NaNoWriMo as it’s fondly referred to has become somewhat of a tradition for me starting in 2010. I’ve made my goal of at least 50,000 words every year since with the exception of 2013. That year I failed miserably at only 17000 words. My day job was a monster, the hours were long,and by the time I arrived home, I was the monster. Anyone know what I mean? But I digress, at 17,000 I still had a working story, plot and characters. Yeah! Finished it up in the months that followed, polished the manuscript and submitted it. Since that time, I left the monster of a day job and writing is now my full-time job, and I love it. CHARM ME AGAIN is my 10th novel since 2015.
Breaking the curse is only the first step to forever.
Click on the cover to read more or purchase.
Ten novels that NaNoWriMo helped me to create have been published by The Wild Rose Press. Last year’s NaNo project, CHARM ME AGAIN is available for pre-order right now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble. and itunes Yippee! CHARM ME AGAIN releases December 9, 2019, just in time for Holiday shopping! Psssst…. to help you with your holiday shopping, my e-book of A WITCH’S HOLIDAY WEDDING is on sale beginning November 15th for 99 cents for a limited time at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and itunes. Download a copy today and join the magical, romantic fantasy adventure, you’ll never want to leave!
This year for NaNoWriMo I’ll be working on GYPSY MAGIC the third book in A Witch’s Journey Series. I’m so excited to share Brock and Gwen’s story and return to the world of Pepper and Lathen and wildlife rescue!
Along with the Romance Writers of America and Pikes Peak Writers group, who gave me the tools, NaNoWriMo gave me the confidence needed to stick my toe in the murky waters of the publishing industry. The 50,000 words, approximately 1,667 per day, usually is three-quarters of a pretty darn good novel. Each year I build on what I’ve learned throughout the year and use it to complete the NaNoWriMo challenge. The camaraderie among participants is phenomenal making the challenge a fun way to kick off the holidays!
Wish me luck! Keep checking back for updates on my progress this year. Will I make the 50,000 words? Only time will tell, but you can bet I’ll do my best! I know you’ll be cheering me on! If you have a chance, I’d love you to leave me comments of encouragement.
Have a fun and safe Thanksgiving! Eat lots of turkey and enjoy family and friends. After all that’s what its all about!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged 30 days, 50000, A Witch's Holiday Wedding, Charm Me Again, Novel Contest, Novel Writing Month, November, Paranormal Romance, Tena Stetler, Worldwide, Writers by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
Interview with Hawk MacKinney Author of Inanna Phantom
Give a warm welcome to Hawk MacKinney author of Inanna Phantom. Pssst… Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter.
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Hawk and Inanna Phantom. First up Hawk!
What defines you as an author? Languages-linguistics, the origins of spoken sounds, syntax & how it reflects cultures.
As a person? The fundamentals of a solid grounding, a culture before the artificial (i.e. `toys’) blurred those values.
Are they one in the same? Definitely not.
What inspired this particular story? Preparing and planting a flower bed.
What disgusts you or makes you angry? Hearing someone use lazy as an excuse to fail & not considering the consequences of selfish decisions on others.
Why did you choose the cover concept you did? I didn’t. I sometimes offer suggestions, but I never question my marketing team or the graphic artists and designers of my titles. The graphic artists are part of that very honest reliable successful team.
Tell us something about yourself and allow us to get to know you. I hold postgraduate degrees with studies in languages & history, & I have taught postgraduate courses in the United States & Jerusalem, Israel. I am noted for using unique “Southron” dialog, especially the origins and derivation of the vocabularies and languages in the South to give distinction to my characters without the use of tags. This “Southron” speak is something I was raised on.
What secret do you use to blast through writer’s block? I’ve never experience it – I don’t understand it. I have too many tales yet to tell.
What inspired you to write? The love of the written word – the King’s English properly spoken is a beautiful language – & then I enjoy breaking the rules.
Do you see yourself in your characters? I would say that most of my characters reflect a part of me, and this is true of most writers.
What do you want your readers to take away from your books? A jolly good time of trying to outguess the writer – many readers like doing that.
Where do your story ideas come from? Everywhere-anything – setting, plot, dialogues – the whole basket, and a lot of people-watching. If they come to you in the middle of the night, do you get up and write them all down?
