Posts I loved this week

This week was absolutely incredible in posts. I try to keep these posts manageable because there’s a limit to ridiculousness but these couldn’t be kept out, ridiculous length or not. Like teens say, they’re absolutely ‘Tha bomb’.

The 100 best websites for Writers is an awesome post that I immediately added to this list. A huge thank you to The Write Life for that great resource.

In April, there’s a great Blogging challenge to blog topics from A to Z. It’s awesome and not just because of the letters but because truly great posts appear. Check out the schedule for Sourcerer and a little intro on the challenge. This is going to be soooo good! I can’t wait.

I love If We were having Coffee posts. Just eat them up. I think they might have started off in Part Time Monster. They’re intimate and personal and I feel like I get a little update of the person and how they’re doing. Check out this one by Winter Bayne. Isn’t it lovely?

This week, Positive Writer posted the Top 50 Writing Blogs for 2015. A fantastic post you can check out here.

Okay, this one is a little self-serving but Just Gene’O came out with this wonderful new feature to share some blog love around. It’s just like him because he’s truly a very kind person. But don’t go too far. Check out this other post on the same blog with some very cool ideas and news coming up in this awesome blog!

If you’re looking for a little promo for your book, check out this post by Ch’kara Silverwolf. Isn’t that an awesome gesture of kindness? A huge thanks to her for that wonderful gift to all authors.

I found this post through Steve Vernon. He often reblogs awesome posts and this one is one of them. 6 Reasons why you should be reading books by Alana Munro. I had no idea reading was so beneficial!

If you’re trying to contact a literary agent but don’t want to go the traditional ‘query letter’ route, try this post on 4 different ways to do so from Writers In the Storm.

The 1000 Voices Speaking for Compassion is doing awesome. Check out the brand new blog at WordPress supporting this great project.

Natacha Guyot‘s debut post on Sourcerer was a thing of beauty with a wonderful message. Check it out here.

I’ve spoken about The Story Reading Ape before but this blog is amazing. Not only is it full of every resource an author could want (everything from places to get reviews, to covers, to editing help), it also has reviews of other books so you can find your next great read.

Okay, don’t miss this post. I absolutely loved it. It’s got humour that made me laugh, a beautiful story, pictures and fantastic writing all in one post. A big, huge thank you to Just Ponderin’ for this one…and…have you ever thought of writing a book?

For all those fans of Melissa Barker-Simpson (like me!) out there, here’s a very special bit of good news! She’s taking part in the A to Z challenge this April. Her writing is fresh, funny and so captivating. Those posts are going to be awesome!

Looking for a good book for February? Check out this post from the BookChick with all the upcoming releases in that month and covers to tempt your taste buds!

So true, Wise Ink has these 5 Myths about Self-Publishing.

On a completely different note, I loved this post by The Tiny Buddha, 10 Things to Stop Doing If You Want to Be Happy. So wise and true!

Melissa Barker-Simpson is looking for contributors to the Writing Room 101. Check out the post and see if you’re interested.

A beautifully written post on Feminism, Gene’O explains the whys and reasons in such a kind, fluid way that it reminded me of Emma Watson’s speech at the United Nations on the same topic. A huge thank you to Part Time Monster for that wonderful post.

The Story Reading Ape reblogged this great post with five videos of Real Editors giving Writing Advice. A great resource in an amazing blog.

Finally, a friendly quote from a famous doctor. 🙂

(credit:earlymoments.com)

Pay It Forward Friday: Victoria Davenport

Pay It Forward Fridays came from this post by Emily Guido. The idea is to feature a blogger or author on Fridays and give them a little shoutout. Anyone goes as long as they’re interested.

I’ve received an incredible amount of support from bloggers, authors and people I’ve met on line who didn’t know me and were just very kind, supportive souls. And, when I read that post by Emily Guido, I thought: time to give back.

I loved this quote from Emily’s mother:

“I cast a couple of pieces of bread on the water and the waves bring me back a ham sandwich.”

Karma is a beautiful thing.

Today I’m focusing on Victoria Davenport.

She says this of herself: “Victoria is a 19-year-old student, artist, and writer. She has been telling stories since before she knew how to write, and can’t imagine life without it. She is a full-time college student majoring in psychology. A few months ago she decided to start seeking publication for the first time.

