PRIZES and FUN all June long!

Come bask in the sun, er, make that Summer Moonlight!, with us and you could be the winner of one of five themed gift baskets!

Leave comments to enter, “Like Us” on Facebook to enter, “Follow Us” on Twitter to enter. Heck, do all three and increase your chances of winning.

We’re giving away books, books, and more books. Other great prizes included in the various baskets are candles, tea cups, CD’s, chocolates, Spa sets, and all sorts of goodies! And, each basket includes a doll dressed in a custom dress designed by Fleeta Cunnigham! Check out the Contest page for a peek at all of the baskets and a complete listing of rules.

Giveaway Schedule

*Contemporary Basket
Enter June 1st-6th
Drawing June 7th

*Historical Basket
Enter June 7th – 12th
Drawing June 13th

*Paranormal Basket
Enter June 13th-18th
Drawing June 19th

*Vintage Basket
Enter June 19th – 24th
Drawing June 25th

*Western Basket
Enter June 25th – 30th
Drawing July 1st

ABM would like to thank all of the authors who have graciously contributed to the baskets for our First Summer Solstice Bash!

Linda LaRoque, Fleeta Cunningham, Patricia A. Rasey, Sherry James, Beth Trissel, Ann Stephens, Tiffany Green, Beth Caudill, Calisa Rhose, Debra St. John, Joan Beth Erickson, Jim Shubert, Judy Nickels, Lael R. Neill, Julie Miller, Cheryl St. John, Renee Ryan, Winnie Griggs, Skye Purington, Terry Spear, Jennifer Childers, Phyllis DeMarc, Pam Crooks, Victoria Alexander, Darah Lace, and Connie Crow.

Hello!

I was so very ready for a new month when May popped it’s lovely head through. April be gone! No real tornadoes to speak of, though my hubs did get cornered at Walmart when one touched down in the large town nearest us (Norman) and within a mile of where he’d stopped to shop. No injuries, no deaths and some, but not much severe damage to buildings over all.

The storms that touched my life were within, and within my family circle. My seven-year old granddaughter broke both bones midway in her left arm falling off a gate she never should have been on. Kids… My older-by-2-years sister went into the hospital and has been diagnosed with severe vertigo due to inner ear nerve damage sustained as a baby.

Then if that wasn’t enough, we had to have my youngest daughter’s 12 yo dog aided over the Rainbow Bridge.

We bottle fed Dottie, and her litter of five, from the time they were three weeks old, loved her, miss her.

But there was happy events that month to celebrate. Said 7 yo granddaughter reminded me she turned 7 on April 3^rd. My only niece (or nephew for that matter on my side as opposed to hubs’s) announced she’s pregnant with their first baby! Due in December which is also my birth month. *picture me grinning very big here*

But with all the negatives last month I fell into a funk with writing. Understandable? Perhaps. It also made me completely overlook my regular post date here at ABM. So I thought I’d embrace the negatives and evaluate how I might bring myself out of the funk.

To begin with my publisher had a big series launch party on the wild rose press general loop. You can join here.

I contacted some editors who had partials I’d submitted previously and have not heard from in a long while.

One email followup resulted in a request for the full MS, and if that doesn’t cheer me up then I must be dead!

On the other hand, the second followup resulted in feedback contained in a rejection. I more or less expected that after no word for twenty-two months but-again- if that didn’t bother me, then I must be dead!

But either way- these responses show me that I’m still working, writing, submitting, trying. And that’s what gets me through my funks. Work. While I may not be able to put new words down during what I call my moping period, I’m still keeping my mind active on the craft.

What good is that you ask? Well, for me, it keeps me thinking about the writing and not as much on the dismal points. I am able to draw myself back into my writing easier because my characters continually speak…and I’ve been listening, even if it was with one ear. The result? I was able to finish necessary edits on the MS and then send it to Lyrical Press per the editor’s request. I have something out there again.

I was also able to add a few words to the cowboy short I’m targeting toward WRP and their newly launched Honky Tonk Hearts series which you can get here. Keep in mind that, while there are just two available currently, more will release each month. Two per month I believe.

So that’s my game plan. Leap into the new month to bloom like the Day Lilies in my flowerbeds. Kick April out with new projects in publisher-land and finish this dang cowboy’s story so I can submit it soon. Mostly I’ll look ahead and not back.

I’ll be back next month, or Friday, June 1 with my regular scheduled post!

