Love Stories

We Did It! Burns Night Wrap Up and Another Giveaway!

2012-01-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

I am such a Scot freak that I actually joined Ancestry.com to try and find a Scottish ancestor in my blood line. Somewhere! Anywhere! Come on, people! I spent hours and hours on the site, making family trees with more branches than the government. And finally (thank you, God!) I did it! I found my Scottish ancestor.

From the 1600s.

LOL Yep, I had to peel back the generations hundreds of years to find ONE drop of Scottish blood. But hey, I figure that one drop took root pretty hardcore, so I'm full on claiming it as my own.

I'm proud to be Scottish!

And I'm proud of this incredible Burns Night event with Team Kilt, Aidens Angels and all of you. Thank you for being a part of this awesome day!

If you missed any of the posts (which I can understand, since there has been a new post every two hours today!), never fear. Scroll on through them to get caught up. The giveaways will be open until 1/27/12 at 12:01am Eastern.

And as a very special thank you for being a part of the Team Kilt Burns Night event, I am giving away a personalized, signed paperback copy of Between! Simply complete the Rafflecopter entry below, telling me which post of the day was your favorite.

Now I'm off to find a dram of whisky and crawl into bed. Happy Burns Night, everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wear Your Scottish Pride (and sense of humor)

2012-01-25T20:00:00.000-08:00

I'm constantly taking pictures of funny Scottish t-shirts and wanted to share some of them with you!

And one more pic to emphasize the Scots' sense of humor (and renowned penny pinching):

Hope you enjoyed them! Come on back in a couple of hours for the next Burns Night post!

Zach and Aiden Twitter Chat!

2012-01-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

So you know how I love the SHADE series by Jeri Smith-Ready right? If not, here's my glowing 5-star review as well as my OMG-Everybody-Vote-For-Zachary post from the YA Crush Tourney.

Zachary Moore is the Scottish hottie from the SHADE series and also has his own fan site, KiltandKeeley.com, which just kicked off this month! How awesome is that?

Aiden MacRae (from my very own Between) is going to be chatting on Twitter with Zach for one hour, starting at 7 p.m. Pacific (10 p.m. Eastern) today. You won't want to miss it!

Be sure to follow both @moore_zachary and @AidenMacRae to stay on top of the conversation. We'll be using the hashtag #FakeScotsmen. And just to avoid any spoilers, Aiden will be chatting as he is in the *start* of Between. And I'm not going to say any more than that! *grin*

If It's Not Scottish, It's Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrap!

2012-01-25T16:00:00.000-08:00

I came across this awesome post by S.G. Rogers, author of The Last Great Wizard of Yden, and loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you as part of our Burns' Night celebration.

In the post, entitled "Under The Kilt," S.G. interviews Cathie Dunn, resident of Edinburgh and author of Highland Arms. S.G. asks the question:

"Is there any truth to the stereotypes about Scotsmen? Are they really a wild bunch of red-shirted, kilt-wearing, Scotch-drinking, sword-wielding, overly-emotional men?"

I adored Cathie's answer and so will you!

Check back here in another two hours for more Scot-loving posts to celebrate Burns Night!

A Tribute to Eilean Donan Castle and the MacRaes

2012-01-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

If you've read Between, you know that Eilean Donan Castle was Aiden MacRae's home growing up. I fell in love with the history of the castle: destroyed in 1719 by the English, then restored centuries later by John MacRae-Gilstrap. Today, Eilean Donan is the most photographed castle in all of Scotland. And rightly so, because it is nothing short of breathtaking. *swoon*

I tried to stay as close to the actual history as I could when writing Between. There is a wealth of information online about the castle's history, including captain logs from the ships who destroyed the castle via cannon in the early 1700s!

The MacRaes were inhabitants of the castle, along with the MacKenzies. Both clans were close allies with the Frasers (shout out to Jamie Fraser from Outlander- woot!). The MacRaes were known for their fighting abilities and agreed to come to Kintail (where Eilean Donan is located) in exchange for providing this service to the MacKenzies, earning them the nickname "MacKenzies' shirt of mail."

The MacRae crest features a strong arm grasping a sword and the word "Fortitudine" which is Latin for "fortitude" meaning "strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage." Quite an apt description of the MacRaes and a fitting family for my Scottish hero!

If Aiden MacRae is your idea of a swoon-worthy hunk, here's your chance to declare your love for him to the world! Giveaway time!!

Enter to win one item of your choice from the Aiden's Angels logo merchandise by answering this question, "What was your favorite part of Between?" If you haven't yet read the book, you can answer by saying what about Between most intrigues you.

Thanks for being a part of the Burns Night celebration today! Check back every two hours for more posts on the awesomeness that is Scotland!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How a True Scot Celebrates Burns Night

2012-01-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

My friend, Jim, from Twitter (@ChauvinOn) is a Scotsman currently living in Texas, but he still carries on the tradition of Burns Night with his lovely bride, Juliet.

As a special favor, he put together a lovely recap of what Burns Night looks like for him and his family. Enjoy!

Our Burns Night

A Burns supper is generally a fairly formal occasion in both dress and structure. 
Formal Scottish dress is normal for the gentlemen, for the ladies it is often an evening dress, although some will wear tartan skirts with a white blouse. With lots of formal structured, but often humorous speeches.

For us it is much less formal.

But the food is traditional and good: Scotch Broth to start, followed by Haggis, Neeps and Tatties, and of course a pudding – maybe Sticky- Toffee pudding. Since we don’t drink we have Scotland’s “other national drink” IRN BRU.

Piping in the haggis; is me with the iPod and speakers under my arm, playing “Scotland the Brave” or some other rousing tune. We never stick to the set speech format, but here are a few snippets.

I love “A Man’s a Man” because of its clear vision of a more just world.

Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a' that,)
That Man to Man, the world o'er,
Shall brothers be for a' that.

And of course I always recite, “My Love is Like a Red Red Rose”, for my Juliet.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Unfortunately Burns was after Aiden’s time or I am sure he would have sung it to Lindsey. (Cyndi's note: Awwwww! I love that!)

And what better way to end than with the following excerpt from “Tam o’ Shanter”.
But pleasures are like poppies spread, 
You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed; 
Or like the snow falls in the river, 
A moment white-then melts for ever; 
Or like the Borealis race, 
That flit ere you can point their place; 
Or like the Rainbow's lovely form 
Evanishing amid the storm. - 
Nae man can tether Time nor Tide, 
The hour approaches Tam maun ride;

Thank you so much, Jim, for sharing your traditions with us. What fun! And that love song... *swoon* No wonder all the ladies were in love with Rabbie! :)

Don't miss the "Ask a Real Scotsman" Q&A with Fraser McFarlane, hosted by The Mountains of Instead blog, starting at 1pm Pacific, 4pm Eastern!

Enter below to win an ebook copy of Between, just for telling me your favorite thing about Scotland!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Never at a Loss for Words (aka Scottish Proverbs)

2012-01-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing that Scots have such a sexy accent since they always have something to say. Here's a list of Scottish sayings I collected from a variety of online sites:

http://www.fife.50megs.com/scottish-sayings.htm
He's the slave of all slaves who serve's none but himself.

The willing horse is always worked to death.

Empty barrels make the most noise.

Better be a coward than a corpse.

He goes long barefoot that waits for dead men's shoes.

If the Lord slight the lady so will the kitchen boys.

Scottish by birth, British by law, a Highlander by the grace of God.

Whisky may not cure the common cold but it fails more agreeably than most other things.

http://www.scotland-welcomes-you.com/scottish_sayings.html
Whit's fur ye'll no go by ye! - What's meant to happen will happen.

Is the cat deid? - Has the cat died? Means your trousers are a bit short - like a flag flying at half mast.

Mony a mickle maks a muckle! - Saving a small amount soon builds up to a large amount.

http://www.scotsindependent.org/features/scots/sayings.htm
A bonnie bride is sune buskit, an a short horse sune wispit: A good looking bride needs little in the way of adornment, and a small horse is soon groomed (i.e. A slight task is soon finished).

Chalk's no shears: literally "chalk is not a pair of scissors." There is a great difference between merely marking out on a cloth a desired pattern from actually cutting it (i.e. Planning to do something is not the same as actually doing it).

Can't get enough? Here are some more sites to whet your Scottish whistle!

http://www.scottish-at-heart.com/scottish-sayings.html
http://www.squidoo.com/scottishwords
http://www.visitrannoch.com/scottish-quotes.htm
http://jimmythejock.hubpages.com/hub/thejockspot_old_scottish_sayings
http://www.allgreatquotes.com/scottish_quotes_proverbs_scotland.shtml

And if you've never seen it before, here's a hilarious skit on Scottish accents!

Another great place to find all-things-Scottish is ScotchPotch.com. Check it out!

Come back here in another two hours for more Burns Night fun!

The Bagpipes! The Accents! Why I Love Scottish Music

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Yeah, you read that right. They're pipers and they're bad ass! I first heard the Red Hot Chilli Pipers while strolling through the touristy gift shops on High Street in Edinburgh (which was more fun than should be legal) and I thought they were awesome.

Bagpipes, attitude, accents, what's not to love? In fact, I think the RHCP are so phenom that I'm giving away one of their CDs to someone who comments on this blog post!

But the RHCP (amazing as they are) are not the only Scottish bands I love. Jim Malcolm, Dougie MacLean, Old Blind Dogs and Runrig also top the list. I saw Jim Malcolm in concert a couple years ago and he's currently on a US tour, so check to see if he's coming to your town!

If you've never listened to Scottish folk music, Dougie's "Caledonia" is playing in the background of this video I made of pics from our 2010 Scotland trip.

There's just something about a singing Scotsman that melts a lassie, especially when he's singing the poetry of auld Rabbie Burns. *blissful sigh*

Leave a comment on this post and complete the Rafflecopter to be entered to win a CD from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kilts, Hose & Ghillie Brogues... Oh My!

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

No Scottish love-fest would be complete with a post dedicated to the hotness that is KILTS!

Here's a wee video to teach how to dress like a Highlander in the Bonnie Prince Charlie style (rated G since he's wearing boxer briefs- LOL).

Do you know how many times you're supposed to twist the laces on your ghillie brogues?

Wearing a kilt is an awesome Scottish tradition to be passed down from generation to generation, as shown in this pic I snapped in Edinburgh of a boy and his grandpa.

And if you're thinking, "Hey, we only get ONE sexy kilt picture? Come on!!" never fear. Here's a link to my kiltgasmic post back from the Crush Tourney when #TeamKilt first came to be!

For the Love of Whisky

2012-01-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

There are few things more Scottish than whisky, that golden liquid that burns a path down your throat. In fact, the Gaelic word for whisky is uisge beatha, which literally means "fire water." Aptly named, if you ask me.

My friends and I have had a couple whisky tasting parties at my house, which is a complete blast. I highly recommend trying a bunch of varieties to learn what you like and don't like, because all whiskys are not created equal. Wild Turkey, for example, is about the nastiest thing I've ever tasted (next to haggis- LOL).

The diagram above is from the Dalwhinnie whisky distillery in Scotland. Each dot represents a different whisky on the smoky-delicate-light-rich grid. So you can see there's quite a bit of variation. My favorite brand is Macallan Cask Strength, followed by Glenmorangie's Quinta Ruban, then Jura.

The weirdest whisky I've ever tried was Ardbeg, which tasted like licking a campfire. Okay, okay, I've never licked a campfire but you get the idea. I had less than a shot and the smoke flavor stayed with me all day long. Not something I'll drink again, but it was definitely worth doing once.

What about you? Do you have a taste for the fire water? Leave your faves in the comments section!

And speaking of fire, here's a commercial for William Lawson whisky that I love! Enjoy!

Scot Up! It's Haggis Time!

2012-01-25T02:00:00.000-08:00

If you've read my bio on Goodreads (or the back of Between), you know it says I love all things Scottish with the exception of haggis. I did actually try it (TWICE!) when I went to Scotland in 2010. It was... uh... not good. LOL Still, it was better deep fried, as most things are.

So the first contest of our Burns Night celebration is going to test the fortitude of your stomach. I won't make you eat haggis, but here's a video on how it's made. At one point in the video, he notes that they have to import the "natural" casings (aka stomachs).

To enter the giveaway, you have to answer why that is (he gives the answer in the video). Listen closely, since his accent is thick!

The winner will receive an ebook copy of Between in their preferred format (PDF, Kindle, Nook, etc).

Queasy? It's time to Scot Up, lads and lassies! You can do it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Burns Night Kicks Off Now!

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Break open the whisky! Whip out the bagpipes! Burns Night, that annual celebration of Robert Burns (the poet laureate and bard of Scotland) is upon us and we have got a ton of fun in store for you today.

Jeri Smith-Ready has teamed up with me and other Scot lovers for an entire day dedicated to the awesomeness that is Scotland, including:

All Things Scottish giveaway hop! Bloggers, write a post about your favorite thing about Scotland, hold a giveaway, and you could win an ARC of SHINE, the last book in the SHADE trilogy! Check out the linky on the FWIW blog to participate!

Get Your Scot On contest! Share your own photos of Scotland, attempts to make (and eat!) haggis, or any Scottish related fun, and be entered to win. Link up your blog on Fictish Delish's site!

A New Post Every Two Hours! Check back here for a new Scottish-themed post every two hours throughout the day. My blog will be hosting giveaways of Between, Scottish music and Aiden's Angels merchandise. Woot!

Ask a Real Scotsman! Q&A with Glasgow Native Fraser McFarlane. Pop on over to The Mountains of Instead book blog at 4pm EST (1pm PST) to join in the fun.

Or if fake Scotsmen are more your style...

Zachary and Aiden Twitter chat! Zachary Moore from the SHADE series and Aiden MacRae from Between will be getting chummy on Twitter beginning at 10pm EST (7pm PST). Be sure you're following both of the fictional guys and use the hashtag #FakeScotsmen to keep up!

Whew! I may need to take a wee nap after all this excitement. Auld Rabbie Burns never had it so good! :)

Burns Night Craziness is Almost Here!

2012-01-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

Fill the cabinet with whisky! Make sure your bagpipes are in good order! Burns Night, that annual celebration of Robert Burns (the poet laureate and bard of Scotland) is almost here (Wednesday, January 25th) and we have got a ton of fun in store for you.

Jeri Smith-Ready has teamed up with me and other Scot lovers for an entire day dedicated to the awesomeness that is Scotland, including:

All Things Scottish giveaway hop! Bloggers: write a post about your favorite thing about Scotland, hold a giveaway, and you could win an ARC of SHINE, the last book in the SHADE trilogy! The FWIW blog will be posting a linky soon!

Get Your Scot On contest! Share your own photos of Scotland, attempts to make (and eat!) haggis, or any Scottish related fun, and be entered to win. Fictish Delish's site will have a linky posted on Tuesday for you.

A New Post Every Two Hours! Check back here for a new Scottish-themed post every two hours throughout the day on Wednesday, January 25th. My blog will be hosting giveaways of Between, Scottish music and Aiden's Angels merchandise. Woot!

Ask a Real Scotsman! Q&A with Glasgow Native Fraser McFarlane. Pop on over to The Mountains of Instead book blog on 1/25 at 4pm EST (1pm PST) to join in the fun.