She lives with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and an immune deficiency that have significantly impacted her life, but she is determined not to let her health stop her.

While Victoria has written four complete manuscripts across different genres, her current manuscript is young adult fantasy, and she is currently seeking representation. As an artist, she has been recognized locally for several pieces, and has also been involved in musical theater, choir, and modeling. She drinks (at least) two cups of coffee a day and loves all things weird, nerdy, and creative. Preferably she would live in her hometown of Seattle, Washington, or as an elf on Middle Earth.”

She might be busy with college, but Victoria doesn’t let that stop her. Here are her writing projects:

*The first is a YA fantasy titled: Nightfire. It is 67,000 words long and it’s completed.

Here’s a little blurb:

“Sixteen year old Kera has been trained to survive, in a world where shadows kill as easily as bullets. With her mother and sister, she carves out an existence in the far north of the wilds. Humanity has locked itself away from the shape-shifting monsters called Shadows, but Kera has been taught to believe humans are even more dangerous than the monsters.

When a Shadow attack leaves Kera with fragmented visions, her mother half-dead, and her sister missing, she must turn to the enemy–humans–for help. The commander of their army takes her in, though she can’t understand a human that doesn’t want her dead. She must survive in the heart of a civilization in turmoil, ostracized and alone, and forbidden to leave. Her escape lies in becoming what she hates most–a soldier. But being a soldier isn’t enough. To get what she wants, she’ll have to join up with the commander of the army himself. They set out to find her sister and find the truth about the Shadows, but there is much more to the Shadows than humanity wants to believe.

With her visions and the world of Shadows haunting her every step, Kera must become the enemy and make allies out of foes in order to find her sister, and find home again.”

* The second is titled: Ember. It too is a YA fantasy. It’s 80, 400 words long and Victoria is currently querying it.

Here’s the blurb:

“Seventeen year old Falcon has spent her entire life running. Locked outside the glittering empire of Aurata, survival is a numbers game, measured in stitches to seal a wound or minutes to make a drug run that keeps her family fed. But the streets are not safe for a girl with magical Amaranthine blood when she’s worth more dead than alive.

Crow’s arms are etched with scars, and a hundred eyes haunt his dreams. As an assassin for his thirteen year old sister, the leader of the Dregs’ most violent gang, his mission is to purge the Dregs of men as vile as their father. But when Falcon becomes his latest target, his black and white world blurs to gray, and he must choose to kill this innocent Amaranthine girl, or leave everything he knows behind.

After her sister’s murder, Electra fills her role as empress but the real power lies with the corrupt Sovereign. She must cross the Barrier to join Falcon’s family in exile, in order to convince the young street rat girl to claim her birthright and forge her into the leader the empires need.

On the wrong side of the Barrier that locks the Dregs into exile, a fear of magic sparks violence and the Dregs becomes a trap. In the face of civil war and genocide, these three must find a way to survive and fight back as their world falls apart around them.”

* Her third is titled: Blaze and is a companion to Ember. It’s a 50 000 word YA fantasy and Victoria is currently working on it.

Here’s the blurb:

“After two years in the work camps, Falcon believes she has lost everything: her pack, her life, and her humanity. When she lashes out and kills her overseer, she is taken to be executed–but is brought instead to the palace of Aurata, where an old pack member awaits her. Falcon learns her ties to royalty, and the role she must play in the rebellion.

She is the Eve–the sacrifice destined to be harvested, in order to keep the Sovereign alive. She enters a deadly dance with the volatile Sovereign and the restless people, earning both sides’ love and trust without revealing her purpose, and trying to keep the empire from exploding into violence before the rebellion can carry out its plans.

On the other side of the world, her best friend and two other members of her pack have freed themselves from slavery and escaped to the empires across the ocean. Now, they must unite the four empires and rise up in another Great War, to free Aurata from the Sovereign, and bring peace to the empire forever.”

A very talented artist and author, Victoria is certainly going places. Check out her blog to find out more about this promising young author!

Pay It Forward Friday: Natacha Guyot

Pay It Forward Fridays came from this post by Emily Guido. The idea is to feature a blogger or author on Fridays and give them a little shoutout. Anyone goes as long as they’re interested.

