A Girl and Her Mom Share a Dark Rose Moment

Happy December 4 everyone! Has everyone had their coffee or tea? 1st, 2nd or 3rd breakfast? By the way, does anyone know what day it is other than Hump Day? Why, it’s day 3 of the ONE MORE DAY blog tour, and today I have on my blog, Marissa Halvorson (she’ll be back in a few days for another post, so make sure you tune back in).

Marissa is one of the authors in ONE MORE DAY. Her short story is titled, Dark Rose, and is really, really good. I also believe Marissa is the youngest author featured in ONE MORE DAY, a sweet young lady still in her teens.

As with all the authors in the anthology, I asked Marissa one particular question:

If you could freeze one moment of your life and put it on display for all to see, what would that moment be?

Her response will warm your heart. Take it away, Marissa.

***

That’s a pretty difficult question, because it calls for me to think about my whole life and choose only ONE moment. If we are talking the most personally important moment of my life, it would be the moment, at about 10:30 at night, when I got the email from J. Taylor Publishing offering me a contract for Dark Rose. It’s definitely the happiest moment, in recent years anyway, that I can remember.

I’m still eighteen and going to school, so I still live at home. My parents had already gone to bed and I was up reading or writing (I can’t actually remember what I was doing, but that seems about right) and my phone lit up with an email. I had been anxiously awaiting the response, so as soon as my phone lit up, I … well, in all honesty, I probably lunged for it.

I have never been so happy in my life (as far as I can remember). When you’ve been working towards something for the last eight years of your life with so many people telling you that it’s going to be a long shot, and that it’s going to be very difficult to get anyone to even take a second look at you, an acceptance even into an anthology is a huge victory.

Anyway, I’ve gotten off track. If I had to display any moment, it would honestly be the look on my mom’s face and the excitement in her voice when I woke her to tell her I’d received an acceptance. It really was one of the most exciting nights of my life.

***

Oh my gosh, how beautiful is that? What a beautiful moment. My mom passed away before she got to see my first work published so this really touched my heart. How lucky for mother and daughter to share such a special time.

Here’s a little bit more about Marissa:

Marissa’s dream of writing came about when she was ten, after reading a particularly inspiring story of dragons and elves. She instantly fell in love with the fantasy genre, and characters soon began to manifest to satisfy her adoration. It started with a forty page handwritten novel, which she dubbed “Dragon Girl” and continued on to more challenging (and better written) works.

Now, Marissa can often be found to be studying literature in English class, curled up at home with one book or another, or with her eyes glued to the computer screen as her newest set of characters manifest.

You can also catch up with Marissa at the follow web spots. Make sure you stop in and say hello.

Website Facebook Twitter

Interested in trying your luck at winning a copy of ONE MORE DAY? Click Rafflecopter Giveaway to enter, and good luck!

Can’t wait a month to see if you win? Head on over to one of the links below and grab a copy. Maybe two or three. It’ll make a great gift for the holiday. 🙂

AMAZON – PAPERBACK AMAZON – KINDLE BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

Thank you all so much for your support. Please come back tomorrow to see what moment in time Kimberly Kay, author of Sleepless Beauty, would like to freeze forever.

“Anthology” or “So Many Stories, So Little Time to Wait!” (everonword.wordpress.com)
ARC Review: One More Day by L.S. Murphy and Various Authors (kookiekrysp.com)

Author Terri Rochenski wants to be what kind of mythical creature?

I am so lucky. Today I have the fantabulously gorgeous bubbly author and MAKE BELIEVE antho buddy, Terri Rochenski, visiting the Dreamweaver’s Cottage! I’m so excited. Come on everyone. Let’s give Terri a warm welcome.

*Standing Ovation*

Wow, look at that Terri. They love you already. Thank you so much for dropping by the Cottage today. I know you are on a whirlwind tour, hopping all over the blogosphere promoting not only MAKE BELIEVE but another little ditty as well. We’ll get into that in a few minutes, but for now, let’s focus on MAKE BELIEVE. Your story, SACRIFICIAL OATH, is the first one to appear in the anthology. Can you tell us in one sentence why everyone should read your story?

You. Will. Be. Moved. At least I hope so. hehehe

Hey, I know I was. It was so touching and I thought you had an absolutely perfect ending. I couldn’t help but wonder while I was reading it though, how you managed to write such a great story with a couple of little ones around. Do you just sit down and write with all the noise going on around you, or do you have to go somewhere where you can have a few moments of peace and quiet?

Peace and quiet? What’s that?!?!?!? Seeing as how I have 2 little girls, I don’t have a choice! It’s write while they’re ‘quiet’ (aka leaving me alone for 5 minute spans) or I give up my hobby till they’re both in school. Not happening.

I hear that. It’s really difficult to balance being a parent/spouse/worker and writer. Anyone who can juggle all of that deserves a giant medal and some serious kudo points.

What sort of tools do you use to write and are there things you MUST have around you when you write?

I actually write the old fashioned way first – pen & paper. So a clipboard is a must. My stories tend to flow a bit better for me since I can’t backspace, editing while trying to write. Sometimes there’s a 2-yr-old hanging on one leg, and a 3-yr-old whining on the couch beside me. Yup. It’s fun being me.

And you do it all with such a beautiful smile on your face. I don’t know how you do it. You have two short stories appearing simultaneously in December – SACRIFICIAL OATH in J. Taylor Publishing’s MAKE BELIEVE anthology, and BEGINNING OF FOREVER in Still Moments Publishing, CHRISTMAS MAGIC. Now that you are a published author, what advice would you give to aspiring authors?

There’s lots & lots, but the best (and advice I STILL don’t follow although I know it works) is to write every day. Even if it’s a scene or single line. Keep it fresh & moving along.

