Hello friends! Happy New Year!
I’m participating in a treasure chest event at The Romance Review.
To celebrate – Dead Girls Don’t Cry is available at a special price. This book has never been on sale.
Don’t miss out!
Hard to believe, but a whole year has gone by since I attended my first convention. During the past year, I did manage to complete two novels – Mystic Hero (and sold it!) and Lachlan’s Curse (still editing it). And I’m in the home stretch of my first contemporary romance – Over Easy.
And while I wasn’t always sure I’d get any of these novel completed, I knew with certainty that I’d be going to ConnectiCon 2014. So this year we pre-purchased weekend passes so we could come and go as we please. This year’s roster includes amazing voice actors from shows my family enjoys: Pinky & the Brain! Legend of Korra! Fullmetal Alchemist just to name few.
In May, me and my guys attended the first ever Hartford Comic Con. While not as big in scale and scope as ConnectiCon, it has the makings of a bigger event in the future.
As a writer, nothing beats attending an event loaded with other fantasy/anime/gaming/sci-fi/you name it/ enthusiasts. Even if you don’t love any of these things, consider attending at least one convention in your area at least once. Here are some reasons why:
1. They’re fun! The crowd alone is worth the price of admission. At last year’s ConnectiCon the vibe was one of pure fun. People were there to have a good time and celebrate the love of things fantastical and fun. Writers tend to be people watchers (and if you aren’t observing, consider doing so). And if you just want to get in tune with your inner geek, this is the place to do it. ConnectiCon also has a squillion different panels and workshops (and, yes, some are for writers).
2. Costumes! The costumes are incredible. Thanks to SyFy’s ‘Heroes of Cosplay,‘ I’ve gained a new appreciation for how much work goes into Cosplay. As someone who can only stitch straight lines on a sewing machine, I am in double-awe of all the hand fabrication and planning that goes into the costumes.
3. Networking! It’s a chance to meet other authors and artists. Last year, I was able to meet and spend time with Michael J. Sullivan and I also met Dan Dos Santos. He’s the cover artist for Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thomas books and Diana Rowland’s White
Trash Zombie series. He was generous with his time and was happy to answer my questions. He also asked to see one of my book covers (unprompted). He liked Mystic Ink so much he kept my post card. While standing there talking to Dan, I realized I was rubbing elbows with none other than Brandon Sanderson. Total geek out moment!
4. Vendors! There are so many types of artists: web, comics, graphic novels, television. At Hartford ComiCon – we even saw the lead artist for Archer. If you are a fan of merchandise, you won’t be disappointed. Hartford ComicCon had TeeTurtle on sight (love their shirts) and numerous vendors selling everything from unique dolls to long-lost action figures.
5. Inspiration! Last summer, I was writing Mystic Hero and fell into a bit of a creative rut. As a result of attending ConnectiCon 2013, I was inspired to locate a scene during a convention. Devlin and his cohorts find themselves in hot water with a bunch of goblin baddies, and what better place to have a showdown, then a convention filled with costume wearing mortals. Am I right? Yeah. Trust me. I am.
So who else has attended a local convention? And if you haven’t, what’s holding you back?
My virtual book tour officially starts today with two stops:
Bodice Ripper Novels
Magically Seductive Romance
I hope to see you there. Remember at the end of the tour, one lucky commentor will win a $25.00 Amazon gift card and an e-copy of Mystic Ink (either Kindle or Nook version).
I’m excited! I start my very first official Virtual Book Tour for The Undead Space Initiative.
For Mystic Ink, I scheduled all the blog stops myself and quickly realized (far too late) that I am really not good at writing a zillion unique blog posts in a short period of time. And it totally killed my writing schedule.
So this time around, I decided to hire Goddess Fish to the do the work for me. They also set up an interview only tour. While I had to answer at least 2 interviews a day for a solid week and half (and it was a bit much), it’s much better than what I did before.
I hope you will stop by and leave a comment. At the end of the tour, I will award one lucky commentor a $25 Amazon gift card and e-book copy of Mystic Ink (either Kindle or Nook version).
September 10: Bodice Ripper Novels
September 10: STOP 2 Magically Seductive Romance
September 11: It’s Raining Books
September 12: Rogues Angels
September 13: The Bunny’s Review and The Book Connoisseur
September 14: Black Velvet Seductions Blog
September 17: Mark of the Stars
September 17: For The Love of Reading
September 18: Realmantic Moments
September 19: Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
September 20: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
September 21: Talisman Book Publishing
I hope to see you there!
