My GRL Blog Tour Volunteer Recognition – Melissa Janda

January 24, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 2 Comments

Thank you Melissa for helping launch My GRL. In following Melissa’s blog titled: Melissa Janda A Time to Write for the past year I have learned so much.

The first thing I learned is she is one of the nicest, most considerate bloggers in the sphere. She seems to be everywhere when it comes to supporting her fellow bloggers. The support of my book launch is a small example of the many times you will see her using her space to promote someone else.

The second thing I learned is when Melissa makes up her mind to accomplish a goal you can put your money on the fact that she will do it. In 2013 she wanted to compete in NaNoWriMo. She became a winner with 50,004 words. This on top of all the other things she has to do. For 2014 she plans to read 50 books and to make ten of them from the Modern Library’s Top 100 list. Anyone want to bet against her? I’ll take that bet.

The third thing I learned was Melissa’s dedication to the writing craft. She is actively involved with prompts and teasers and does challenge each of us to join in the fun. She also has a word of the day feature which I find very helpful. Over time I am finding that the exposure to her word of the day causes me to upgrade my use of words which have been dormant since the old memorize vocabulary days. It is really nice to pull something from the brain while writing and not have to go look up a word. I would say just checking in for the word of the day would be very beneficial, but do yourself a favor and stay for a while and read. Another thing you should do is; check out her Resources for Writers tab. Melissa has eliminated the need to hunt for a place to get information on writing, publishing and marketing. She has a bunch of links which can prove to be useful if you investigate them.

Finally I learned Melissa wants to become a published author. She has the ability, the skill and I believe the determination to make that happen. I believe one of these days this will be a goal met by her. Thank you again Melissa.

TGIF is as TGIF Does

January 24, 2014January 23, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 16 Comments

Friday is here again and it is time to celebrate the week. If you read my stuff you know I am knee-deep in a blog tour helped by wonderful bloggers around the world. Since My GRL has been published a retrospective of thought brought me to a truism of writing which I have often read about, but never experienced. The truism goes something like this: THE EASY PART OF WRITING A NOVEL IS WRITING A NOVEL. I could not imagine this to be true working alone in my garret with no one to test ideas on but a cat. I have to say at this point it seems to be true. To recap:

You write . . . (check)

You edit . . . (check)

You submit and query . . . (check, check, check, check how many queries?)

You edit some more . . . (check)

You pick out art . . . (check)

You wait with bated breath . . . (check)

You watch your book go live . . . (check)

You die as something is delayed on the e-version . . . (check)

You die as the image on the e-version refuses to download properly . . . (check)

You pray for good reviews . . . (check)

Now the real work begins, selling the damn thing wonderful story to the reading public.

I wrote a little Haiku with the spirit of the situation in mind. I hope you like it

Write a book alone,

Finally see it published…

Selling is hard work.

Have a good weekend.

My GRL Blog Tour Volunteer Recogntion – Julian Froment

January 23, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 6 Comments

Julian Froment has a very active life. His blog which he titles appropriately Julian Froment’s Blog has an interesting mix of prose, poetry, and importantly book reviews. Julian’s overall direction of his blog is summarized by his sub headline; Life, Literature and Lewd Comments. The picture of a lion is on this post since if Julian were an animal (come on Ionia no giggles) I think he would be a lion

Julian is also a collector of books and describes his collection as follows: “I also enjoy collecting books and have a (very) small collection of first editions, mostly Enid Blyton’s children’s adventure stories.”

Those of you who regularly stop in to visit Julian know he is a man of beautiful words and a keen sense of good writing. His prose and book reviews always hit the mark. What you may not know is Julian is also a world traveler and lately is commuting between the UK and the US. The reason for this is he has the love of his life living here and cannot seem to convince the US government that he is worth having as a long-term resident. So he must limit his visits to the time proscribed by the government. He is 43 years old, and a senior manager at an environmental analysis and ecotoxicology services company, CHEMEX Environmental International Ltd.. His job is mainly concerned with the environmental chemistry side of the company. So WTF gov. We don’t have an unskilled laborer here, he will be able to support himself.

This situation has created a global Romeo and Juliet story with the government acting as the patriarch. The rest of us can only stand and watch. I do want to thank him for supporting My GRL launch blog tour. Also Julian has a birthday on January 27^th. Go visit and wish him a happy day.

Thank you Julian for helping with the My GRL launch

My GRL BLOG Tour Recognition – Marie Ann Bailey

January 23, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 11 Comments

Marie Ann Bailey is a My GRL blog tour volunteer today. She is a wonderful person who dedicates herself to her job, her husband, her cats, her knitting and most certainly to her writing. Marie is the author of 1WriteWay a delicious combination of original work, collaboration, interesting reblogs and other supporting posts in favor of supporting other authors. Marie was also an editor for the Community Story Board in 2013 and was responsible for creating the post that was honored with the Freshly Pressed designation by WordPress.

I have also had the pleasure to work with Marie on the collaborative posts that are simu-published on each of our blogs on Monday. The idea came out of the fact there were numerous blogs on the subject of top ten. There were top ten cute animal photos and top ten ways to ask for a raise among a few. We could not find a top ten things not to do. Long story short we decided to create a feature of the Top Ten Things Not to Do. Next week we will be posting our 30^th.