Excellent advice. Okay, are you ready for some lightning round questions? You have won a million dollars. What’s the first thing you do with the money.

Pay off both houses (finish the WiP house we live in now) THEN buy all my Pen sisters round trip tickets to the lake house!!! Hehehehe Wouldn’t that be lovely? Seriously.

I would so love that. Party at the lake house, girlfriends! When you were 12 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer. An astronaut. A surgical nurse. Yes, all three at once.

There’s definitely a plot line in there somewhere. What is your favorite quote?

There’s an English word for a beginning writer who never gives up. Published. – J. Konrath

Ohh, I LIKE that. *jotting it down in my little notebook* Reece’s Pieces or M&M’s?

Reeces. YUMMIES! Not a huge chocolate fan.

You’re not a chocolate fan??? Stop the presses, boys. A woman that’s not a chocoholic! That ranks right up there with women who don’t like shoes! Oh wait, that would be me. Okay, so we’ll be weird together. I knew there was a secret reason I liked you so much. What is your favorite television show of all time?

That’s a toughie. Since I’ve been singing on stage since I was 5, I have to say American Idol. BUT, a few others stand out for me.

Lie to me – taken off the air WAY TOO SOON IMO. LOVED that series. Like big time.

Little House on the Prairie – my childhood love. Always wanted to be Laura.

Dukes of Hazard – another childhood love. Wonder why? Hehehehe

Don’t watch much TV nowadays. I can do without all the reality crap stations consider good watching.

I loved Little House on the Prairie. Michael Landon was so cute and it was such a good, wholesome, feel-good show. Okay, I’ve got a toughie for you. If you could be any mythical creature, what would you be?

I’ve never thought of this before. Great question! Probably a pixie like Tinker Bell. Always wanted to fly. Always wanted to be a ‘fly on the wall’ & listen in where perhaps I shouldn’t be. hehehehehe

I can so see you being a little fairy, flitting around, sprinkling pixie dust on everyone. Never pictured you as an eavesdropping fairy but I do have to admit, listening in on conversations makes for great plots.

Ok, dahling, I see you have a little one tugging on you and begging you for waffles so I’ll let you get back to your precious family. Thank you so much for stopping by and taking time to talk to me. You are always welcome at the Cottage so I hope you stop by again soon. Also, good luck with all your endeavors and please keep me posted on other publishing deals you want the world to know about.

For the rest of you, please take some time to read an excerpt of SACRIFICIAL OATH here, and if so inclined, pop over to any of the following links and purchase your very own copy of MAKE BELIEVE.

amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, ARe, Books on Board, diesel books, eBookMall, eBookPie, gohastings.com

You can also drop in on the other MAKE BELIEVE author sites and enter any number of giveaways going on.

Last but not least, don’t forget to drop by Terri’s website/blog, and say hi, then head over to Twitter and Facebook to let her know you’re stalking her. Tell her I sent you. 🙂

Author Love: Terri Rochenski (jabelfield.wordpress.com)
Muse-Sings December 2012 Special Feature & Giveaway (juliecatherinevigna.wordpress.com)

YA authors needed!

In honor of Young Adult fiction, I’m dedicating the whole week of July 22 – 30 (with Sunday off) to those who write for young adults. During that week, seven authors with published or soon-to-be published YA novels will appear on my blog to talk about anything and everything Young Adult.

If you are a debut author, this is a great opportunity to share everything you want anyone to know about your novel as well as your love for YA fiction. Your novels can be in any genre, sold as e-book or hardback/paperback and you can also leave links to giveaways on your blog or website (my free wordpress account does not allow for Rafflecopter or similar programs).

If you are interested, please send the following information to kford2007@gmail.com:

*A brief 1-2 paragraph bio. If you already have one posted on your blog or publisher site, you can use that one.

*A 100 word or less blurb about your book

*Any links (home page, blog, Twitter, author pages etc.) you want to include

*A bio pic

*Twitter and Facebook urls

I will notify the seven lucky authors no later than July 8 so you can have plenty of time to prepare to takeover my blog!

Marketing? I have to do marketing? Noooo!

Yesterday, I received my marketing kit from J. Taylor Publishing, and yes, another big squeal escaped my lips. I have to say, I began reading it with enthusiasm, but by the time I was done, my head felt mushy, tears actually fell and I started freaking out. Why? Because I can’t market anything. I can’t sell water to a fish. How in the world am I going to do this?

I felt like I was staring at that dreaded Geometry test in high school all over again…the one I studied so hard for but didn’t ‘get’. The one I got a tutor for because no matter how hard I tried, the answers always eluded me. There is just so much to do. At least I’ve already started some of the crucial marketing, like having a blog, and Facebook and Twitter accounts. But what about branding?

We hear about it all the time. Authors have to create a ‘brand’, something unique that makes people (readers) remember them. This means as a soon-to-be published author, I have to take a good look at what type of author I am and how I want to be remembered.

First, what kind of author am I?

Well, I love writing and reading Young Adult/New adult fantasy novels. Anything that has to do with dragons, faeries, gnomes, trolls, castles, I’m there. Urban fantasies? Got it covered. Dystopians? You betcha. So, is this my brand? I think so, but what do I do with it?

I know I have to create a website, but I can’t afford a fancy one with my own domain name, which means I’ll have to have a free one. Hmm, Weebly looks good. But what do I do after that? I don’t know! (another clump of hair lands on the floor).

What is clear is I’m about to embark on a rollercoaster of a ride, and seeing I’m such a wimp, I’m taking each one of you with me. So strap yourselves in. Don’t worry about the floor falling out from beneath you. That’s supposed to happen. Keep your arms inside at all times and hold on tight because this train is about to leave the station, and it’s going to be a wild and crazy ride!