Friday Funnies, Writing Addictions, The Law of Giving



Thanks Debbie Ohi!


Hello, my name is Gwen and I'm a recovering apostrophe addict.

It started out as an occasional social apostrophe. You know, you're out with friends and their friend's and they're all having apostrophes - you just want to fit in. So pretty soon, you're having more and more apostrophes...

But I think I have a handle on my apostrophe habit, now. Okay, I have a slip-up now and then, but who doesn't?

So what's my new addiction?

H-A-D

I didn't count how many "had"s appeared in my manuscript, but once it was pointed out to me, oh so nicely, I just couldn't believe how many times one person could use the word "had."
It's amazing I was even able to tell a story,
with so many freaking "had"s getting in the way!

But I'm looking to nip this little habit in the bud.

What's your worst writing addiction?

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I'm giving away prayers for Random Acts of Kindness Week. Leave a name and an area of need/want in the comments (love, relationship, job, career, health, etc.) and I'll pray for you. You can also go to the Random Acts of Kindness Week page on Facebook!

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I also posted over on Run Gwen, Run! for the Healthy Writer's Club. This week's post is about The Law of Giving, from Deepak Chopra's
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.

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Angela Brown and I are still having paperback giveaways of our novels, Neverlove and Givin' Up The Ghost over on GoodReads.

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Have an awesome weekend!

BLACK FRIDAY-CYBER MONDAY: YA INDIE DEALS

So much for my blogcation!

But of course I had to stop in to tell you about all the great indie author deals going between Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

A group of Young Adult indie fiction authors are offering their ebooks at a discounted price: 

Friday, November 23 through Monday, November 25th.

We all know what Black Friday and Cyber Monday is about, right? Shopping! With the holidays right around the corner, consumers are looking for deals.

Starting on Black Friday morning and ending on Cyber Monday midnight you will have a chance of crossing some of the gifts off your holiday shopping list. Books make wonderful presents to deliver to your friends, family, and coworkers. And because we offer them on Amazon, you can buy them now and choose the delivery day, so they are scheduled to be received later. How to do that? When you buy ebooks on Amazon, click on “Give as a Gift”. Then choose your delivery date.

So why not stock up for the upcoming holidays?

 

 

The FREEBIES aren't FREE for long.

And the discount prices won’t last past Monday, so don’t delay!

PLEASE help us share by tweeting and Facebooking.
Join our Facebook Event and GoodReads Event.

 

 

GWEN GARDNER

If you shop on Amazon.com, click HERE * If you shop on Amazon UK, click HERE

 

FREE Friday - Saturday
$1.99 Sunday-Monday

 

 

ANGELA BROWN

If you shop on Amazon.com, click HERE * If you shop on Amazon UK, click HERE

 

 

 

 

ANGELA ORLOWSKI-PEART

If you shop on Amazon.com, click HERE * If you shop on Amazon UK, click HERE

 $1.99 Friday-Monday
 

DIANA MURDOCK

If you shop on Amazon.com, click HERE * If you shop on Amazon UK, click HERE

$1.99 Black Friday through Cyber Monday

JULIE CASSAR

If you shop on Amazon.com, click HERE * If you shop on Amazon UK, click HERE

 

RUBY BLUE
FREE!!! Saturday and Sunday

 

DEJA BLUE
$1.99 CYBER MONDAY

 

HEATHER McCORKLE

If you shop on Amazon.com, click HERE * If you shop on Amazon UK, click HERE * Or if you prefer Barnes and Noble, click HERE

TIFFANY A. WHITE

If you shop on Amazon.com, click HERE * If you shop on Amazon UK, click HERE

MYNDI SHAFER

If you shop on Amazon.com, click HERE * If you shop on Amazon UK, click HERE

 

Ghost Knight Prevails! And Going on Blogcation!

Alas, me faithful followers, Stormy Knight must concede the win to Ghost Knight, thy worthy opponent in The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear jousting tournament. She fought valiantly, tirelessly, recklessly, and sometimes...invisibly.

She is a better knight than I.

 

Stormy Knight bows in much pomp and circumstance,
and lays her lance at Ghost Knights fading feet.

All bow to your champion!

 

Ghost Knight

 

 

Congratulations to my friend and Partner in ParanormYA,

 

Angela Brown!