I’ve received an incredible amount of support from bloggers, authors and people I’ve met on line who didn’t know me and were just very kind, supportive souls. And, when I read that post by Emily Guido, I thought: time to give back.

I loved this quote from Emily’s mother:

“I cast a couple of pieces of bread on the water and the waves bring me back a ham sandwich.”

Karma is a beautiful thing.

Today I’m focusing on Natacha Guyot.

She says this of herself: “I am currently self employed as an independent scholar in France, where I work on several research and writing projects, mostly nonfiction. I blog regularly and also am a feminist, a vidder, a geek, a fangirl, and bookworm.

I earned two Master’s in Media Studies and Digital Culture & Technology from Sorbonne Nouvelle University and King’s College London. I primarily work on Science Fiction, Transmedia, Gender Studies, Children Media and Fan Studies.

As of 2014, I have been published and was a guest speaker in several countries. I have a couple of books upcoming in 2015, Women in Science Fiction Television(Rowman & Littlefield, USA) and A Galaxy of Possibilities: Representation and Storytelling in Star Wars (Self Published).

Besides my nonfiction and academic projects, I am also working on a Fantasy short story series, Clairvoyance, whose first volumes I hope to see published mid to late 2015.

I am seeking to expand my career in the USA or in the UK, either in university teaching or in the media and creative industries.”

Natacha is a busy lady. Here are her publications, recent and upcoming.

Publications

• March 2014: Stories in Post-Human Cultures, co-edited with A. Brackin, Ph.D., Inter-Disciplinary Press (UK).
• January 2014: “Revisiting Indian Traditionalism in Shabd“, in Pennsylvania Literary Journal Volume V, Issue 3, Fall 2013, Anaphora Literary Press (USA).
• October 2013: Gender Dynamics in Star Wars: The Old Republic: A Focus on Female Characters, Thought Catalog (USA).
• September 2013: “Sam Worthington: Hybrid Faces”, in Navigating Cybercultures, edited by Nicholas van Orden,  Inter-Disciplinary Press (UK)
• July 2013: “Alternate Universe Fan Videos and the reinterpretation of the media source“, in The Phoenix Papers (USA).
• December 2012: Cultural Perspectives of Video Games: From Designer to Player, Co-edited with A. Brackin, Ph.D, Inter-Disciplinary Press (UK).
• December 2012: “Dragon Age: Offered and Created Womanhood“, in Cultural Perspectives of Video Games: From Designer to Player, Inter-Disciplinary Press (UK).
• June 2012: “Boomer: the Feminine and Cyborg Metamorphosis“, in From Cyborgs to Facebook: Technological Dreams and Feminist Critiques, Sophia (Bruxelles, Belgium).
• May 2012: “Vidding: Blending the Fannish and the Academic“, in the Litartco (Montreal, Canada).
• April 2012: Star Wars: de la multiculturalité au ‘culte’, Éditions Universitaires Européennes (Germany).

Upcoming Publications 

• 2015: A Galaxy of Possibilities: Representation and Storytelling in Star Wars, Self-Published.
• 2015: Women in Science Fiction Television, Rowman & Littlefield (USA).
• TBA: “John Winchester – the orchestrated fall from grace“, in an edited collection, Edwin Mellen Press (USA).
• TBA: “Sam Worthington: Negotiating Humanity“, in Visions of Humanity in Cyberculture 7 and 8 (hard copy volume), Inter-Disciplinary Press (UK)
• TBA: “Talyn, the heroic journey” in an edited collection on Farscape, Rowman & Littlefield (USA).

