Monday, November 16, 2015

Con Hangover

Con Hangover – that exhausted feeling after getting home from an awesome convention. 

I definitely have a con hangover. Readers & ‘ritas 2015 has come to an end and I think a need a few days to recover before heading back to work (sadly I can't). It was a jam-packed weekend full of fun times and awesome authors.

I loved seeing familiar faces everywhere between returning authors and readers. I was sad that a few of my favorite authors didn’t return this year, but happy to meet some new authors and add to my TBR list.

Anyone who knows me will verify that I am a Fanfiction Nerd. I am such a nerd that I run a fanfic archive site. Of course my life wouldn’t be what it is today without fanfic. I have a great career and amazing friends because of it. With that being said, this year’s RNR was especially exciting because the Key Note speakers were the writing team Christina Lauren. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I was fangirling this weekend. Michael was laughing at me because I was so nervous to approach them in the hallway and kept talking myself out of it. I told him I would wait until their time in the Author’s Lounge. They definitely did not disappoint when I finally met them. They were extremely nice and gracious when I told them I was so disappointed I forgot to bring the first page of my print out of The Office to be signed. I walked away a very happy fanfic nerd with a pic, signed copies of my books, and absolutely no disappointment in the meeting.

Christina Lauren

This was my first year to experience the Pajama Party hosted by Sydney Bristol, Jade Lee, and Damon Suede. That was so much fun. There were readings from erotic novels and trivia. Author Jade Lee is retiring Squidge (her awesome stress-swag). We were able to send Squidge out in proper RNR style – complete and total debauchery. Let’s just say our Squidge had a lovely game of Naughty Twister. Thank you, Jade, Damon, and Sydney for putting together a fun party.

Debauching Squidge


This year, I spent quite a bit of time talking with Jade Lee and Damon Suede. They are both amazing people. I don’t think either one knows a stranger. They go out of their way to talk with everyone and make them feel included. Thank you so much for making my weekend wonderful. I can’t wait to finish Jade’s new book Seducing the Skeptic (published as Kathy Lyons) so I can start reading my first Damon Suede novel Bad Idea.




There were a few new authors I met that I can’t wait to check out. Mina Khan writes fantasy/paranormal romance about dragons and djinns. She has such a passion for what she writes that I can’t wait to check out her books. Kishan Paul is another new to me author. She writes a variety of romance. She has a free novella you can download here. Please give her a try.





Thank you Fresh Fiction for another great Readers & ‘ritas. Authors are my rock stars and I can’t begin to tell you how much this fangirl loves getting her backstage pass to hang out and party with them.

Candace Havens
SM Butler

RE Hargrave
Megan Kelly
Mina Khan

JoAnna Grace
Melissa Lenhardt





Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Mid-year Resolution

It's really heart-breaking to realize a year's worth of hard work losing weight can be lost in six months. I started my new job in November. I had gotten my weight down to 158.6 and I was wearing a size 14. I was so proud of myself. I was slowly working my way down to my first goal of 150 pounds.

The new job meant new routines and letting good habits slide. I was no longer making smart food choices. Also, I was not taking the time to work out. Working only from home I was able to adjust my work schedule to get my 2.5-3 mile walk in each day. Working away from home was an excuse not to get my walking done.

About a month ago I noticed that my clothes were fitting a bit tighter. I reluctantly stepped on the scale and nearly cried. I had gained 20 pounds for a new weight of 178.6 pounds. That is unacceptable. It is time to get my weight and health back on track.

I am making mid-year resolutions.

First, I will make better food choices throughout the day. It has been too easy to stop on the way to work and grab a quick breakfast. While this has been convenient, it is killing my waistline. Michael is awesome and has been getting up and making me an egg white omelet each morning. The vending machine is an evil temptation that I will avoid while at work. The bad habit of snacking before bed will stop.

Second, I will increase my physical activity each day. I have set my Fitbit goals to 12,000 steps, 5 miles, and 10 sets of stairs per day. Again, Michael is my exercise buddy. He is right there with me doing these activities and cheering me on. I will take the stairs at work unless I am with a person who his physically unable to take them. That doesn't happen often so I should be taking stairs 95% of the time. I will not go to the bathroom down the hall at work. I will go to the bathroom downstairs. I already park on the back row in the parking lot so no change needed there.

Implementing these simple changes has already made a huge difference. After one week of better eating and taking the stairs at work (I didn't implement the walking and 10 sets of stairs until this week) I lost 5 pounds. This past weekend I weighed 173.2 pounds. I'm so proud of that 5 pounds. I don't expect that much each week. I will be happy with 1 or 2 pounds a week.

