sacrificial oath – YA Chit Chat

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)

On December 3, my short story, The Amulet of Ormisez, will be published in Make Believe and released into the big wide world. My words, no longer mine but everyone’s. It is every author’s dream. No matter how many times you sign that contract, a glow happens inside knowing a publisher believed in your hard work and it will be read by hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions. How very exciting!

A few early reviews have already trickled in and I’m thrilled to say they are all positive. Have a look below:

Rachel Morgan at Goodreads writes: “MAKE BELIEVE is a magical collection of short stories. Just the right size for someone like me who falls into bed too late every night and doesn’t have much time (or energy) left to read!…Fantasy-lovers should definitely check this one out.”

Jen – At Random says: “…With mystery, deceit, fate, grief, greed, romance, and action each story has its own engaging elements but all are sprinkled with a morsel of magic. Definitely a great read!”

And, an overall 5 star review on Amazon.com had this to say about my story in particular: “There’s lots happening in this story but to say much more would reveal too much of the tale. I also enjoyed this tale…as I have not read a great deal about selkies. I would look out for other books by the author and dependent on blurb seriously consider reading them…” She gave the story 4/5 stars!! You can read the full review here.

There is so much more I have to share with your about the anthology. The official Blog Tour kicks off on December 3 and all the authors appearing in Make Believe are promoting tons of giveaways and contests, so make sure you visit each of their blogs/websites to see what’s going on. On Sunday, I will post information about my blog tour, AND share a little secret about what I’ll be doing the whole month of December to celebrate the release of Make Believe. It’ll be pretty cool.

Also, if you want to participate in launch day celebrations and enter for your chance to win an e-copy of the Make Believe anthology, make sure you leave your website/blog information in the comments section of my blog between now and November 30.

Oh, and if you can’t wait until December 3 to get your own e-copy of Make Believe, a little bird told me Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble just might have a little treat for your Kindle or Nook at this very moment. You should head over and check it out. Go on. You know you want to. Take some friends with you. Grab some coffee while you’re at it. Kick your shoes off. Relax. Who needs to work today when you can Make Believe.