She’s also very busy online. Check out some of her best contributions:

Academia

• April 2014: Academia and Social Media: Defining Presence and Consistency
• April 2014: My Writing Process Blog Hop

Fandom

• June 2014: Discussing Fandom And Its Past And Future Impact
• May 2014: Why I Don’t See Emma And Regina As A Couple In Once Upon A Time (But Hope That Mulan And Aurora End Together)

Feminism

• June 2014: Feminist Friday: In Case People Still Wondered Why Feminism And #YesAllWomen Are Needed
• June 2014: Why #WeWantLeia Is Another Proof Of Why We Need #YesAllWomen and #YesAllGirls
• April 2014: Feminist Friday Discussion: Children and Youth Media

Internet

• May 2014: The Evil Genius Council: The Beauty (And Craziness) Of Friendship, Creativity And The Internet
• February 2014: Conversation about Life and the Evolving Internet: Musings of an (almost) Thirtysomething

Star Wars

• May 2014: Continuing the Discussion on Star Wars, Symbolism And Amputation
• January 2014: A Few Thoughts On The Star Wars Expanded Universe

Vidding

• August 2013: Eight Years Of Vidding

 

Recently, she’s had a very important addition to her life in the form of:

Kenzi and her are already best friends.

A big Star Wars fan, Natacha is one of those incredibly kind people I’ve had the great fortune of meeting online. Check out her blog and see what I mean!

Pay It Forward Friday: D. Emery Bunn

Pay It Forward Fridays came from this post by Emily Guido. The idea is to feature a blogger or author on Fridays and give them a little shoutout. Anyone goes as long as they’re interested.

I’ve received an incredible amount of support from bloggers, authors and people I’ve met on line who didn’t know me and were just very kind, supportive souls. And, when I read that post by Emily Guido, I thought: time to give back.

I loved this quote from Emily’s mother:

“I cast a couple of pieces of bread on the water and the waves bring me back a ham sandwich.”

Karma is a beautiful thing.

Today I’m focusing on D. Emery Bunn.

D. Emery says this of himself:

“D. Emery Bunn is an author, editor, and engineer, though his pile of interests keep on getting larger. He got his start on writing thanks to National Novel Writing Month, and is an avid supporter of free culture, the power of writing, and the creative arts. Darkness Concealed is his first novel, but he will be working on the sequel and a cyberpunk short story collection. He lives at his home in Clovis, New Mexico.”

D. Emery is the author of Darkness Concealed, the first book in the Darkness Trilogy. (Click on cover to buy the book). I read this book, found it fantastic and reviewed it.

Here’s a little blurb about the book:

“50 years ago, the dawn did not come. Again. Everyone in Telthan knew it would happen. Monsters roamed the land, killing virtually everyone in their path, laying waste to anything in their way. Only a precious few survived to rebuild the wreckage of civilization, just like last time. No one questions the Darkening. Not even the children.

That is, until four strangers set off in search of answers, braving a forbidden city, a forgotten library, and foreboding mountains for the truth that has to exist. But the past does not give up its secrets easily, and the truth is far darker than the blackest night.”

D. Emery Bunn has in-depth analysis of his book and characters in this page in his blog. He also gave interviews and answered questions–though no one has yet found out what the D. stands for in his name. 😀

That’s not all, D. Emery has written several other short stories based on this premise:

“Normalization.

A near-future cyberpunk dystopia/utopia, where thanks to advances in technology on all fronts the government is able to enforce a directive to have all of society be within a pre-defined “normal” that is handled by a computer algorithm.  Those below the norm get free upgrades, while those above get two choices: colonize the solar system and never see earth again, or accept dampeners to be returned to normal.  In return, all of society is allowed to indulge in pretty much anything they want to, unwanted work handled by machines of some variety.

This isn’t popular with everyone,  so a black market of illegal augmentations and people willing to use them exists.  Every illegal aug, as they call themselves, has to be very careful on not ever being exposed for the deviant they are, as all caught deviants are shipped to the asteroid belt for a term of forced labor proportionate to their deviation from the norm they had at time of capture, then they are released to colonize space.  One twist to the setting is that government surveillance is illegal and thanks to several unalterable algorithms impossible to do so without getting caught.  Any deviant is reported by normals who got suspicious of the person’s behavior.  So 1984 without telescreens.”

These three are based on Rachel and April,

• Standard Practice: Rachel & April #1
• Vertigo: Rachel & April #2
• Justice: Rachel & April #3

This one is based on Stephen Tesoro, Deviant Enforcer.

• Where the Truth Lies: Enforcer #1

Between editing, Beta Reading and writing, D. Emery is a busy guy but I was lucky enough to get him to help me edit my book and I can honestly say, he was an incredible editor. Professional, sharp as a tack at finding my mistakes and dead on in his comments, his help transformed my book. I vowed never to let anything I wrote see the light of day unless it had gone through D. Emery first.

