And the winner is.....

Well, can't you tell? 

I like this picture for a lot of reasons. The door I'm peaking out of is a water tight door manufactured for the U.S. Navy. When I first joined the Navy, one of my regular jobs was to test and adjust these doors. Thirty long years later, I helped the company I used to work for move into manufacturing of the same product. It seems fitting, somehow, that the picture you liked best is the one that depicts the full circle I've enjoyed in my career.

Oh, the other picture? The one permanently affixed to my blog header? It was the second most favorite. I'm glad. I had a blast with CP that day and it shows on my face.

Now for the BIG NEWS! The winner of the $25 Amazon Gift Card is Jennifer Blaisdell. Congrats, Jennifer - I'll be emailing you soon!

Thanks to everyone for the support, encouragement and votes. Make sure you stop by tomorrow for an AH-MAZ-ING post, premiering an exciting new Audio Book from Entranced Publishing!

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Insecure Writer's Support Group

It's SOOOO freaking unreal how much  can change in a month!!!

 Last month (here) I wrote about how bummed I was. Revisions to Book 1weren't going worth a shit. Really.  Yeah, that book. The one no one was interested in. I was convinced it was crap. My writing was crap. My writing career would never happen. It was all crap. 

Sort of like: 

In fact, I became so unhappy with the whole concept, I shoved it off to the side and started working on some new projects. And, like the dumb-Ass I am at times, I also did this completely lame #Pitchmad thing on Twitter for my second book. Why not? I was already prepared for the inevitable response - 

But here's the thing - the publisher liked it. THEY LIKED IT! I was all "OMFG" and "ROFLMAO" and - well... it wasn't pretty. Happy, very happy, but not necessarily pretty. 

And then... AND THEN!!! I was offered a contract. Not just for Book 2, but the entire trilogy. THREE BOOKS, people. A THREE BOOK CONTRACT!!!

 Well knock me down with a shot of Scotch -  You can read all the details (here). 

Which of course, made me all - 

So yeah, a lot can happen in a month! 

And what am I doing now? Well, I'm well into the second book in the PHASMs trilogy, with a deadline that seemed "do-able" at the time but is starting to make me cringe. I'm also working on the developmental/content edits my editor sent back last week - I love saying that - "MY EDITOR" and I'm also outlining book three in the series. 

I've sent in my cover design questionnaire, my author questionnaire and my bio and I'm working on a list of places for book signings and other publicity for my publicist. Yes, I love saying that too - "MY PUBLICIST." I'm such a fucking geek.

My publisher (another thing I love saying) is anticipating a March/April release, with a preceding cover reveal and lots of fun to get everyone excited and chomping at the bit to read the book. 

Because... 

And do you really need a reason for a Chuck?

I'm doing my part as well. I'm running a contest the entire month of August to let YOU guys - all of YOU - pick my author photo. Hey, you might win an Amazon Gift Card too, but you have to leave a comment or "like" my Facebook page to do so. You can go (here) for the contest. After all...

And, because I don't have enough going on in my life right now, I've also joined the Masquerade Crew as one of their talented, multi-faceted and always helpful book reviewers. Yay me! 

So, am I still an Insecure Writer? Oh, HELL yeah! I probably always will be. In fact, Sunday I was all freaked out and trying to figure out how to get the damn edits done: by line? By page? By issue? Crap - I had no freakin' idea where to start. I mean, my editor was nice enough to color code everything and send a master list - sort of like a "cheat sheet" for completely trashed authors to go by - but still, where the hell do I start? 

It came dow to this: 

Fortunately, I was commiserating (without alcohol, thank you very much - she lives too far away) with my friend JD (NO! Not Jack Daniels - didn't you read the whole "without alcohol part?) and, being the author/mentor/fellow OCD personna that she is, she pried me off the ceiling once more and gave me sage advice. Which I never would have figured out myself, because I was too busy hyperventilating and squee-ing like Miss Piggy at a bacon sale. 

Tackle the big things first - the content stuff. The adds and deletes. The rest will follow. 

So simple. So direct. So - JD! Oh - did I mention her third novel is coming out at the end of the month? Yeah - she's pretty awesome. And she has a contest going as well - check it out: (here)! Between her and my cp CP, I'm actually getting some work done. Of course, my Scotch input has drastically declined. But don't worry - my Rum intake is making up for it! 


So - I'm off to the editing cave to do more damage revisions... in the mean time, help me pick my author pics! Tell your friends! Tell your neighbors! Just don't tell my ex-husbands! Yes - plural. Let's not go there, 'kay?  Go here -----------> CONTEST!!!

Which Pic is the PICK???

So, here goes!

The Man Behind The Curtain and I have selected our five favorite pics from the photography session we did Wednesday night. Review all five, then make your selection at the bottom of the page. It's fast and easy! 

You can only choose one picture, and please be kind. I am a Grandmother, after all!

Next Saturday, I'll re-set the the questions for the "informal" shoot we are doing tomorrow. 

Also, if you leave a comment below or on my Authors page on Facebook here, you are automatically entered into the drawing for a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

The top two pictures from both the formal (today's pictures) and informal (next week's pictures) will be posted on Saturday, August 17th for the final vote. 

The winning picture and the winner of the gift card will be announced on Saturday, August 24th - so stay tuned!

Ready? Here ya go!

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

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Awakenings!!!

Hi All! Big surprise today - I'm happy to host and share my page with author J.E. Shannon, who's YA paranormal romance "AWAKENINGS" is released today. Yes! Today!


To celebrate her new release, JE Shannon is giving away a Kindle with an ecopy of Awakenings (US only). One runner-up will win an ecopy of Awakenings (open internationally).
You can enter here.

And now (drum roll please!) for AWAKENINGS:

Evie Shepard awakens to a nightmare. She's been buried alive and has no idea how or why. As she struggles to remember what happened, she begins to notice changes -- heightened senses, as well as increased speed, agility, and strength. And her heart no longer beats. She soon makes a disturbing discovery: she wasn't buried alive; she was murdered. Somehow, she has come back...and she wants revenge.

Buy Links: Amazon | Kobo | Smashwords

Add to Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17786348-awakenings

About the Author:

J. E. Shannon currently lives in Florida, but is a Missouri native. She spends most of her time reading, writing, and taking care of her small child and two crazy dogs. Visit her at www.jeshannonbooks.com.

Author Social Media Links:

Blog: http://jeshannonauthor.blogspot.com.au/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JEShannonauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/J-E-Shannon/433304970085317?fref=ts