 

Huzzah!

 

And to thy other most worthy Knights of Hetty Locklear, I bow!

 

 

 

 

And to thy Mistress Mary Pax, I bow!

 

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And now I shall bow out of blogging for the rest of the week.

 A much needed blogcation is in order whilst I shall practice not speaking in foreign renaissance tongue!

 

See you next Monday!

 

I am sooooo grateful for all the good people in my life. Thanks to all my family and friends for the enormous support this year and always. My blogging buddies are right thgere at the top of my thankful list as well.

Thank you all for the awesome year!

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

 

 

Support Your Champion: Stormy Knight

The final push is on to help your Champion, Stormy Knight, win The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear's jousting tournament.

If you haven't voted today, please stop by the Mary Pax's jousting field and copy and paste this message into the comments section:

"I am here to support my Champion, Stormy Knight. Wherefore art those who would seek to go against her?"

Thanks for supporting Stormy Knight.

But mostly, thanks for supporting M. Pax in the launch of

The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear!

Find Mary Pax at:

Blog

Amazon

Amazon UK

B&N - Smashwords

iTunes

Kobo

 

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Today is Healthy Writer's Club, so if you want to see if I've had a healthy week, I posted over at Run Gwen, Run! And really, with all the jousting I did this, I must have gotten my share of exercise...right?

 

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Thank you to all my jousting buddies - this week of knightly competition was so much fun!

 

~May the best knight win~

 

Thank you to Mary Pax for hosting!

 

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So - I have been jousting and nursing a sickly computer.

What have you been doing this week?

Faint Heart Never Won Fair Brownie

Faint heart never won fair brownie!

Prepare, oh great knights of The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear!

Stormy Knight is here to defeat the competition and win the hand of yon fair brownies, baked especially by Mary Pax herself. Not to mention the special hand-stamped medal claiming me to be the winner, made especially by the M. Pax husband unit. And of course, The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear ebook on 8GB flashdrive with carrying case. My fair brownie and I will have a lovely time cuddled down together to read TROHL and eat the delicious, chocolately treats.

 

And, you could win The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear ebook!

But first, you must go to the jousting field to cheer me on!

I Am Stormy Knight!

All you have to do is copy and paste the message below into the comment section at the Mary Pax jousting field:

"I am here to support Stormy Knight. Wherefore art thou trembling knights who dare to go against her?"

You can enter up to three comments per day.

Thanks for your support of me, Stormy Knight, your Champion, and Mary Pax, in the release and book launch of The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear.

 

If thou were not afield yesterday, you missed a great joust between me, Stormy Knight, and my partner and friend, Ghost Knight on Facebook. We fought long. We fought hard. But in the end, we were forced to call it a draw in order to sup on turkey legs and grog.

Huzzah!

Spacedock 19 Interview and Jousting Tournament

Just by chance, I'm being interviewed over at Spacedock 19 today. What is Spacedock 19? It's Mary Pax's very own space travelling box, only way better than Dr. Who's TARDIS. I hope you can stop by.

And then after my interview at the best sci fi travelling box in blogtown, I'll transport over to Mary's jousting tournament, in which I, Stormy Knight, will commence jousting and defeating the other knights to win an ebook of The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear and yon fair batch of brownies!

I have challenged Ghost Knight to a one-on-one duel, which will take place today on the JOUSTING FIELD! Come Champion me!

I am the one in black and silver on the left.

Check out the form, the skill, the pointy thingy in my hand.

I deserve to win.

Please go by yon jousting field to cheer me on and vote for me by copy and pasting this into the comments:

"I am here for Stormy Knight. Wherefore art thou cowering knights who stand against her?!"

For each day you comment, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a free ebook of The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. Tell all your friends. Win me the championship! Win a book! Huzzah!

To the other Knights - bring your lance and shield, and prepare to defend yourselves until death - or until someone wins the brownies! Huzzah!

The Nightmare Collection and Jousting Tournament

Today I am priveleged to participate in revealing the cover of author Cherie Reich's new release, The Nightmare Collection, three stories in one book that you won't want to miss!

Description:

A legend is hungry tonight.

A child monster will get its first taste of blood in Nightmare at the Freak Show.