Do you find it easier to write from a male or female point of view? Female
Why? Makes me explore all manner of cobwebs between my ears while I people-watch.
If writing is your first passion, what is your second? Reading – maybe that’s #1.
What do you like to do when you are not writing? Read – walk through the backwoods.
You’ve got a time machine, a cloak of invisibility, and one hour. Where would you go, and what eavesdropping would you do? Versailles – Louis XVI – but ONLY for an hour – OR less.
What’s your favorite part of being an author? The whole smear – spinning the tale, editing, drawing characters, mixing settings-cultures-languages, breaking words/grammar/syntax to color dialects. And then marketing my published books; having the opportunity to interact with my readers.
Any tips to share with fellow authors/aspiring authors? What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard? Never quit UNLESS you don’t want to write.
SPEED ROUND FOR A LITTLE ADDED FUN:
Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer! <evil laugh>
<No torture – it’s part of the magic-FUN of writing…single words are marvelous grammar-edits to get rid of wordy clutter.>
Favorite movie: Forbidden Planet
Favorite book: Midway
Last book read: Napoleon/Jefferson Davis – more than 1bk at a time
Favorite color: blue
Stilettos or flipflops: barefoot
Coffee or tea: a.m. – coffee/afternoon & later – tea
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: paperback
Pencil or pen: pen
Favorite song: Má vlast – Vltava
Favorite dessert: crème brûlée
Favorite junk food: fatback
Favorite thing to do to relax: read on the porch swing
Champagne or gin: neither
Paranormal or Historical: historical [often> the same]
Wonder Woman or Top Model: neither
Favorite TV show: Walter Cronkite
Hot or cold: both
POV: I’d die if I don’t have: peace of mind
Review or Not: review
3D illustration. Sci-Fi futuristic abstract gradient blue violet pink neon. A glowing corridor on the reflection of the concrete floor. A dark interior room.
Tell us a little about Inanna Phantom.
The threat of rift invasions seem long passed. Plentiful harvests abound. The Murian first-contact Terato Outpost has grown into the sprawling Terato-Murian Terminus Terato with a hub of relay portals reaching across the vast uncharted galactic expanses and connecting with its eon-extinct Lantaraan prehistory.
An exploratory Terato-Murian Jupiterr outpost is established on the gas giant seventh planet, and its quantum and gravitational energies are used to power outpost portals for an archeological survey of the fourth planet, Eorthe.
The Lantaraan database aboard Terato’s ancient Downday moon shows that one or more planets of the Solaris planets have apparently been lost. Expanded archeological records on other Lantaraan orbital bodies in the Solaris system show the fourth planet from the star—Eorthe—to be a sterile wasteland. Except it is not. Eorthe’s civilization is not to the level of the Murian Empire, but it is far advanced to those of a pastoral Terato. Terato and Eorthe form the confederated United Terran League under the nominal figurehead leader of League High Judikarr Eklam a’Qoc.
Jupiterr outpost expands into a major League stronghold, Jupiterr Base, when civil unrest erupts in the League, the unexpected return of rift intrusions threatens, and the Murian Emperor Klarvko Celo is assassinated.
As they prepare for confrontations with an unknown ancient enemy, the internal tensions on Myr and Eorthe push Murians and Teratoans to dangerous discords.
How about a sneak peek between the pages of Inanna Phantom.
The first anomalies were logged by remote nanoparticle quantum-field sensor arrays positioned on uninhabited dwarf planets, moons and long-orbit asteroids of the star systems of the League. The inconsistencies were short sub-fracture durations and were seismically unremarkable. Across the League’s far-flung frontier systems, seasoned operators monitored the encoded decryption of the scan-logs. Through decades of use, the linknet had become indispensable; supplanting the slower interstellar particle entanglement-based trans-light travel. Linknet protocols established allowances for such random background fluctuations with standard deviations measured against system parameters. The diverse configurations of the link systems were accepted as fail-safe.
Senior specialists assigned to Terminus Terra II protocol-consoles maintained continuous scans for minor time-sync misaligns. Scan records were stored in Murian-designed crystals in tiered sublevels of mantle crust beneath Terminus and in Myraa City. Link schedules of freight shipments, personnel, and communications remained on tight schedules.
