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Blog Awards and 7 Fun Facts!

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone! Please remember to visit me over at the Scribes today where Susan Muller discusses her new book – Secrets on Forest Bend!

This past week I was graced with two blog awards: “The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award” and the “Inspiring Blogger Award”.

Thank you so much: Marilyn Wigglesworth (Sweet) and Carrie Daws (Inspiring).

Both awards only ask that I share seven interesting or random facts about me and that I pass this award to other deserving bloggers.

So here are my seven things, in no particular order:

1. I gave birth to my youngest son on the bathroom floor. And before you ask, I went into labor and gave birth in the space of about twenty minutes.  The kid couldn’t wait!

2. I went to college in Washington DC. While there, I earned bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and Psychology. I figured, I should earn two BAs for the price of one.

3. While in DC, I was also an intern for two Smithsonian Museums (on separate occasions): The National Museum of American History and at The National Zoo. And yes, both places are as cool at they sound!

4. I’m a life long sci-fi/fantasy geek. I love Star Trek and Star Wars. Since I’ve attended two Trek conventions, if pressed to choose, I’d say I love Star Trek more.

5. I met my husband while working at a movie theater. I worked concessions and he was head projectionist. Yup, that was a cool job too.

6. I’m a proud member of Phi Mu Fraternity, Gamma Delta chapter. I even served as chapter president my senior year in college.

7. I taught myself to knit and crochet, during the dark time, while I avoided being a writer. I love to make socks, gloves, scarves and amigarumi. In between books, I fall back to my yarn stash for a bit.

In the spirit of the awards, I must bestow one of these prestigious honors on other worthy bloggers (10 for the Irresistibly Sweet Awards and 14 for the Inspiring Blogger Award).

To the recipients, please take a moment, thank the person who gave you the award, list seven fun/interesting things and pass this on to other deserving blogs.

My choices are as follows (please check them out!):

Irresistibly Sweet Award:

1. Julia Rachel Barrett

2. Joy Shaw

3. A. C. Cockerill

4. Gail Ingis

5. Tam Linsey

6.  Frankie Robertson

7.  Carrie Daws

8. Kinley Baker

9. Kerri Nelson

10. Lisa Kessler

Inspiring Blogger Award:

1. Jennifer Fusco -MOD Blog

2. Tim Greaton Forum

3. Mare’s Place

4. I’m in the Kitchen

5.  Jessica Aspen

6. Jimmie Chew

7. The Passive Voice

8.  John Sealander

9.  Mia Marlowe

10. Glenise Clelland

11. Savannah Foxx

12. Avery Flynn

13. Soul Mate Authors Group (a shout out to all my fabulous Soul Mate sisters!)

14. Writing Secrets of 7 Scribes (seriously – I couldn’t leave out my fantastic fellow Scribes)

What blogs have you read that have inspired you lately? What are your favorite sweet (or cute) blogs? And how about you? Share a fun fact or two!

Have You Read A Good Book Lately?

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday! Please be sure to visit the Scribes today. My special guest is Anita Clenney, NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of  Awaken the Higland Warrior and Embrace the Highland Warrior. Two lucky commenters will win a copy of her latest book.

I’m also over at the Soul Mate Blog today – What I learned from an Eagle Scout.

And don’t forget to enter to win a Kindle at the Soul Mate Author’s Blog. You can enter once a day! Don’t miss out on a chance to win!

Speaking of books, I recently joined Goodreads. My first thought after a few minutes was – where has this site been all my life?

I was like a kid in the candy shop. As an avid reader, I had a boatload of fun adding in books, reading recommendations, and visiting the different communities.

Hours later, I had added over 300 books to my “already read” list. Mind you, I only gave them a star rating and only included books read over the last few years (that I could remember). There are a ton more I’ve read over the course of my life, but I resisted the urge to add everything.  After all, I’m supposed to be writing my next novel.

Once Mystic Ink is officially released in January, I’ll create my own author page. Squee! I’m very excited to be part of the Goodreads community. One, because I’m a reader, and two, as a newly published author, I can interact with other readers and writers.

In the spirit of Goodreads, I offer a book recommendation of my own. Actually two books:  Blood Oath and The President’s Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth. Imagine if a vampire worked for the President? And he kicked butt and didn’t care about taking names? These books are action-packed adventures more in the spirit of Jason Bourne than Twilight. Highly entertaining and a lot of fun!

Cable TV executives pay attention. These books would make a great series! Hint, hint!

I hope to see you on Goodreads soon!

How many of you are members? And if you are, let’s be friends!

Extra! Extra!

| Casey Wyatt
Happy Friday! Please be sure to remember to visit me at the Scribes today  for my blog – One Month from Now.

Today, I have some newsworthy items to share with everyone.

  • Sunday, December 4, I will be blogging at Mare’s Place. Be sure to leave a comment to enter for a chance to win some Mystic Ink/Casey Wyatt stuff.
Great Prizes!
  • Writers – it’s not too late to enter CTRWA’s The Write Stuff Contest. The deadline is December 5th. In addition to receiving feedback from experienced contest judges, this contest awards cash prizes to the winners!
  • Speaking of excellent prizes – stop by and leave a comment at the Soul Mate Author’s Blog for a chance to win the December contest prize – a Kindle.
  • And fans of the Scribes – we need your help. If you enjoy our blog, please nominate us for The 6th Annual Top 10 Blogs for Writers Contest – here. Please leave a comment and our link (otherwise your vote doesn’t count!). Thank you for your support.

