Strange Luck is an Amazon Best-Seller!

I can now officially call myself an Amazon best-selling author. Strange Luck just hit #1!!! 

AHHHHH!!!!!! Pardon me while I freak out. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

 

I am beyond words. This is something I've been wanting and working towards for the longest time and it seriously means the world to me.

A great big THANK YOU to everyone for your support. I appreciate each and every one of you. :) Including YOU. Yeah, YOU!!!!

Hidden Messages, Magic, and The Vikings

I had a great time answering some out-of-the-box questions from The Regal Critiques today, like if there's a particular message I'd like readers to grasp. There is! You can check it out here. The Regal Critiques will also be reviewing my books next week so stay tuned. :)

On another note, K.J. Simmill (author of Darrienia: The Forgotten Legacy Series) just posted her review of The Nightmare Birds today.  Here's a snippet:

"This book possessed the same charm and flair as its predecessor, with an extra added darkness looming on the horizon. Very well written, and an incredibly entertaining read. Daisy’s character continues to develop and surprise us, and we meet a whole array of deep and interesting characters as the story unfolds. If you want action, suspense, mystery and magic you won’t be disappointed."

Wow! This review certainly made my day. You can read her full review here.

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I've had a head cold for 2 weeks now and have been watching movies and shows non-stop. I've been completely obsessed with the show Vikings. I so want to be Lagertha...or at least wear her outfits.

I'm actually considering getting a Viking rune tattoo now. Needless to say I was overjoyed when the hubs got me this!

Off to read...

10 Famous Writers’ Fascinating and Pecuilar Hobbies

Need some inspiration for a new hobby to pick up? In today’s post, I’ve put together a list of ten famous writers and their fascinating (and sometimes peculiar) hobbies. Enjoy!

Neil Gaiman: The master of fantasy enjoys beekeeping in his spare time. How awesome is that!? Sylvia Plath was also into beekeeping.

Ernest Hemingway: The Nobel Prize-winning author loved spending time outdoors, hunting, and fishing. He went on several African safaris and was an accomplished deep sea fisherman.

Susan Dennard: The Truthwitch author unwinds by practicing martial arts:

“I was immediately hooked. Everyone was so nice! The class ranged from all ages—kids to grandmas, other UGA students to officers off the nearby army base. Best of all, no one was competing with each other. The whole karate philosophy was about competing with yourself. A “be better than you were last time” mentality.”

She's also way into steampunk culture.

Madeleine L’Engle: Best known for A Wrinkle in Time, L’Engle would play the piano when she had writer's block:

"Playing the piano is for me a way of getting unstuck. If I’m stuck in life or in what I’m writing, if I can I sit down and play the piano. What it does is break the barrier that comes between the conscious and the subconscious mind. The conscious mind wants to take over and refuses to let the subconscious mind work, the intuition. So if I can play the piano, that will break the block, and my intuition will be free to give things up to my mind, my intellect. So it’s not just a hobby. It’s a joy."

Ransom Riggs: He unwinds by collecting creepy vintage photos:

"I have an unusual hobby: I collect other people’s pictures. The ones I love are old and orphaned and have found their way into flea markets or swap meets or into the hands of collectors. I have thousands, some of which have found their way into my books. Here are 18 that inspire me but have never been published."

Beatrix Potter: Potter was a successful breeder of sheep and well regarded for her work to protect the beautiful countryside she adored.

J.R.R Tolkien: When not writing, Tolkien invented new languages, many of which (e.g., Elvish) he used in his writing. He wrote songs and poems in his fictional languages. In addition, Tolkien worked to reconstruct and write in extinct languages like Medieval Welsh and Lombardic.

Agatha Christie: The British murder-mystery writer lived quite an adventurous life. She frequently accompanied her husband on his archeological digs.

Leo Tolstoy: The Russian writer was an avid chess player. He learned how to play as a young boy and recorded many of his games.

Ayn Ryad: Although she spent most of her time writing and promoting her philosophy of Objectivism, she was also a passionate stamp collector:

"I feel tired after a whole day of writing, I spend an hour with my stamp albums and it makes me able to resume writing for the rest of the evening. A stamp album is a miraculous brain-restorer.”

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If you're curious how I unwind, I cook. A lot. Primarily Mexican and Italian dishes. I just got a dehydrator and have been busy making fruit rolls, dry rubs, and homemade jerky. My specialty is baking desserts though. I have a major sweet tooth. 

Roughing It In The Rockies - Saturday Symposium with K.J. Simmill

Beautiful!

Did I really complete an eight-day wilderness solo in the Rocky Mountains?

What is the one word that friends would use to describe me?

How long does it take me to write a book?

Find out the answers to these questions and more on K.J. Simmill's Saturday Symposium.

Have a question not listed? Ask me anything below. In the meantime, here are two hints to answer the first question above:

J.D. Estrada's Top Books of 2016

I love J.D. Estrada's booktube videos. They are funny, witty, no nonsense videos with a hint of quirk. Today he posted a new video of his top 10 books of 2016. Get your pen and paper ready because he has some great recommendations.