The erratic anomalous spacetime oscillations data was logged. The ruse was almost perfect. Except star-core substrate logs registered converter power for the unsanctioned personnel requisition of translinks coordinates for specific network portals. It was a simple oversight but one that had sa s’Blikova’at consequences. Besides, waiting one more day wouldn’t matter.
The following morning Marleen and her three sons would be alone.
About the author.
Hawk has authored several works of fiction including a historical romance Moccasin Trace which was nominated for both the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award. His Cairns of Sainctuarie Science Fiction Series and his Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series have received national and international attention.
With postgraduate degrees and faculty positions in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. His professional writing includes articles on chordate neuroembryology, and aerospace research on muscle metabolic behavior in multi-orbital environments.
Book Video: https://youtu.be/MUnhN8U0Zp0
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ HawkMacKinney
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/698008.Hawk_MacKinney
Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Inanna-Phantom-Cairns-Sainctuarie-Book-ebook/dp/B07Y2DQRT3/ref=sr_1_1
Barnes&Noble.com: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/inanna-phantom-hawk-mackinney/1133914447?ean=9781732918252
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER:
Hawk MacKinney will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Inanna Phantom!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Hawk MacKinney, Inanna Phantom, Science Fiction by Tena Stetler with 18 comments.
Chat with Peggy Jaeger Author of It’s A Trust Thing
Happy holidays to all! Give a big welcome to Peggy Jaeger, author of It’s A Trust Thing, releases today. Happy book birthday Peggy! Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets see what It’s A Trust Thing is all about But first Peggy tell is a little about you and what inspired It’s A Trust Thing!
I’ve always had a strange fascination with serial killers, crime lords, and wise guy wannabes. And while I love seeing criminals brought to justice, once they are no longer capable of executing their nefarious deeds, my attention has always shifted to their families and the ones they left behind.
The children of these horrible people intrigue me, especially what happens to their lives once their parent is caught, killed, or incarcerated. How do they fare in the court of public opinion? How badly are their lives changed, sometimes irreparably? Are they vilified as their parents were, or do they become sympathetic in the eyes of society? Do the sins of the fathers (and mothers) rain down upon them?
Cases in point:
One of Bernie Madoff’s sons committed suicide after his father was sent to prison.
Charles Manson, Jr. killed himself as well because he could never outrun his infamous name.
BTK’s daughter claimed the FBI had the wrong man once her father was arrested. She couldn’t believe the man she loved and revered could be such a monster.
These children of notorious men have all had to deal with the aftermath of their father’s betrayal, greed, and crimes, and they each dealt with it in different ways.
I wrote IT’S A TRUST THING because I wanted to explore what happens to the child of someone notorious. Even though the subject matter is heavy, the story is mostly lightweight, something I had to do to balance the underlying theme. I bill it as RomComLite. My heroine, Penelope “Nell” Newbery is feisty, determined to succeed, loyal to a fault, and a strange mix of awkward and sassy.
Nell Newbery has trust issues. It’s hard to trust when you’re the daughter of a fallen financial scion who bilked people out of billions in a pyramid scheme that made Madoff’s look picayune in comparison. Nell was 16 when her father was first arrested and then sent to prison for 100 lifetimes. Her mother suffered a mental breakdown due to the stress and it was up to Nell to take care of her when she was little more than a child.
Nell’s done everything in her power to keep away from men who see her as their ticket to fortune and fame due to her father’s notoriety. All she wants to do is run her ultra-successful business, HELPFUL HUNKS, in peace.
But it wouldn’t hurt to find a guy who doesn’t know a thing about her father’s felonious past; one she can give her heart to and trust it won’t come back to her battered, bruised, and broken.
Thank you Peg. Now tell us a bit about It’s A Trust Thing.
Nell Newbery has trust issues. It’s hard to trust when you’re the daughter of a fallen financial scion who bilked people out of billions. Nell’s done everything in her power to keep away from men who see her as their ticket to fortune and fame. All she wants to do is run her ultra-successful business, HELPFUL HUNKS, in peace.
But it wouldn’t hurt to find a guy who doesn’t know a thing about her father’s felonious past; one she can give her heart to and trust it won’t come back to her battered, bruised, and broken.
Is Charlie Churchill that guy? On the surface he seems perfect, all polished manners and quiet mirth. Nell’s convinced he knows nothing about her, other than she likes superhero movies and views junk food as a food group.
Can she trust him to be what he appears to be? Or is he just pretending?