He can be found through his blog or on Twitter @DEmeryBunn.

If you’re looking for a great editor or a fantastic book, check out D. Emery Bunn!

Posts I loved this week

What a wonderful week in posts. While we were buried in snow, bloggers out there were busy. A big thank you to everyone who wrote these inspirational posts!

Why Social Media is important to your writing career by Laura Kaye from Writers in the Storm.

9 Habits of Successful Writers on Twitter was a great informative post from Savvy Writers and e-Books online. A huge thanks for those tips.

I’m with Steve Vernon on this one. Plotting works. Check out the post for reasons why.

The Sprint Shack had a wonderful idea for those writers who are stuck with Writers Block. Check it out here.

I always appreciate good humour and this post has just that…plus extra tips from Gene’O and a great music video. A huge thanks to Just Gene’O for that great post!

A very informative post on how to deal with reviews, good or bad from Musings and Marvels but found through Steve Vernon so a big thanks to him for the tip!

This post is a thought-provoking analysis of Jamie Fraser from Outlander and poses the question, Is he a dreamboat or a Douchebag? I loved how unbiased it was and that it made me think. A huge thank you to All About Romance for this excellent post!

I loved this one because it was so wise, insightful and beautifully written. I read it and sighed with delight. What a wonderful post from Open Hearted Musings!

Part Time Monster wrote an incredibly beautiful, moving post about a life-changing decision. The writing not only touched me but it moved me so that I had to include it here. Check it out. It’s so powerful.

A very cute post, 10 Reasons why being a Writer is Like Being Santa Claus made me grin, then laugh out loud. A big thank you to Tara Sparling for that gem.

Heather B. Costa has this lovely post about a commute in London. I’ve lived in London and not only is it just like Heather describes, it can be very lonely and scary. Her post was absolutely beautiful. What a delight to read!

Finally, a little picture to make you smile,

(credit: the-funny-pictures.com)

Pay It Forward Friday: Luther M. Siler

Pay It Forward Fridays came from this post by Emily Guido. The idea is to feature a blogger or author on Fridays and give them a little shoutout. Anyone goes as long as they’re interested.

I’ve received an incredible amount of support from bloggers, authors and people I’ve met on line who didn’t know me and were just very kind, supportive souls. And, when I read that post by Emily Guido, I thought: time to give back.

I loved this quote from Emily’s mother:

“I cast a couple of pieces of bread on the water and the waves bring me back a ham sandwich.”

Karma is a beautiful thing.

Today I’m focusing on Luther M. Siler.

He says of himself:

“Luther Siler was born in 1976 in northern Indiana, where he currently resides along with his wife, three-year-old son, two cats, and two dogs. In his spare time he works at a school helping other people be awesome. His favorite authors include John Scalzi, N.K. Jemisin, Brandon Sanderson, Cherie Priest, Salman Rushdie, Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Howard, John Irving, Nnedi Okorafor, Saladin Ahmed, Helene Wecker and Stephen King.

He writes about space gnomes and Mars. His novel SKYLIGHTS and his short story novella THE BENEVOLENCE ARCHIVES: VOL. 1 are both available on Amazon now. Another book in the BENEVOLENCE ARCHIVES universe, as yet untitled, is expected early next year.”

Luther has written two books so far:

They’re both available on Amazon. Click on either cover.

But that’s not all. Luther has written a ton of short fiction and is going to be a part of an upcoming collaborative work titled World Unknown Review with a group of other authors.

Personally, I’ve read Luther’s writing and find it highly addictive not only because it’s lively, fun and so easy to read but because his humour is contagious. Rare is the day when I don’t read his blog posts at Infinitefreetime.com. If you’re a fan of science fiction, check out his books at amazon and you’ll see why everyone’s ranting about them.

Remember

A beautiful and touching poem from a very talented writer. Thank you for sharing this one, Callum!

Callum McLaughlin

Remember that when it gets dark,
I promise it gets light again.

Remember that behind each peak,
a splendid sun, it waits to rise.

Remember that beneath still lakes,
there is life; so small yet strong.

Remember that you’re not alone;
my heart is here to break your fall.