Lyrical offered me a contract for the requested full over the weekend! I’m multi-published!!!

Last weekend a group of us (There were thirteen of us all together.) set off to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday. Luckily for us, her brother owns an adventure ranch up in Northern Wisconsin (www.wildmanranch.com) and we were able to celebrate in adventurous style.

On the way we stopped at another friend’s hometown and she showed us the house she grew up in and her favorite local restaurant, where we dined on fried everything!

We arrived up north around 11 p.m. The house were were staying at was so cozy, and it was like a giant sleepover, with all of us bunked in two bedrooms, a loft over the garage, the basement, and the living room.

Early, and I mean early, the next morning, the first group headed off to zipline. Our group soon followed. Now I will be the first to admit. I was nervous about ziplining. I mean, seriously, there you are, just danging by a narrow wire, high abouve the ground, as you slide across terrain and through trees to another tower. After watching the last leg of the first group, I was pretty much scared out of my mind. But I was determined to conquer my fear. The staff there was amazing, and they helped us buckle into our harnesses and explained the gear. After a test run (In a show of my new bravery, I volunteered to go first.) to show us how to trust our harness and self-brake, we were ready to go. I decided I just wasn’t going to be scared. And for the most part, I wasn’t. I had a small moment of trepidation when I let go on my first zip (The course had a total of five in all.), but after that, I couldn’t wait for more. It was an amazing rush, moreso because I’d mastered my fear and didn’t let it get the best of me.

After ziplining, we had an afternoon appointment with some whitewater rapids. Again, our guides were phenomenal. After showing us how to maneuver the raft, safety techniques, and what to do in case we fell out, they treated us to some fun balancing games and we enjoyed a nice, lazy float on the river. We got to navigate the rapids twice: the second time we did most of it backwards. My girlfriend and I are still debating whether or not that was purposeful on the guide’s part or not. Either way, it was crazy and fun and wild and awesome as all heck.

That night, being pretty much exhausted, we all went to bed early. The next day was more relaxing in nature as we did some solo and tandem kayaking on a lake. During our float, we got to see a bald eagle in its nest and another in flight. Truly breath-taking and awe-inspiring. After brunch back at the house, it was time to hit the road. We were all tired and sun-kissed, but thrilled the weekend had turned out to be so wonderful.

Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of discussion around the Avengers movie. In particular, which character is the best [Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man] especially between the ‘brothers’ Thor and Loki – see this Blame it on the Muse post.

Instead of focusing on the hot characters, I want to know which is your favorite type of story – Myth or Fairytale?

Myths focus on history, the human condition and can be a teaching aid. Mickey Zucker Reichert uses Norse Mythology in her Bifrost Guardians and Renshai Chronicles series and at the end of this year Jessica Andersen’s Nightkeepers series winds down with the Mayan calendar.

Fairy tales have an oral and written history of fantastic magical adventures in which many transformations take place. Johanna Lindsey was the first romance author I read and her Once a Princess holds a special place in my heart.  Mercedes Lackey uses a light, humorous touch to turn fairy tales upside down in her 500 Kingdoms series.

For me, fairy tales make the perfect story. I love the fantasy and the shear impossibility of the characters situations. And maybe the school system over-analyzed the fun out of mythology. Sometimes it’s better to let someone read a story without discussing it to death.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to name me a mythological story that can top The Princess Bride.

Have fun storming these castles…..

I love history and like most Texans I’m proud of my heritage though the same can be said for individuals from any state. I’m also quite fond of my family and every year my girl cousins on the Riley side get together for a weekend get-a-way. Don’t we look like a wild bunch? This year we traveled to New Braunfels and took in some of the surrounding sites.

We met around noon at Landa Park in New Braunfels and had a picnic lunch while gazing out on the  Comal River. With the big Cypress trees, it’s a beautiful scene. We even rode the little train that takes you around the park. Sitting in cars designed for small children wasn’t very comfortable for old ladies. There was no leg room and our knees almost reached out chins.

On Friday afternoon, I drove in to San Antonio to take care of my grandson for awhile. The other three decided to raft down the Comal River as I’d informed them, “I’m not getting in that ice cold water.” The had a wonderful time and now I wish they’d waited for me, but there will be another time. I wish I could have been a tadpole floating along with them with a movie camera as from their tales it was a hilarious experience. I won’t name names, but one cousin’s tube got caught between two rocks and she couldn’t get loose.