For Nell, trust is everything in life…and in love.
Buy Links:
Exclusive to KU and Kindle only:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y7LMJNR
A sneak peek between the pages of It’s A Trust Thing.
He opened the passenger door for me and I got in.
“You never answered me,” he said when I was seated. “Would you like to do this again?”
I’d lived my entire adult life taking chances in my professional life but shying away from them in my personal one. The reasons to avoid becoming involved were valid ones, in my mind, and they’d served me well.
But there was something so different about this man, something that wanted me to finally give in and take a chance that he wouldn’t be like all the other men I’d gotten close to. He wouldn’t use me to his own end; he wouldn’t betray me; he wouldn’t lie to me about who and what he was.
And dammit, I deserved to have some fun.
All this ran through my head as he stood, patiently waiting for my answer.
It really didn’t take much effort on my part to make a decision. With a half grin and my gaze staying zeroed in on his, I reached into my briefcase and pulled out one of my business cards. While the driver waited, I wrote my private cell number on the back of it. There were only five people on the planet who had this number.
Now, Charlie did as well.
As I handed it to him, I cocked my head and said, “Maybe next time we can get through an evening without me needing first aid or being mugged.”
His jaw wide smile made my stomach muscles flutter. He leaned in, gave me a quick peck on the cheek and said, “Where would the fun be in that?”
About the Author:
Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes Romantic Comedies about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them. If she can make you cry on one page and bring you out of tears rolling with laughter the next, she’s done her job as a writer!
Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, she brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she’s created the families she wanted as that lonely child.
When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.
A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, Peggy is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.
As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go “What??!”
Social Media links:
Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peggyjaeger_author/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-jaeger
You-Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR8RRIlssIyS0FYZWeGqsg/videos?view_as=subscriber
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with It’s A Trust Thing!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, It's A Trust Thing, Peggy Jaeger by Tena Stetler with 8 comments.
Book Blast for The Very Thought of You by Claire Marti
Happy Halloween!! Today I have treat for you from a fellow author friend Claire Marti! Her book The Very Thought of You ( Pacific Vista Ranch Book #2) released October 30, 2019, and I know you are going to love it.
Click on the cover to read more or purchase!
A perfectionistic equine vet. A gorgeous fireman. An unrequited high school crush blazes hot twelve years later.
She’d spent most of her life always choosing the safe path. She’d been the big sister to her twin siblings when they’d lost their mom. The shy, private bookworm, her books and her animals had always comforted her. She was the only McNeill family member who didn’t either wear their heart on their sleeve or have a temper like a rollercoaster.
No matter how much she despised the label, she was a practical woman. Sensible even. When Jake and she were together, undeniable chemistry sizzled in the air between them.
As a practical woman, the smart move would be to take the situation into her own hands. She’d test it out to see how he reacted, but if he was even half as attracted to her as she was to him, she’d make the first move.
It was the sensible thing to do, considering the circumstances.
What did she have to lose?
Well, besides her pride and possibly her free personal trainer.
And her dog.
But what if her gamble paid off? She shivered.
He sat quietly next to her, the warmth from his skin reaching across the space between them. There was just so much smooth bronzed skin, stretched taut against all the sinewy muscles. She’d never been this close to such a perfect physical specimen.
Heat pooled low in her belly. This was ridiculous. They hadn’t even kissed yet and she was on fire for him. She’d never had this type of reaction to a guy before. Maybe if she had, she would have gone on more dates over the last six years.
And maybe because she hadn’t gone on many dates over the last six years was exactly why she was so on fire. Regardless.
About the author:Claire Marti started writing stories as soon as she was old enough to pick up pencil and paper. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a BA in English Literature, Claire was sidetracked by other careers, including practicing law, selling software for legal publishers, and managing a non-profit animal rescue for a Hollywood actress.
Finally, Claire followed her heart and now focuses on two of her true passions: writing romance and teaching yoga.
Claire loves to hear from readers!
Reach out via email or sign up for her newsletter at www.clairemarti.com
Follow Claire:
Twitter @clairepmarti
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ClaireMartiAuthor/
Instagram at @clairepmarti
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8203678.Claire_Marti”>https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8203678.Claire_Marti
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Claire Marti, Contemporary Romance, Equine vet, Firefighter, The Very Thought of You by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
