I HAVE MOVED (and I miss some of you) #blogging

WHERE ARE YOU?

Please visit me at my new blog site  http://rebeccahartwriting.wordpress.com/

I miss you.
Rebecca

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Eva Flowers!!

Your name was selected in a random drawing this morning, so you are the winner of the free electronic copy of Cutlass and Musket: Tales of Piratical Skullduggery!!

Watch for an email from me this week! And thanks for following the blog and participating in the Hop.

Also, be sure to bookmark our new site: http://rebeccahartwriting.wordpress.com/

We've Moved: Please bookmark the new location!

After wishing and hoping Blogger would get it's act together and fix issues with posting and comments, by both bloggers and visitors, I've made the move over to wordpress.

Please visit and follow us at the new location.

http://rebeccahartwriting.wordpress.com/

I will be deleting this site completely at the end of October, so please stop by the new site and join me there. Hope to see you :)

Rebecca

Spook-a-licious Blog Tour

SPOOK-A-LICIOUS:

WHERE BOO-KS DEVOUR YOU

BLOG HOP TOUR (OCT 17-24)

Tour Rules:


1) HAVE FUN!!!

2) INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!

3) THIS TOUR STARTS: Monday, October 17, at Midnight (Arizona Time)  THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, October 24, at Midnight (Arizona Time) Winners will be drawn and posted October 25th!

4) MEET AND MINGLE WITH ALL THE AUTHORS & BOOK PAGES! EXPERIENCE A NEW DESTINATION AT EVERY STOP! PARTICIPATE IN EVERY BLOG CONTEST AND BE ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN MULTIPLE PRIZES! EVERY BLOG VISITED IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WIN!!

5) PARTICIPATION AT ALL BLOGS IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. REMEMBER, THE MORE BLOGS YOU HOP, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES. EVERY AUTHOR & BOOK PAGE IS WAITING TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOU, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO SHOW THEM SOME LOVE!

6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN? WHOO! HOO!! HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO!

***Authors & Book Pages have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this blog hop tour is subject to these rules***

ENTER TO WIN:

Free electronic copy of Cutlass and Musket: Tales of Piratical Skullduggery

What do I need to do?

1. Like me on Facebook
2. Follow this blog (click the Follow button to the right)
3. Follow me on Twitter @rebelhart69
4. Comment below and tell me what your favorite Halloween costume was growing up!

Good Luck!!

Be sure to stop by the other great blogs and say hello! Happy Halloween!

Six Sentence Sunday: Lizzie (another from my dusty notebook) #sixsunday

This week I dipped back into the old notebook and pulled out six sentences from a story I had started about a nanny who is forced to figure out what to do with her young change afer her parents are killed in a car wreck.

Always love to hear what you think.  Enjoy :)

Lizzie came downstairs, a barely restrained whirlwind of lace and bows, begging Nancy to help tie the laces on her new shoes. 'I know how,' her little voice vowed. She'd only recently been taught, but in her impish excitement to be off on their adventure had forgotten.

With a shake of her head and a teasing 'tsk tsk', Nancy fastened the laces with a secure double knot and stood, looking down at Lizzie's flushed face. "Shall we be off young lady? Or maybe you'd rather stay inside today?"

Just Keep Swimming...er...Writing

One of my favorite Disney movies is Finding Nemo. My favorite character from the movie? Dory, of course. She is one of those characters that may appear a bit thick, but the gems of wisdom she shares...are just that, pure gems. Her motto: Just keep swimming is a great metaphor for life -- and writing.

Any writer that intends to stay in the business for any length of time needs a tough skin. There is so much rejection and hard work involved in being successful, you really have to have a never give in attitude. You have to believe in yourself, even when everyone around you may doubt and question. That is what Dory has in spades. There is no obstacle that cannot be overcome if you just keep working at it...just keep swimming.

For each setback and rejection I receive I remind myself of Dory's words.

"Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. What do we do? we swim, swim."

I firmly believe if you do, you'll eventually make it to the other side of the waterway and reach those goals you have set for yourself. No matter how big they may be.

Just keep swimming  writing. :)

Six Sentence Sunday: Penance (from the dusty pages of an old notebook) #sixsunday

 My Sunday Six is from a short story I wrote quite a while ago, named Penance.