There are a variety of water activities to enjoy in the New Braunfels and San Marcus areas, as well as beautiful historic town squares with shopping and museums. Due to its popularity, lodging fills up fast, so if you plan a trip get rooms in advance.

Saturday evening we drove to the small community of Gruene (pronounded Green), which is now a part of New Braunfels. We stopped in at Gruene Hall to see all the pictures of past performers which include Willie Nelson, George Strait, Lyle Lovett, and many others. The hall helped jump start the careers of such performers as Hal Ketchum, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams to name just a few. It was also used as part of the  movie set for Michael with John Travolta. It boasts being the oldest continually run dance hall in Texas. We didn’t stay long as they were preparing for a concert and people were lined up ready to get in and find a seat.

From there we walked over to the Gristmill, an old water-powered cotton gin that burned to the ground in in 1922. All that remains today is the three story boiler room which is now the Gristmill River Restuarant and Bar. The food was excellent. After seeing their onion rings I wish I’d just order them for my meal.  Both Gruene hall and The Gristmill are located in the old historical district of town.

Here are a couple of pictures, one outside and the one to the right is just inside the door you see above. Interesting that it is not air conditioned. The ceiling fans proved a pretty good breeze as well as the the flow of air that enters through the front door and passes through the center section to exit at a similar size door, much like a dog run of an old log cabin.

Sunday morning we packed and our last stop was Riley’s Tavern in Hunter, Texas. Of course, it didn’t open until 1:00 PM so we didn’t get to go inside. What a shame as we wanted to go in and tell them we were long lost relatives and we were hoping for a free drink. Haha! Truthfully, we’re no relation, or if we are, we don’t know what the connection would be. We did get a few pictures for posterity and hopefully we’ll go back one day. Like Gruene Hall they have life music through out the year. If you plan to be in the area, you can visit their website to see who’ll be performing.

I was able to take the inside picture through the front door. We’d wanted to get all four of us in a picture outside but there was no one around to take it. Who know where we’ll be off to next year. The others enjoyed the tube adventure so much I have a feeling I’ll be in that icy water next year!

An interesting bit of history copied from their website.

“In September of 1933 J. C. (James Curtis) Riley, at the age of 17, drove to Austin, Texas from his home in Hunter, Texas, some 45 miles. He was in a Model “T” car with his uncle. The purpose of this trip was to obtain a beer license for his soon – to – be beer joint. It was now at the end of prohibition. He camped out on the steps of the Capital building and waited for it to open. He was the first person in line in Texas and got the first beer license!”

I’d like to add that my latest time travel, A Love of His Own, is now out at The Wild Rose Press, Amazon.com, and other online book stores. I hope you’ll pick up a copy.

Here’s a teaser –

Bull Dawson, New York lawyer, mourns the loss of his daughter, who disappeared from a cabin in Fredericksburg, Texas four years ago. A history book found in his office safe leads him to believe she traveled back in time to 1888 Prairie, Texas.  He’s determined that if she can time travel, he can too. Life will be different, probably hard, but practicing law can’t be so difficult back in the Old West.

Widow Dipsey Thackson scratches out a living for herself and her young son on their farm. Shunned by the locals, she keeps to herself. When a man appears in her wheat field one day, life changes for the better. Then her brother-in-law arrives, claiming the farm is his and threatening Dipsey and her son. She fears for both their means of survival and their safety. 

Her dilemma will take more than a knowledge of the law, but Bull vows to do his best to protect her and her boy.

Thank you for stopping by and Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda

5 Huge Gift Baskets will be up for grabs! Don’t miss out. The fun starts June 1st and runs all month long. Keep an eye out for more details.

Seven days.  The Caribbean.  Mango margaritas.  No phone.

I’m leaving on Sunday.

Guess who’s coming with me?

We might come back.

We might not.

We’ll let you know…

~Tiffany

www.tiffanygreen.net

One thing I constantly have troubles with as a writer is staying in shape. Quite frankly, I’m lazy. I’d rather be reading or writing than anything else. And over the winter… well, let’s just say I’ll keep my weight gain to myself.

Now that spring is upon us, I think that every woman is cutting back and thinking about the bathing suit weather looming ahead. I know I am. But with me? Dieting just seems…excruciating. I rarely stick with it for longer than a week.

But you know what? I stumbled upon a very helpful site. If you’re looking for motivation, take a peek at www.slimkicker.com. It’s what I like to call a (free) dieting website for nerds. Why? Well, it treats weight loss as a game. And let me tell you, earning those points is very powerful motivation.

