Guest post by Stuart Jaffe & WotS: The Half-blood pre-sale

I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for the talented Stuart Jaffe! You can see it here where I discuss what my musical inspirations for writing have been. He then very graciously returned the favor and wrote a post for my blog, which I must say I don't think I deserve, and I hesitated to post at the risk of seeming self-serving. Thank you Stuart! :) I first met Janine this year at Ravencon and then again at ConCarolinas. We hit it off from the start and I suspect she'll be in my writing life for many years to come. When it came to writing this guest post for her blog (thanks for having me, BTW), I went over several possibilities and finally settled on something that wasn't in my list at all: People. Too often we get so involved in writing a story, creating a book, marketing a book, garnering reviews, panicking over sales numbers, cheering over sales numbers, up and down, round and round, that we forget the simple fact that all of this is about people. It's about writers (who are, generally speaking, people) sharing stories with readers (who are, most certainly, people). It's about human interaction. Even if you and I never meet, we interact through the story. It may sound a bit airy, but it's truly the core of what we are doing. It doesn't matter the story, either. The Way of the Black Beast is the first in my post-apocalyptic fantasy s [...]

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*PRE-SALE* War of the Seasons, book 2: The Half-blood

  "Spring has something of mine; he knows what it is." She smiled coldly. "I need you to bring it to me." "And why would I do that?" Story folded her arms over her chest. A branch from the sidhe's hair glided out in front of her, bearing a single, small acorn. "Because I poisoned Eírnin." One of the tattoos on her shoulder coalesced into a live oak leaf, and she plucked it before standing up and holding it out toward Story. "And if you want the antidote, you will bring me what I seek." Story lunged for the leaf, but the Autumn Princess was too quick and crushed it in her hand. "You have until winter's first frost reaches him. Then, he dies." Without waiting for a response, Metirreonn disappeared in a scattering of red-gold leaves and sparks.   Six months after arriving in the world of Ailionora, Story finds herself once again on a quest; only this time it is not to save a dying race but the life of the elf she loves. Along the way, she must face the consequences of her previous choices and battle with enemies both old and new while she races against time. "Engagingly demonstrates that readers of all ages can get drawn into a world of magic and adventure." — Karen Lyon, The Hill Rag

War of the Seasons, Book Two: The Half-blood **PRE-SALE**

For a limited time only, pre-order the book for only $12.99! Every book will be signed – please state if you want it personalized (and with what name) in the special instructions to the seller when you purchase. Each book is $12.99, and there i [...]

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ConCarolinas in review and Half-blood artwork teaser

Finally, my ConCarolinas wrap up - I'm sorry I took so long on it. As usual, life got in the way. Let me start out by saying what a wonderful experience it was not just to return to this con as a guest, but as the Fan Guest of Honor. I was absolutely thrilled and surprised when they asked me to be Fan GoH, and of course, the experience was wonderful. Here's the thing though - aside from them providing for my room (thank you!) I wasn't treated any better, or more special, as a GoH as I was as a previous "regular" guest. ConCarolinas treats ALL their guests as special, and wonderful. Oh, and for that matter, they treat all the attendees to the con as special and wonderful. ConCarolinas is truly a haven for genre fans, and I can't recommend it highly enough. 2004 was the first time I was a guest at a con (podcasting guest with my husband and Rich Sigfrit), and we were treated like we were a part of the family. Ever since then, ConCarolinas always feels like I'm going home. Many thanks and hugs to everyone who puts ConCarolinas on, but most especially to Jada, Ron, & Stephanie, whose constant friendship & support has meant so much to me and my family. Love you guys. At my first ConCarolinas this little gal was an infant wearing the teeny tiny baby Jedi robes I made her. Time keeps passing and I don't feel any older... But here is proof that I am! Checking in & who did I see? One of my very dear friends, the supremely talented professional costumer (she most recently worked on The Hunger Games) and fellow author, Cheralyn Lambeth. I don't normally wear costumes to conventions these [...]