Or if fake Scotsmen are more your style...

Zachary and Aiden Twitter chat! Zachary Moore from the SHADE series and Aiden MacRae from Between will be getting chummy on Twitter beginning at 10pm EST (7pm PST) on 1/25. Be sure you're following both of the fictional guys and use the hashtag #FakeScotsmen to keep up!

We'll be using the #TKBurnsNight hashtag on Twitter to spread the word, so let your friends know about the Scottish celebration coming this Wednesday! Go #TeamKilt and #AidensAngels!!

What can I say? I had to insert a gratuitous kilt picture. LOL

Now that's just plain funny!

2012-01-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah... Justin, eat your heart out!

Bwahahaha!

Marissa Meyer Book Signing Pics!

2012-01-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

The first I heard of Marissa Meyer's debut book, Cinder, was from a bookseller at Third Place Books. She recognized me from the signing I did there in August and knew I liked YA books. She told me she'd just finished Cinder and loved it. So I looked up Marissa on Twitter and we started chatting.

News flash: She's really nice! And she's from Tacoma. Woot!

I asked if she was going to do a signing at Third Place Books, but she had one scheduled for the Lynnwood Barnes & Noble instead. So you know I was gonna be there! When she first appeared, I was thrown, since I don't think she looks at all like her author photo on the poster.

She talked about how she wrote fan fiction for several years, then got the idea for a futuristic fairy tale for a contest the fanfic site was running. She didn't win that contest, but the seed of an idea germinated into more futuristic fairy tales, the first of which is Cinder. There are three more books coming in the series, each based a different fairy tale (Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White).

She wrote the first draft of Cinder AND the Little Red Riding Hood book AND the first part of the Rapunzel novel during NaNoWriMo, clocking 150,011 words. Wowza! All while holding down a full-time job and working on a Master's degree. Holy moly, this woman is a super hero. Either that, or she has one of Hermione Granger's clocks that turn back time. Either way, I was impressed.

She's got a degree in publishing and worked in the industry for six years, so when she went out to query, she was ready for the long haul. Lucky for her, she didn't have to run the gauntlet as many do. She got an agent within 2 months (her top pick after receiving three offers), then spent 2 weeks packaging up the presentation for publishers. The package went out on Friday and she had an offer for publication on Monday.

Wowza! You go, girl!

Now she is on a nationwide tour, stopping at a number of different sites across the US to promote the release of Cinder, to sign books and take pics with peeps like yours truly.

It was a fun event and I wish Marissa much luck with Cinder and the rest of the series!

OCBBD: My Disease

2011-12-31T16:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. My name is Cyndi Tefft and I have a disease. And incurable one. And an expensive one to boot.

I have OCBBD: Obsessive Compulsive Book Buying Disorder.

Fortunately, my husband is a big time enabler who finally decided that the books I had wedged in every nook and cranny of the household needed a real home. So looky what I got for Christmas!

Bookshelves! *cue the joyous music*

Since I'm a good wife, I allowed him a small section of the bookshelf for his books (see the teeny pile in the bottom left). This is not unlike our bedroom closet. All the rest is for me. Mwahahahaha!

He gave me the gift with a note that says "Consider this a challenge." Does he love me or what?

*swoon*

And, as part of my 12-step program, I should probably note that I bought three (no, four if I count the ebook, too-rats!) books from BN.com before I wrote this blog post.

See what I mean? OCBBD is a disease and I gots it baaaaaaaad. I'm guessing maybe some of you have it as well. We should form a support group and meet up at, um, say, the bookstore? :)

Fake Ninja Movie Title Contest- Vote Now!

2011-12-15T21:35:00.000-08:00

Holy Smoking Ninjas, Batman! The entries for this contest were so awesome, I nearly choked while reading some of the titles you guys came up with. Hilarious!

Because you all made me laugh so hard, I've decided to have two separate polls: one with titles that sound like they could be real movies (and therefore are contenders for inclusion in Hell Transporter), and another with the funniest titles.

Vote for your favorite(s) in each category. I'll leave the polls open through Tuesday, December 20th at 9pm Pacific. The titles with the most votes will win a special prize (not telling what it is until then)!

Thanks to all of you for your enthusiasm and creativity. You made this SO MUCH FUN!!

customer survey

And now for the funny ones...

survey hosting

Aiden's Angels' Super Sekrit Project Revealed!

2011-12-12T21:30:00.000-08:00

If you've read Between, you've seen Aiden MacRae wield a claymore and sever an enemy's head from his neck. *shudders* You've also seen him be soft, caring for Lindsey as she mourns her death, and you've seen him be... er, sans kilt shall we say. hehehe

Ladies the world over have fallen for the soft and hard that is Aiden MacRae, so much so that they've teamed up to become Aiden's Angels. Squee!!

The uber-fabulous Lindsay Cox from the Violet Hour Book Reviews, made us a team logo out of red ink, white clouds and angel dust. It's so beautiful, you should be careful when looking directly at it (not unlike the chest in the picture above). *fans self*

I love the logo so much, I wish I could adorn everything in my house with it. And here's where the super sekrit part comes in!

Lindsay put together a CafePress site where everyone can buy merchandise with the Aiden's Angels logo!

Holy cats, that's awesome!

So now you can have Aiden with you when you sip your coffee, snuggle up with your fave eReader, slam back a shot of whisky, or have him sliding down your chest as you're getting dressed in the morning.

Okay, I'll wait while you dream about that last one...

*whistles*

*checks watch*

*shakes you*

Aiden's Angels everywhere have been keeping this under wraps until today, where the blogosphere will get to join in our excitement. We're keeping prices rock bottom so everyone can enjoy Aiden's Angels goodies, so the prices listed are the minimum set by CafePress. Neither Lindsay nor I are getting any commissions on this. We just want to give you more ways to declare your love of the dimpled Scotsman.

A huge thanks to Lindsay for putting this together! And thanks to all of Aiden's Angels whose enthusiasm warms me like a shot of Macallan cask strength whisky. I love you guys!

Name That Movie! A Contest

2011-12-09T20:54:00.001-08:00

My friend, Tim Surdyk, has a running joke with me about how he doesn't understand how the ninjas fit into Between. There are, of course, no ninjas in the book. He just says that to tease me.

And in his honor, I am going to include the word "ninja" in Hell Transporter. And you get to help me!

In Hell Transporter, there's a scene where the characters are trying to decide which movie to watch. They rattle off a few titles (that I made up) and one of them is going to have "ninja" in the title.

Here's where you come in (and the contest)!

Leave your recommendation(s) in the comments for a fake movie title with "ninja" in it. After I've received a collection of suggestions, I'll put them in a poll for peeps to vote on! The reader whose movie title wins will receive a special Christmas prize from me (and know that their movie title is in the book). How awesome is that? *grin*

Be sure to leave your email address in the comments section so I can get a hold of you if you win!

Now, go crazy!

Hell Transporter Cover Made of Awesome!

2011-12-03T18:59:00.001-08:00

In case you missed the reveal on Reading Angel's blog, here is the cover for Hell Transporter, the sequel to Between, due out in the spring. I love love love it!

(Blogger cuts off the right edge but I wanted to make it big enough for you to see. I wish there were a fit-to-frame option!)

Huge thanks to Dave at Woulds & Shoulds Editing and Design who created this cover made from sheer awesome. He's the same designer who made the cover for Between, and the continuity of the two is simply masterful.

And here is the book excerpt posted earlier, from the Hell Transporter's point of view:

My gaze locked onto the girl and a violent, lusty excitement soared in my chest. I would tear her apart, rip her limbs from her body and laugh as her blood soaked into the ground.

You will die tonight. Her whole body twitched and I knew she heard. The war cry that erupted behind me told me the Scot heard as well.

I crashed through the brush toward her. She didn’t move, just shivered like a mouse before the cat’s jaws, but her eyes grew larger than the moon as I bore down on her. She was making it too easy. She was taking the all fun out of it. Bitch.

Summoning the wind’s power, I flew forward with the speed of a raging fire and grasped the girl's hair in my talons, yanking her limp body up off the ground. I didn’t have time to savor her death. The Scot was raining down on me. No matter. One quick snap and she’d be dead. I wanted to see her eyes as she died, as the light dimmed from the inside out.

When she met my gaze, I froze.

You like? :) If you're excited to read Hell Transporter when it comes out in the spring, be sure to mark it as "to read" on Goodreads. You can also pick up the Aiden's Angels logo below to put on your blog!

Crazy Stupid Love That Lasts a Lifetime

2011-12-02T12:35:00.001-08:00

I watched Crazy Stupid Love last night, curled up on the couch with my hubby. It was really cute. You should rent it!

In the movie, Steve Carell plays a man (Cal) who met his soul mate when he was 15. Okay, I realize this is Hollywood so it doesn't have to be believable. But you know what? It happens.

Teenagers fall in love. Like real, forever, honest-to-goodness, crazy, stupid love.

Sometimes they even get married. And stay married.

It happened to me.

My husband and I got together during our first year of college. We met in late August, were engaged by February and married the following December. We would have been married sooner, but our folks freaked out because we were so young. When we got engaged, I was 19 and he was 18.

This year marks our 19th wedding anniversary.

Okay, yes, I realize you can do the math and figure out how old I am. I know, you're shocked! Eh, you'll get over it. *grin*

Turns out we're not the only ones in this Crazy Stupid Love Club. I was tweeting with some fabulous ladies the other night and they, too, were blushing brides who've stuck it out for the long haul because of crazy, stupid love!

@NewUTMommy: married at 20, going on 15 years together now
@deviantzangel: engaged at 20, married at 22, still together
@readingangel002: married at 17, going strong
@Loretta_Lynn86: engaged at 16, married at 18, still in love
@violethourBR: married at 19, 7.5 years together now
@jderucki: engaged at 20, married at 21, celebrating 16 years together
@baakrjacks: married at 20, been together for 25 years!

Young adult romance is not always about crushes. Sometimes it's the real thing. And that's a beautiful thing. <333

Hell Transporter Cover Reveal!

2011-11-30T13:23:00.001-08:00

Big news!! The cover for Hell Transporter will be revealed tomorrow, December 1st, on Reading Angel's blog!

****UPDATE: Aiden's Angels have demanded that the cover reveal should happen on SCOTLAND time in honor of Aiden MacRae, so the post is up now! I love you guys!***

I'm so excited for you guys to see the cover, I can barely stand it.

It's beeeeeoooootiful!

But wait, there's more! (No, not a set of knives, though that would be cool, come to think of it. LOL)

In addition to the cover reveal, Reading Angel will also be posting an excerpt from the book written from the Hell Transporter's point of view. *chills* If you missed the teasers I've posted already on my blog, here they are.

Oh, and check out my Awesome Fans! page for two new buttons (one for Between and another for Aiden's Angels). Thanks to the lovely Lindsay Cox for those designs! <33

Support Four Debut Authors & You Could Snag $125!

2011-11-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

The utterly fabulous Shannon Mayer has put together a promotion so simple and full of awesome that I am bursting at the seams to share it with you! *squee*

With thiscontest, there is something for everyone and it’s SO simple to be in on the winning!

OnNovember 28 and/or 29, purchase 1 or all 4 of the debut authors' books listedhere. Then forward proof of purchase (the receipt Amazon sends you will do justfine) to motionsrider@yahoo.ca and get up to 4 entries into a draw for a $100 Amazongift card!

It’s thateasy: no reviews, no hoops to jump through. Just a great .99 book or two. Orthree or four. AND, if the person who wins the $100 Amazon Gift Card haspurchased all 4 books, an additional$25 Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to the winner!

On top ofthat, 2 random commenters pickedfrom 2 of our participating blogs will receive $5 gift Amazon gift cards. So be sure to leave a commentand let us know what you think of the promo, the books, or the authors. Don't forget a contact email in your comment in case you win!

Winnerswill be chosen randomly. One entry per person, per book.

Allwinners will be announced on December 7^th on Shannon's site Wringing Out Words.

So without further ado (what is ado, really? LOL), here are the four books in the order Shannon gave them to me (just in case you thought I was vain for putting mine first):

It just figures thatthe love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper,complete with a dimpled smile, and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has allbut given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entrythrough the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindseymust learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.

Available from Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iBooks. Prefer a paperback? Order your personalized copy using the widget in the upper right corner of this blog.

When darkness falls, whose side will you be on?

For the past six years, Zoë has been anything but “normal.” Struggling toaccept her immortality and thrown into a war that’s been waging in the shadowsfor over a thousand years, Zoë must now become who she was meant to be, joiningthe other Chosen to save what’s left of humanity. When the endless night fallsover the Earth, will she be able to save the one man who reminds her of what itis to be human, or will it be too late?

Until Dawn: Last Light is a story of death and despair, love and longing, hopeand hopelessness, and the ability to survive and keep going even when it seemsimpossible – when you want nothing more than to give up.

Grab your copy of Until Dawn: Last Light on Amazon for only 99 cents to be entered in the drawing!

A stranger enters a dying town and makes a desperate plea…

The Kayson Cycle introduces the Kayson Brothers, a pair of faith healers whoonce wowed crowds in a traveling show but went their separate ways after anight in which a healing took a dark turn. Jeffrey Kayson disappeared into thewilderness and William Kayson, wracked by guilt, moved to the failing miningtown of Calico Hills to build a nice, quiet life – one that has lasted for overten years.

His quiet, predictable life crumbles when a mysterious stranger walks into histavern bearing a proposal to find his long-lost brother and do the one thingthat William has sworn to never do again - have his brother heal a woman.William soon learns that he can’t escape his family – or his destiny.

Includes an exclusive sample chapter of The Corridors of the Dead. Please notethat this is a Kindle Single, and around 6,000 words in length.

The Kayson Cycle is available from Smashwords, Amazon or Barnes & Noble for less than a buck!

A miracle drug, Nevermore, spreads like wildfire throughout theworld allowing people to eat what they want, and still lose weight. It iseverything the human population has ever dreamed of and Mara is no different.Only a simple twist of fate stops her from taking Nevermore.

As the weeks roll by, it becomes apparent that Nevermore is not the miracle itclaimed. A true to life nightmare, the drug steals the very essence that makesup humanity and unleashes a new and deadly species on the world that is bent onfilling its belly. Locked down within their small farm home, Mara and herhusband Sebastian struggle against increasingly bad odds, fighting offmarauders and monsters alike.

But Sebastian carries a dark secret, one that more than threatens to tear themapart, it threatens to destroy them both and the love they have for each other.

Now Mara must make the ultimate choice. Will she live for love, or will shelive to survive?

Pick up a copy of Sundered from Smashwords, Amazon or Barnes & Noble for a chance to win!