How does it work? To start, you take a bit of a quiz which, based on your current weight and goal weight, results in a list of recommended amount of calories, sodium, cholesterol, carbs, sugars, and other essential nutrients. I never realized how many carbs and sugars I ate until I started on this diet… and to be honest, some days, it’s just killer. At least I know it’ll be worth it in the end.

You get points for logging what you eat, for logging your exercise routines, and for completing challenges. The challenges are my favorite part. Some are hard — like no snacks after supper. I’ve had to quit and restart that one a couple times when my cravings won out. Others are a relief to participate. Pamper yourself for 4 out of 7 days this week? Yes, please! And there’s a picture of the next reward on the front page, reminding me what I have to look forward to.

With any luck, I’ll have lost that pesky winter weight before too long. If you need a kick in the pants to get going, take a look at the site. If you do decide to join, look me up on my personal addy at G33kEmpress.

And welcome to bathing suit weather!

L.K. Below

The other day I had to make my typical 25 mile drive to go buy horse feed and a few groceries. Got to feed the “kids” and the kids! While I was waiting at a stoplight at a busy intersection, I heard a whoosh of wind and caught sight of a dust devil approaching on my right. The whirlwind swept across the street, my truck right in the middle of its path, and I watched, and felt, as the mini tornado zipped over me and sped across to a nearby parking lot, making the ornamental trees on the edge of the lot whip in a wild dance.  Within a matter of seconds the spectacle was over.

Having lived my entire life in the Midwest I’m no stranger to dust devils and tornadoes. We can see plenty of them here during the warmer months. Although dust devils are usually small and pretty much harmless, as we know, tornadoes are not.  A swirling vortex of wind with unimaginable forces propelling it forward, a tornado can wreak all kinds of havoc on whatever might have the misfortune of being in its path, leaving a mountain of chaos and devastation in its wake. Fortunately, knock on wood, my home has never been in the direct path of a tornado. Gee, I hope like heck I haven’t jinxed myself by stating this publicly and end up having all I hold dear wiped away by the wrath of nature in a matter of hours after this posts!

But sitting through that dust devil got me to thinking about tornadoes, and thinking about tornadoes got me to thinking about the current state of publishing. I’ve been in this biz a long, long time, as both a bookseller and an author, and right now the publishing world is experiencing a swirling vortex of uncertainty and chaos unlike it ever has before.

Why? Well, and these are my humble opinions, but I think the straw finally broke the proverbial Camel’s publishing back because of:

• The development, rise, and dominance of the Internet.
• The recent massive rise of the e-book, which btw, has been slowly making its presence known for well over a decade.
• The availability and ease of independent e-book publishing.
• The availability of online booksellers where those indie books can stand tall beside traditionally published books rather than hide in shame on a bottom shelf because they were independently published.
• Authors who are tired of the big publishing houses wielding God-like power.
• Authors who are weary of feeling like a hamster on a wheel, cranking out book after book for what they consider to be inadequate compensation, but a paycheck is a paycheck.
• Frustrated authors who feel as though their creative juices are being stifled for the sake of marketing departments who, apparently, for a variety of reasons, don’t like to step out of their comfort zones.
• And authors who, because of contractual and financial obligations, are chained to that hamster wheel with little or no choice.

Unlike a dust devil or tornado, this is one storm that isn’t going to be over in a matter of seconds, or even minutes. I’m no cooperate business guru, and I’m not a seer. I’m not sure how all of this is going to shake out. But at this point I’m not making any bets as to who will be the clear-cut winner. And maybe, just maybe no one will be. Personally, I think there’s room for all in the book world. Independent. Traditional. And small press.

But which path do I follow? Should I forgo a publisher and publish myself and potentially see more money in the long run, but where I have to wear a multitude of hats besides the one of writer—editor, cover artist, promoter, accountant, etc.?

Or do I sign with a traditional publisher who has worldwide distribution, and in the process of building my name and readership, locks in the rights to my books for years to come, possibly for the rest of my life?

Or do I opt for a smaller publisher who might not have a huge following, but is strong and growing and who can help wear some of those hats I mentioned above, but because it’s not a powerhouse publisher limits my income potential?

Or can I navigate all three?

