Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Who's got the time?

Oh how Time Flies!
Thrilled to be a part of this year's
 IWSG Anthology:
TICK TOCK - A STITCH IN CRIME


TICK TOCK - A STITCH IN CRIME
IWSG Anthology #3
Release Date: May 1, 2018

The clock is ticking...

Can a dead child’s cross-stitch pendant find a missing nun? Is revenge possible in just 48 minutes? Can a killer be stopped before the rescuers are engulfed by a city ablaze? Who killed what the tide brought in? Can a soliloquizing gumshoe stay out of jail?

Exploring the facets of time, eleven authors delve into mysteries and crimes that linger in both dark corners and plain sight. Featuring the talents of Gwen Gardner, Rebecca M. Douglass, Tara Tyler, S. R. Betler, C.D. Gallant-King, Jemi Fraser, J. R. Ferguson, Yolanda Renée, C. Lee McKenzie, Christine Clemetson, and Mary Aalgaard.


Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these eleven tales will take you on a thrilling ride into jeopardy and secrecy. Trail along, find the clues, and stay out of danger. Can't wait! Anticipation is a killer!

My story is RESET:
Twelve-year-old Casey has no time for her quirky family.
Mr. Zander has been searching for the perfect specimen to save his.

When Casey walks into Mr. Zander's clock repair shop, he sees her as a prime contender and coerces her to help him. Hopefully, the machine will work this time.

Find out more:


Also coming out soon:

How cute is this!!
Illustrated by Imani Allen

I finally found a fabulous illustrator and some wonderful beta readers to give it the final touches and care it needed! Very excited to get this out there - and especially happy to bring it with me when I go to Atlanta and do a show there - that's where my inspiration came from, when I taught there.

Unconventional Princesses #3
Release Date: April 10, 2018!

Twelve-year-old Bria Randall is the “man” of the house, now that her older brother Kendrick went missing. Though caring for little sis Shae is a tough job, she does what needs done. When Princess B finds a stuffed dragon keychain, he gives her some magical help to stand up to the evils that threaten them, and comforts them as Kendrick once did. But some things Princess B must face alone. She’ll do anything for a happy ending.

Book trailer and more images next newsletter!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~ RECENT EVENTS ~~

These are from Conglomeration - Louisville, KY - 3/31/18
These are my favorite swag items so far!
And they were a big hit!

added a little purple pizzazz!

table was perfect!

Princess Vader stole the show
and strangled everyone in sight!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bookishness
Where I answer commonly asked questions and pass on writerly advice...

Q&A - How do you come up with your ideas? I get my story ideas from life, from my students, from past experiences, from songs, and from daily what ifs... We are surrounded by potential stories, it just takes a wild imagination and then loads of research... Of course, my favorite inspiration to get writing is to read a book!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April ~ May ~ June

April Fool-Me-Not!
I always look forward to Spring and heading back out to the events. It's also baseball season where I get to see my son play ball and write in the stands between pitches...

May - It's TIME!
The TICK TOCK anthology will be released this month! And hopefully, I'll be working on edits for WINDY HOLLOW - the publisher said it would be released in 2019... I'll have to keep on them!

June - busy bee month!
I didn't do Spring Break in Atlanta because I'll be headed there for 2 weeks of baseball and spending time with the folks! Plus 2 or 3 writing events - including a scriptwriter's meeting! Really looking forward to it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I'm Reading...
  • I've started several and seeing which one "takes" - I'll report back later
  • Also busy proofreading!
What I'm Writing...
  • FARTHER ALONG - Typing up the first draft. Would love to have it ready to submit in the Fall. I should be able to crash through edits this summer! Wishful thinking.
  • MAGIC STORM - I'm hoping to start back into this one, now that I have another potential artist to help me create a graphic novel - not a comic, but a book with lots of pictures.
  • GERTRUDE (the Nerdy Princess) UnPrincess novella #4 - Outline complete, ready for rough draft!
  • The 4th POP TRAVEL novel - CONDUCTION. Outline in the works. New fathers Jared and Cooper are the stars of this one.
  • Looking forward to transforming one of my favorite author's stories/series into a screenplay... The 13th Floor series by Christine Rains - ooo doggie!

Where I'll be...
April
  • April 14 - Ohioana in Columbus. This is my fourth year. Always a success. Love this event!
May
  • Staying close to home with my second son graduating from high school. That's two college kiddos - ack! I need a movie deal to pay for this stuff!!
June
  • June 16 - Lift Up Atlanta - a vendor event where proceeds go toward local Atlanta families in need. Excited to be doing an event back where it all started!
  • June 19 - Atlanta Film Society - can't wait to hob knob with other screenwriting hopefuls and looking forward to hearing some award winning advice. Maybe I should lower my expectations a bit, eh?

Warmer weather is finally here,
So I painted my toenails and shaved my legs - Let's go!


 



~~ Available for SCHOOL PRESENTATIONS, BOOK CLUBS, and BOOK TALKS ~~