As I was watching I was delighted that he chose Strange Luck and The Nightmare Birds for his list! What a truly wonderful surprise :) You can watch the video below. Don't forget to subscribe to J.D.'s channel.

Writing Update + A FREE Copy of Strange Luck

I'm pleased to report that Book III in the Strange Luck Series is coming along nicely.  I just finished writing Chapter 10 of A DARLING SECRET yesterday!

That's one of the benefits of living in Pennsylvania - when it's 5 degrees out you don't want to go anywhere or do anything else, so writing is that perfect activity. :D

My desk

This is where I've been spending all of my time this winter. As you can see I have piles of notes, my trusty writing notebook filled with more notes, and a warm cup of tea. What more does an author need?

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If you haven't read Strange Luck (Book I) yet, I've got a surprise for you! If you sign up for my newsletter I'll send you a FREE e-copy of Strange Luck. That's it!

Overflowing With Charm - Five-Star Review from K.J. Simmill

I'm also thrilled to share a five-star review today from K.J. Simmill, author of Darrienia: The Forgotten Legacies Series. Here's a snippet from the review:

"A vast world of fantasy and imagination is created,

overflowing with charm and adventure."

Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, K.J. :)

You can read the full review here. Don't forget to check out K.J.'s awesome books while you're there.

How to Write Horror - Guest Post by Mercedes Fox

It's no secret that I love horror, which is why I'm especially excited to share this guest post today. If you've ever been curious about writing horror, or are just a fan of the genre, then you're in luck! Mercedes Fox, author of the Vengeance of the Werewolf series, reveals her trade secrets.

How to Write Horror

Although I put my books in the horror category I’m not sure they are actually scary. I tend to lean to putting them in the horror-splatter punk genre. The best way to write about horror is write about something which scares you. I’ve always had a fear of the closet monster or monster under the bed. Even now at 42 my imagination still rules my impulses.

You must first setup the scene. Make the reader smell it. Make the reader hear the world around them. Put the reader in your character’s shoes by ramping up the nerves. Horror/thriller scenes are best in the dark or a dark room. Somewhere spooky, like an abandoned barn or old mine shaft or old slaughterhouse. Aisle 13 at Walmart is not scary unless the power is out, zombies are breaking through the glass doors and wandering about. You can hear the breath rattling in their chests. Or the werewolf is inside with you. The reader hears the click of its claws on the floor.

A fellow writer and teacher of writing, Rayne Hall, said it best, “cowards are the best horror writers.” Another trick is to not keep the reader on edge the entire book. You must run your story on a squiggle line. Take them up and down or you lose the effect. Allow the reader to calm down and relax and then spring the monster on them.

I find short chapters help keep the story moving and it provides a good scene break. If the chapters are too long I tend to zone out. Although I’ve only wrote about werewolves, I’m going to do some reading of the greats (Tim Miller, Matt Saw, Sam West to name a few). I want to try my hand at psychopaths who don’t go all furry.

To tighten up your writing and really get the reader involved once you’ve wrote your first draft, take a look at all of Rayne Hall’s books in her Writer’s Craft series and then go back through your manuscript. A couple word tweaks here and then make a huge difference. I know from experience. After following the steps above my editor made comment my writing improved 100% from the first book she edited. She also said she never eats when reading my work :)

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Bio:
I’m married for 22 years and the proud mamma to three dogs. I’ve published three books. I love werewolves so my books revolove around them. I write horror/thriller/splatterpunk; my books are explicit in everything from sex to killing. I write what I like to read. I enjoy reading, movies, shopping with my mother, folding origami cranes, crocheting, peg doll painting, and benchrest shooting. I’m also a big Harry Potter fan. Click here to learn more.

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Have you checked out these posts? You might enjoy these, too:

• How to Write Historical Fiction Without Really Trying - Guest Post by Christie Stratos

• How to Write Fantasy and Have Fun While Doing It - Amie Irene Winters

• Science and Other Scary Word - On Writing Science Fiction - Guest Post By Belinda Crawford

• Don't Write for the Market - Guest Post by J.D. Estrada

Fantasia Reviews - Best Story of the Year

This morning I learned that Fantasia Reviews named The Nightmare Birds Best Story of the Year! I am incredibly honored and thrilled to have even been nominated. What a truly wonderful thing to wake up to on New Year's Day. I am especially touched by these remarks:

"While both Strange Luck and The Nightmare Birds are fantastic, we believe The Nightmare birds to be superior, which is quite the feat for a sequel."

"Miss Winters advances Daisy to the point of almost being real."

"While Miss Winters is a talented writer, her greatest gift is her ability to weave a
believable and beautiful tale."

You can read more about the awards and check out the other nominees here. Congratulations to all my fellow winners!

Thank you so much to Fantasia Reviews for honoring The Nightmare Birds with this award!