Black Cat Scat

Today I'm taking part in Susanna Leonard Hill's Halloweensie contest. I love children's stories and thought it would be fun to give it a go. :) Here are the details:

The Contest:  write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words spooky, black cat, and cackle. Get it?  Halloweensie - because it's not very long and it's for little people :)

Black Cat Scat

Halloween was Simon's least favorite holiday. No one ever wanted to trick or treat with him.

"Simon, where are you?” a voice called.

Could it be? Did someone want him?

No sooner had Simon come out of hiding than someone screamed.

“Ahh! It’s a black cat! Run!”

 Simon shrunk to the ground. He didn't think he was so spooky.

 Simon jumped as someone cackled behind him. “There you are, Simon!”

Simon's little girl, dressed like a witch, scooped him up and rubbed behind his ears. “You are perfect for Halloween!"

Simon purred. Maybe Halloween wasn’t so bad after all.

Roses and Dreams

I was in Tulsa last week for the Arabian and Half-Arabian US Nationals. (It goes through this week, too. Saturday is the last day, but I just went for my class.) It was such a great time. I loved being able to see people I haven't seen in years. I loved sitting around and watching classes, being able to admire the truly talented horses in front of me.

Then on Sunday I had my class. I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous. I never used to get nervous, but it's been a few years since I used to do this all the time.

Fortunately I have an awesome horse and an amazing trainer. Maybelline, my mare, and I had a great ride. She's only a four-year-old, but she's a very talented and very willing horse. When I came out of the ring, before they announced the Top Ten and the Champion and Reserve, I said I was happy no matter what happened. This was my last ride on Maybelline, because she's being sold to another girl at our barn, and it was a great last ride. So I was happy.

And then I was shocked. We won. I've been National Champion at the Canadian Nationals, and Reserve Champion at US Nationals, but I've never won at US before. It was a huge dream come true. I cried.

This is my dad with me and Maybelline.

 

It's cool too, because this win, this dream come true, came one month-almost to the day-before the release of RUN FOR THE ROSES, my novella set at the US Youth Nationals. I'm so excited to share this part of my life with readers. In fact, I'm writing another horse story now, which will show a lot more of the chaos that goes with showing horses than what the other one shows. The horse shows really are like their own little world, their own little small town where everyone knows everyone else. I'm glad to be back.

 

How about you? How was your weekend?

 

 





(Never) Again Blog hop!

To celebrate the release of (Never) Again, Theresa Paolo's debut New Adult novel, she's hosting a blog hop and give away!

The details:

Liz, the main character of (Never) Again got her heart broken and refused to ever open it up to anyone again. We all know how that goes though. How many times have you swore off something only to step right back into it? So for this bloghop I want to know what it is you swore you would never do again and then wound up doing. It could be anything. Dating a guy, drinking, going on the roller coaster that made you vomit, anything.


 The prizes:

First prize: $20 Amazon gift card
Second prize: A signed copy of Cora Carmack's Faking It
Third prize: A copy of (Never) Again



Isn't that awesome! I thought about what to share for quite a while. I thought about going the easy route and saying soda, or candy and sweets. (All true.) But decided to share something a bit more personal.

When I was young I dated the wrong boy, so I can relate to Liz's stupid decisions in this book. He was charming and fun. I was stupid and thought it was all quite romantic. I thought I could help him.

I was a good girl, for real. I didn't smoke or drink in high school at all. This guy did all of that and more. But, like many other stupid girls before me and the many that will do it after me, I thought I could help him clean up his act and live up to his potential.

I took him back more times than I am proud of. But eventually I got my head on straight and realized that I couldn't help him. He had to help himself. (Sadly, over ten years later, I saw he was arrested for drug possession. And it was not a first offense.)

Now I tell my speech girls, Never Never date a guy based on his potential! It's not fair to them or to you.

After that I met my husband. The quintessential 'good man.' (For real. He's kind of awesome, if I do say so myself.) :)

How about you? Ever date a 'bad boy?' What have you sworn off, only to go back to?

And don't forget to check out (Never) Again!

Theresa Paolo on First Loves and First Kisses

Today we are being joined by the wonderful, hilarious Theresa Paolo. I've had the pleasure of meeting Theresa in real life and she is an absolute doll! (Almost literally. She's very tiny.) ;)

 

Her debut New Adult novel, (Never) Again, comes out tomorrow! And even though I've already read it I can't wait to buy a copy and read it again. :)

 

 

Just when she had finally moved on…
…He moved back.