Anyone have news to share?

Hits and Misses

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Black Friday everyone! Please be sure to stop by the Scribes and check out – You’ve Got a Friend in Me.

I mentioned a few weeks back that I’m participating in NaNo. I hit the 50,000 word goal on Day 20. I plan on finishing the novel by 11/30. That will make two completed novels in 2011 – The Undead Space Initiative and Redemption (book 2 of my Aethera series).

Sadly, I did not get to finish plotting The Devil’s Advocate or Mystic Storm (sequel to Mystic Ink). But, hey, there are so many hours in a day. And I’ve learned a lot about my writer self this year.

  • I’m not Nora Roberts or Dean Wesley Smith, capable of pumping out high volume, superior quality manuscripts nearly out of the gate. Plotting and characterization takes time (for me anyway). I have to be totally on-board with the characters and plot, otherwise, I can’t finish the book.
  • I can write a novel in a month. I did it twice. See above – I have to know what is going to happen in my books. I don’t need to know the how or even the why. Those details can come out when I write. I don’t have my million words in yet. But I’m working on it.
  • If there is a zombie apocalypse, I won’t survive long-term. I like modern conveniences way too much.
  • I love Twitter. A lot.  See my post here – Twitterpated.
  • Oh, and the big one, I can sell a book!

    A new day is dawning

I won’t be kicking back anytime soon.  I have a busy 2012 coming up, including promo at other blogs, working on edits for Redemption, writing other books, and I’ll be CT RWA’s new Media Director.  Busy, busy.

How’s your 2011 going? What are you looking forward to in 2012?

Support Our Troops – Blog Tour De Force

| Casey Wyatt

Hey everyone. Hop over to the Scribes today. Saturday’s Scribe,  J Monkey’s is particpating in the Blog Tour De Force.

Everybody who comments on the blog today gets a free digital copy of her first novel, The Cordovan Vault. And for every copy she gives away to a commenter, a copy goes to a soldier, too.

This is a great cause. Please stop by and show your gratitude for our hard working men and women in the armed forces.

Thanks for you support!

Into The Groove

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone! Please remember to join me at the Scribes today. Today’s topic – Let’s Hear it for the Doubt Monster. Yup, you read that right. I might just have something nice to say about the pest this time.

It’s taken all week, but I’ve finally gotten back into the groove.

Now that I’m convinced the power is staying on, I’ve been able to work on my NaNo novel (I hate it, the book is crap, but I’ll get over it). I’ve also been critiquing several of my fellow writers books (keep those pages coming, ladies). And I’m finally making edits to The Undead Space Initative.

One fringe benefit to no power last week, I actually read an entire book – Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth (highly recommend it – who could not love the President’s Vampire?). After I devoured that book, I read Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins (another home run – a great read – fantastic job Kristan!).

Overall, it’s been a fairly productive week. My only regret – I haven’t worked on plotting the sequel to Mystic Ink. So much to do, so little time…

So tell me, how was your week? Share please! I’d love to hear how you’re all doing.

Happy Halloweenie!

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone. Please be sure to visit the Scribes today. Julia Rachel Barrett  (one of my favorite people) is my guest today! She’s sharing how she became a writer and the cover of her new ghost story In the Flesh.

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. Being a native New Englander, I love the change in seasons and watching the leaves turn to lovely shades of yellow, orange, and red. Granted, Fall has been more muted this year due to all the wild weather, but I’ve still been enjoying it.

This past weekend, my family attended a pumpkin carving party at a friend’s house. We had a blast! The kids, my hubby and friends carved awesome designs. We ate pizza, cupcakes, and cozied up on the couch watching  The Nightmare Before Christmas.

We had the inevitable debate – is it a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie?

Halloween is that one last holiday before the crazy “holiday” season begins. Before the madness…

And then November arrives.  For writers – November is NaNo WriMo. I participated in 2010. The book I wrote was Mystic Ink.

Little did I know last year that I was writing the first book I would sell. Ironically, because I sold the book and I have edits due, I don’t know if I can participate in NaNo this year. I’m still preparing, but I’m hesitant to commit.

I am the Pumpkin King

Who’d a thunk it? (Besides Susannah Hardy – who knew from the start that I’d sell Mystic Ink!)

Life is pretty funny.

How has your life changed since Autumn 2010?  Feel free to share, the good, the bad, the mundane.

And is “Nightmare” a Christmas movie or a Halloween flick?

Let’s Go to the Hop!

| Casey Wyatt

Hey everyone!

Soul Mate Publishing is launching on October 12th! To celebrate, we’re having a blog hop.

Here is the link:

This is a Blog Hop!

 
 
 
 
 
 
You are next… Click here to enter
This list will close in 3 days, 15 hrs, 44 min (10/14/2011 12:59 AM CST)What is a blog hop?
Get the code here…