HUGE thanks to all the bloggers who are participating in the event. Love love love you guys! *mwah*

TheImmortal words of Doctor Fab www.shayfabbro.com
TheBeauty Brat http://www.thebeautybrat.com/
ANovel’s Journey http://anovelsjourney.blogspot.com/
HaleyWhitehall http://haleywhitehall.com/blog/
CallSign: Wrecking Crew on the Run http://callsignwreckingcrew.blogspot.com
Romanceby Catherine http://catherinebybee.blogspot.com/
Believehttp://mimibarbour.blogspot.com/
CarmenDesousa http://carmendesousa.blogspot.com/
AEMarling http://aemarling.com/
RSGuthrie http://www.rsguthrie.com/
EvBishop http://evbishop.wordpress.com/
Labotomyof a Writer http://labotomyofawriter.com/
MustInkshttp://museinks.blogspot.com/
TheRomanceaholic http://romanceaholic.com/
Care Caffrey www.carycaffrey.com/
ChickletsLit http://chickletslit.wordpress.com/
NathanEverett http://www.gutenbergrubric.com/
Rantsof a Wolf http://aetas-lupus.livejournal.com/
Lettersinside Out http://www.lettersinsideout.net
Can’tPut it Down book Reviews http://readitreviewit.wordpress.com/category/home/
UnabridgedBookshelf http://unabridgedbookshelf.blogspot.com
IndiscriminateWrites http://indiscriminatewrites.blogspot.com/
Illusionshttp://lorhainneeckhart.blogspot.com
AngieWest http://angiewest.wordpress.com/tag/angie-west/
MichealYoung: The Canticle http://www.writermike.com.
BriannaSoloski http://www.girlseeksplace.com/
WendyCarmell http://www.wendycartmell.webs.com
HeatherMcCorkle http://heathermccorkle.blogspot.com/
SheriLarsen: YA Lit Chat http://yalitchat.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?user=05fr2885uha86
VanessaBarger Writes http://vanessabargerwrites.wordpress.com/
JKeller Ford: Dreamweaver’s Cottage http://jennykellerford.wordpress.com/
DocDave’s Voice http://www.docdavesvoice.com
KimCormack http://www.kimcormack.com
TwinDragon’s Knowledge http://twindragonsknowledge.blogspot.com/
What’sBeyond Forks? http://whatsbeyondforks.blogspot.com/
Scott Bury: Jambalian http://jambalian.blogspot.com/
Raven Corinn Carluk http://raven.youareannoying.us/
Madeline Rex http://madeleinerex.com
What the Cat Read Http://whatthecatread.wordpress.com
ChazzWrites www.chazzwrites.wordpress.com
VentureGalleries http://venturegalleries.com
FarManor http://farmanor.blogspot.com/
Blameit on the Full Moon www.blameitonthefullmoon.blogspot.com
KellyHitchcock http://kellyhitchcock.com/blog/
MyImaginary Beings http://my-imaginary-beings.blogspot.com/
LouiseWise http://louisewise.blogspot.com
MyEclectic Bookshelf http://myeclecticbookshelf.blogspot.com/
BenjaminJones Writes http://benjaminjoneswrites.weebly.com/index.html
Alchemyof Scrawl alchemyofscrawl.wordpress.com
ReenaJacobs www.reenajacobs.com/blog
Sleepless in Samoa http://sleeplessinsamoa.blogspot.com
BluebellsTrilogy http://bluebellstrilogy.blogspot.com
Nyx Book Reviews http://nyxbookreviews.blogspot.com/
Wicked Readings by Tawania http://www.wickedreadingsbytawania.blogspot.com
Liveto Read http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.com/
Cici’sTheories www.cicistheories.com
HannahDowning www.hannahdowning.com
My Inner Muse http://www.kishazworld.com/innermuse/
Book Flame http://www.bookflame.blogspot.com/
Dreaming Dreams no Mortal everDared http://Dreamingdreamsnomortaleverdared.blogspot.com
Cold Fire Writer http://coldfirewriter.wordpress.com/
Passing the Open Windows http://www.passingtheopenwindows.co.za/
Books 4 Juliet http://books4juliet.blogspot.com/
Ren’sBlogging About http://renthewriter.com/
Tibby Armstrong http://tibbyarmstrong.com/
ADiary of a Book Addict http://adiaryofabookaddict.blogspot.com/
SS BookFanatics http://ssbookfanatics.blogspot.com
Lady TechiesBook Musings Http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.com
JillianBrookes-Ward www.writers-unlimited.blogspot.com
Horror.Punk. Buddhism. http://mepurfield.livejournal.com
WritersAlley http://writersally.blogspot.com
Lost in Believing http://lostinbelieving.wordpress.com/
MelissaBunnell http://psptutstagsbyq.blogspot.com
PalmCoast Twilight Book Club Reviews http://palmcoasttwilightbookclubreviews.wordpress.com/
Betweenthe Pages Reviews http://www.betweenthepagesreviews.com/
Word Spelunking http://www.wordspelunking.blogspot.com/
The Violet Hour Book Reviews http://www.violethourbr.com
Moonlight Book Reviews http://www.moonlightbookreviews.com
Snowdrop Dreams of Books http://www.snowdropdreams.ca
Creative Reads http://www.creativereads.blogspot.com
New England Muse http://Newenglandmuse.wordpress.com
Liveby the Pen, Die by the Pen http://blog.daphnejriordan.com/
Glowy Mushrooms www.glowymushrooms.tumblr.com
Fictional DistractionBook Reviews www.fictional-distraction.com
Breila McValan http://taiyouryu.insanejournal.com/375.html
Lakisha Spletzer http://indieauthor-howto.blogspot.com

Love One Another

2011-11-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

I've been battling a nasty cold this week, which means I haven't been sleeping well. After church, I crawled into bed, clicked on the electric blanket and took a nap. It was wonderful.

But I couldn't get up.

I heard my family moving around the house: the clicking of the dog's toenails on the hallway floor as he searched the house for me, the muffled talk of my husband and children in the living room.

I knew I needed to get up.

If I stayed in bed, I wouldn't be able to sleep later and I'd be up all night. I kicked myself around inside my head, yelled "Get up!", called myself names to try and combat the sinuous lure of sleep and the warmth curled around me. It didn't work. I slipped back into oblivion. Again and again and again.

I needed someone to come wake me.

It wasn't that I didn't know I needed to get up. I did. I just couldn't do it on my own. The pull of the bed was too strong, it felt too good. Even though I knew it would only hurt me, I wasn't able to extract myself from the jaws of slumber.

This week, we learned that a close friend has been leading a double life of sexual sin for several years. It rips my heart out to think of what he and his family are going through right now. I love them all deeply and wish that I had known--that anyone had known--and that he'd been able to reach out and ask for help.

Sometimes life is too much for us to handle on our own and we need to have someone come and wake us, pull us from the lure of what ensnares us. I implore you to be the kind of person who not only asks for help, but who also willingly gives it.

Love one another.

Sugar! Sugar! Sugar!

2011-11-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a fabulous Halloween! My kiddos were successful in bringing in quite the haul of candy. Before we went out, I told them, when given the choice, to pick chocolate (since I like chocolate- haha), and they followed my advice. Good job, kids! :P (Proud Mama)

Now, to manage the sugar rush and distribute said candy...

We're going to dump it out on the counter and let them take turns picking the pieces they want most (15 pieces each). Then I'm going to buy the ones I want from the rest of the pile, and the others we'll take to their dentist, who will pay them cash for their candy. Pretty sweet, huh? (See what I did there?- lol)

How do you divvy up Halloween candy to your kids? Let them eat it all? Put a limit on pieces per day?

If you don't have kids, how do you think it should be done?

I want to hear from you!

So You Wanna Win a Book?

2011-10-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

There are oodles of opportunities for you to win a copy of Between right now, so I thought I'd be a sweetie ('cuz I'm nice that way) and collect them all in one place for your clicking and entering pleasure.

You're welcome! *grin*

Enter to win a print copy from Paper Cut Reviews (part of the Feast of Screams) through November 1.

A print copy is up for grabs at vvb32's blog. Contest ends November 13.

Unabridged Bookshelf is giving away five ebooks of Between (ends October 31).

Reading Angel has an interview with me and an ebook giveaway (through November 4).

Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads is giving away two paperback copies internationally! Ends 11/11.

Good luck!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-10-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's my birthday today! Woohoo! Let's celebrate!

*tosses confetti*

*hands out kazoos*

*pins the tail on Adam Levine*

*takes a sip of champagne*

*cranks the tunes*

I told my hubby that I love my birthday because it's the one day a year when it's all about ME. He said, "The ONE day???"

LOL- He knows me too well.

I asked my son this morning how old he thought I was. He said "29" and I didn't correct him. So, from the mouth of babes, I am officially 29 today.

Hey, no snickering, you in the back!

:)

Piracy Sucks!

2011-10-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

In less than 24 hours, my book has popped up on FIVE sites for illegal download. Worse, two of the sites plagiarized my dear friend Jaime's review along with the posting. Jaime is spitting mad and so am I.

Between is practically free as it is! The ebook only costs 99 cents. Who doesn't have that? I've had bloggers email me and request a free review copy, which I willingly give. So if a person doesn't have a buck and is desperate for the book, there are ways to get a copy without stealing.

And I'm not the only one. Jennifer Armentrout, the author of the upcoming Half Blood, was recently plagued by illegal postings of her book as well.

So what can we do about it?

We've emailed the sites to ask that the pirated copies be removed, but Jennifer called them gremlins that multiply at night, and I have to agree with her. My Twitter friend Trina M. Lee told me that her books have been pirated for years and that even if a site agreed to take the posting down, it would pop up again a few weeks later.

Jaime is fighting back. And so am I.

Okay, so maybe I can't stop the books from being posted illegally. People who wish to do evil will find a way. So we choose to counter that with good.

Jaime is hosting a contest on her blog where she's going to buy and give away a copy of Between. Go and show your support! HappyTwilighter made a Piracy Sucks twibbon to add to your Twitter avatar. HeyItsFishy is making a Piracy Sucks banner. What The Cat Read has already posted about this. Larissa's Bookish Life is the awesome talent behind the icon above. Add it to your blog! Unabridged Bookshelf is giving away 5 copies of Between and another 5 of Angeline Kace's Descended by Blood (which has also been plagued by illegal postings).

Figure out how you can be part of the movement to speak out against piracy.

For me, I will give a free ecopy of Between to EVERY SINGLE PERSON who blogs about this and comments back here with the link.

This isn't about me and my book. It's obviously not about money, since the book is dang near free already.

This is about stealing that which should be a gift. When an author pours her heart onto the page in order to make you laugh, cry, and fall in love, it is a gift. From her to you. It's a special time capsule of hours spent when you were swept up in another world and just for a little while, were able to set aside the trials of this world. Don't steal the gift. It won't mean as much to you in the end, I promise.

Go and spread the message that Piracy Sucks and come back here to let me know you have. Be sure to leave your email so I can send you the free copy.

Because above all else, I want to share the gift of Between with you. From my heart to yours.

Pen Fatale Tour Pics!

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

I met a fabulous lady on Twitter today and she mentioned that a group of YA authors were doing a signing at Barnes & Noble in my area. So skip forward a handful of hours and not only did I get to meet the authors (and get signed books), but I got to meet my new Twitter friend, too. What a great night!

The Pen Fatale Tour made its very last stop in Seattle and I was fortunate enough to attend. Alyson Noel, Jessica Brody, Mary Pearson and Gabrielle Zevin (L-R) were out promoting their new books. While Alyson was definitely the most well-known of the group (and most of the questions were addressed to her), all four ladies were personable and engaged the audience beautifully.

One girl up front asked Mary Pearson how she got the idea to put thoughts in a black box (the premise of her novel, The Fox Inheritance). Mary responded that she'd done some research and that scientists currently believe that in about 25 years, they'll be able to scan our brains and download the information to a computer so we can have conversations with ourselves. Jessica Brody piped up and asked if her computer brain would be able to tell her where she left her car keys, since she has difficulties with that. :)

Alyson shared that she finds writing inspiration from events in her life, that she's been through some tough times: lost 3 people in her family within a short period and almost lost her husband to leukemia. Mary spoke of her daughter's cancer and how that played a role in the stories she came up with to work through the emotions. Gabrielle lightened the mood by recounting a story about a vicious chihuahua trying to attack her and her pug outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the inspiration for her novel, All These Things I've Done.

I had the chance to ask Jessica about the Ah-Mazing book trailers she's done for The Karma Club and My Life Undecided, which are more like movie trailers than book trailers. She said that she has friends in the film industry who've helped her out and that they take months to do, but that they are a labor of love. When I talked with her one-on-one during the signing, I told her I'd love to have her do a book trailer for Between.

*dreams of casting a hot guy in a kilt as Aiden*

*swoons*

All in all, it was a fabulous night. An inquisitive and attentive crowd, and some lovely women encouraging young readers (and writers). What's not to love?

Safe travels home from your tour, ladies!

And super big thanks to my new Twitter friend, @seibslikefeebs!

Seattle Sounders Fan-tastic

2011-10-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

I went to my first Seattle Sounders game last night and had an absolute blast! That's not me in the picture, but I felt like it. The energy in the crowd was out of this world: jumping, chanting, cheering, singing... it never stopped.

The Sounders didn't win the game, but it scarcely mattered since it was really all about the fans. I snapped a little video with my phone, which doesn't do the crowd justice, but might give you a taste of the intensity.

Sheer. Awesomesauce!

The Fan Gallery Has Begun!

2011-10-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

I wanted to put together an homage to the awesome people who've read Between, so be sure to check out the Fan Gallery page of the blog. If you've got a copy of Between, snap a picture of you with the book and email it to me at cynditefft -at- gmail -dot- com. I'd love to add your photo to the page! :)

Q&A with Jody Hedlund and Giveaway!

2011-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

I am honored to have the lovely Jody Hedlund on the blog today, talking about her new novel The Doctor's Lady which just came out on September 1st. See giveaway deets at the end!

Priscilla White knows she'll never be a wife or mother and feels God's call to the mission field in India. Dr. Eli Ernest is back from Oregon Country only long enough to raise awareness of missions to the natives before heading out West once more. But then Priscilla and Eli both receive news from the mission board: No longer will they send unmarried men and women into the field.Left scrambling for options, the two realize the other might be the answer to their needs. Priscilla and Eli agree to a partnership, a marriage in name only that will allow them to follow God's leading into the mission field. But as they journey west, this decision will be tested by the hardships of the trip and by the unexpected turnings of their hearts.

When did you start writing The Doctor's Lady and how long did it take you?

I started writing the first draft of the The Doctor’s Lady last January (of 2010). I spent approximately 5 months writing it, doing about 5000 words a week. I had to take a few weeks off during those months to do some in-house editing on The Preacher’s Bride. But overall, the first draft of The Doctor’s Lady went fairly quickly.

Was there anything notably different in writing this book than your first?

I always fall madly in love with my books during the first draft stage. It’s not until after I finish and start the editing that I begin to fall out of love. And that was true of The Doctor’s Lady the same as all of the other books I’d written previously.

However, The Doctor’s Lady was the first book I’d written under a contract with a publisher. They gave me initial input into the book. But even with approval of my synopsis and their guidance for the story development, when I turned the finished manuscript in to my editors, they didn’t like some of the aspects of how I shaped the story.

I ended up having to spend a couple of months doing some major rewriting of the book which was very difficult. But their input and feedback has hopefully made the book into something my readers will enjoy.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers out there, particularly about the Christian fiction market?

