Freaky Fairytale Cover Reveal!

Freaky fun, that is. Look! Look! Look! My dear friend, Amie, and her amazing daughter, Bethanie, have put an awesome new twist on the Cinderella story. You're not going to want to miss out on this fantastic read. (Yes, I'm all over the adjectives.) I hope you enjoy the cover!

Amie Borst is celebrating her book release and cover reveal with a monthly giveaway in The Great Cinderskella Giveaway! If you’d like to win a $25 Amazon gift card, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. You’ll be automatically entered into the grand prize drawing for a Kindle Fire in October!

A quick intro to the book itself:
          Cindy is just a normal 11¾-year-old girl. At least until she wakes up one night and finds out she’s dead. Well, she isn't technically dead—she just doesn't have any hair . . . or a nose . . . or skin. Yep—all bones, no body. 
          Human by day and skeleton by night, Cindy is definitely cursed. And because her mother recently died, Cindy has no one to turn to except a father who is now scared of her and an evil stepmother who makes her do the housecleaning with a toothbrush. To make matters worse, the Spring Fling dance is approaching, and Ethan, the cutest boy in sixth grade, doesn’t seem to know Cindy exists. Of course, Cindy doesn’t think letting Ethan find out she’s part skeleton is the best way to introduce herself.
          While facing such perils as pickled pig’s feet, a wacky fortune teller, and a few quick trips to the Underworld, Cindy’s determined to break the curse—even for a single night.
Cinderskella is available for purchase at Barnes and Noble.

And a quick intro to Amie and Bethanie:

          Amie and Bethanie Borst are a mother-daughter writing team. Amie believes in Unicorns, uses glitter whenever the opportunity arises, accessories in pink and eats too much chocolate.  Bethanie is a spunky 13 year old middle-schooler who loves archery, long bike rides and studying edible plant-life. Cinderskella is their first book together and is part of the Scarily Ever Laughter series. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors and blog.

And, of course, the entry form for the contest:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beginning Again

I love beginnings. There's excitement, adventure, and endless possibility. I have found something out about myself in the last year. I cannot live without hope. I am not the kind of person that despairs. I worry, get frustrated, weep, but hope is always a constant companion. I'm not sure that's always a good thing because the higher the flight, the greater the fall, right? Regardless, I cannot stop myself from hoping. Now it's time to hope I can get back into this blogging thing. I think it's time for another new beginning.

I do need/want to blog again, but I'm not promising regularity. You see, I'm still homeschooling my kids, which takes a lot of time. I'm in a new country, Macedonia, which demands exploration, of course, and I've been working hard on my novels again. I say again because sometimes life demands your attention and you can't do anything but give it. That's been my life since I got pregnant last July, moved here, and lost the baby the 27th of Dec. Writing just couldn't be a priority then.

Please, excuse the intermittent posts, but I would love the support of the writing community again as I start on round 2 of this blogging journey. (Or is this round 3, 4 or 5? Who's counting?)

Though this update is a bit lengthy, I will definitely hold to my position that normal posts will be brief. I hope to visit all of your blogs again soon! (Though give me time. I hear google reader doesn't exist anymore? What's a girl to do?)

Quick Update

I live! Really, I haven't been buried beneath a pile of boxes, though you can no longer see the floor... That's another matter entirely. Just one more week and my crazy, as-good-as-internetless summer begins. I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful summer. Happy writing!!!

Blog News and a Winner!

We have a winner!

But first let's talk about this blog. It's going the way of the world for awhile. I'm seeing my future (I'm cool like that) and blogging isn't in the cards. Mostly because internet is going to be sketchy between May and Oct as we move from the Bahamas to Macedonia. There are other reasons, but I won't go into those.

Now, I could come back after that, but I've tried that before and I had the hardest time roping people into reading this blog again. Why do you write posts? I write them to have conversations. I love your comments. I have thoroughly enjoyed the friendships formed through blogging. But you can't have a conversation with one person. (Well, you can, but it's just not that fun for me. :P) So in light of this, I've decided to put this blog on the back burner. No, not that back burner. The one CLEAR over there. Further back. Further.... A little further still. There you go!

Someday, when I have the time to get more involved in other people's blogs again, I'll pull this one back out of obscurity. But it won't be for awhile. Like when my kids are all in school and I have a solid 8 hours to myself. That's a few years off. (Unless Ethan decides to fast track like Xander did. I don't see that happening, but life is full of surprises.)

Anyway, if we're not already friends on facebook, please friend me. I'd love to hear your updates and keep in touch even if the blog is set on silent.

As for the winner of Christine's awesome book....

Alex, it's yours!!!

E-mail me at nisa79 at gmail dot com .

Love to you all!

Christine Fonseca Week: The Giveaway

This week, please welcome Christine Fonseca to the blog. She is the queen of conveying emotion. Her novella, Dies Irae, is both powerful and dynamic. I won't say anymore and just let the week-long interview with Christine speak for her and her works. Since no party is complete without a giveaway, make sure to come back on Friday read the rules below.

If you could win anything in a giveaway, what would it be? Hmm, anything? This is hard because truthfully, I seldom enter giveaways. But I am a tech geek—so any tech things would be FABULOUS.

Now's the time to finally complete the party with our giveaway. The rules are simple. Comment on this post and follow both blogs (mine and Christine's) for a chance to win two electronic copies of Dies Irae (one for you and one for a teen reader of your choice). Let the commenting commence!