I can't begin to explain how thankful I am for a wonderful husband like Michael through all of this. He noticed me gaining the weight and did not make me feel horrible. He never called me fat or made me feel bad about it. He would push me to be more active, but never made me feel guilty if I was not. He is right by my side doing everything I'm doing, including making smarter food choices. He's my biggest cheerleader and the first to hug me when I don't quite reach my goals.

I do have a few goals that I'm working toward. I want to participate in the WISD Legacy Run. It is held in October every year as part of the Homecoming activities. I'm working on being able to do the 5K run. I'm able to run one mile. Hopefully by October I can run the full 3.1 miles. I would eventually like to be able to participate in a Disney Run event.

I'm working back to my 150 pound goal. I would love to reach this goal by Christmas. Losing at least 1 pound per week makes this an attainable goal. I know I will struggle and get frustrated, but I will try my best to push through and lose the weight. I want to keep my mid-year resolution so I can make a new one in January.

Monday, May 18, 2015

RT 2015

RT2015 was held this past weekend in Dallas. While I couldn’t attend the entire event, I was lucky enough to spend a little time there this weekend. 


Friday was a day to meet and hang out with friends. My afternoon started out stalking Avery Flynn. If you have been following my posts you know that I had the privilege of meeting Avery at Readers & ‘ritas this past November. She is awesome and I was excited when she posted her Happy Hour plans. If you follow Avery at all online I will let you know that what you see there is how she is in person. She is funny, crazy, and one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. I was shocked she remembered me telling her that I was working on my first novel. Extra cool points for Avery :)

Avery Flynn


I did see a few other awesome authors in passing in the bar that afternoon. Jade Lee was hanging out with Avery and I got to say hi. She is loud, crazy, and all kinds of awesome. I got to say hi to Kym Roberts, give her a hug, and get a pic with her. This was the first time I saw Heather Long pass by me too. I saw her in passing about four more times Friday night. She was one busy lady.
Kym Roberts




Friday at four o’clock was the time I was anxiously awaiting...
Twilight Fanfiction
Happy Hour 


Twilight Fanfiction Happy Hour
In spring 2008 I discovered Twilight Fanfiction. This came at a time in my life when I needed an escape. This fandom embraced me and I have made some of the best friends of my adult life as a result. This was the first place I discovered my talent and love for graphic design and embraced the author within me. While I was never wildly popular like Helena Hunting or Debra Anastasia, I did have a decent amount of positive reviews for everything I posted. The positive response I received from this community is the reason I am working on my first novel. 


Debra Anastasia
Debra Anastasia is a doll and set up the happy hour on Friday so we could all get a chance to meet our friends we have all come to depend on and love. I was excited to finally get to meet these amazing ladies. This meet up definitely did not disappoint. Everyone was so sweet. I had major fangirl moments meeting Helena Hunting, Debra Anastasia, and Killian McRae. You ladies are rockstars in my world and I can only equate it to meeting someone like J.R. Ward or Diana Gabaldon. 




Helena Hunting
I am such a wallflower that I tend to hang in the background and talk when someone approaches me. It took all of my courage to approach some of these wonderful ladies. The main questions asked were are you a reader or a writer and if you are a writer what did you write. Some big names like Helena Hunting and Debra Anastasia didn’t need the second question. If you are a member of the Twilight Fandom then you know their works. For me it wasn’t an easy question to answer. Yes I did write but a lot of people did not know my work. Imagine my surprise when a few people remembered my one-shot My Secret Admirer that was included in the Twilighted iFic’s One-Shot Compilation. That was even better than meeting Helena and Debra...sorry ladies ;)


Stefanie and Lynnette - awesome Fanfic ladies
Lynette :)
S.L. Scott

Twilight Fanfic Happy Hour - RT 2015


Sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble on about Fanfiction but it is a major part of who I am and what I do now that I can’t just stop once I start ;)



The absolute highlight of Friday was introducing Avery Flynn and Helena Hunting. These two write some pretty hilarious stuff and I about died when I saw Avery post about reading Pucked by Helena and loving it. I knew I had to get these two together. As the night was winding down Avery showed up for the RT Awards ceremony. BTW, congrats on the award for Enemies on Tap. Well deserved :) My husband was on the ball and spotted Helena before she was totally gone. We caught up to her and these two awesome authors met. They made a Jenn sandwich and I now have one of my favorite pics ever. Thanks for that, ladies.
Avery Flynn and Helena Hunting


I did not make it to the major book fair on Saturday. My RT experience was always intended to be a business expense and I just couldn’t justify going to fangirl all over authors that I really couldn’t give my business card. I’m glad I didn’t because I used part of my Saturday to help Amber L. Johnson. Sadly, the majority of her books, swag and her banner did not arrive. I loved being able to help her with some promo items and a banner for her table. Amber is awesome and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to meet her in person and help her.