My first piece of advice for aspiring writers is to make sure they’re actively pursuing growth in their writing skills through reading fiction how-to books like Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell or Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass. I can’t tell you how important writing craft books have been to my own personal growth as a writer. Over the years, I’ve read countless books and then practiced what I’ve learned. Without all of the study and practice, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. Writing a captivating and well-told story is the foundation of a promising writing career.

My second piece of advice for aspiring writers, particularly those interested in Christian fiction, is to familiarize themselves with the industry. Study the various publishers and their websites, become familiar with authors and their styles, get to know agents and their clients. A great place to get more information about Christian agents and publishers is on the American Christian Fiction Writer’s (ACFW) website. They have a list of agents and editors who will be attending their annual conference and what kinds of projects they are specifically looking for.

If you could buy land anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I’d definitely buy a plotof land on a mountain and build a log cabin (fully equipped with all modern conveniences, of course!). And then I'd use it as a place where I could retreat for peaceful writing sometimes! It would also be an ideal place for hosting writing getaways with writer friends. So does anyone have any mountaintop real estate they'd like to sell to me? *wink*

What's one article of clothing you probably should throw out, but won't?
I have a floral print dress that I made for my honeymoon. Not only does the dress hold wonderful memories, but it was also incredibly difficult and painstaking for me to make (since I don't really know how to sew well!). I can't make myself throw it out, even though I haven't worn it in nearly twenty years, and likely will never wear it again!

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning historical romance novelist and author of the best-selling book, The Preacher's Bride. She received a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, both in Social Work. Currently she makes her home in Michigan with her husband and five busy children.

Enter to win a signed paperback copy of The Doctor's Lady by leaving a comment (and your email address) below. US mailing addresses only. A winner will be drawn September 30th. Good luck!

Sitting By Yourself on the Bus (aka Growing Pains)

2011-09-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

My son started kindergarten this year. When I asked him how his day went today, a shadow passed over his face and his eyes glistened. He blinked, pushing down the emotion.

"I rode the bus by myself," he said in a small voice.

"What do you mean? Don't you usually sit with your other two friends? Were they gone today?"

"No, they were there. They didn't sit with me. I had to sit by myself."

Yep, that sound you heard was a mom's heart breaking, mostly because I know there's nothing I can do to fix it. No Band-Aid can fix the hurt that comes with being rejected. No ice pack can heal the pain of friends turning away from you.

I can't even offer him a promise that things will get better, that kids will grow up and learn the error of their ways. It still happens to adults. Not as often, sure, but it hurts just as much when it does.

We all want to belong, to be loved, to be accepted. I want to wrap my arms around him and keep him safe from the pain of the world. But I can't.

All I can do is love him, pray for him, and pray for his friends, too. And lead by example so that maybe he won't make the same mistakes.

A Tribute to My Fans! {{HUGS}}

2011-09-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

You want to know the best thing about writing Between? Connecting with readers who love the book (and Aiden!) like I do. *insert enormous group hug here* Dang, I love you guys!

In honor of these fabulous like-minded peeps, I'm going to create a Fan Gallery page on my blog.

Snap a picture of your beautiful self with the book and email it to me at cynditefft at gmail dot com and I'll include your photo in the page. Feel free to be creative!

If you don't have a copy of the book yet, you can order a personalized copy from me (see upper right corner of this page). I'm so excited to see pics of all of you! *hug*

YA Indie Carnival Winner!

2011-09-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Holy buckets of awesome, Batman! I am just full of winners today, aren't I?

Last week, the YA Indie Carnival threw a giveaway bash and today, I get to announce the winner of an ebook of Between:

Paige Bradish

Woohoo! Congrats, Paige!

If you didn't win a copy of Between as part of the YA Indie Carnival or the YA Scramble, never fear! There are more opportunities for you to win!

Reading away the days (ends 9/23)

Goodreads (ends 9/30)
Inky Fresh Press (giveaway starts next week)

YA Scramble Winners Announced!

2011-09-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

The YA Scramble was 24 hours of insanity as a horde of folks jumped from one blog to another, collecting letters and then puzzling out the secret phrase. Readers came up with all sorts of permutations (some quite entertaining), but the majority of folks were able to work out the answer:

WE HEART YA BOOKS

One incredibly lucky participant is walking away with the Massive Grand Prize of Mega Awesomeness including:

ARC of The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab (with signed bookmark)
Ebook of Solstice by PJ Hoover (with trading cards)
Ebook of The Space Between by Alexandra Sokoloff
Paperback copy of Perception by Heather Cashman
Signed paperback ARC of Anathema by Kathleen Tucker
Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Gift Set (Trade Paperback of Eighth Grade Bites, Vlad Journal, Minion Bling Buttons and Vlad Tote)
Signed paperback copy of Between by Cyndi Tefft
Signed hardcover of Clarity by Kim Harrington
ARC of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Signed ARC of Fury by Elizabeth Miles
Signed paperback of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
ARC of Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
Copy of The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Winner's choice of 5 ebooks from a list of indie authors
Signed paperback of Sleepers by Megg Jensen
Ebooks of Soul Quest and The Guardians of Souls by Amy Jones
Kindle copy of Winnemucca by Laura Elliott (plus a guest post spot on her blog!)
Paperback copy of City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

And that winner is...

Mindy Herbert!!

Congratulations, Mindy! Prepare for the onslaught of awesomeness headed your way!

And now for a list of the other lucky readers whose names were drawn for the individual prizes...

✯ SableLexi wins a signed copy of Clarity by Kim Harrington and a signed ARC of Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon from Irish/Gail.

✯ Bookishly Malyza wins a signed paperback of Between by Cyndi Tefft (me!).

✯ Mirrormera92 wins a pack of Solstice trading cards from PJ Hoover.

✯ Sarah Nicolas wins an ebook of Anathema by Kathleen Tucker.

✯ Lolawid wins a pre-order book of her choice from Kaitlin Simpson.

✯ Janhvi wins an ARC of Loss by Jackie Morse Kessler from Jennifer Morris and a pack of Solstice trading cards from PJ Hoover.

✯ Britney Wyatt wins a book of her choice from Danielle Bunner's list and FIVE ebooks from a selection of indie authors from T.R. Graves.

✯ Tamara Basic wins an ebook of Perception from Heather Cashman and a pack of Solstice trading cards from PJ Hoover.

✯ Roro wins a copy of Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke from Jennifer Morris.

✯ Erin Baker wins an ebook of Sleepers from Megg Jensen.

✯ Aeicha wins an ebook of The Glassheart Chronicles from Amy Jones and a pack of Solstice trading cards from PJ Hoover.

✯ Aimee Brandon wins a signed paperback of Winnemucca from Laura Elliott along with a Winnemucca coffee mug and a guest post on Laurasmagicday.

Winners will be contacted soon to arrange for the receipt of their prizes. Thanks to all the bloggers who gave so generously to the event and to everyone who participated. I hope you all had fun!

YA Scramble Wrap Up!

2011-09-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, peeps, the YA Scramble yesterday was oodles of fun, but I am one wrung out sponge! Give us a day to draw the winners and I'll be posting the results here tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who participated! We had a great turnout and I hope you all had fun!

The YA Scramble is here!

2011-09-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

***** THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED******

The day you've been waiting for has arrived! *tosses confetti*

Instructions for the YA Scramble:
1) Visit the first blog (based on list below).
2) Read the guestpost.
3) Identify the PURPLE word.
4) Pick out the 3rd letter from the purple word.
5) Go to the next blog.
6) Repeat #3, #4,and #5 until you visited all 14 sites.
7) At the end, take all 14 of the 3rd letters from the PURPLE words and figure out the message near and dear to our hearts. HINT: The secret phrase is 4 words long.
8) Enter the unscrambled message ONCE into this form as your official entry for a chance to win some great prizes from fantastic authors and bloggers.

Participating Blogs - all must be visited:
✯ Kaitlin Simpson

✯ PJ Hoover

✯ Cary Cummings

✯ Heather Cashman

✯ Kathleen Tucker
✯ Jennifer Morris
✯ Cyndi Tefft (You're here!)

✯ Irish/ Gail

✯ Danielle Bunner

✯ Melissa Layton

✯ T.R. Graves

✯ Megg Jensen

✯ Amy Jones

✯ Laura Elliott

Jennifer Morris from Books Make Happy Reviews is guesting on the blog today!

Hello thereeveryone!! I’m so excited to be here on Cyndi’s blog today! I’d like to say abig, BIG thank you to her for putting this event together, and for hosting me.

So… YA fiction.Today’s Young Adult books are full of fantastic stories based around amazingcharacters. There are hardships, andtriumphs, and romances, and heartache, and mythology and realism, and honestyand incredible imagination. YA authors create characters we love, stories welove, and give us places and times we can lose ourselves in.

All of thissounds EXACTLY like what I would say about some of my favorite ADULT fiction.In fact, some of my favorite adult fiction authors write for the young adultaudience as well! How handy is THAT? Teens that read, and fall in love with aparticular author, have an ever increasing chance to find more from the sameauthor when they transition into reading adult fiction. I don’t know if thishas always been as widespread as I find it to be now. I don’t believe it has.But I can count on two hands, and be in need of additional fingers, the authorsI can think of just off the top of my head that write in both the YA and adultfiction genres. (Let’s name a few, shall we? Richelle Mead, Deborah Cooke,Jackie [Morse] Kessler, Jennifer Estep, Wendy Delsol, John Grisham, JamesPatterson, Gena Showalter, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Michelle ROWEN,Rachel Caine, Lilith Saintcrow, Rachel Vincent, Dina James, Ridley Pearson, StephenieMeyer, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr… and there are others, shallI go on??)

My question is…what prompts an adult fiction author to enter the YA lit world? What draws theminto writing for a younger audience? Is there a different procedure or mindsetfor writing for YA? Are there any drawbacks or limitations? These are a fewquestions I asked a couple of authors who were included in the list above:

1 - Did youstart your writing career in YA, or did you come into this age group later? Ifyou came into it later, what prompted the change?

Dina James: I came into the age group later at theencouragement of a former editor. It was so much of a prompted change as a"please try this I want to see what you do." I tried it with a shortstory and the rest just followed. I never intended to write YA. I just sort offell into it.

Wendy Delsol: I started writing adult fiction. My first twonovels (attempts, perhaps the accurate term) were in this genre. THE MCCLOUDHOME FOR WAYWARD GIRLS was the third novel I wrote. While it was making therounds with agents, I decided to give YA a go. I wrote STORK in five months,and it was the project with which I found my agent. The decision to try YA wasequal parts experimentation as a new writer and market driven.

2 - Do youapproach writing adult novels and YA novels differently? Is there a differentpreparation necessary? A different mindset during the writing process?

DJ: Yes I do. When writing YA I'm constantly aware of"adult situations" and actions, especially dialogue. Where I can havemy adult character do and say things I'm accustomed to, younger people thinkand respond differently, as they don't have the life experience to draw on anolder character might. For instance, I can't have a 14 year old playing a videogame that was around before they were born (unless of course it's that character'shobby/collection/obsession, whatever, but that can be justified in the story),or driving a car (legally) or drinking alcohol (again, legally). So you have tothink about those things. If your character needs to get somewhere across town and they can'tdrive, you have to find a way to get them there. The bus, a friend, portablehole (yeah, I know, my geekdom is showing!)... so you do have to think a littledifferently, but nothing that varies too much.

WD: I write YA in the first person because I think thisperspective best mirrors the psychology of a teen. At the crossroads betweenchildhood and adulthood, experiences are up-close and personal. So far, I’vewritten my adult fiction in third person with close perspectives from multiplecharacters. I tend to use a multi-generational cast as well as flashback scenesto really get into the dynamics and history of the relationships. I’m not surethe preparation—i.e. the get-to-know-you period between the writer andcharacter—is any different. It’s all about fleshing out your protagonist(s)until they feel unique and authentic.

3 - Arethere any benefits to writing for a YA audience? Any drawbacks?

DJ: When I was first asked to try a YA story, I balked at theidea. "But I don't write for kids," was my immediate response.Encouragement followed and, despite my reluctance and apprehension, I gave it ashot. I didn't like it. I felt it was restrictive. I couldn't do the things Iwas used to, etc. In my adult writing there's sex, kissing, blood, guts, and gore.Then I started looking around at what the genre really included. YA iseverything adult writing is, only it's through the eyes of a younger person.How young people see things. They are not sheltered from life's trials and tribulationsbecause they are younger. Things that seem small and insignificant to an adult("this person doesn't like me") can be world-shattering for a teen ortween. Young people react to stress and the world in general in ways different fromadults, and seeing things through their eyes is interesting. In YA, there isstill sex, kissing, blood, guts and gore. It's just the reactions by thecharacters that are different, and the graphic depictions are toned down.

The only drawback I can think of is the consciousness of the effectyour story will have on young people. Books meant so much to me growing up andI admit to having been influenced in my choices by a novel or two. The only solutionis to try not to think about it so much that you end up writing a"cotton" novel - one in which your character is wrapped in cotton soas not to be wounded by the story's events. Just be aware that what you writecan (and most likely will) affect someone in some way. You can't control that,so don't worry about it and just write.

WD: There is an excitement for, and interest in YA that is adefinite benefit. Readers and bloggers are passionate about the genre. They’realso more likely to follow a character through a series of books. From awriter’s perspective, there’s no drawback to that kind of enthusiasm.

4 - Do yourYA novels draw your adult fans, or do you have two distinct followings?

DJ: Honestly, I have no idea. I think they're combined,really. I know there are young people who enjoy my YA, and adults who enjoy ittoo, but I'm not sure about the young people enjoying my adult writing. Goodquestion. Clueless author.

WD: Given that it has been less than a year since my firstbook (STORK, a YA) was published and only weeks since my first adult novel (THEMCCLOUD HOME FOR WAYWARD GIRLS) released, I’m still building a following. I dohope eventually for crossover between the two genres.

5 - Havethere been any surprises writing in the YA genre? Any myths you've busted, orunexpected issues you've had to deal with?

DJ: Myths I've busted: "You can't do that in YA." Ohyeah? Whatever the situation, someone has written it in YA and it's been fine.Swearing, sex, abuse, violence, whatever. You can have and do whatever you wantin YA that you'd do in adult writing, but it has to be "suitable for theaudience." Think of it like the movie ratings. G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17, X. InYA, you're aiming for that G - PG-13 range. This means that you can have someviolence and language and so on. It just can't be horrific and graphic orextended. Unexpected issues? I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, andI didn't expect to develop a series out of it. (Or continue it, for thatmatter...)

WD: The biggest surprise in writing YA has been how manyreaders and reviewers are adults (which lends itself to my hope that there willbe crossover fans). I think it speaks to the universal, coming-to-age themes ofYA. Even years later, adults relate to and remember their own teen years.

6 - Is thereanything else you'd like to share about writing YA in addition to adult novels?

DJ: All YA really means is that your lead character is underthe age of 18. That's it. Just because the lead is about a young person doesn'tmean the book won't appeal to an audience outside your target. Just write thebook.

I’d like tothank (with big hugs, chocolate, tea and whatever else makes them smile) Dina James and Wendy Delsol for their insight.