     I wonder why we tell young girls such outlandish stories about chivalry and brave knights. The imagination takes them and creates unrealistic dreams of men coming to rescue them from the mundane life of "normal" people. They are so young and impressionable, they can’t help but be sucked in by the lies. We tell them about things like the honor of men. Now, that is a laugh; not to mention an oxymoron. Men and honor should not be allowed in the same sentence, let alone the premise of a story meant only to blind us from the truth.

Book Review: The Glass Man by Jocelyn Adams

The Glass Man by Jocelyn Adams


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a fantastic ride!

Lila Gray is snarky, sarcastic and ballsy. A winning combination for any leading lady to my thinking. A lover of both fairy tales and fantasy, The Glass Man delivered in spades. Ms. Adams gives us a wonderfully detailed glimpse into her dystopian world while still holding true to the established lore surrounding the fae and their societal structures.

Lila's "hunter" and nemesis, Parthalan is sexy, dark and devious. *licks lips* I guy you really hate to love. While his pain loving sidekick, Rourke is the perfect blend of powerful foe and twisted lunatic. I think he just might be my favorite character in the novel, aside from Lila, of course.

Toss in Lila's love interest, Liam--a brooding farmer with a secret--and let the sparks fly.

I try not to toss in story details when I write my reviews to avoid spoiling anything for the readers. You will just have to get this one for yourself to see how it all comes together. Suffice to say, I loved this novel and highy recommend it for anyone. It is a must read for any lover of fantasy or romance.

About the only negative I could mention was the fact that it came to an end. If I didn't know there were at least two more Lila Gray novels to come from Jocelyn Adams, I might just be upset about that.

Author Info:
Jocelyn Adams website: http://www.joceadams.com/
Twitter: @JocelynAdams
Publisher: http://jtaylorpublishing.com/

Six Sentence Sunday: The Pirate and the Selkie (WIP)

I have been working on this one this week, so thought I would post my Sunday Six from the current chapter in progress.

Happy Sunday!

Daniel cringed at her pet name. Skip was short for Skipper--everything Ellie did or said had something to do with sailing--but Daniel still didn’t care for it. Whenever she used it, he had to remind himself why he couldn’t just change form and tell her his real name. The look on her round face when she’d seen him sitting at the breakfast table with her father told him everything he needed to know. She hated Daniel.

Not one to give in so easily, he propelled himself forward until he stood between her and the waves.
 

Book Review: Mile 81 by Stephen King

Mile 81 by Stephen King


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

At $5.99 for the ebook download, I really expected a novel instead of a short story. I can't even call it a novella -- it was that short.

The story was interesting and I did enjoy the read, but I have to say it was missing some of the dark sparks I expect from Mr. King. Not so much a disappointment for me, as just *meh, it was okay*

Hoping the novel due out in November has more of what I read Stephen King novels for, originality and dark twist you dont see coming.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Fated Encounter by J.A. Belfield

Fated Encounter by J.A. Belfield


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


http://bexbooknook.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/fatedencounter/




View all my reviews

Six Sentence Sunday: The Pirate and the Selkie (WIP)

Here is this week's six for Six Sentence Sunday.  Comments always welcome. :)

Enjoy!


Ellie glanced over her shoulder, made a quick distance calculation. Her gaze swung up the rigging. She yanked on the steerage, eyes glued to the sails. Right on cue, the sheets of white canvas caught wind and snapped to attention. The ship sliced through the waves in a tight arc until The Surf Runner faced The Siren’s Call.

She steeled herself for another pass.

Acceptance News: Daily Flash 2012: 366 Days of Flash Fiction

I share the bad news when it comes, so I thought I should also share the good news as well. Only fair, right?

I received an email yesterday that one of my flash (less than 500 words) stories, Parades,  has been accepted for inclusion in Daily Flash 2012: 366 Days of Flash Fiction (Leap Year Edition) being published by Pill Hill Press. This is a "for the love" collection, so no monetary payment or free copy, but it will be released in paperback and ebook formats somewhere around Nov. 2011.

I will keep you all posted as things progress and let you all know where you can get copies when it is actually published.

Announcement: I've Launched a Book Review Blog

Many of you know I have a pen name that I use when writing more "adult oriented" stories. Since I have this blog, and what I consider a respectable following,  I thought a long time about how I would go about creating and marketing a platform for my alter ego. I didn't want a mirror of this site, and I definitely needed to do something to allow me to market those works without worrying over the possibility of offending someone of a more delicate nature on this site.