Amber L. Johnson

Sunday was greatness. I attended the RT Readers and Writers Round Up. This was an indie author event that included seminars for indie authors to help them succeed. I sat in  on a few sessions. The speakers were very good but I don’t think they had enough time to speak. 



The rest of the time I visited each author's tables and most of the industry professionals in attendance. I was finally able to catch Heather Long not on the run. I always love talking with her. I also met Mary Elizabeth and finished my collection of her signed books. She was so sweet.

Mary Elizabeth


Again, the number one question the authors loved to ask was are you a reader or a writer. I very proudly said I was a graphic designer and I designed the Fifty Shades covers. If you know me, then you know how hard it is for me to acknowledge this fact. Not because I’m ashamed but because I’m not one to boast. It’s usually my husband or my mother saying loud and proud what I did. It was amazing the responses I received when authors found that out. They were impressed and eager to have my card. One author even had a fangirl moment meeting me. She asked me for my autograph. It is still surreal to have people want my autograph for that.


Overall I had a great experience at RT. I had fangirl moments of my own and was the subject of a few unexpected fangirl moments for other people. I had a blast with the fanfic girls. I loved meeting new authors and reconnecting with my faves. I will definitely attend RT in the future the next time it is in a location near me.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Celebrate Sci-Fy May with TWCS


Say NO to REALITY!
This May, TWCS is paying tribute to the SciFy genre in honour of the EPIC Star Wars series and LEGENDARY The Hitchhikers Guide to the Gal-axy, amongst others...

BOOKS ON SALE FOR ONLY 99 PENNIES!


LEGACY OF A DREAMER
Allie Jean, Paranormal
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Chantal Breelan is plagued by horrible nightmares too realistic to ignore. Her past has been a mystery, and the foster system isn’t providing any answers. Starting a new life alone at eighteen is a challenge, espe-cially when things that go bump in the night appear out of the shadows, and her dreams begin to breach reality. Darkness surrounds her from all sides, but is it only evil that hides in the shadows, or are the answers to her past lingering just be-yond?



ZOMBIFIED
Maggie LaCroix, Paranormal Fantasy
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Monsters know their place: vampires are sexy; zombies just decompose.  But Maggie La Croix’s Zombified con-jures up an entirely different kind of undead raised by good old-fashioned Voodoo. Take Henri—still gorgeous, over one hundred years after his death. And now a hurricane has set him free from a curse.
Enter Josie, a reporter with her eyes on Henri. But falling for a man without a heartbeat could get her more than a broken heart. It could get her zombified.



THE SIX
K.B. Hoyle, Fantasy
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Darcy Pennington feels like she is an insufferably average thirteen-year-old, but when a change in her dad’s job forces her to attend Cedar Cove Camp, she unwittingly stumbles upon a magical gateway. Along with five other teenagers, she will travel to a world called Alitheia. The “arrival of the Six” was prophesied long ago, but will she have what it takes to save Alitheia?






MORE
T.M. Franklin, Paranormal

moreHaunted by terrifying nightmares and certain she’s being watched, college student Ava Michaels finds an unlikely ally in Phys-ics tutor Caleb Foster. But Caleb isn’t quite what he seems. In fact, he's not entirely human, and he's not the only one.
Together, the duo faces a threat from an ancient race bent on Ava’s capture, and possible extinction. As Ava fights to survive, she learns the world’s not what she thought.
It's a little bit more.



THE SILVER CRESCENT
Debby Grahl, Paranormal
The_Silver_Crescent_Hi-Res_Cover
An ancestor’s tale of betrayal, murder and a stolen fortune in silver leads Elise Baxter to Max Holt’s Victorian inn.
She is reluctantly, though irresistibly, attracted to Max. Leery of loving again, Max lets passion overrule caution, tumbling them into an erotic encounter.
Guided by ghosts and opposed by an evil presence, the couple searches for the treasure. But there are others who will stop at nothing to unlock the mystery of the Silver Crescent.




THE MEMORY HEALER
Julie Filarski, Paranormal
 
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When Beth Montgomery reluctantly agrees to carry out a psychic assessment of Carrington House, she is transported to another era, where she sees a date on a calendar that fills her with dread.
Back in the present time and sensing an eternal bond with the irresistible Dr Matthew Jamieson, she wonders whether he was once the darkly handsome but unfaithful Samuel Methven. Beth must regress to the tragic events of 1895 to learn the truth.




HUNTED
Lorenz Font, Paranormal
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Disease is ravaging the vampire com-munity in New York City’s underworld. Harrow Gates is sick, alone, and hunted. When Pritchard Tack offers him a new beginning, he is in no position to refuse.
Jordan is a young vampire whose only focus is revenge. In her search for her family’s killer, she meets a man who threatens to pull her heart away from her sworn mission. Is love strong enough to override her thirst for vengeance?