Now… aquestion for you… What authors do YOU love that write in both the YA and theadult genres? What do you think are the major differences? Similarities? I’d loveto hear your thoughts. AND… 2 lucky commenters (randomly selected) will winbooks from authors who write in both genres!!! One person will win an ARC ofJackie Morse Kessler’s LOSS (3^rd book in the Riders of the Apocalypse series and one person will win a copy ofDeborah Cooke’s FLYING BLIND (1^st in the Dragon Diaries series. Both books will be donated bytheir authors and mailed directly to the winner. (Please include your email andfirst name in your comment so you can be reached if you win. If you don’t, youwill NOT be eligible.)

**Did youfind the word in my post in purple caps?** You need to collect the 3^rd letterof that word, along with the 3^rd letter of the purple words in theblog posts of the 13 other YA Scramble participants, unscramble the letters to discovertheir hidden message, and fill out THIS FORM to enter to win the Massive Grand Prize Of Mega Awesomeness!What’s in the Massive Grand Prize Of Mega Awesomeness, you ask??

List ofitems in the MASSIVE GRAND PRIZE OF MEGA AWESOMENESS:

ARC of The Near Witch by VictoriaSchwab (with signed bookmark)
Ebook of Solstice by PJ Hoover (withtrading cards)
Ebook of The Space Between byAlexandra Sokoloff
Paperback copy of Perception byHeather Cashman
Signed paperback ARC of Anathema byKathleen Tucker
Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Gift Set(Trade Paperback of Eighth Grade Bites, Vlad Journal, Minion Bling Buttons andVlad Tote)
Signed paperback copy of Between byCyndi Tefft
Signed hardcover of Clarity by KimHarrington
ARC of Daughter of Smoke and Bone byLaini Taylor
Signed ARC of Fury by ElizabethMiles
Signed paperback of Linger by MaggieStiefvater
ARC of Tris & Izzie by MetteIvie Harrison
Copy of The Iron Witch by KarenMahoney
Winner's choice of 5 ebooks from alist of indie authors
Signed paperback of Sleepers by MeggJensen
Ebooks of Soul Quest and TheGuardians of Souls by Amy Jones
Kindle copy of Winnemucca by LauraElliott (plus a guest post spot on her blog!)
Paperback copy of City of Bones byCassandra Clare

Don’t forgetto leave your comment on this blog to enter to win my individual prizes before you headout to the next site. Good luck, and have FUN!!

The YA Scramble is tomorrow!

2011-09-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

The YA Scramble starts tomorrow (Wednesday, September 14) and runs for just 24 hours. A total of 14 awesome bloggers are participating in the craziness, and they are contributing a boatload of prizes just for you!! Can't you feel the love??

Here's all you have to do to win:

Visit each blog on the list, collect the third letter of the purple word from each, then unscramble the secret message! Type the message in the Google form along with your email to be entered to win a HUGE GRAND PRIZE pack!

Just look at this outrageous collection of awesomesauce:

ARC of The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab (with signedbookmark)
Ebook of Soltice by PJ Hoover (with trading cards)
Ebook of The Space Between by Alexandra Sokoloff
Paperback copy of Perception by Heather Cashman
Signed paperback ARC of Anathema by Kathleen Tucker
Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Gift Set (Trade Paperback ofEighth Grade Bites, Vlad Journal, Minion Bling Buttons and Vlad Tote)
Signed paperback copy of Between by Cyndi Tefft
Signed hardcover of Clarity by Kim Harrington
ARC of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Signed ARC of Fury by Elizabeth Miles
Signed paperback of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
ARC of Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
Copy of The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Winner's choice of 5 ebooks from a list of indie authors
Signed paperback of Sleepers by Megg Jensen
Ebooks of Soul Quest and Guardian of Souls by Amy Jones
Kindle copy of Winnemucca by Laura Elliott (plus a guestpost spot on her blog!)
Paperback copy of City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

And that's just the Grand Prize! There will also be prizes at individual blogs along the way, so be sure to leave a comment as you hop from one blog to another, collecting those purple letters.

Help spread the word on Twitter using the #YAScramble hashtag! See you back here tomorrow, when the chaos kicks off. Good luck!

Q&A with P.J. Hoover & Massive Giveaway!

2011-09-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

Get ready! Today, I'm interviewing the fabulous P.J. Hoover (mwah!) and you get the chance to win a boatload of prizes. Woot! So let's get this party started, shall we?

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. P. J. is also a member of THE TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing Kung Fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice, takes place in a Global Warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade fantasy novels, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, and The Necropolis, chronicle the adventures of a boy who discovers he’s part of two feuding worlds hidden beneath the sea.

The indie publishingprocess can be a wild ride like a rollercoaster (hey, that's why we'recarnies)! What twists and turns (both good and bad) have you been through sofar?

Ups are having people tell me they love the story. Downs arethe opposite JBut that’s okay. At least people are reading which is why I chose indie in thefirst place.

How are you marketingyour book? Any specific tips or strategies you've found particularly helpful?

Truly, I’m trying lots of different things and seeing whatworks. I participated in a blog tour, I use twitter and Facebook, and I alsorun a blog of my own. But I think the funnest thing I did was make tradingcards for SOLSTICE with hidden content tied to each page. You can read allabout them here: http://www.pjhoover.com/trading_cards.php

If you had to givefive reasons why someone should read SOLSTICE, what would they be?

You loved TWILIGHT, THE HUNGER GAMES, THE LIGHTNING THIEF, or MATCHED.
SOLSTICE has red-hot romance to make your world sizzle.
Mythology, anyone? It's like opening Pandora's box without the consequences.
Ever wonder why summers are getting hotter?
It's $2.99. That's less than a latte and lasts a whole lot longer.

Just for fun: If youcould buy property anywhere in the world (price is no object- you can tell Ilove fantasy!), where would it be and why?

I’d either pick a nice piece of property in Tahiti, or I’dgo with somewhere very close to DisneyWorld. I love the beach, but I also lovethe Haunted Mansion.

What's next on thehorizon for you?

Just to keep writing and see what comes next. I have lots ofprojects and ideas I’m working on, but I’m not a kiss-and-tell kind of girl.That said, I do plan to write a sequel to SOLSTICE!

Good luck to you and thanks for stopping by!

Thank you so much for letting me be on your wonderfulblog. I'm super honored!

***

All of the YA Indies are interviewing each other, so check out my interview over on T.R. Graves' blog.

And now for some giveaways! *rubs hands together*

It's easy peasy to win. Just leave a comment below along with your email address AND tweet using the #yaindiecarnival hashtag! Visit all the blogs to increase your chances of winning! Open internationally, winners announced September 16.

Nineteen different books and some swag were included in the giveaway at last count! Check the list of goodies you can win here. And spread the word! #yaindiecarnival

Do Not Watch While Drinking Hot Coffee!

2011-09-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

This is about the stinking funniest thing I've ever seen. Scotland FTW! Eleven!

Thanks to the fabulous Juli Helms for passing along the link!

By Special Request (drum roll please...)

2011-09-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Rae from The Violet Hour is one my Twitter BFFs and she requested the recipe for taties 'n eggs (which is a meal oft mentioned in Between). My hubs wrote out the recipe and so I have it here to share with all of you!

Taties 'N Eggs

2 Lbs (900 grams) Yukon Gold Potatoes

2 Tbs (30ml) Vegetable oil

8 oz. (225g) Breakfast or Country sausage

2 oz. (50g) Shredded Cheddar Cheese

8 Large eggs

1 Tbs (15ml) Butter

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (230 C). Cut the potatoes into even cubes approximately ¾ of an inch square (1.5 to 2 cm). Potatoes can be peeled or the skin can be left on for a more “rustic” meal. Rinse the cut potatoes under cool water, drain well, and dry on towels. Place the potatoes in a large bowl, drizzle with the oil, and toss to coat thoroughly. Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet and roast until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes roast, brown the crumbled breakfast sausage in a skillet over medium high heat. Drain the sausage on paper towels and reserve. Wipe out the skillet and add the butter. When the butter stops foaming, add the eggs, cooking for about 2 minutes. When the whites begin to set, add 2 Tbs (30 ml) of water and cover the skillet. Cook, covered, until the whites have set and the yolks are still soft, about 3-4 minutes more.

Place the hot, roasted potatoes, the drained sausage and the shredded cheese into a large serving bowl. Top with the eggs. Using two large spoons cut the eggs into the potato mixture, mixing all the ingredients into a rough hash. Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Makes about 4 servings

Enjoy!

In Which I Dispense Advice (Yikes!)

2011-09-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you're new here, welcome! *waves* Every Friday, I get together with a host of fabulous ladies who are YA Indie lovers and we blog on the same theme. This week's topic is 3 tips for YA authors.

So, uh... yeah. I'd like to tell you I have this thing down, that sales are through the roof, that Diana Gabaldon Herself has called me up to see if I'd like to get together. Well, that hasn't happened. Yet.

Which brings me to...

Lesson Number One: Dream big but don't forget your goals.
When I published Between, it wasn't because I knew it would be The Next Big Thing. In fact, I knew it probably wouldn't. My main goal was to get it out there, to share this story I love with others who might love it, too. So as fabulous as it would be to say that I'm a bestseller (and that day might come), I can honestly say that I've accomplished what I set out to do. And that's pretty damn awesome.

Lesson Number Two: Make friends.
No one is going to read your book unless they come across it and it's your job to help make that happen. Marketing in the indie world is about making friends, connecting, sharing, and encouraging. While no one likes spam, if you sprinkle in tweets or Facebook posts about your book, people will often help spread the word through comments, retweets and likes. Say thank you and return the favor when you can!

Lesson Number Three: Don't stop writing.
You got on this crazy carnival ride because you had a story to tell, right? Once you've told it, start telling another. And another. You can spend all of your free time doing Lesson Number Two (I will be the first to admit that Twitter is addictive!) but if your new friends love the first book you've written, they're going to want to read more. So be sure to carve out some quality time with your muse. And if your muse happens to wear a kilt, all the better!

Check out some words of wisdom from the rest of the crew!

Danny Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, The Hunted Series and the Hayle Coven Novels.
Courtney Cole Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.
Wren Emerson Author of I Wish and a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.
Nichole A. Williams Author of Eternal Eden, and the upcoming Fallen Eden. She is also participating in the Glassheart Chronicles.
Fisher Amelie Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.
Laura Elliott Author of Winnemucca and the upcoming 13 on Halloween
Amy Maurer Jones Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.
Rachel Coles Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms.
T. R. Graves Author of Warriors of the Cross.
P.J. Hoover Author of Solstice, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, The Necropolis.
Alicia McCalla Author of the upcoming science-fiction novel Breaking Free
Heather Cashman Author of Perception
Abbi Glines Author of Breathe, and the upcoming Existence and Vincent Boys
Cidney Swanson Author of Rippler
Cheri Schmidt Author of Fateful and Fractured

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder (5 out of 5 stars!)

2011-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she’s drawn to him. And the more she’s troubled by his darkness. Because Cade’s not just living in the now—he’s living each moment like it’s his last.

Every now and then a book comes along that is so vivid, so beautifully written that you wish you could rewind the clock and savor it again for the first time. This is such a book.

My Twitter friends were raving about The Day Before, so I grabbed it at Borders while I was trolling their shelves last weekend. I didn't even open it; I just hauled it to the counter and paid for it. It wasn't until I cracked it open last night that I even saw the book is written in verse.

It's a collection of short poems that tell a story, and I wasn't sure I'd like it at first. There was so much white space on the page. It felt too light and airy, seeing the words floating on the paper, rather than being lined up in nice, neat rows. It didn't take me long to realize that nothing about the book was comfortable or familiar. It was shockingly different, new, and absolutely breathtakingly, hauntingly beautiful.

What once was strange and unfamiliar soon became a visual representation of freedom, which is ironic since the two characters in the book are anything but free. The power and simplicity of the poems reminded me why I love telling stories, and why I love to read. It made me feel, it made me ache, it made me cry, it made me smile. But above all, it made me want to write. Schroeder's work of art is a touching example of how words are like brush strokes in a painting: some are bold, some are light, but each one is important in portraying the full picture.

I can only hope to someday wield a brush as majestically as she has done with The Day Before. Thank you, Lisa!

Another teaser from Hell Transporter!

2011-08-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's Friday, so you know what that means! The YA Indie Carnival is in full swing yet again. This week has us all sharing a paragraph from a work in progress. For me, that means you get another teaser from Hell Transporter, the sequel to Between.

To catch you up (in case you're new here), Between is a love story between a modern American girl who dies in a car accident and the 18th century Scottish Highlander who comes to take her to heaven. It launched on June 1st, so if you haven't read it yet, be sure to check it out.

There are some whopping twists in Between, so I can only post snippets from the sequel that don't give anything away. Easier said than done! I've posted one teaser already and now (after some studious skimming through the sequel) here's another tiny taste for you!

Setting: Aiden is chopping wood outside the cabin when Lindsey comes out, bringing him coffee. After a brief exchange (which you don't get to read- remember what I said about spoilers???), this happens:

He took my coffee cup and set it on the chopping block with his own, then cupped my face with both hands and kissed me so thoroughly, I didn’t know if my feet were even touching the ground. When we came up for air, he rested his forehead against mine. The woodsy, salty smell of his skin wrapped around me and I wanted to drown myself in his eyes.

Okay, okay, I know it's not much, but it'll have to do for now! If you're in the mood for some other tantalizing snippets, check out the rest of the carnival!

Danny Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen
Laura Elliott
Courtney Cole
Wren Emerson
Nichole A. Williams
Fisher Amelie
Amy Maurer Jones
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer
T. R. Graves
P.J. Hoover
Heather Cashman

It's Giveaway Time!

2011-08-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Get out your confetti, it's giveaway time! Hopefully, you've already visited the other blogs in the chain to be entered for their goodies. If not, start here and I'll wait until you're back.

*whistles*

*plays on Twitter*

*checks Facebook*

*watches funny cat videos on youtube*

Oh, you're back! Good!

Now's your chance to win an ebook of Between, my YA paranormal romance about a grim reaper with a Scottish accent. Since I am a big fan of Scotland (read: total Scot freak), I've decided to make this contest a wee bit of fun.

To enter, just leave a comment below and tell me one Scottish term and what it means in English. The only trick is that you can't use a word that has already been used.

Since I already used "wee" (which means "little" in English), that one's taken, but there are so many more awesome Scot-isms. Lay them on me!

And don't forget to check out the next blog in the chain at 6pm (central) for more giveaway goodness! All giveaways will remain open until Sunday at noon, so you have time to enter them all. 'Cuz we're nice that way.

Giveaway Starts Tomorrow!

2011-08-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Andrea from Loud Words and Sounds and Kyleigh from Find A Bookmark coordinated the Back to the Stacks giveaway tour, which starts tomorrow! Every hour from 8am to 8pm (central time) on Saturday, a new giveaway will be posted. I'll be giving away an ebook of Between at 5pm, so check back to enter!

Where does inspiration come from?

2011-08-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's Friday so it's time for the weekly installment of the YA Indie Carnival! So grab some kettle corn and wander through the blog posts from some awesome authors.

Today's topic is inspired. Or rather, what inspires me.

I suppose everyone is looking for That Thing that will click, to help them write the book they've always wanted to. Stephen King's On Writing has some great insight on inspiration, so if you're a writer (or want to be), I highly recommend you read that book.