Four friends will enter the forest on December night, but only one can survive in Once Upon a December Nightmare.

Almost ten years after Cassie's December nightmare, the monster awakens to hunt again in Nightmare Ever After.

Add to your TBR list at Goodreads HERE. 

Cover art by Nicemonkey at Dreamstime.com. Cover design by Aubrie Dionne. Bookworm logo for Surrounded by Books Publishing created by Cherie Reich.

Will be released late November 2012

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About the Author:

A self-proclaimed bookworm, Cherie Reich is a writer, freelance editor, book blogger, and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies. Her e-books include the horror series Nightmare, a short story collection with authors Aubrie Dionne and Lisa Rusczyk titled The Best of Raven and the Writing Desk, the futuristic space fantasy novelette trilogy Gravity, and The Foxwick Chronicles, a series of fantasy stories. She is a member of Valley Writers and the Virginia Writers Club.

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Author Links:

Website: http://cheriereich.webs.com

Blog: http://cheriereich.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bookworm0753

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorcheriereich

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4268457.Cherie_Reich

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The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear Jousting Tournament

If you didn't see yesterday's post, I am participating in Mary Pax's first ever online jousting tournament this week.

Please be sure to go by and cheer for me by posting "I am here to cheer for the Stormy Night. Wherefore art thou knights trembling in fear?" Or something to that effect - just be sure to mention "Stormy Knight" and the magic renaissance word, "wherefore" in the comments.

That Ghost Knight may be ahead, but I will challenge her to a duel for the win!

I could win TROHL ebook and freshly baked brownies!

You'll have the chance to win M. Pax's The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear, too. Huzzah!

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AND

Tomorrow I'll be an honored guest at Spacedock 19, Mary Pax's uber-awesome sci fi interviewing room. If you haven't seen it, you'll want to. If you think Dr. Who's phone box is cool, wait till you see Spacedock 19. Want to learn more about the parnormal by one-half of the Partners in ParanormYA? Please stop by!

Jousting Tournament: Prepare to Defend Yourself

Welcome! Good Queen Mary Pax has invited us to spend the week making merry at the first ever online jousting tournament in honor of her new release, The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. Ready thyself to cheer for thy favorite knight.

Who might that be, ye ask?

Why me, o' course - Stormy Knight!

How does it work, says you?

By cheering for me, says I!

I am the Stormy Knight!

During the week of the tournament, November 12-17, you go over to Queen Mary's blog and cheer loud and clear, “I cheer for The Stormy Knight” in the comments. For each person posting for me, I’ll receive one point. For extra points, mention the Renaissance word "wherefore" in your comment, such as I’m here for Stormy Knight. Wherefore art the other knights trembling in fear?

For each day you comment, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a free ebook of The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. Tell all your friends. Win me the championship! Win a book! Huzzah!

To the other Knights - bring your lance and shield, and prepare to defend yourselves until death - or until someone wins the brownies! Huzzah!

And now, to share the real booty!

A New Adult Urban Fantasy, The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear is the first book in a new series. And it’s now out! The main character, Hetty, is a twenty-two-year-old, stumbling about in an effort to become a full-fledged adult. She struggles with self-esteem, weight, relationships, and making the transition between college and the real world.

Graduation from community college isn’t the magic elixir Hetty Locklear counts on for becoming an adult. Her parents, who work the Renaissance fair circuit, insist she spend part of the summer with them. Hetty doubts pretending to live in the Middle Ages will help her find her way.

To make it worse, an entity haunts her at her dead-end job, warning her of a dangerous man she doesn’t know. The ghost leads her to a lover who has a lot of secrets. He pulls her farther into peril and into a strange, hidden world of genetic experimentation.

New Adult Urban Fantasy with a contemporary sci-fi twist. Mature content.

Available as an ebook at Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords / iTunes / Kobo
(B&N is coming – visit www.mpaxauthor.com for other links)

Friday Funnies: Punctuation Saves Lives

 

You have to be soooo careful about what you write these days...

 

Just had to share this with my NaNoRevMo buddies!

How are your revisions going?

Unless you're doing NaNoWriMo, then the question is, how is your word count going?

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If you haven't noticed yet, there's a button over on my sidebar for my giveaway going on at GoodReads for the Givin' Up The Ghost print book. I'd love for you to win a copy!