Wow. I feel like I’m personally caught in that swirling vortex, not sure which course is the best one to take for my career. Will what I decide is right for my career today still hold true tomorrow? Six months from now? One year from now, and so on? Up until the last few years, the publishing world typically moved at a snail’s pace. That isn’t necessarily the case today.  Now, the right or wrong course can change as fast a tornado can switch directions. If you’ve been following e-book publishing/indie book publishing, you get where I’m coming from.

Cripes. I’m just an author who is trying to make a living doing what I love—writing.  What am I supposed to do? And how do I know I’m making the right decisions?

Well, on the positive side, I think it’s a great time to be a writer. Why? Because we have options. Options we didn’t have all that long ago. I remember the years when authors were limited to a handful of big houses and a handful of editors. This left us waiting months on end for a response, and more often than not a response in the form of a rejection. Thanks to OUR timing being off.

Today, if I write something a little different and off the wall, I can find a home for it. If I write on a traditional contemporary plain, I can find a home for it. It doesn’t matter if I’m writing cowboys, vampires, shape shifters, alpha males, billionaires, or setting my book during WWII, the American West, in Victorian England, or on another planet, my odds of finding a publisher are pretty darn good. After all, great writing is great writing!

Yes, in spite of the current swirling vortex of the publishing world, it’s a great time to be a writer. Besides, I love a good challenge.

Be sure and visit my web site for all the latest on my books. And through 5/12/12 you can download my Studs 4 Hire books for free at Amazon!

Until next month,
Sherry James

I don’t remember learning to sew. I know I was always fascinated by the idea that a flat piece of fabric could somehow become a three dimensional dress. And all my life I have been captivated by doll dresses–no, not doll clothes–miniature gowns. How much detail could one put into a dress less than ten inches tall, I wondered? Could buttons an eighth of an inch across actually be made to function? I don’t remember learning to sew but I recall when I was less than five, I sat beside my mother as she made clothes for us and I made clothes for my doll. Not fancy, no, not with working buttons and buttonholes, but with sleeves and collars. At the end of my first pregnancy, I drew endless comments from well-meaning relatives as I waited for my daughter to make her first, tardy appearance, because while I waited, I dressed a doll in chiffon and lace with a handbag, hat, and parasol. When a gal is as big as a mountain, is enduring the last weeks of a summer pregnancy with no air conditioner, and has feet as swollen as cantaloups, she has to do SOMETHING !

In the following years, I failed to inspire any of my female offspring with either the love of sewing or fascination with dolls. I am not easily discouraged, however, so I continued to amuse myself  by copying full-size gowns from all periods of history, but reducing them to one-quarter or even one-twelfth of their original size. Because no patterns existed for the things I wanted to make, I resorted to cutting my own. And somewhere along the way, I found a few other twisted souls who were as driven to put embroidery on three inch pantalettes or boned stays in a two inch corset as I was.  Gradually I explored needlework contests and found organizations that sponsored competitions for the strange beings who just had to put pin tucks in a microscopic Gay Nineties bodice or feathers and bows on a hat too small for a normal fingertip. Eventually I was asked to judge instead of just entering.

All of this is by way of leading up to mentioning that Authors By Moonlight will be conducting a Mid Summer Celebration in June with gift baskets awarded during the month. Each basket will have a theme–Western, Historical, Vintage, Paranormal, and Contemporary–and will contain about $100 worth of autographed books in keeping with the theme. Thanks to all the brilliant and gracious authors who contributed to the baskets. In addition to the books, the baskets will  contain some goodies appropriate to the genre. And, not being  one to pass an opportunity to ride my hobby horse , I have included in each basket a doll dressed in an original, handmade costume representing the theme. As I never make the same costume twice, every doll is truly one of a kind. From a cowgirl dressed in her green suede rodeo finest to the Queen of the Nightwalkers in her purple velvet robes, each one was a challenge. And a pleasure. And, as I don’t use a sewing machine for these petite pieces, the above mention of my pricking fingers is more truth than poetry.

I write books because I love to tell a story. I dress dolls to make a vision concrete. Between the two, I seem to spend a lot of time visiting Never-Neverland. Though I’m now a great grandmother, my offspring assure me that there is no chance I will ever grow up. Good heavens! If I did they might stop giving me dolls and tea sets or expect me to report how something actually happened instead of how it should have happened.  What fun would that be?

Fleeta Cunningham

www.fleetacunningham.com

Don’t Call Me Darlin’

Black Rain Rising

Elopement for One

Half Past Mourning

Cry Against the Wind (Forthcoming)