When college freshman Liz Wagner hears her ex's voice for the first time since he moved clear across the freaking country, she does what any respectable girl would do: Dive into the girls' bathroom.

Zach Roberts—the Zach Roberts—is back. And he’s everywhere Liz looks—infiltrating her friend group, buddy-buddy with her brother. It’s enough to ruin college altogether. But what choice does she have but to put on a happy face and pretend he didn't leave her vulnerable and alone in a pile of emotional wreckage?

Pretending works, until tragedy strikes and the only person available for comfort is the one person she wants to stay away from. When Zach turns out not to be the jerk she convinced herself he was, but the boy she used to love, Liz needs to decide whether to open her heart again to the boy who tore it out.

 

Let me start by saying, I loved this book! I really liked Liz and wanted the best for her, but she continued to make stupid decisions! Was it hard to watch your character be with the wrong person? Was it tempting to just fix everything for her right away?

 

You're making me blush! I remember being so nervous for you to read it. 

You were nervous for me to read it? That blows my mind! Lol. And kind of makes my day. Sorry. ;)

Before we get started I just want to say thank you for having me!

Liz did make stupid decisions. I wanted to strangle her most of the time. Seriously I did. Watching Liz stay with the wrong guy was really hard.

So many times I wanted to

change her decisions and even when I was finished writing I thought about going back and rewriting it to have her be less naive and make better choices. I didn't. The reason being because she's eighteen. Who didn't make stupid mistakes at eighteen? I made too many to count. Some that even to this day I think about and wonder if I handled it differently would it have changed anything. I didn't want to take that away from Liz. The person I am today is because of the mistakes I made in my past and what I learned from them. I wanted Liz to be real. I wanted people to relate to her because of her flaws. So while it was extremely hard not to fix things for her, ultimately it was what was best for her and the story.

 

Liz had her heart broken by her first love, and now he's back in her life. Do you remember your first love? Do you look back with fondness, or hate his guts?

 

I actually do remember and I don't hate his guts at all. Even when he broke my heart I didn't hate him. He's like a brother to me now.

That's so sweet!

 

And while we're on the subject of first loves and such, just for fun: What was your first kiss? What was your worst kiss? 

 Is it bad that I don't remember my first kiss. *thinking* I'm pretty sure I was young. I think I was twelve and we pushed our lips together, counted to five in our minds and pulled away. Probably why it wasn't so memorable. lol!

I don't think I have a worst kiss, I guess I've been pretty lucky. I don't have any horror stories like some people. I kind of wish I did. I would totally laugh about it now. What about you guys? Worst kiss? I would love to know. They're always good for a laugh.

Thanks, Rachel! These were awesome questions :)

 

You don't have a worst kiss? Lol. I can think of three that would all be closely tied for me!

 

Don't forget to add it on Goodreads! And starting tomorrow it will be on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well! :)

What's Up Wednesday

I'm trying to get back into blogging, but I'm feeling a bit like I have nothing interesting to share. . . So today I'm just going to tell you what I've been up to and I'm hoping you'll share what's up with you, too. :)

My print copy of Real Girls Don't Rust came yesterday. Yay! I'm really looking forward to reading everyone's stories.

Right now I'm reading That Sadie Thing by Annalisa Crawford. It's really good! I'm having a hard time picking a favorite story. It's amazing how invested she can get you in a character in such a short amount of words.

I'm finishing up final revisions on DON'T FALL, my contemporary retelling of Rapunzel. I love the characters in that one, perhaps a bit too much. I needed to go back and make more go wrong for them! Lol.

Next week I head off to US Nationals, and I'm really looking forward to it. I get to show a super sweet, amazing four-year-old mare.

 

Maybelline has been a blast to show this year, and this will be my last show with her. After that we're selling her to another girl at our farm. I'll miss showing her, but I'm very happy she'll be staying at our barn and is going to a girl whom I know will take really good care of her.

 

I had bookmarks made for RUN FOR THE ROSES, and I'm really happy with how they turned out. I plan to bring them to the show next week. I'm hoping horse people will enjoy the story!

 

My oldest turns nine next week, too! Before I leave, I won't be missing her birthday. :) And then my son has his birthday the day after I get back! I love birthdays. I love buying presents for people. Especially kid people. I seriously love buying toys. :)

 

 

Well, that's it for me. What's up with you?