MOUNTAIN CHARM
Sydney Logan, Paranormal
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“True love and sweet whispers, till death do us part;
Send someone to love my Appalachian heart.”
At the age of thirteen, Angelina Clark followed in the footsteps of her ancestors by casting an Appalachian love spell, which promised she would blossom into a beautiful and gifted woman who would find her true love. A young Angelina had been thrilled to participate in the sacred ritual, but through the years, her father’s untimely death and her mother’s failing health have shaken Angelina’s magical faith to its core. As her twenty-first birthday approaches, she refuses to practice her supernatural gifts and no longer believes in the love charm.



REDEMPTION
Lindsey Gray, Paranormal
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Life is for living. Afterlife is a chance at redemption. As the only remaining female vampire in existence, Lily attempts to make her way towards her ever after. But with best friend Becca, new beau Ian, human hus-band Ryan, Archangel Peter, and a host of demons all standing in the way of Lily's chance at a peaceful eternity, how can she possibly survive?







CONVERGENCE
J.D. Watts, Paranormal
Convergence_Hi-Res_Cover
Daniella Rossi is a nineteen-year-old college student who sees the world quite differently than those around her. From infan-cy, she was aware of the beings that walked among her kind who were not like them, as well as her own personal Guardian who watched over her. Dani always knew she was different, but she never dreamed the full scope of her importance. When a new male Guardian comes to replace her lifelong friend and companion, will Dani be able to accept him as she deals with a world full of the other Children of Creation, Angels, both good and evil?


OBVIOUS CHILD
Warren Cantrell, SciFy
Obvious_Child_Low-Res_Cover
In 2015, Sam Grant is chosen to take part in a contest that will choose the world’s first time traveler. There’s just one prob-lem—Sam doesn’t want anything to do with the contest. Yet his deliberately profane public appearances and sabotaged interviews only boost ratings. Now stuck, Sam must plot how he’ll get out of the contest, or if he should embrace it all and become the most famous person in history.






GHOSTWRITER
Lissa Bryan, Paranormal
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Unemployed, with her savings dwin-dling, Sara Howell thinks things are looking up when she lands a ghostwriting job and rents the affordable island home of her favorite author, Seth Fortner, who mysteriously disappeared in 1925.
Strange things happen, making Sara wonder if Seth ever left. When she finds an old trunk of Seth’s letters, she delves into a world she never imagined, filled with love and a family curse it seems only she can break.






THE STARS ARE FALLING
Michelle Birbeck, Paranormal
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Jenny’s life revolves around surviving university, watching the stars, and staring at her housemate, Dale. But as the night sky glows with the light of falling stars, Jenny’s classes and crush seem unimportant. The Stars are retaking Earth, saving mother nature by eliminating the problem. Together, Jenny and Dale can save the world and the human race, but surviving long enough to convince the Stars of that is perilous and may kill them both.





EVERYBODY OUT OF THE LAUNDROMAT, I NEED TO THINK!
Phil G. Glenn, Paranormal

Laundromat-Low-ResWhen the ordinary life of Virgil Blaine crosses the path of the even more ordinary Doug Coulthard, it sets off a series of extra-ordinary events. Doug Coulthard is a Filing Clerk and the President of the Unpublished People’s Poet’s Party –Political Unit (UPPPPU) where a catastrophe has just happened; two of his long time members have been published. The UPPPPU goes on a recruiting drive by distributing leaflets, one of which finds its way into Virgil Blaine’s pocket. Virgil Blaine, who is a slight poet himself, attends one of the meetings where he meets For-ward Slash who offers Virgil Blaine a job. The offer comes with two things Virgil Blaine has never had; a job and a car and on a whim he accepts. The problem is, through no effort of his own, his position is suddenly elevated. Virgil Blaine says the job is ‘messing with his DNA – Deliberate Non-Achiever’ and he misses his old life and so hatches a plan to get it back…



SEBASTIAN AND THE AFTERLIFE
William j. Barry, Paranormal
SatA_Low-Res_cover
Sebastian, an average seventeen-year-old boy, has just paid this debt. He awakes in a surreal world somewhere between mor-tal life and the afterlife, where the Grim Reaper rules and his loyal agents maintain the law. But not all is peaceful in this mystical realm. Axis Red and his soul pirates threaten the future of all who dwell there.
Sebastian soon finds himself at Sa-pentia, a high school for the departed. There he makes new friends but longs for his lost love, Sarah, who is still alive in the mortal world. Some things are forbidden; some lines cannot be crossed. What will Sebastian risk to be close to Sarah again?
Continue the adventure with Sebastian and the Afterlife Book II - Agents of the Reaper.