So, what I came up with is Bex Book Nook - a book review blog and resting place for Ms. R. Brennan (my more fun, more outrageous alter ego) I have done a few reviews on this site, and the first one I posted there is a re post of the review I did on this site, but that is where the commonalities will end.

My reviews will be posted there when I complete them. This site shall remain my WIP writing as a lifestyle/career site -- with the occasional story about what silly thing my family or friends did thrown in for good measure.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing some of my followers over there. Not only to see what sort of person lies behind the soft spoken, sweet persona I usually portray to the world, but also for some blunt reviews of all sorts of fantastic new books.  :P

Tuesday Teaser: The Pirate and the Selkie (WIP)

Today's Tuesday teaser is from my current WIP, The Pirate and the Selkie.

Enjoy :)

     Captain Harris frowned and shook his head. “That is the biggest pile of pig shit I have ever seen shoveled, boy.” He turned hard eyes on Nelson. “Get the hell to work.”

In Memory of Those We Lost: Never Forget, Never Surrender

I don't think words are needed...

So I'm a Terrible Person

As the summer draws to a close, I find that my time is ever so slowly, becoming my own once more. The girls started school this week, and despite the nasty beating we are taking in the Northeast from Mother Nature, all is right in the world.

Okay, maybe not so much.

Despite having a bit more "me" time, I have noticed that I'm still falling behind on my TO DO lists. My critique lists on my favorite writing site keeps getting longer and the stories in my notebook (the ideas for stories, that is) become more and more plentiful. I enjoy supporting my fellow writers and I definitely love writing, yet the lists still grow. I am reading more books in general, which is great, but I still feel like I am behind in everything. I feel like I am letting people down that count on me--people that need my support and encouragement. Coupling this with the daily life pressures of a depreciation on my lovely house to the point I don't have enough equity anymore to refinance it and drop 2% on my interest rate, and the flurry of recent story rejections... I am one depressed little puppy lately.

I know we all have funks and issues that take us from writing and the writing community sometimes, and I am sure I am being far too hard on myself, but it got me thinking.

What do you do to keep yourself focused and on track? What cheers you up when life is kicking your ass? What inspires you to stay with it and keep on trucking?

Inquiring minds -- like me -- are dying to know.  And, I could really use some ideas.

Book Review: Cutlass and Musket, Tales of Piratical Skullduggery

Cutlass and Musket, Tales of Piratical Skullduggery by Jessica A. Weiss



My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Welp... I have to be honest here, right? Even though I have a story (and a damned good one if I do say so myself) in this book, I really wasn't all that impressed with the anthology. While some stories were good and held my interest (and that shouldnt be hard since I LOVE PIRATES), for the most part, the stories read pretty flat to me.

I will try to go through and select the stories I really enjoyed -- like a winners and losers type of thing, but at this point I have downgraded my rating from a 4 to a 3. I mean I can't dislike a book that contains something I wrote...


View all my reviews

Tuesday Teaser: From WIP The Pirate and the Selkie

Things have been moving along nicely with my historical fantasy/romance I gave a working title of The Pirate and The Selkie.

To celebrate the completion of another chapter in Daniel and Ellie's saga, I decided to take this week's Tuesday Teaser from this novel/la in progress.  Enjoy :)


Her mother nodded. “We discussed it before he sailed. After you almost drowned.”

The hitch of emotion in her mother’s voice stabbed Ellie with guilt. “Do I have to go?”

“Yes, Ellie, you do.” Momma’s tone turned serious, telling her there would be no arguing.

Ellie’s shoulders slumped under the weight of resignation. She let out a sigh, lowered her head and gave the only response she could.

“Yes, Momma.”

Children and Technology: The Truth About Social Media?

I had a conversation with my 11 year old daughter, Shelby about Hurricane Irene last night at dinner. What she had to say made me giggle, and showed me that while the information age is great for spreading information, sometimes we need to make sure the info picked up by our children is accurate.

Here is a snipit of that informative chat:

Me: Wow, 10 inches of rain is no joke.

Shelby: They even had to evacuate New Jersey, the whole thing. That's alot of people.

Me: No sweetie, not all of New Jersey, just the Jersey Shore.

Shelby: (with a big smile): Oh, that's okay. They are all in Italy right now, anyway.

So there you have it. My daughter, the holder of all important news. *giggle*

Happy Monday!