For me, I like people watching. I like to try and describe them in my mind using terms other than hair or eye color, just as a fun exercise. I pay attention to how they interact, how they respond, how they present themselves. Every person is a book in and of themselves, a lifelong story with moments worth cheering over and times that have brought them to their knees.

So I like to make up their stories in my head while I watch them. People watching, to me, is like lying on your back in the grass, calling out shaped in the clouds. It's making much of the little you see, letting your creative soul run wild, and basking in childlike fun.

People inspire me. Because as much as we try to put them in a box, the wind will shift and suddenly, the cloud will morph into something we never expected.

Find out what the rest of the YA Indie Carnival participants have to say!

Danny Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen
Laura Elliott
Courtney Cole
Wren Emerson
Nichole A. Williams
Fisher Amelie
Amy Maurer Jones
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer
T. R. Graves
P.J. Hoover
Heather Cashman

YA Indie Carnival: Surprises along the way

2011-08-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

If you've been following the blog, you know I'm part of the YA Indie Carnival, a great group of ladies who blog about writing and reading self-published novels each Friday. Today's topic is (drumroll, please):

What's been the biggest surprise about going indie?

I've been giving this one some serious thought, since the answers that immediately come to mind are negative. But then, the whole point is to shed some light on the good and bad of going it alone, so it wouldn't be fair to make it all rainbows and butterflies. Every author's experience differs, but here are some surprises I've had along the way.

I've sold more print books than ebooks.
And I'm not sure why, exactly. Certainly, friends and family have wanted print copies that I could sign, which helps, but even readers I've met through Twitter seem to prefer print books and some are willing to pay the price. With so much hubbub about low priced ebooks (and how popular YA paranormal romance is), I thought that ebook sales would quickly outpace their print counterparts. That hasn't been the case so far.

There's definitely something to be said about being in the right place at the right time, and Between has yet to be picked up by sites like Daily Cheap Reads and the Frugal eReader. Hopefully my time will come, so until then, I'll just be patient and continue doing what I'm doing.

I thought it would be easier to categorize my book on Amazon.
Maybe there is a way to do this and I just haven't figured it out, but from what I can tell, Amazon allows you to assign 15 tags to your book (words and phrases that people might use to search for your book). Fifteen tags don't go very far. I see people advertise that their book is a bestseller in some specific category, but I don't see a way to designate categories in the set-up. Also, the categories for Teen Romance and Adult Romance are completely different, so it's incredibly difficult to browse YA titles on Amazon. Sigh...

On the good side:

I'm thrilled by how some people really loooooooove the book.
I figured there would be people who liked it and those who didn't. I never dared hope there would be people who loved it to pieces and would bug me about when the sequel is coming out. One reader sent me an email recently, telling me she'd just finished re-reading Between and that she loved it just as much the second time through! *squee!*

To sum up, the biggest surprise to me about my indie experience so far has been how little is within my control. One of the greatest advantages of going the indie route is that you can control everything: the title, the cover, the font, the price, etc. And yet, when it comes to sales and how people react to the book, you pretty much just have to say a prayer that it all works out.

Find out what the rest of the YA Indie Carnival participants have to say!

Danny Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen
Laura Elliott
Courtney Cole
Wren Emerson
Nichole A. Williams
Fisher Amelie
Amy Maurer Jones
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer
T. R. Graves
P.J. Hoover
Heather Cashman

Finally! A (steamy) Teaser From Hell Transporter

2011-08-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

I promised my awesome friends on Twitter that I'd post a teaser from Hell Transporter (the sequel to Between) when I reached 2200 followers. Finding a mostly-spoiler-free snippet was harder than I thought it would be since there are some plot twist doozies in Between that I didn't want to give away.

So there have been some redacted sentences to keep from spilling any beans.

Teaser from Hell Transporter

At the crack of noon, I snuck out of bed and threw on Aiden's linen shirt, which hung to my knees. Sunlight painted the log walls of the cabin's loft bedroom with an ethereal glow. I held my breath as I stood watching him sleep, like if I were to make the tiniest noise, the spell would be broken.

My eyes traveled over his body: the sheets curled over one hip, his bare chest dusted with blond curls, his lips slightly parted. His jaw was starting to show some darkened stubble and my fingers ached to touch the wiry hairs on his chin, needing to hold on and not let go, to not let him out of my sight.

He rolled onto one side and blinked sleepily at me, his lips curving into a smile that melted me down to my toes.

"Where are ye going, lass?" he asked, his voice playful, but still husky with sleep. "Do you mean to sneak off with my clothes so that I have to chase you about the house in the altogether?"

Loving the way his tongue curled around the r in his words, I giggled at the thought of him streaking through the house after me. I'd meant to bring him breakfast in bed, but his idea sounded like more fun. His kilt lie discarded on the floor, next to his dirk, belt, and sporran. With a wicked grin, I snatched up the kilt and made a run for the stairs. The bedsprings protested loudly as Aiden leapt off the mattress and bolted after me. A squeal escaped my lips as I raced down the steps, my heart pounding with the anticipation of being caught.

A second later, my feet left the ground as he grabbed me around the waist and picked me up from behind. He twisted us around in the skinny stairwell and pressed me against the wall. Clutching the kilt between us, I tried to keep a straight face but the closeness of his naked body made my words come out in a stutter.

"Oh, d-did you want this?" I asked with wide eyes, the picture of innocence. He shook his head and a dimple appeared on one cheek as he pinned me with his smile.

"Nae. I want you," he said and kissed me.

The green and black plaid fabric fluttered to the ground as I reached up to wrap my arms around him. He caught my wrists and pinned them above my head with one hand.

Aha! Now you’re all mine. I heard his words in my head as clearly as if he’d spoken them out loud.

I always was. I replied in my mind and he bent down to kiss me again. When he let go of my wrists, I wound my fingers through his hair, pulling him even closer. His hands were everywhere and before I knew it, he’d taken back his linen shirt as well until we were standing skin to skin in the stairwell, breathing hard.

Well, what did you think? I hope you're as excited for the sequel as I am!

If you haven't read Between yet, the ebook version is on sale through the end of August for only 99 cents. Hurry!

Kiltgasmic! Vote for Zach in the final round today!

2011-08-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

You know how I love the Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready, right? Zachary Moore is a yummy Scot from those books and he has advanced to the final round of the #YACrushTourney! Go Zach!

Jeri Smith-Ready, besides being a phenomenal writer, is an absolutely sweetheart. Check out all the incentives that she's providing for you to vote for Zach in this final round. Not only that, but she's using the tourney as a way to raise money for the Tartan Army Children's Charity, a group that helps needy kids in Scotland. How cool is that??

In addition, there is a veritable army of us who call ourselves #TeamKilt (hashtag from Twitter). If you throw your lot in with the Scots, you can win a kiltload of prizes. I've thrown in a couple of copies of Between which you can enter to win here and here.

Here's where you come in:

Head over to http://Ya-Sisterhood.blogspot.com TODAY!! and cast your vote for Zachary (you have to scroll a bit). You can vote once per device, so vote on your PC, your laptop, your phone, your friend's phone, your dad's laptop, your brother's PC, whatevs- just do it!

Zach is up against Jace from the Mortal Instruments Series, who has completely slaughtered all competition to date. Time for Jace to learn the power of the mighty kilt!

And if you need some inspiration, I've got that covered!

Props to all the #TeamKilt members who put together these pics!

A Peek at Heaven

2011-08-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

Heaven is For Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of his Trip to Heaven and Back

If you're a lifelong believer in God, you should read this book.
If you're a staunch atheist, you should read this book.
If you are afraid God might be a grown up version of the Tooth Fairy, you should read this book.
If you've ever lost a baby, you should read this book.

If you've ever wondered:
Does God exist?
What does Jesus look like?
What are people wearing in heaven?
Can we fly once we get there?
Who will we see in heaven?
Who is seated on the left side of God?
What does the Holy Spirit look like?
Are there children in heaven?
Are there pets in heaven?
Is heaven for real?

...then you should read this book.

It took me less than one day and will stay with me for the rest of my life.

YA Indie Carnival: Whatchya Readin?

2011-08-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

For this week of the YA Indie Carnival, we're supposed to talk about three indie books that we're reading.

*looks sheepish* I don't have three. :(

Okay, before you slay me completely, let me explain. I only started reading regularly about two years ago. Then I decided to write a book and my reading took a back seat. Now I read about as often as I write, so there's a better balance. But because I went so many years watching movies instead of reading books, there are a gajillion awesome books out there that I haven't read. I have a TBR pile that touches the ceiling, so I don't really have to *search* for something to read.

So the only indie books I've read have been because of a connection to the author, or upon recommendation from someone I know. And when I say "indie" I am talking small-press as well (since one I know in particular uses Createspace to publish).

I've read Elizabeth Isaac's Light of Asteria, Jessica Degarmo's How to Meet a Guy at the Supermarket, and Molly Ringle's What Scotland Taught Me.

But in the spirit of the carnival, I have downloaded Warriors of the Cross by our very own T.R. Graves.

So, just because I haven't read much indie doesn't mean I don't want to or that I won't!

Check out the other participants in the YA Indie Carnival!

Danny Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen
Laura Elliott
Courtney Cole
Wren Emerson
Nichole A. Williams
Fisher Amelie
Amy Maurer Jones
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer
T. R. Graves
P.J. Hoover
Heather Cashman

A Signing with Six Lovely YA Authors!

2011-08-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

L to R: Eileen Cook, Mandy Hubbard, Lisa Schroeder, Cat Patrick, Suzanne Young, Kimberly Derting

I had the good fortune to attend a book signing at Third Place Books in Seattle last Sunday (the same bookstore where I'll be doing a signing on 8/17). Six lovely young adult authors from the Pacific Northwest came together for a group signing.

Here are the books they were promoting:

Eileen Cook: The Education of Hailey Kendrick
Mandy Hubbard: Ripple
Lisa Schroeder: The Day Before
Cat Patrick: Forgotten
Suzanne Young: A Need So Beautiful
Kimberly Derting: Desires of the Dead

Each one gave a quick description of her book and how she was inspired to write it. They took questions from the audience and provided advice to new authors ("keep writing"), commented on balancing social media with writing ("use it as a reward but limit your time") and discussed the pros and cons of sequels.

Suzanne Young said that her publisher asked her to write a sequel to her book, which she hadn't intended to do. Lisa Schroeder said she doesn't write sequels because she wouldn't want readers to be disappointed with the second book. She did say, however, that companion books are really fun to write and can be like sequels where you use some of the same characters, but allow for completely new story lines.

The Q&A was brief and they passed the microphone down the line allowing each one to respond to the questions. The audience was hanging on every word. Such an intimate setting, and the ladies' humble personalities, made this a fun event for me and the dozens of teens in attendance.

Cutting out the Sex Scenes (or Y I write YA)

2011-07-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

It's Friday (no, don't start singing that song or it'll be stuck in your head all day... too late)! That means it's time for the next YA Indie Carnival installment and today's subject is (drumroll, please!)...

Why I Write YA

I'll be honest, I didn't set out to write a young adult novel. When I first started writing Between, I'd just finished several of the books in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (which is soooooooo not young adult). I was on fire for Scots and wanted one of my very own, so Aiden MacRae was born. *swoon*

The first draft of Between had lots and lots of yummy sex scenes in it. One early reader said, "Is this MacSteamy or what???" *grin* To be fair, they are all still there, they are just toned waaaaaaaay down from the original manuscript.

A series of things happened to make me revise the book for a young adult audience.

1) After researching the adult romance market, I realized that the book didn't fit the genre very well.
2) I received some comments from beta readers that the tone of the book felt more young adult.
3) I started reading YA and found that the freedom within the genre worked perfectly for the story I needed to tell.

So some harsh and painful editing later, Between was completely revised into a YA novel and I couldn't be more pleased with it. Believe me, all those yummy scenes are still alive in my head, but I don't regret making the switch to YA at all. In fact, the late-teen/college-age demographic is exactly where I wanted to be, I just didn't know it at the time. And I think I'll be hanging out with this group for quite a while.

*high fives all around*

Check out the other participants in the YA Indie Carnival!

Danny Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen
Laura Elliott
Courtney Cole
Wren Emerson
Nichole A. Williams
Fisher Amelie
Amy Maurer Jones
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer
T. R. Graves
P.J. Hoover
Heather Cashman

What I Learned From a Werewolf

2011-07-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I went to see the final Harry Potter film last night (it's so hard to accept that it's really over! *sniff*) and Remus Lupin had a line that stuck me in the heart. Looking out at the hordes of bad guys storming the school, he said (maybe not exactly, but close):

"It's the strength of your conviction that matters, not the number of your followers."

Or perhaps, the strength of your followers' conviction.

Earlier that day, a woman from church came up to me and said "I finished your book and I loved it!" Before I could even thank her, she demanded "Now I need that sequel! When is it coming out???"

For a moment, I was startled by the strength of her conviction (that is, until her words registered and I was overcome with ridiculous glee that she loved my book). The absolute determination in her voice made me WANT to finish the sequel, made me WANT to move mountains to satisfy her.

It's one thing to have hordes of followers who are waiting for your sequel, and I am sure that's great motivation. But to me, one reader who passionately loves the book is enough to light a fire in me just to keep her That Stinkin' Happy. And if she's happy, so am I.

Thanks, Remus, for your words of wisdom. Sorry J.K. had to off you in the last book. ;)

YA Indie Carnival: Why Indie?

2011-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Every Friday for the next several weeks, I'll be blogging along with my YA indie friends (links to their blogs are at the end of this post). This week's topic is: Why Indie?

Why indeed?

I can tell you that going the indie route is not for everyone. I wrote a guest post for BooksByWomen.org on this very topic not too long ago: "Published! Does it matter how?".

For me, I tried the traditional route. Oh, how I tried. I faithfully read all the agent blogs and followed hundreds of them on Twitter, hanging on their every word in hopes of finding that Miraculous Bit of Advice that would turn all those rejections into The Call I'd Been Waiting For. After over a year of an emotional rollercoaster that ripped my heart out and left me gasping for breath, I decided to can the whole stupid thing. I told myself, what difference does it make if anyone reads Aiden and Lindsey's story? No one wants it, so it's probably crap anyway. They're right, I suck and should just give up.

So I tried writing something new, tried to move on and leave Between alone. Nothing would come. The words dried up on my tongue before I could transfer them to the screen. I couldn't fall in love again, not when my first love sat ignored, relegated to the proverbial nightstand.

I needed closure. That's why I went indie, in a nutshell.

I needed to finish what I'd started, even if no one else wanted it. I needed to hold that book in my hands, needed to clasp it to my chest and feel the waves of accomplishment break over me and wash away the angst, pain and suffering that had built up during The Year of Rejection. When that moment finally came, I thought I would split in two from the sheer exhilaration of crossing the finish line.

Not everyone finishes the race first, second or third. Or hell, even three thousandth. If you're not in the top three, it doesn't matter when you finish, it only matters that you do. And I did.

Now, to finish that sequel. *grin*

Check out the other participants in the YA Indie Carnival!

Danny Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen
Laura Elliott
Courtney Cole
Wren Emerson
Nichole A. Williams
Fisher Amelie
Amy Maurer Jones
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer
T. R. Graves
P.J. Hoover

Meg Cabot Book Signing!