Christine Fonseca Week: Day 4

This week, please welcome Christine Fonseca to the blog. She is the queen of conveying emotion. Her novella, Dies Irae, is both powerful and dynamic. I won't say anymore and just let the week-long interview with Christine speak for her and her works. Since no party is complete without a giveaway, make sure to come back on Friday.

Do you have a favorite character in Dies Irae? Actually, I love both Mikayel and Azzaziel; writing this story completely changed my opinion of both characters, profoundly influencing my understanding of them.

Can you give us a favorite quote from Dies Irae? Only one??? I have many, but this one seems to tap into some of the themes of the story. It’s from Mikayel. I can’t say more without spoiling some things –

“If I must be condemned so that Celestium can survive the coming darkness, so be it.”

You've done so much for the writing community, but you also work with gifted children. Can you tell us a little about your nonfiction books? Sure. In addition to writing fiction, I write educational books for parents, teachers, and children that focus on the social and emotional needs of gifted children. My recent titles include Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students and 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids. I have some others brewing as well, just nothing I can announce just yet. It is my hope that these books help everyone in the gifted community—from
children to adults.

Christine Fonseca Week: Day 3

This week, please welcome Christine Fonseca to the blog. She is the queen of conveying emotion. Her novella, Dies Irae, is both powerful and dynamic. I won't say anymore and just let the week-long interview with Christine speak for her and her works. Since no party is complete without a giveaway, make sure to come back on Friday.

As a gypsy, I'm fascinated with all things travel so I have to ask you where your favorite spot is on Earth? I have not been EVERYWHERE, but so far—the Italian country side, Tuscany region to be exact. I would happily take a year off and just go live there, Under-the-Tuscan-Sun style.
LOL!

Have your travels influenced your writing? I would have to say that everything influences my writing—including both physical travels, and psychological ones.

Beach or mountains? Definite toss up, but I have to go with beach. I love water.

Christine Fonseca Week: Day 2

This week, please welcome Christine Fonseca to the blog. She is the queen of conveying emotion. Her novella, Dies Irae, is both powerful and dynamic. I won't say anymore and just let the week-long interview with Christine speak for her and her works. Since no party is complete without a giveaway, make sure to come back on Friday.

Sell your book to us in ten words. Dude! You are killing me. Okay, here it goes:

Some sacrifices should never be made—even for love.

(Yea, okay – it’s 9 words. Sue me. LOL!)

Christine Fonseca Week: Day 1

This week, please welcome Christine Fonseca to the blog. She is the queen of conveying emotion. Her novella, Dies Irae, is both powerful and dynamic. I won't say anymore and just let the week-long interview with Christine speak for her and her works. Since no party is complete without a giveaway, make sure to come back on Friday.

Sweet or savory? Both! There is nothing better than a savory meal followed by a delicious sweet.

Status quo or change? Change. I think change is the natural order of things, so why not embrace it, right?

Do you have a favorite phonetically pleasing word or onomatopoeia? Wow! This is a hard one. I guess I have always just liked the word plethora; the way it just rolls off the tongue.

Ten-Word Tuesday: A Book Review

CassaStar

by Alex J. Cavanaugh

Arrogant attitudes transform into heroism in this character-driven, sci-fi novel.

Midweek Mixer

Do you want a really likeable character? Here's a quote that I think will help you create one.


Charles Swindoll said: “Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.”

Characters with good attitudes are much easier to relate to than characters who are in perpetual pity part mode.Yes, there will be struggles and their must be weaknesses, but I find that when a character can look past the bad in their life and smile/continue on/fight despite it, that's a character I can really respect and love.

Ten-Word Tuesday: A Book Review

 The Ranger's Apprentice Series
by  John Flanagan

Alternate reality mirrors Europe, only way better with the rangers!

Or....

Adventure, friendship, and even romance, stirred into a fantasy feudalism. 

(And yes, I loved it. Any book I review on Tues. will be a book I would recommend.)

Midweek Mixer

"Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting."
-William Arthur Ward

This is an apt quote for the book I'm working on. We build up conflict to make the story dynamic, but there comes a point where the conflict can become more grating than helpful. In these cases, the tool that can best get us away from it is forgiveness. And what a powerful writing tool it is!

Ten-Word Tuesday: A Book Review

Open Minds

by Susan Kaye Quinn

Normal becomes hunted freak in this fast-paced, near-future sci-fi novel.

Midweek Mixer

"Two things cannot be in one place. Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow."
-Frances Hodgson Burnett

This quote applies in so many ways, but where writing is concerned, when we actively seek to write well, a rose will grow. My goal for 2012 is to make my finished books become roses.

Ten-Word Tuesday: A Book Review

Children of the Lamp series

by P. B. Kerr

Hilarious puns that will delight the Middle Grader in all.

Midweek Mixer

Wednesdays feature quotes and phrases that make me heady because we all need a boost to get us to the weekend.   

 

 

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
― C.S. Lewis

In light of the new year, I find this very appropriate.  If you are struggling, find a new dream to hold to, re-examine an old one. Look at it with fresh eyes and remember what you loved about it. Then move forward because you are never too old to become what you want to become. 

Ten-Word Tuesday

New Year's is my favorite holiday; for redemption and hope!