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Today is post date over at my Run Gwen, Run! blog for the Healthy Writer's Club.

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Happy Friday, everyone!

Have a Great Weekend!

PIP's Big Swag Winner Announced!

Finally, the Partners in ParanormYA Big Swag Giveaway is over.

With 402 entries, it was quite the epic run.

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

And congratulations to all the giveaway winners.

**********drum roll**********

And the winner is....

Bish Denham!

Congratulations Bish!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Day!

Thanks Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting this awesome group on the first Wednesday of every month.

What am I insecure about this month? *snort* Pretty much everything, I guess. But I've just published my first book and completed a fun and successful blog tour. And I have some pretty exciting plans for the future. So as insecure as I feel about my future as a writer, I'm proud of what I've accomplished, as well.

But on to Insecurities:

• Marketing myself



This is a biggie. I'm not good at pushing myself on others. I don't want to bug people to buy my book. I don't want to write a press release for myself and send it off to newspapers. And what if they called me and wanted an interview? Yikes! What if they wanted to see me in person? Double yikes! And what if they wanted to take my picture? Triple yikes! What if I did an in-person interview and stuttered and turned red and, and, and...

...what if I got no response at all?

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Do you send out press releases?

How to you handle marketing yourself?

What is your insecurity this month?

NaNoRevMo and the Rough Stuff

Badge by Tara Tyler

This is just a quick post to say that instead of NaNoWriMo, I'm doing NaNoRevMo. It's being hosted by Jenny Morris. If you want to join, the easiest way to connect is on Facebook, where we check in everyday.

What is NaNoRevMo, you ask? It's short for National Novel Revision Month.

Instead of writing 50K, we're revising what we're working on. In my case, I'm revising/editing/rewriting my 50K novel.

What are my goals?

Edit the first draft of my novel, A Guilty Ghost Surprised. It's only 50K, but will be longer once I go back and add setting, description, and everything else I left out when I zoomed through it during BuNoWriMo.

Daily goal: 1667 words

Words to date: 13,500

So far, I'm ahead of schedule. But, the rough stuff is coming up! My first draft is so rough, I wonder what I was thinking! And the disorganization. I did some rearranging, and I'm not even sure if it works.

How rough are your first drafts?

What are you doing this month?

I'm Thankful For My Readers Blog Hop

Tara and Vikki are holding a Thankful blogfest!  And of course, in the U.S., this is Thanksgiving month, so the timing is perfect.


It's easy. Just a thank you to your readers! And readers can be critique partners, betas, blog readers, published book readers, library patrons, or just the reading public in general! It will be awesome for us all to give thanks at the same time and hop around to revel in the love!
For anyone on twitter, the thankful hoppers will be tweeting thanks using the hashtag #thankstomyreaders for additional fun.


To join or check out the rules, go HERE:

I am grateful to so many people. First and foremost, my critique partner, blog tour partner, and friend, Angela Brown. Where would I be without you? But really, there are way too many people to thank to just select one peson.The bloggers I follow, and the ones who follow me, have all taught me something, have contributed to my knowledge of writing, editing, publishing.

I learned it all from you.

I'm in a happy place because of you.

And so I wrote this for all of you.

A Gazillion Thanks: A Haiku

How to thank just one?

An impossibility

Too many to thank

You supported me

Guided, directed, cared, with...

Selfless thoughtfulness,

Gazillion thanks

To every bloggy peep

Gazillion thanks

Get Your Partner's Survival Badge

The Partners in ParanormYA blog tour has come to an end and Angela and I are starting to wind down and catch up on some much needed rest. It was quite the epic tour for us. But don't think we didn't notice you were with us every step of the way! We survived this tour together.

So in honor of our survival, I made some badges. They're not quite the caliber of Tara Tyler's awesome badges, but they come from the heart.

For those who followed, read a post or two, made one or two comments, please grab a survival button for your sidebar.

Plus, we're over at Angela Orlowski-Peart's blog for sort of an after-tour stop. We hope you can stop by.

AND

The Big Swag Giveaway is still going on over at Partners in ParanormYA. You have a couple of days left to get in on the prize.

AND

The Healthy Writer's Club is today. I've posted about my week over at Run Gwen, Run!