2011-07-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

I follow @megcabot on Twitter and yesterday, she posted that she was having a book signing in Seattle for her new release, Overbite (sequel to Insatiable). Woot! I was so there!

I'd only ever been to one signing before (Diana Gabaldon's for the release of An Echo In the Bone- and it was huuuuuuge- well, at least I thought so). Since I'm going to be having my own signing for Between in a month (8/17 at 7pm at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, WA), I wanted to pick up some tips on how this signing stuff is supposed to go down.

I don't think I'll be able to top Meg Cabot's performance, though. She was a riot! It really was a performance, and she played to the audience of mostly-late-teen-early-twenties-females beautifully. She told stories about her life prior to becoming famous, that she was a terrible student and went to art school (able to get in because her dad taught there), and then not being able to get a job as an illustrator when she graduated.

She was working as an administrative assistant for the college dorms (because she could type fast) when The Princess Diaries got picked up by Whitney Houston's production studio (even though no one wanted to publish the book at that time).

Meg has comedic timing and made all kinds of faces while she told her tales, which had the crowd roaring. But the thing that I enjoyed most was how she told all these women that she'd been rejected 1000 times and still kept writing because she loved to do it. She said that if there's something you really love, then you have to go after it, no matter what. A great message for me to hear (and for everyone else there) and hopefully one that resonates with you as well.

Thanks, Meg!

A Fab Read For You!

2011-07-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

I don't do very many book reviews on my blog because I only want to point out books that are fan-freakin-tastic. I usually write a short review on all the books I read (see my Goodreads profile if you're interested), but I save blog posts for those books I want to tell the world about. And here's one of them:

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (5 out of 5 stars!)

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

The author's voice is fantastic and had me wishing I were a tenth as good. *unworthy* I loved the way she moved Aura through the grief of Logan's death while building the relationship with Zachary. I could feel the push and pull of wanting to be with both of them, the longing and the loss, and yet the book doesn't come across as heavy.

I could tell this was a 5-star book very early on and was worried the author wouldn't be able to sustain the awesome tempo and character development she established from the get go. My worries were unnecessary, as the book was brilliant through and through. I found myself torn between wanting to devour the pages and wanting to savor them.

The ending is a total cliff-hanger, so it's no surprise that I ran out and bought Shift right away.

I'd recommend this book for older teens and adults who love YA. You won't be disappointed!

YA Indie Carnival Kick-Off!

2011-07-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

I saw there was a YA Indie Carnival starting and asked if I could join in. They said yes, so get ready to binge on cotton candy and popcorn 'cuz we're going on a thrilling ride! Every Friday, we'll post about all things YA Indie for authors, readers and reviewers. This week's carnival topic is all about...

ME!

Okay, not me exactly... (ahem). We're introducing ourselves to give you a sense of what makes us tick and why we do the crazy things we do! So without further ado (just what is an 'ado' anyway?)...

My debut novel, Between, came out on June 1. It's a love story between a modern girl who dies in a car accident and the 18 century Scottish Highlander who comes to take her to heaven.

I fell in love with Scotland (and hunky guys in kilts) while reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (which is not YA). Not being of Scottish descent myself, I hadn't given the wee country much thought before Outlander, but Scotland took up residence in my heart and has moved in for the long haul.

I wanted my own Highlander, so I created Aiden MacRae who (aside from Jamie Fraser) is the epitome of fine in my opinion. I love spending time with him while I write and hearing his accent in my head as my fingers click across the keys. If he could materialize in front of me, I'd be a happy girl (my hubby probably wouldn't like it much though- hehehehe). When I began writing, my voice came out YA (who knew?) so that's how I made the leap from Outlander to young adult. Between still has some steamy scenes (it's definitely for older teens) but YA is its home.

Check back every Friday to learn more about my publishing journey. Get to know the rest of the YA Indie group and leave a comment to say hi!

Dani Snell
Patti Larsen
Courtney Cole
Wren Emerson
Nicole Williams
Fisher Amelie
Michelle Leighton
Laura Elliott
Amy Maurer Jones
Rachel Coles
T.R. Graves
Allie Burke

Moments that Matter (IRL vs. Fiction)

2011-07-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

How often do you have meaningful conversations? Or do your exchanges sound more like this:

Friend: "Hey, how was your weekend?"
Me: "Good. The weather was beautiful."
Friend: "Yeah, nice to have some sun finally. We barbequed some dogs and hung out. Fireworks were great."
Me: "Yeah, traffic was lousy coming home, though."
Friend: "I know, that one intersection gets really gummed up."

Blah, blah, blah.

You'd never see an exchange like this in a book (and if you did, I'm sure you'd be skimming over it). Dialogue--and in fact, every scene--is supposed to move the book forward. Yet, real life is filled with epidsodes of banality, days on end that look just like the ones before, punctuated with moments that matter.

How often do we talk about what's really happening inside--our fears, our dreams, our secret shame--rather than just talking about the monotony of filling hours each day?

Books allow us--no, require us--to make every moment count. A word does not belong on the page if it doesn't contribute to the story. That's why books are such an escape from the tedium of life. Whether they are exciting, scary, tear-jerking or romantic, they are MORE. They are filled with moments that matter for the characters and maybe help fill the void inside us caused by the duldrums of everydayness.

It's a BETWEEN Giveaway Bonanza!

2011-06-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already picked up a copy of Between, here's your chance to win one! In fact, you have TWO chances because giveaways are going on now at Free Book Friday and also at Book Reader Addicts!

Is Pottermore really going to be More?

2011-06-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

The Twitterverse has been abuzz with news of J.K. Rowling's new site, Pottermore.com. There was a big mysterious build-up when everyone was speculating about what it could be. Now there's a video out there and a registry where you can sign up for the site, which will be launched in October.

The video is pretty cool, with book pages that turn into spiders, owls and trees. Kudos to the graphic artists who put that together! During the video, J.K. explains that Harry Potter ebooks will be available for purchase.

I was surprised, to be honest, that Harry Potter ebooks have not been available yet. I can't say that I've ever looked for them in electronic format since I have them all in hardback (as does, arguably, a large percentage of the population). Still, I would have assumed they'd be available for Kindle or Nook if I'd gone looking. That's like having a huge blockbuster movie that never gets released on DVD. Shocking!

Bloggers are kicking around what this might mean to the ebook business and whether Amazon will capitulate to allowing Kindles to accept epub formats.

It's all very fascinating from the standpoint of watching giants wrestle, but I want to know what's so MORE about Pottermore.

She says in the video that she's been hoarding additional Harry Potter things and will reveal them as part of the site. Okay cool, but is that worth getting all excited about? I love HP, don't get me wrong, but for all the buzz, I really want PotterMORE. New, exciting tales of adventure like only J.K. can do, right? That's what would be MORE for me.

As it is, they are collecting (I'm sure) millions of registrations so have a direct link to their customer base. Marketing jackpot, really. I'm going to wait and see. I'll willingly eat the sorting hat if it turns out to be The.Most.Awesome.Site.Ever. I hope it does. But for now, I need a little MORE.

Blurbs Made of Awesome!

2011-06-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes a book will list quotes from other authors or reviewers? I've been compiling a list of awesome blurbs from recent reviews of Between and thought I'd share them with you!

Mixed with delicious smoking-hot scenes and total tear-jerking moments, family and personal relationships are examined, feelings voiced, insurmountable grief exposed and pain, loss, love and desire are all experienced. Between has it all. - The Tales Compendium

Best love story I've ever read. Sad, beautiful, funny, sexy, perfect. - Steph Short N Sweet

Absolutely the sweetest story and I shed quite a few tears along the way... I can't wait until the sequel comes out to see what the future holds for Lindsey and Aiden.- Snowdrop Dreams of Books

This is a truly enchanting story and not to be missed in any way, shape or form. - Magic of Reading

From page one this book draws you in and holds you there.- Were Vamps Romance

A beautiful and emotion journey that will definitely pull at the reader's heart, make you fall and connect with the characters to the end.- Seeing Night Book Reviews

Between is very different than what I am used to reading. Sometimes, like in this case, different is a WONDERFUL thing. - Middle of the Road Reviews

With the brilliant scenes that Tefft creates, I can actually picture this story being made into a movie.- Books Make Me Happy

I absolutely adore this book, I've read it twice already and will probably go back for a third helping! It made me smile, it made me cry and it gave me hope that we're not alone.- Thoughts, Musings and Broken Promises

Author Spotlight: Kurt Chambers

2011-06-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

When I first met Kurt (on Twitter), he introduced himself as "Kurt from England" to which I replied, "I'm Cyndi from America." I still call him "Kurt from England" 'cuz it cracks me up. It's great having a friend across the pond, especially when he gave me a crash course in British swear words on Facebook. *grin*

He recently did a great interview with Annie McMahon's daughter on the Dutch Hill News blog, so I asked if he'd be so kind as to interview with me as well. Lucky for you, he said yes!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Okay, where should I start? I live in the south east of England, about thirty miles north of London in the leafy county of Hertfordshire. I'm married, I have three children, and I'm a very young granddad with three grandchildren. My kids made me a granddad at forty one. Nice! LOL I love it really. My wife is my childhood sweetheart, and my best friend. We have been together for about twenty-eight years, and known each other since we were in junior school. We used to walk home together from school when we were about eight years old. I have always lived in the same town, in the same area as where I grew up. I like to think I'm quite a happy-go-lucky person, and hardly ever take things seriously. I hate being an adult, kids have way more fun. I'm so jealous :)

How long have you been writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I only started writing when I was in my mid thirties. I never imagined in a million years that I would be a writer when I was younger. Because I wasn't very good at reading or writing, I used to see it as a chore. I know that sounds a bit of a strange thing for an author to say, but it's true. I always liked the idea of writing a book, but I never thought I could do it. I used to think that was the kind of thing clever people did, who have degrees in English and creative writing. Then one day I decided to write a novel. It seemed like a good idea at the time. LOL Little did I know just how much was involved.

I spent two years writing a novel, then joined a writing forum, the Young Adult Novel Workshop, after taking advice from a friend. That's when I discovered just how much I didn't know. :D They took me under their wing and taught me everything I know today. They are the most amazing people I have ever met. I've come a long way since then. I'm now moderating the forum and helping to mentor new authors. It just goes to show, nothing is impossible if you want it enough.

Why did you decide to write middle-grade novels?

I think the simple answer to that is I have the mental age of a ten-year-old. LOL I love children, they are the funniest things in the whole world. I adore the innocence of young children, it's their most endearing characteristic. I made up a saying that I always use, "The innocence of children is what makes them stand out as a shining example to the rest of Mankind." I try to capture this innocence in my stories. I couldn't see myself writing Young Adult after experiencing having three teenagers myself. All those issues I'm still trying to put behind me. :D Middle Grade is much more fun.

What have you written so far?

So far I have four complete novels, and I have started writing another two more. The first three novels I wrote were a series of Middle Grade Fantasy stories, Truth Teller, The Wrath of Siren and Favian's Law. I have always loved Fantasy from a young age, but not being the best reader in the world, I always struggled with some of the classic tales like Lord of the Rings. I wanted to write this type of story that would appeal to younger children, so that is what I did.

Unfortunately, after many years in the making, I discovered Middle Grade High Fantasy wasn't the most marketable of books, and I could never find anyone interested in publishing them, despite their popularity among the young readers who read them. So, not to be put off, I wrote a new novel that would be more marketable. That's how Unknown Reality came into being. It's a mix between Fantasy and Sci-Fi. I have just started submitting this novel to publishing agents, so fingers crossed!

The two new novels I'm working on are still in their infancy. The first one is an idea I've had for a long time, The World in Johnny's Back Garden. The original idea was to give children an alternative view of living things through a series of mini adventures shown from the perspective of different creatures. This proved rather difficult, so the story has evolved quite a lot over time. I am still sticking to my original idea, but presenting it in a different way. I have also just started writing a brand new story, which at the moment I'm calling, Teddy. It's a strange story about a boy named Charlie who discovers a talking teddy bear. The story will be loosely based around the concepts of growing up and not believing anymore.

You seem to have a great network of author friends. How did you meet them?

It all started when I joined the Young Adult Novel Workshop. I didn't know anyone in real life that was even remotely connected to writing or publishing. I originally only joined writing.com because it was free to join. LOL At the time I didn't realise it was an American site. Once I found my way to the YA forum, I met writers from all over the world in various stages in their writing careers. They introduced me to the writing community through various sources and I have never looked back since. The writing community is amazing! So supportive and friendly, it never ceases to amaze me.

Your book covers are ah-mazing, I must say. How did you get such awesome covers?

Thank you! :) I love them too! One of the first people I met when I joined WDC some years ago was a lady called Dawne Dominique. We became really close friends, she is like a sister to me. We always joke she is my long lost twin. Dawne taught me so much. Not only was she an editor for a few publishing companies, but she is a published author and the most amazing cover artist. She has won several awards on the Preditors & Editors website for her work. As the old saying goes, it's not what you know, it's who you know. LOL

If you could buy property anywhere, what would you choose and why? Price is no object, of course! ;)

Awesome! I would buy a castle then! I love castles. I always visit a castle when I go on holiday, they are so inspirational. I'm a carpenter by trade, so I have always had this dream of buying a derelict castle somewhere on the south coast of England and turning it into a home. Spend my days rebuilding it a bit at a time.

Have you ever been to America? If so, where did you go? If not, where would you like to visit?

No, I've never been anywhere. LOL I've never left the country or even owned a passport. My kids kept me poor. To be honest, I'm not really sure, I don't know America too well. I have always loved the idea of visiting the Inca settlements in South America. I have friends all over your country that I would love to meet in person, so I would love to do a tour.

Are you a socks or barefoot kind of guy? (You thought I was going to say boxers or briefs, didn't you??) Any interesting hobbies?

Hahaha!! I'm a socks guy. It gets cold here in England. :D

I have millions of hobbies, from brewing wine to building telescopes, rockets and rocket launchers. Making websites, playing in rock bands and writing children's books, to name a few. I like to keep busy.

Who are your favorite authors/books?

That's easy. My favourite author is Terry Brooks. I read the whole of his Shannara series, about sixteen books in total. I started reading the first trilogy in this series when I was about twelve years old.

What are you working on now?

At the moment, I am just starting to write the new novel I mentioned above. It will probably take me about a year to complete, then maybe another six months to edit to a publishable standard. In the meantime, I have started a submission campaign for Unknown Reality. If I can get anyone interested in this novel and get published, I will stand a better chance at getting publishers to look at my Truth Teller trilogy, hopefully.

How can people connect with you?

You can visit my website: http://kurtchambers.net/

My blogsite: http://geniusborderinginsanity.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/emailmanROCKS

Thanks for the interview, Kurt from England!

Launch Day for BETWEEN!

2011-06-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Today is the big day! BETWEEN is officially launched worldwide. Yay! Please take a moment to check out the awesome blogs and reviewers. Stop by and comment (cuz every blogger loves a comment!). Search "Cyndi Tefft" on Twitter to get links to the reviews being posted so far.

