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Book Bomb for Caller ID by Rachelle J. Christensen
My friend Rachelle J. Christensen has just had her second novel come out, and today, she’s organizing a book bomb to help get the word out! Here’s a little about her book:
When twenty-three-year-old Courtney Beckham is abducted near her home, the search turns up more than just a kidnapping crime. FBI agent Jason Edwards investigates the ten-million-dollar ransom and stumbles upon something he wasn’t meant to find. When Courtney catches a glimpse of the caller ID in her kidnapper’s home, what she sees turns her world upside down.
To participate, go to Amazon and buy Caller ID (aff) today!
Why should I participate? I know, I’m mostly participating to help out a friend, but there’s a lot more in it for you. Rachelle is holding a contest for an Ultra Flip Camcorder!
Also, if you buy the book on Amazon today and email her the receipt (you can take your address out and things), Rachelle is offering dozens of freebies from a great group of friends (including me)—including nine free ebooks! Considering Caller ID is less than $11 at Amazon right now, that’s a pretty great deal! You can read about all the freebies on Rachelle’s blog.
So go buy Caller ID today (aff)!
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy some time with your family, reflect on your blessings, and prepare to power through the last days of NaNo!
Photo and cardboard turkey by Bre Pettis
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What else do you dream?
Presumably, most people reading this blog are dreaming about publishing their writing. Hey, me too. But this week, I was thinking about one of my writing friends whose bio talks about her many dreams. Her dreams of publishing are coming true now, but her other dreams—which have also come true!—included such disparate things as becoming an opera singer and dancing ballet. Yep.
Publishing is one of my dreams, and the one I’m working hardest to pursue right now. (You know, outside of my family life and the battle against the mess.) But I have other dreams, too.
One of my dreams isn’t really a secret, but I don’t think the people I’ve shared it with realize that I’m actually serious. I want to be in a band. Really. I don’t want to storm the charts and sell gold records. My dream doesn’t even require recording or writing original songs. A cover band is great: I would love to perform my favorite songs from my favorite artists.
This dream isn’t that far fetched. I’ve played the piano for 20 years and have a decent singing voice. Virtually my entire family is musically talented. I even know what venues we’d play and how to get in. In fact, the biggest problems are that 1.) we don’t have a drummer and 2.) we live thousands of miles apart.
But if we do get to live closer to one another, I have every intention of doing this. I’m even working on our set list. You know, whenever I think of it (3-4 times a year).
I think I would be remiss here if I didn’t mention my family as one of my dreams. While I’m already living that dream, and it’s definitely not easy all the time, it’s probably the more important and more valuable than all my other dreams combined.
I have smaller dreams, too—more like goals, really. Things like not killing every plant in my garden one year, having a lovely home, and designing a few pieces of knitwear (I have the ideas and knitting ability, but not the design skill yet). Things I’ll all (probably) do—someday, one thing at a time.
And then there are the more fleeting, flitting, wouldn’t-it-be-nice-if ones: becoming an FBI agent (yeah, because that’s something you undertake lightly, uh huh), getting back into Irish dance, recording a few original arrangements with my family, becoming a fantastically awesome quilt artist (never having made a quilt myself, or even seen an art quilt up close, LOL). These are more of the things I think “that would be so coooool!!” about, but realistically probably won’t make a priority any time soon.
So, what are your other dreams? Are they attainable? Are you going to pursue them, or do you just enjoy the idea?
Photo by Jake Bellucci
The rank OBJECTIFICATION of writers
I came across this last year, and many of you have probably have seen this, but found this article funny: the advantages of dating a writer, or the rank OBJECTIFICATION of writers.
My favorite parts:
* Writers will offer you an interesting perspective on things. Yes. Constantly. While you’re trying to watch TV or take a shower. You will have to listen to observations all day long, in addition to being asked to read the observations we wrote about when you were at work and unavailable for bothering. It will be almost as annoying as dating a stand-up comedian, except if you don’t find these observations scintillating we will think you’re dumb, instead of uptight.
* Writers are smart. The moment you realize this is not true, your relationship with a writer will develop a significant problem.
What are your favorite parts?
Y is for Yea!
Yea! This A to Z thing is almost over!
Yea! I have a conference coming up, and I’ll get to see my friends and just spend time with other writers!
Yea! I have 8,000 things to get done (and that’s one of my favorite numbers of things to say I have to do . . . . that was convoluted)!
Yea! My husband took the kids for 2+ hours today so I could work on those 8,000 things! I got one done. But hey, one more than yesterday!
Yea! The Ugh story is doing better!
Yea! For encouraging blog posts!
Yea! For trying to find joy in the little things!
What do you have to say yea to?
Perseverance
It’s that time again! For no apparent reason, I’m feeling discouraged today—like I’ll never get the WIP that I’ve been working on for almost two years good enough (and nothing else I ever have or ever will write will be, either) (man, the more I think about this the worse it gets!).
And then I come across a little encouragement:
Most people quit when it gets really dark. Those who succeed are the ones who refuse to stop.
we need to feel good about what we have accomplished without comparing ourselves to others. And that is what success really is – knowing we have done something good and taking appropriate pride in that, without feeling less because others have done more than we have.
And, of course, to put things in perspective:
Detail of Star Wars painting by Hugh Fleming
Introduce yourself!
This weekend, I attended three events for a total of five author friends. It was great to see my friends and celebrate their successes, and I even won a door prize at one event.
But the thing that really surprised me wasn’t the fantastic turnout or the yummy snacks—it was the people I met. At these events, I met a member of one of my critique groups, a person I know from an Internet mailing list for writers, and an admitted lurker here on this blog.
I shouldn’t be that surprised (I’ve only been online more than half my life) (in years, not hours) (though it may be getting close there 
)—but it really hit me how much the Internet is bringing us together. (Not to mention the fact that three of the four authors I was visiting I met through the Internet and that I saw half a dozen other people that I knew, knew by reputation or knew of their sites at these events.)
We may not get the chance to meet in person any time soon (heck, or ever), but I’d hate to let the opportunity to connect pass us by. Whether this is your first time or your fiftieth, please feel free to introduce yourself in the comments. Let us know what you write, tell us about your latest project or success or sob story, ask questions (I may not have all the answers, but someone out there might!), look for friends or just say hello.
To quote The Who (and who doesn’t love to quote The Who?), “I really wanna know—c’mon tell me, who are you?”
(Also, feel free to add me as a friend or follow me on any of the social sites linked in the sidebar—but do include a message so I know you found me through the blog, and aren’t just a crazy person.)
Photo by ThinkPanama