View original post

Pay It Forward Friday: Crystal Goodwin

Pay It Forward Fridays came from this post by Emily Guido. The idea is to feature a blogger or author on Fridays and give them a little shoutout. Anyone goes as long as they’re interested.

I’ve received an incredible amount of support from bloggers, authors and people I’ve met on line who didn’t know me and were just very kind, supportive souls. And, when I read that post by Emily Guido, I thought: time to give back.

I loved this quote from Emily’s mother:

“I cast a couple of pieces of bread on the water and the waves bring me back a ham sandwich.”

Karma is a beautiful thing.

Today I’m focusing on Crystin Goodwin.

 

Crystin says of herself: “First and foremost, I’m an author. *blushes* I’ve always wanted to say that. But seriously, my first book was released March 2, 2014. UnBlessed can be found in a number of places, mostly online. Amazon and Barnes and Noble both have links, or you could visit my personal estore if you want to be super supportive!  https://www.createspace.com/4695914

I have a lot of favorite authors, books, and series – which I’ll include below – but I wanted to mention my inspiration, idol, and hero first: Anne McCaffrey. Her diversity blew me away when I was in high school. After reading her Pern series and then diving into the totally different yet just as wonderful Tower and the Hive series, I remember thinking, “Wow. One person thought up these two rich, complex worlds. I want to be able to do that with just one.” Many years later, Myrillia was born.

As for some of my other favorites, they include: the Hollows series by Kim Harrison, the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, the Anita Blake series by Laurel K. Hamilton, R.A. Salvatore’s Drizzt series, the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, and Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance series. Yes, I’m a Harry Potter fan, and I’m not ashamed to say I like Twilight. Well. Maybe a little ashamed.

Another fun fact? I’m a HUGE World of Warcraft fan, and an avid player. Note I said avid, not accomplished. No, I’m not a raider. No, I don’t PvP. I don’t top DPS charts (well, I do occasionally – I’m not a bad player). I tend to lean towards collecting … everything. I have one of each class over level 20 (and that’s without refer-a-friend bonuses), and over five max level characters (pre-Warlords of Draenor). If your a WoW player, too, feel free to look me up: you can usually find me on Kieve – Lightbringer, Jahline – Lightbringer, or Teruaki – Earthen Ring.

Oh, my final note? I’m amateur artist, mostly with animation style drawings. Especially anime style. (Yes, I like anime, too. You couldn’t guess that from the reading and gaming clues?)”

These are her favourite books:

The entire works of Anne McCaffrey
The October Daye series by Seanan McGuire
The Hollows series by Kim Harrison
The Legend of Drizzt by R.A. Salvatore
The Anita Blake series by Laurel K. Hamilton
Twilight by Stephanie Meyers
The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling

She’s written UnBlessed, the first book of the series Blessings of Myrillia. The second book, Fire Blessed is due out in late 2014.

I reviewed UnBlessed and found it outstanding. Click on the cover above to buy it from Amazon.com

She has her own blog at crystinlgoodwin.wordpress.com where she does everything from share reading list to reviewing books.

So, want to know an author before they become famous? Check out Crystin Goodwin, an up and coming author with a very promising future and tons of talent.

Pay It Forward Friday: Steve Vernon

Pay It Forward Fridays came from this post by Emily Guido. The idea is to feature a blogger or author on Fridays and give them a little shoutout. Anyone goes as long as they’re interested.

I’ve received an incredible amount of support from bloggers, authors and people I’ve met on line who didn’t know me and were just very kind, supportive souls. And, when I read that post by Emily Guido, I thought: time to give back.

I loved this quote from Emily’s mother:

“I cast a couple of pieces of bread on the water and the waves bring me back a ham sandwich.”

Karma is a beautiful thing.

Today, I’m focusing on Steve Vernon.

Steve says this of himself:

“I am a storyteller.

I am a writer.

Words are what I work with – whether spoken or written.

Over the last few years I have released three maritime ghost story collections – HAUNTED HARBOURS: GHOST STORIES FROM OLD NOVA SCOTIA, WICKED WOODS: GHOST STORIES FROM OLD NEW BRUNSWICK and HALIFAX HAUNTS: EXPLORING THE CITY’S SPOOKIEST SPACES.