Thank you all so much for being a part of this with me. My heart is full. *sigh*

In Loving Memory

2011-05-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

Each of us has a definite number of days on this earth. Some wonderful people ended up with far too few. Since it's Memorial Day weekend and Between is set to launch on June 1, I wanted to take a moment to flesh out the dedication of the book.

Ryan Tefft
You were the first to welcome me to the Tefft family. Mischievous, with an infectious laugh and a charisma that drew people in, you were an immediate friend and ally. You always made me feel special, just by being in your presence.

My son bears your name (along with your loving yet stubborn nature) in honor of the boy you were and the man you never got to be. You are still loved and remembered by many.

Lisa Surdyk
The two of us were yin and yang, your quiet and thoughtful demeanor a perfect complement to my outspoken and impulsive personality. Our friendship was deep and intense from the beginning because we knew that time was short. We didn't waste a second, you and I.

Days before the end, I sat beside you on your bed and told you that I'd decided to dedicate the book to you. You cried and said no one had ever done something like that for you before. Now I can say, "We did it, Lisa!" You told me I could and you were right. I should have known.

Jamie Schlecht Knapp
When I look at your photo, I still can't believe you're gone. You were bigger than life: your sparkling green eyes and perfect white teeth, your smile that lit up a room, the laugh that couldn't be contained. You prankster, you unapologetic wild thing, you loving and warm friend, how could you ever really leave me? You didn't. You're always there, tucked in my heart, safe and sound.

Lindsey's song for Aiden was actually written for you. Saying "I miss you" doesn't scratch the surface and I can't wait to see you again. What a party that will be!

A Shout Out to the Peeps!

2011-05-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

The big day is drawing near, with the big launch of Between less than 2 weeks away. I wanted to take a minute and send a resounding THANKS! to all the people who have agreed to be a part of the promotion. Bucketfuls of bloggers and other individuals will be posting reviews, interviews and/or guest posts during the month of June (and beyond). Counting all the followers of the participating bloggers, there are over 60,000 people likely to see Between's release in one fashion or another. Woot! Holy cats, Batman! Is that awesome or what??

This EPIC (and I'll say it again... EPIC) launch would not be possible without the help of the people listed below, who have graciously offered their time to read the book and/or participate in the promotion. Thank you so much. I can't tell you what it means to me. You = Awesome.

If you aren't on this list and would like to participate, there's still time. Just sign up and I will contact you!

In Over My Head!

2011-05-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

So you know about the big June 1st launch of Between, right? Right. I've lined up over 140 bloggers to review the book and a fair number of those sweet souls are doing interviews with me to boot. I've also agreed to write a number of guest posts. Great, huh? Yep, it is. Only, now I actually have to DO the work! Oy!

One of the blogs has asked me to write my own Q&A, so I thought I'd ask for a little help from my friends. That would be you. *grin*

Shout out some questions you'd like me to answer in an interview. They can be serious, random, funny, whatever. Just throw some out there to get me started, if you would be so kind.

Thanks, all!

Fraidy Cats!

2011-05-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

YA author extraordinaire Elana Johnson's debut novel Possession comes six days after mine. I guess that makes us release sisters! Squee!

She had an awesome blog post last week called Tell A Big Fat Lie Tuesday where she talked about how negative reviews are No. Big. Deal. They just roll off her back, right?

Okay, not so much true. But still! I was totally there with her about how we have to plug our ears and move on.

Elana and I have both been working on blog tours and interviews. My plan for the release of Between is to have all the reviews and posts hit at once, starting June 1. Elana's reviews have been coming in pre-release to build buzz that way. Either way, we're both biting our fingernails, waiting for the big day and knowing there will be some negative mixed in with the (hopefully overwhelming flood of) positive.

What do you do when you're nervous about something? Any tips for keeping the stomach acid down? Share!

Self-pub Resources: Woulds & Shoulds Editing and Design

2011-04-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

People have asked me who made the fall-over-fabulous cover for Between. Here's who! Meet the dynamic duo: Clare and David from Woulds & Shoulds Editing and Design.

Why did you decide to start your own editing and design company?
Clare: I think it’s a combination of several different factors that just happened to collide at the same time.

Firstly, I’m especially passionate about self-publishing because it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time—I’m a YA writer myself.

David and I met almost a year ago at the Creative Book Publishing program at Humber College. Right away, we found that we had a lot in common, but also a lot of different skills that complement each other. I’m good at seeing the big picture, so I like doing substantive and line editing, as well as formatting. Dave is detail-oriented and also a grammar nut, so he’s great at copyediting, proofreading and he also has a flair for design. << CT: Major understatement! *grin*
After we graduated the program, we both had internships at publishing companies, but we were looking for paying work, because surprise, surprise, publishing is a little low on paying jobs in Canada at the moment, at least for new grads. There are plenty of internships, though, and the competition is stiff. People aren’t in publishing to make money; they’re in it because they love books.

I happened to land a freelance contract with a man who was self-publishing his book, and so I guided him through the process, and took his book from unedited manuscript stage to a polished, formatted ebook. This was a lot of work for one person, so I hired Dave to do the copyediting for me.

It was in a little Thai restaurant in Queen’s St West in Toronto that we realized that we could really help people improve the quality of self-published work. I wanted to help authors realize that they had the power to be their own publishers and really take control of the process; that with the right tools, they could be a success. Hence our unofficial motto: Be the Author You Want to Be.

So, here we are six months later, with a slew of clients and a growing reputation for quality, professionalism and passion for self-publishing.

Where did the name Woulds & Shoulds come from?
David: Woulds & Shoulds comes from an apocryphal quote from Oscar Wilde, who supposedly said the following upon handing a manuscript of his to his editor: “I’ll leave you to tidy up the woulds and shoulds, wills and shalls, thats and whiches, etc.” We felt the reference was suitably literary, and fitting in that you can leave your work with us and we will take care of the nitpicking and polishing. That and some people might make the mistake of putting apostrophes in Woulds and Shoulds because you don’t see those words pluralized very often, which is the type of common quirk of the language that we’ll be sure to get right!

What background do you have in the business?
Clare: I have a combined honours in journalism and psychology, and Dave has a B.A. in English. More importantly, though, is that we are grads of the Creative Book Publishing program. This is a special, accelerated program at Humber College in Toronto that teaches the business of publishing—everything from the editing, production, design, and the marketing. We got to meet some amazing people in the industry. As part of the program we also had to create our own publishing companies and present them to a panel of professionals, which was a real eye-opener for how much work and how costly publishing 5-10 books a year really is.

As for actual work experience, Dave completed an internship with HarperCollins Canada in the sales department, and I currently work for ChiZine Publications, a small press that publishes science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Describe the services that your company offers.
David: We offer a myriad of services that covers pretty much anything an author will need if he or she wants to self-publish their book. Our individual editing and design services range from substantive editing to copy editing, reader’s reports, which can be useful for manuscripts as well as full ebooks, as well as cover design and interior layout services. While we can do any combination of these things for someone’s book, we do offer bundles that include a lot of the services that complement each other and offer great value. We also include some marketing support in everything we do for self-published authors, as we know that having a supportive and active community for these types of projects is what drives sales and makes the process truly fulfilling for everyone involved.

How are you getting the word out about your new business?
Clare: We’ve got a few things going at the moment. We’re particularly excited about our Self-Publishing Success Interview Series, where we speak with authors from all over the world about their experience in publishing their own book. The response for that so far has been great, and inspiring. I hope it inspires other self-pubbing authors too.

We have our blog, which we’re trying to update a few times a week, our Facebook page, and a new twitter account. LinkedIn has also proved useful, and if you don’t have an account, I definitely recommend it.

Our future marketing plans include a writing contest, and more blogging. We’ve really shied away from paid ads because I don’t think that’s as effective as really reaching out and joining the community.

Where can people find out more?
There are a couple of ways to get in touch with us!
Our website is http://editinganddesign.com/.
Our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/editinganddesign. I get super excited when people like our page.
Our twitter is @wouldsnshoulds.
Our emails are clare@editinganddesign.com and dave@editinganddesign.com.

Thanks Cyndi, for allowing us to speak with you and your readers! If anybody has any questions for me about writing or publishing, feel free to get in touch. I’m excited to hear from everyone!

The Fear of God in YA Lit

2011-04-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the launch of Between on June 1, I have been contacting YA book bloggers to set up reviews and interviews. Many of them have a Review Policy noted (which is sooooo helpful) to help authors and publishers know what types of books they'll accept for review.

I've come across several (say dozens) that don't accept books with religious themes or tones.

I find this curious, since I have come across only one or two who specifically note that they won't take books with mature sex scenes. Most of those have been tweens who note that their parents read the blog.

There have been countless blogs about sex in YA (how much is too much, should it happen on the page or off, should there be consequences, what about protection, etc...). There hasn't been nearly as much talk about issues of faith, though I would wager that most kids have to come to terms with where they stand on religion, too.

There was a Twitter #yalitchat session not too long ago on this very topic (faith in YA). I loved the interaction and the thoughts expressed by those tweeting. It was a great chat and something we should talk about more often.

I'd love to see issues of God, faith, spirituality and religion as a part of a teen's coming of age experience be poured into YA books and accepted by readers (and bloggers). Let's not be afraid of talking about God anymore than we're afraid of talking about sex in YA. Everyone will have a different opinion, and that's a good thing as long as we're respectful and kind.

What do you think about the topic of faith in YA books?

Author Spotlight: Molly Ringle

2011-04-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

I love romance and I love Scotland. Molly Ringle's book has both!

Fresh out of high school, Eva Sonneborn is headed to Scotland with her best friends: scholarly, sarcastic Laurence; gorgeous, ghost-seeing Amber; and responsible, sweet Shannon. They plan to spend the next six months in Edinburgh, enjoying an adventure-filled work-abroad journey before parting ways for college.

But when Eva meets Gil, a local bartender, she figures a little innocent flirting won't hurt her relationship with Tony, her ever-faithful boyfriend back home. But just when things turn less innocent with Gil, the trip starts throwing curveballs at not only her but her friends too. By the end of the trip, they've all fallen in love, sometimes with the wrong people - and with consequences that may tear their friendship apart forever...

You can read my review on Goodreads.

In addition to being a great writer, Molly is also a lot of fun. I had the pleasure of interviewing her about the book:

CT: I know you spent some time in Scotland prior to writing this book. How did that come about?

MR: I developed a serious Anglophilia (or technically all-British-Isles-philia) during college, which only deepened when my parents took my sister and me there for a 10-day tour in the summer of 1995. I was determined to go back and spend longer there, as less of a tourist and more of a working citizen. Luckily, if you're an American college student, there's a program for that (BUNAC), so I signed up. After graduating, I spent three months in the UK, in the fall of 1996, most of it in Edinburgh, where I had a job in a hotel. Anywhere in Britain would have sufficed, really, but I ended up choosing Edinburgh because it seemed more exotic than England. Of course, now I want to get to know other parts of Britain equally well!

CT: What did you love most about Scotland? It's okay if you can't just pick one thing!

MR: Being a smellophile as well as a Britophile (sorry, I keep making up words), I'm tempted to say I loved the smell of Edinburgh best--it's this rich, toasty, malty scent from the breweries and the distilleries, which tints the air just enough to be unique and lovely. But I've heard they may actually have added filters to those breweries, and lost the citywide smell lately (if so, I grieve!). Anyway, what I love equally well is a more permanent feature: the ancient architecture. What they call the New Town in Edinburgh was built in the 1700s--that's in contrast to the Old Town, built in medieval times. In the American West we have virtually nothing like that. "Lewis and Clark camped here" signposts are about the most historic features we have. So walking streets and exploring buildings that have been there for centuries was a fascinating thing for a Northwest Yank girl to do.

CT: What don't you miss at all?

MR: Feeling locked into the bus and train system if I wanted to go anywhere, because I was too terrified to attempt to drive on the left side of the road (and the right side of the car).

CT: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you want to go and why?

MR: Ah, where to choose? To round out the British Isles, I'd like to visit Ireland, where I have ancestry and where I can surely enjoy all the greenery and ancient buildings. But after this long, dark, cold, wet Seattle winter (which has seemingly lasted over six months), I'm tempted to choose a peaceful, warm Greek island that smells of fig trees and seawater, and serves really good gyros.

CT: Just for fun: Barefoot or socks? Bikini or one-piece? Hardwoods or carpet? Dog or cat person?

MR: On that Greek island I'd be barefoot. At home, usually Smartwool socks, though now that you mention it, they do become a slipping hazard on our hardwood floors (which, nonetheless, I like better than carpet). Would I wear a dashing bikini on that Greek island? Hmm, perhaps. But after giving birth to two kids I'm likelier not to want to draw attention to the saggy skin around my waist, so a one-piece may be more realistic. Dog v. cat: I am kind to, and fond of, both, but since I know so many people with cat allergies, our family is likeliest to get a dog if we have to choose a pet. Though really we'd probably start with something quieter and lower-maintenance, like a rabbit.

CT: What are you working on now and where can we find other books you've written?

MR: Right now I'm staring down revisions for a couple of novels. The one I have highest hopes for today (an honor that changes weekly, if not hourly) is a YA urban fantasy involving a guardian angel stuck in human form in rural California. Though dealing with angels, it's not "inspirational"; it's my own version of angels and heaven, created to serve the story, rather than coming from any particular religion. Meanwhile, I should soon tackle final edits for a novella that could be called paranormal romantic comedy, and I hope to announce the release of that one before the year's out. All of my books can be found online at the usual sites: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, AllRomanceEbooks, etc. Details are, of course, also at my site: http://www.mollyringle.com/.

Nothing Draws a Crowd Like...a Crowd

2011-04-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

I've been hard at work, lining up reviewers for the launch of Between. It is time-consuming to say the least and of course, I always feel like it's an imposition to ask. Still, the young adult blogging and tweeting community has been extremely gracious in helping me out.

My plan is to line up as much activity upon launch to maximize the impact since nothing draws a crowd like a crowd (hence the clever title, see?). So the more people I can get to post reviews, blogs, interviews, etc all at the same time, the more chance I have of catching new readers that might otherwise not have noticed.

Fingers crossed it works! :)

If you have already agreed to be part of the launch, thank you SO much! You = awesome!

If you haven't yet and would like to be involved, please email me at cynditefft at gmail dot com. I would love to connect with you!

All That Sparkles is Not Vampire (or is it?)

2011-04-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

The vampires don't sparkle, but Richelle Mead's writing certainly does in the Vampire Academy series. And before you groan and tell me you are maxed out on all things vampire, hear me out!

The Vampire Academy series (there are 6 books in all) is one of the most entertaining, engrossing reads I have had in a while. It's right up there at the top of my fave YA books. And even thought it has vampires (and other variations thereof), I would often forget about that while reading because she downplays it.

The best thing about this series is the amount of action and romantic tension. It keeps you guessing about what's coming next and how Rose (the main character) is going to make it out of whatever crazy scheme she's thought up. Dimitri is pretty hot, too. *grin*

I will say that the 4th book in the series was not great (I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads), but the 5th book completely made up for it. After hanging with these characters for the last 6 books, I will definitely miss them!

If you like young adult novels and haven't picked this one up yet, do yourself a favor and give it a try. You'll be hooked long before the end of the first book!