Colors Like Memories is Out in Paperback!

I am happy to have Meradeth Houston here today. She was actually one of the first writers I met when I started blogging. I won a critique on her blog and was so thrilled! She was very sweet and helpful, too. :) She is here celebrating the release of the paperback version of her book, Colors Like Memories! Congratulations, Meradeth, and welcome to my blog!



Hi! *waves* I'm incredibly excited to announce the paperback release for COLORS LIKE MEMORIES. The ebook release has been a blast, and it is especially awesome to actually hold the book in my hands :) Here are three things I think you might find fun about the book:

1. It's got a pretty sweet cover :) And I'm rather partial to the blurb:

Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of.

Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia used to enjoy, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia's not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia's going to lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.

2. There have been some pretty awesome things said about it (if I do say so myself, but I may be a bit biased). See:

 
 
-"...I applaud the author for providing a writing that has the power to encourage, inspire, help, heal and simply serve as a platform to stimulate communication for any reader (regardless of age), who is feeling hopeless. If you are looking for an interesting read, this book is well written, interesting and has several positive messages that the reader can take away from the story. I would recommend this book to any reader." TWC Amazon Review


-"Colors Like Memories was an amazing YA paranormal romance. It will make you soar with wings then drop you off and catch you once you get near the ground." Michelle Kullman Amazon Review


-"COLORS LIKE MEMORIES is an achingly beautiful tale of love, loss, and new beginnings. Meradeth Houston writes with a clean, clear prose that packs a punch. She carries her characters through the full spectrum of emotions, and the reader is swept along in the journey." RunningnWriting Amazon Review


3. You don't have to wait for book #2! THE CHEMISTRY OF FATE, also set in the Sary world, is already available, and you can grab a copy at Amazon, B&N, or my publisher MuseItUp Publishing. Book #3, SURRENDER THE SKY, will also be released soon :)


You can pre-order COLORS LIKE MEMORIES at my publisher's site: MuseItUp Publishing, or find it on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Ebook copies are also available on all vendor sites!


Those are my three things, and if that's not enough to interest you, well, I've also got a little giveaway running for a book of your choice. Check out the rafflecopter below :)

A bit about Meradeth:

She’s a Northern California girl, but now lives and teaches anthropology in Montana. When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun! She’s been writing since she was 11 years old. It's her hobby, her passion, and she’s so happy to get to share her work! If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.

Find her online:

Website : Blog : Twitter : Facebook : Pinterest : Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Direct link to Rafflecopter.

My Computer is Back!

Yay! Let me tell you, it was not easy being without it! Now I have a lot of catching up to do! I tried to read blog posts on my husband's Nook, but it was not as easy and I didn't do a great job of keeping up.

I also have revisions to do. Lots of revisions. And critiquing. I was in the middle of an awesome ms by the amazing Annalisa Crawford, and I'm very happy to be getting back to it!

But this morning I'm going to try and do some catching up in the blogosphere. Have I missed anything major? Tell me what you've been up to! Finished your WIP? Get an agent? A book deal? Fill me in! :)

Pride and Prep School Cover Reveal!

I feel like I've had a lot of cover reveals on here lately, but they're so fun, right? I love seeing a new cover for the first time. And today it's for book three of the Snark and Circumstance series by the awesome Stephanie Wardrop.

Georgia can’t figure out why the burden of a Y chromosome seems to make guys so hard to understand. First, there’s the handsome but slippery Jeremy Wrentham. After Georgia shared some pretty devastating kisses with him, she found her way home and he found her sister! 

And then there’s Michael Endicott, who never fails to let her know that her family’s quirkiness lies too far outside the pale for this preppie townie. But if he really feels that way, why is he in Georgia’s kitchen, asking her out? And why don’t boys come with instruction manuals?

This is a great YA series, and I am really looking forward to the third book. It comes out December 17th from Swoon Romance. Don't forget to add it to your TBR list on Goodreads! And congratulations, Stephanie!

Thank Yous and a Winner!

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winner of the REAL GIRLS DON'T RUST give-away! All I can say is not having a computer stinks. :-P

I want to thank everyone who entered! I also want to thank you all for your kind words about my RUN FOR THE ROSES cover! Thank you for voting, I can't wait to see which one wins!

The winner will be receiving these two cards:

And a copy of Real Girls Don't Rust!

And the winner is. . . .

Suzi!!

Suzi, email me your address and I will send these to you. :)