Covers on my bed and in my head

If you follow me on Facebook, you already know I have been sick for the last several days. Bleugh... That's unfun in a big, fat, lousy, whiny, Oh-God-when-is-it-going-to-end kind of way. So I won't bore you with the details, other than to say I have been in bed for much of the last few days (hence the covers on my bed).

Meanwhile, I have been thinking about a new cover for Between and was able to do a little research online today. I can't afford to have a pro do the cover, so I have to rely on my own piece-it-together skills (until the cash starts rolling in- ha!). I found a great site I wanted to share with you, in case you were in the same boat.

You can get royalty-free images that can be used for book covers at www.sxc.hu. Some beautiful stuff there (700 pages in the "playing with light" section alone!).

If you made your own book cover, share tips and tricks on how you did it. If you do graphic design and feel the need to help out poor pitiful me, all the better (said through a cloud of antihistamines, so I may have to strike that pitiful plea later).

I raise my hot toddy to you and hope you stay clear of the fug!

One Step Closer to "Real" Authordom

I took the plunge today and set up an author page on Facebook. I harangued my friends and Twitter followers to "like" the page so I could get a custom URL for sharing. And they came through for me, pushing me over that 25 like minimum. So the page is www.facebook.com/AuthorCyndiTefft

I wanted to make it just my name, but couldn't since I had used that for my personal username. I changed the personal username (which you can do once), thinking that would free up "cynditefft" for use on the Author page, but it didn't. It just put it into archives or something. Sigh...

I also spent the better part of the day trying to link Facebook to Twitter or vice versa. Even though I found exactly how to do it, neither site worked. Nor could I link Twitter to the blog. Fail!

I will give it another go (feel free to share debugging tips, if you have experienced this). Still, yay for the author page! One huge step for authorkind, ya know! :)

Web design skills- NOT!

I'll admit that I don't have the most exciting looking blog, but I do what I can to spruce it up when I can figure out how. I got rid of the Goodreads bookshelf that was there before (which didn't really work as I'd hoped), and replaced it with a book montage of my 4 and 5 star rated books from Goodreads.

Now you can see all the books that I think are definitely worth reading, with their pretty covers and all! I got the idea from Amanda Hocking's blog.

If you have a blog, what are your favorite design elements that you've added? How did you find them (or how to add them)?

An Interview With... Moi!

The wonderful Brad Jaeger put a call out for aspiring authors who'd be willing to do an interview, which of course, I snapped at like a turtle does a finger.

Here's the interview on his blog, where you can learn more about moi, my book, and my path to publication.

Thanks, Brad!

A Quick, Fun Read: HTMAGATS (4 stars)

Say what? What was that title again? *grin*

How To Meet a Guy At The Supermarket by Jessica DeGarmo is a fun, flirty tale about Quinn's epiphany on meeting single men, and the crazy lengths she goes to in order to try and meet a great guy that way.


DeGarmo's great sense of humor permeates the book as she takes us through one bad dating experience to another, each guy flawed in his own special brand of nut.

This is a quick, easy read that will leave you smiling and wanting more. I'd have given it 5 stars instead of 4 but for that reason. I think it could have been longer, the relationships with the store employees fleshed out a bit more. The characters were well drawn; I would have liked to spend more time with them, allowing those friendships to build.

All in all, a wonderful read that will not disappoint. I'll definitely be reading more from Jessica!

YA swoon-worthy blogfest!

The lovely ladies over at Oasis for YA are having a blogfest where they've invited YA writers to post 250 swoon-worthy words from their novel. Check out this little yumminess from Between:

He hoisted himself up in one fluid motion, then called out something in Gaelic and the horse took off like a shot through the gardens. His arm tightened around my stomach and I leaned against him, holding my breath, but it wasn’t long before I relaxed and began to enjoy the wind on my face.


Aiden’s chest pressed against my back and his thighs held me firmly in place. We moved together as one, gliding in the saddle as the horse slowed to a steady gallop. The trees blurred with our passing and wisps of my hair tickled my cheeks. It was like riding in a speedboat with the wind swirling around me, but I felt a connection with the horse and the earth as we moved, something innately satisfying. The ride was over all too soon as he slowed the horse to a walk at the edge of a clearing.

“I thought you might like to stop here and have a picnic,” he said, his breath warm on my cheek. He swung down easily and offered me his hand. I wasn’t nearly so graceful as I dismounted, but he caught me in his arms. He stopped me halfway down with my breasts pressed tight against his chest. My breath caught in my throat at the sudden flame of passion in his eyes. His lips hovered before mine for a moment too long, but then he loosened his grip and let me slide the rest of the way to the ground.

“Well, did you enjoy it?” he asked, his voice a shade deeper than usual. I wasn’t sure if he meant the horseback riding or the fact that I had been pressed against him, but the answer was an emphatic ‘yes’ regardless.

“I loved it.”

(Ok, it's 295 words, but I had to include the whole scene... *grin*)
 

The Seven Deadly Sins: Check, Check and Check!

On Wednesday nights, I have a small group that meets at church and watches movies. Last week, we finished watching Bedazzled (the original English version with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore). It's a funny movie about a guy who makes a deal with the devil to get the girl of his dreams.

The devil's employees are the seven deadly sins (in the order I remember from the movie):

- Anger
- Sloth
- Vanity
- Lust
- Greed
- Gluttony
- Envy

While the movie is very tongue-in-cheek (and quite enjoyable), the truth is that these seven sins are exceedingly hard to shake. The very day after we finished the movie, I checked each one off as I struggled with it throughout the day. Hit all seven in one day, I did! Sheesh...

In my writing life, Envy is probably the one that attacks me the most. While I am extraordinarily blessed six ways from Sunday, I still find it in my heart to want the success that other people have. I want an agent to call and tell me my book is so incredibly awesome that she stayed up all night to finish it. I want an editor to be so passionate about my writing that she finagles a fabulous advance and multi-book contract for me. I want fans to be moved to laughter, tears and joy while reading, then tell their friends how awesome the book is. I want Twitter and the blogosphere to be humming with the news of my awesome success. And I am astounded by my ability to be both happy for, and terribly jealous of, writers who reach this level.

Wow, what a great big fat head I have! *blushes*

So, there. I have flung off the covers and exposed my naked envy to you. And that's only ONE of the seven! Yep, I am definitely sinful beyond redemption (thank you, Jesus and you know what for!). I would completely understand if you ran away screaming.

*waits, looks around*

Still here? Great! Welcome to the club. Today's goal is to only hit six of the seven. Hey, you have to start somewhere! *grin*

What's your biggest struggle (writing or otherwise)?