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A Kickstarter, awesome teens, a fashion post, and some news

Holy moly it's already JUNE and I haven't done a Thrifty Fashion post since April! I guess that shows how busy things have been right? Well here you go, after some great updates/news I want to give y'all, I'll do a Thrifty Fashion post. And yes, I know I still owe you a ConCarolinas wrap up. It's coming, I promise. Speaking of which, I'm going to go ahead and put in a plug for the AWESOME TEENS I mentioned in my post title. They're from the Charlotte, NC area and I met them at ConCarolinas on a couple of the Hunger Games panels I was on with them. They are so bright, intelligent, and enthusiastic! They made a fantastic Hunger Games FanFilm, and you can see their Catching Fire fan film trailer embedded below. Be sure to subscribe to their channel on YouTube (they have nearly 3 million views!) and like them on FB/follow them on twitter. These guys have talent and are definitely going somewhere! Here is their ConCarolinas post - aren't they adorable? Also around 3:40 they gave me the most amazing shout out that I certainly don't think I deserved. Thanks guys! I loved meeting these guys. :) Here's their Catching Fire trailer: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Now onto my next subject, my friend (and cover artist for my next novel "A Truth Universally Acknowledged") is putting together a book of his original artwork. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/44582565/mark-dos-santos-art-book Yeah, that's the caliber of stuff he draws. To get his book off the ground [...]

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BaltiCon wrap up & a preview of the Half-Blood is available

Whew, has it already been over a week since BaltiCon? I suppose it has! I would ask where the time goes, but I know where it does: my family, the Marine Corps, and all the million other little things that take up time in our days. Oh, and you know, I did see Avengers in the theatre. Again. Okay, 3 times. What? It was really good! I've got to admit I'm having to restrain myself from writing an Avengers fanfic that's been rolling around in my head for the past few weeks. Trust me, it's EPIC. But I need to focus on my own original stories. Speaking of which, in case you missed it, Songs of the Seasons: White Flag is now out. It's a short story that takes place in the War of the Seasons universe and is the back story of a few of the side characters. Also, it's got the exclusive preview for my next novel, due out later this month, War of the Seasons, book 2: The Half-blood, sequel to the best selling War of the Seasons, book 1: The Human. You can buy it from Amazon here and from Barnes & Noble here. Bestselling, you ask? Why yes! Last week, thanks to all of you and your fantastic "word spreading" to all your friends and family about War of the Seasons, The Human - was the #3 downloaded YA Fantasy kindle book on Amazon (it was #8 in general fantasy) for a couple days. It dropped off on Friday, but I don't care. It was a bestseller, and that was a dream come true! A dream you all helped me achieve, so thank you. And hey, if you want to help some more, I'd love to see your reviews on goodreads, amazon, and well, pretty much anywhere you can think to post them! Now bac [...]

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Guest post by Author Tera Fulbright: Being a mother and a writer

First off, thank you Janine, for asking me to guest blog on your site! For those that do not know me, my name is Tera Fulbright and I am: author, mom, con-runner. My most recent short story, "Anne Bonnie's Child" was recently released in Spells and Swashbucklers by Dragon Moon Press, and is available on Amazon. Janine asked me to write a guest post for her blog about being a mom and writer. It took me a while to figure out what to write about being a mom and a writer. Until I realized several of the skills that I use for being a "mommy" also work in writing. More than anything, I suppose the one constant for me being a mom and writer is the word PATIENCE. Between finding time to write and raising a quizzical 4 year old (aka. the Geeklet), I am constantly reminding myself that the world will not end tomorrow…be patient. One of the biggest challenges about being a mom, author and having a full-time job (that isn't writing) is finding time to write. It is always a constant balance between the duties of the real world and to quote the blog Magical Words: BIC – Butt in Chair. As a result, I have been working on my first novel for two years. Interestingly, many of the same skills I use for being a mommy, I also use as a writer. Of course, I have already mentioned patience, but organization, coming up with creative ideas and time management skills are three others. Keeping things organized as a mommy comes from keeping a house full of toys from taking over (which still seems to be happening!) but I've learned to use the same skills in keeping my writing organized. After losing part of the novel, I now have about three places I keep copies of my writing: thumb drive, computer, and Dropbox. I also carry a notebook with me at all times in case I have an idea or thought I want to write down at work, while shopping or watching TV. I do the same thing in terms of presents for the Geeklet – though I use pictures on my phone for th [...]

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