A fourth collection – a follow up to HAUNTED HARBOURS – is due out in the fall of 2011.

I have also released a children’s picture book MARITIME MONSTERS.

I have recently released my very first Young Adult novel, SINKING DEEPER.

I have a cat named Kismet who ignores me. I have a beautiful wife named Belinda. I have a backyard full of blue jays, crows, the occasional chipmunk, and dandilions galore.

My Mom thinks I’m pretty cool too – or at least she tells me that.

Have a look through the blog and you’ll find out if mom is lying or not.”

Steven has written two ebooks:

Click here to check them out.

He’s also the author of the very popular Haunted Harbour, among others.

Haunted Harbours has sold over 7 000 copies! You can pick up copies at Amazon.ca , Amazon.com and Chapters/indigo/Coles.

A very talented writer, Steve warns that “…I have a bit of a split-personality when it comes to my writing. In addition to all of the wonderful family-friendly regional books I have released there is a darker side to my work.” Check out Steve’s blog here and find out more about this amazing Canadian author.

Pay It Forward Friday: Elsie Elmore

Pay It Forward Fridays came from this post by Emily Guido. The idea is to feature a blogger or author on Fridays and give them a little shoutout. Anyone goes as long as they’re interested.

I’ve received an incredible amount of support from bloggers, authors and people I’ve met on line who didn’t know me and were just very kind, supportive souls. And, when I read that post by Emily Guido, I thought: time to give back.

I loved this quote from Emily’s mother:

“I cast a couple of pieces of bread on the water and the waves bring me back a ham sandwich.”

Karma is a beautiful thing.

Today, I’m focusing on Elsie Elmore.

A bright young writer who’s just starting out but is full of promise, Elise is also an incredibly kind person. She, however, describes herself with the following ‘factoids’.

Favorite color? Red, all shades. Always has been, suppose it always will be.

Favorite adult book?   There are just too many to list. But here are a few of the titles and authors I enjoy: Middle Sex by Jeffrey Eugenides, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Dracula by Bram Stoker, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  And of course, Stephen King. That’s just to name a few.

Favorite young adult book? Michael Scott’s Alchemist series, The Heir series by Cinda Williams, Looking for Alaska by John Green were all wonderful reads. I also enjoy reading Stephanie Meyers, Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, Simone Elkeles, Sarah Dessen and Aprillynn Pike. And of course, J.K. Rowling.

Why do I write?  I love to breathe life into the stories drifting around my head. It’s an obsession, a passion, and an escape.

What am I working on now? THE UNDEAD, a paranormal romantic story of a 16 year-old’s encounter with the grim reaper, is complete and will be published by Curiosity Quills this fall (my official release date is September 3, 2014!!).  My Nanowrimo baby, a fairy tale retelling called RYDER AND WOLFE, is patiently waiting for me to finish edits for THE UNDEAD.  SEREN’S HEART, a magical realism story of a witch burdened with the rescue of her society, is in the rewriting stage.

Favorite season? Thanks to being raised in the south, I prefer fall. I love the crisp air and brilliant colors. But when the air becomes too crisp and snow falls, I hibernate.

Elsie has an awesome site: http://elsieelmore.com with everything from resources for writers to her books, to awesome quotes.

She has written the book titled: The Undead: Playing for Keeps

Here’s a little blurb:

When an undead woman with serious de-comp issues stalks sixteen-year-old Lyla Grimm, her hope of rescuing her rock-bottom reputation takes a back seat. Especially once Lyla’s new talent of resurrecting the dead draws the attention of Eric, a Grim Reaper with a guitar and a chip on his shoulder.
While Lyla navigates the gossip-ridden halls, Eric works to gain her trust and discover why Death’s clients aren’t staying down. If she passes on her gift, his death-messenger destiny might be altered. But the closer he gets to Lyla, the less sure he is of his plan. The dead are way easier to deal with than the living.

Gossip explodes, the Grimm family implodes, and desperation sets in. Death wants the gift and a soul. Lyla and Eric face hard choices with hidden consequences. Sometimes life’s choices aren’t really choices at all.

Click here to buy from Amazon.com and Amazon.uk or here to go to her site and check it out.

A bright new writer, full of talent. Why not check out her book?