Disclaimer:  Please forgive any formatting mishaps; I'm doing this from work during my lunch break (yes, even computer techs get a lunch break :p) and I have to deal with all the fun filters.

The Winners for the Musa Blog Hop Kindle and Swag bags have been announced!  Congrats to the winners and many thanks to everyone who participated!!!

Now, for the lucky winner of this particular hop!

It's time to celebrate!  My debut novel, DEALS WITH THE DEVIL, the first in our Faith Wells series, is due out this spring.  The other reason is, it's the anniversary of Musa Publishing, who is releasing our novel!

In honor of their first anniversary, they are hosting a blog hop!  For each blog you comment on, you will be entered into the drawing for a Kindle Fire!  (Example: you comment on 10 blogs, you get 10 entries into the drawing!  The more blogs you comment on, the more entries you get!)  Plus, each blog has their own contest going on!  So, click the link and start hopping!



Since our novel has not yet been published (but stick around and don't forget to find me on Facebook for the latest and most current updates), anyone who comments on this blog, will be entered into the drawing for a novel of their choosing from Musa's Thalia Imprint.

Now that all the business is out of the way, on to the fun stuff!  Such as, what the heck is our novel about?  So, here's a bit of information and an excerpt from DEALS WITH THE DEVIL!





As things heat up when she inadvertently draws the attention of the murderer and is attacked, Fi realizes it's time to take matters into her own hands.  Time is growing short and she has to figure out who is now trying to kill her, before she becomes a permanent guest of the Devil and her father.

So, I have discovered the amazing new online (and free!) corkboard called Lino.  For someone who typically uses her phone for notes or tries to remember to constantly email word docs of notes to herself to keep organzied (which really doesn't work, I assure you), this site is a god-send. 

For one, it's FREE!!!!  All you have to do is sign up.  Simple, right?  Yup.  Complete with no catches (even better!).  You can have as many "canvases" as you want, can share them amongst friends, have them private or public (where anyone and everyone can see and/or post to them).

Another benefit is it's online, which means you can access it anywhere you have an internet connection.  A handy feature for if you need to add or reference something. 

You can create RSS feeds, add photos, embed it into your blog/webpage, and so much more.  Me, I just use it as a corkboard for writing notes.  Lots of colorful "stickies" that are often edited later.  The stickies aren't just the four colors you see when a canvas loads, either.  There are several more choices when you create a sticky.  You can't do bullets (like in Word), but you can always make your own, if you need to. 

There are also apps, that are free, for iPhone, Android (I think), iPad... and I can't remember if there's anything else.  I currently have the app on my phone and it is AWESOME! 

Now, I keep all mine private.  I currently have four canvases (one for the sequel to Deals with the Devil and another for each of the novels in the thriller series I'm working on).  I'm pretty sure more canvases will be created as time goes by. 

Also, unlike some corkboards, you can move the notes around and color code them however you want.  There's a large canvas you can work on, with the option of moving the little viewer around to give you more than what will fit on your screen.  I sometimes use a 19" screen and it won't all fit on that, so it's a nice sized area.

I highly recommend this aweome tool, because it's free, it helps even the most unorganized person (like me) stay organized, and it's easy to access and use.  Personally, I think it's the best option out there for notes and such.

A pretty nifty tool and fun, too!  Go check it out! 

http://en.linoit.com/

It's been around eight months or so since my last post.  A lot of interesting things have happened in that time.  The wedding in April, the kids finishing up yet another year of school (they grow up way too fast), and the final words written in the murder mystery. 

The wedding was epic.  It wasn't traditional, but it was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed themselves.  Great food, great friends, and a very unusual ceremony.  I can honestly say that it was a wedding that will be talked about with smiles and laughter.  The good type of laughter, not the bad.  It was, in a word, "us".

As for the murder mystery, it has finished at just over 81, 000 words and is an urban fantasy with a dash of romance and a lot of snark.  Though, there's still editing to do and we might change a few names and appearances.  Maybe.  It depends on a few factors that will end up playing a major part in the sequel. 

Ohhhh... and there is one other thing.  I was in Fangoria.  The March issue.  The one with Vincent Price on the cover.  As the First Ghoul to be seen in the "Night of the Living Dead" movie that is being made by one of our best and most awesome friends, Matt Cloude.  (Now, go find him on Facebook, as well as Night of the Living Dead (2012).)  I'll also be showing up in the movie as the ghoul.  For the horror fans out there: filming starts in this fall!!! CAN NOT WAIT!!!

It's doubtful many people read this blog, let alone it exists, but I feel guilty for not keeping it up.  And posting something at least once a month.

Sooooo..... I'm back in the writer's seat again and ready to continue upon my murder mystery.  I plotted out some with my soon-to-be-husband (10 months and counting!) the other night and, sorta, know where to go.  For once, I'm not killing off the mother either prior to the novel or during the novel.  Shocking, I know, but something has to be different, right?  Besides, hopefully it'll help people 'bond' with the character more and give our sweet Fi (yes, like wi-fi or 'hi') more depth.

It's not easy going, though!  Especially since I'm writing in 1st-person with a good deal of sass and snark thrown in for good measure.  The sucky part is, I've only managed to write just under 15, 000 words.  Which means, I'm not even a fourth of the way through since I'm aiming for 80k.  80k is a good number, no?

With luck, we'll have it done in time for the wedding.  Hopefully.  For those who are trying to figure out what that would come to per day, it would be around 214 words a day.  hmmmmm.... It's possible!!!  Though, not really likely since I don't write some days and I'm pretty sure there's gonna be plenty of days when I'm too busy with wedding stuff, family, friends, or holidays to write.

At least it's a goal, right?

Ok, so, no one has been murdered... at least, not in the real world.  On paper?  Oh, yeah.  Lots of death occurs on paper!  But then, one cannot write fantasy or a murder mystery without someone getting killed eventually. 

I've managed to hammer out more on my beloved urban fantasy murder mystery and have begun mentally plotting the deaths that shall occur in it's sequel.  Yes, there IS going to be a sequel... mostly because I enjoy the idea of killing off people.  If you can't do it reality, why not do it in fantasy?  (And if one is REALLY fortunate, get paid for it!)

As for the weddings?  Welllll... I am still planning my wedding, which shall occur in 2012.  There's also the wedding in the second sequel to "Death's Heiress".  Now that I'm finally planning my own, I'm able to figure out how to plan out a royal wedding in the novel.   Should be fun, since the MC will end up being side-tracked A LOT from the planning! 

Oh a very non-writing related subject: I've figured out how to make quill pens from feathers and ink pens!!!  Eventually I'll have a nifty tutorial but it's actually really easy to do. 

As for the munchkins, for anyone interested, the eldest is doing good in school (despite being hard-headed and hating homework, big surprise), and the youngest is being her usual very cheerful self.  Both are spoiled.  My co-writer and I are co-habiting without troubles and I'm looking forward to eventually having an actual HOUSE to decorate and call our own.