Today, I’m being interviewed at Dreaming in Ink! Please stop by and say hello.
Here’s some ink to stare at. Not mine, but my Hubby Scar’s cool dragon tattoo.
Thanks for being patient everyone. The Undead Space Initiative is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Enjoy!
Well, it finally happened. A moment that I wished for and dreaded at the same time – our big screen television died. I admit for the last few years, I’ve had a serious case of TV envy. Everyone around us was upgrading to sleek, thin paneled models while we still had a big behemoth projection box. But there was no way we were going to buy another TV as long as the old one worked.
Then, a few weeks ago, the TV started acting up. I knew the symptoms. We’d had this brand before and it showed signs of imminent demise, the non-operable kind. I could barely contain my glee, but remained silent since I know Hubby would not be receptive to any TV replacement overtures.
When we bought our 50″ TV a mere eight years ago, it was not quite cutting edge HD, but it was better than what we’d had before – a 36 incher. A few years ago, we switched to ATT Uverse and started using the lone HDMI port and our picture got even better.
Earlier, I mentioned dread – that would be the cost of replacing the television. Well, we had to bite the bullet. The old TV died on a Sunday and there was no way I was missing all my favorite programs.
After cruising around our town comparing features, prices, and the amount of HDMI ports, we purchased a new 60 inch HDTV at Costco. For good measure, I bought a blue ray player and Hubby added a sound bar.
Woohoo! We plugged that baby in and connected all the new toys and HOLY CRAP, we spent the entire day glued to the television. The picture quality was so incredible and different from what’d been watching that I thought my brain would overload.
The real mind freak moment came when we played a blue ray copy of Thor. We meant to watch just a few minutes for comparison purposes, but that didn’t happen. Two hours later and with copious amounts of drool (that would be mine – hello, shirtless Chris Hemsworth), we collectively realized that we’d re-watched the entire film.
And I awoke from my HD induced stupor and thought – crap! I haven’t written a thing today. Agggh!
After a week of – wow, look at that picture – I’m finally back on track. I completed the first draft of my new book. And surprise, it’s not Mystic Storm. Once I have the blessing of my excellent beta-readers, I’ll share more details.
In the meantime, in case you missed it – here’s the cover to The Undead Space Initiative coming soon in July! I’m very excited to share this book with everyone.
And if you haven’t stopped by the Scribes today, I’d love it if you’d visit and join in the discussion – Sex and Zero G.
Who else loves their TV set? If not, what is your dream/favorite gadget?
Happy Friday everyone! Please be sure to visit the Scribes today. I have posted my recipe – Wyatt’s Whoopie Pies.
And if you still haven’t entered the Soul Mate Author’s December contest, what are you waiting for? The prize is a brand new Kindle! You can enter once per day!
As most of you know, I have two other completed novels, besides Mystic Ink: Ascension and The Undead Space Initiative. I have been actively seeking publication for both books. And both were out to editors. Key word in that last sentence – were.
Now, I never thought in a million years that I would receive a rejection and an acceptance all in the same day.
The rejection – Ascension – which boiled down to scheduling, was disappointing. But, I was expecting it. (I always expect a no, but that’s how I protect myself from being crushed by rejection!). The editor was kind and encouraging. I will try submitting that book elsewhere in the coming months.
Later, that same day, I received an offer for the book I wrote in a month as part of the Scribes double dog dare back in July.
Yeah – The Undead Space Initiative which I never, ever, thought would sell, that book received an offer!
I was so shocked, I asked my husband to read the e-mail to me. He looked at me like I was nuts, but obliged. After all, I had just been rejected, how is it possible that on the same day, I got an offer to buy USI?
I’m not complaining, but merely pointing out the strange way the world works. I’m thrilled! Ecstatic to have made another sale!
You may have noticed, I haven’t named names. I won’t yet. Not until everything is finalized.
I only mention the offer now, because two weeks ago, I promised on the Scribes page to mention good news faster.
And a promise is a promise!!
Once it’s a done deal, I will share the details.
And now, I really have to start my next book! Evil plotting – here I come!
Ever have good news, but been afraid to divulge it right away? If you have any good news or any news, feel free to share it!
Casey Wyatt 