Marie’s motto is,” I am therefore I write.” She is hoping to get a novel going and has posted the Writer’s Creed for all to see to give her inspiration. Perhaps it will inspire you as well. Thank you so much for the help Marie.

My GRL Blog Tour Volunteer – Robynn Gabel for IAN

January 22, 2014 ~ John W. Howell

Ever heard of the IAN? Of course you have. IAN is Independent Authors, Editors, Graphic Artists & Publishers who’ve decided to showcase themselves and their work in one great site for their fans. You can visit the site HERE Big Thank You to Robynn Gabel for helping out with the tour. Her books:

You can also find Robynn here:
Robynn’s Musings
Robynn’s Website
Robynn’s Blog
LinkedIn
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
Kobo
BookRix
Goodreads
Fanstory

Some of the information about IAN is:

The authors of IAN are self-published. This means they cannot answer industry questions regarding publishing houses aside from what is common knowledge.

From time to time, there will be special giveaways or contests for the readers to receive free merchandise or books from IAN authors. However, if anyone would like to purchase any of IAN author’s books be sure to check the IAN Bookstore and specific author pages.

While the IAN community is small, specialties range from short stories to graphic design and publication. If there is something the reader doesn’t know or would like to see, please use the Contact IAN box. IAN needs to know what the reader wants to see!

IAN encourages interaction with author fans at every step of the way. Please don’t hesitate to contact IAN or any of the authors or service members. All will do their best to answer questions and bring the information readers want to know!

Thank you Robynn for the help on the tour.

My GRL Blog Tour Volunteer Recognition – Charles Yallowitz

January 22, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 10 Comments

Charles Yallowitz is a volunteer today who I should thank for supporting the My GRL Blog Tour. It is interesting that Charles is the author’s author. By that I mean, he not only writes some really good Fantasy Genre books, but he also comes to the aid of any author who seems to be needing help. He posts and reblogs and comments endlessly on behalf of others. He also has a place on his site where authors can go for information on book promotion. Charles also stands by to answer questions when the subject of writing comes up.

If you visit his blog Legends of Windemere you will find really intelligent discussions of topics relating to character and plot development. Charles takes an active interest in all things cerebral as it relates to the construction of a story. If you don’t believe me just ask him about a character’s family sometime. I believe even the most minor characters have an extensive back story which could be a stand-alone novel if Charles had the time.

Speaking of time, the following three books in the Legends of Windemere series, The Bestiary Series and the novella Catalysts are now available and Charles has plans for three more books in 2014.

Legends of Windemere

LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE: BEGINNING OF A HERO

Cover art by Jason Pedersen

Take a step into the magical world of Windemere where history is forged by brave adventurers.

Luke Callindor was born into Windemere’s most decorated family of adventurers. Since his birth, he has been treated with the greatest amount of respect and awe. Now, with a lifetime of training and the reckless cockiness of youth, Luke has set out to prove that he deserves the admiration that comes from being a Callindor.

Luke gets his chance when he convinces a royal messenger to hire him to protect the heir of Duke Solomon. This future leader is secretly attending Hamilton Military Academy, an esteemed school run by the former mercenary, Selenia Hamilton. It is a dangerous secret mission requiring that Luke pretend to be an average student while keeping an eye out for any sign of danger. Unfortunately, Luke has no idea which student the heir is and a demonic assassin is already several steps ahead of him. Finding himself in over his head and constantly in trouble, the young warrior realizes that the only things he has on his side are some new friends and his unwavering courage.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON KINDLE!

LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE: PRODIGY OF RAINBOW TOWER

Cover art by Jason Pedersen

The action-packed, humor-filled, dramatic sequel to ‘Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero’.

Battling through a demonic assassin and an army of monsters, Luke Callindor has survived his time at Hamilton Military Academy. Now, Luke and his friends must leave the safety of the academy to escort Duke Solomon’s heir down the L’dandrin River and into the safety of the city of Gods’ Voice. Joining them for this journey is Nyx, a powerful caster apprentice of Rainbow Tower. With her talent for combat magic and her short temper, Nyx will prove to be a challenge for Luke and all of their enemies.

Who will survive the harrowing trip down the L’dandrin River? And, who will be the one to break Luke’s trust?

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON KINDLE

LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE: ALLURE OF THE GYPSIES

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

The adventures of Luke Callindor and Nyx continue after their journey down the L’Dandrin River in Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower.

Reeling from his failures in their previous adventure, Luke leads his surviving friends to his hometown. With his mind frayed and his confidence fractured, Luke must face the family and fiancée he left behind. It is a brief homecoming when the vampire Kalam attacks the village, forcing Luke and Nyx to break into his lair for the key to resurrecting a fallen warrior. It is a quest that will force both young heroes to reach new heights of strength and power that they never knew they had.

Can Luke and Nyx escape the lair of Kalam? And, what role will the orphaned gypsy Sari play in their looming destiny?

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON KINDLE

Bestiary Collections

Amazon Kindle

Novellas

Cover Art by Dean Kealy

When trapped in an elevator together, Jeffrey and Darla learn that misery doesn’t always love company. With the screams of death and chaos echoing from outside, they find themselves slowly slipping into a world of fear and darkness they may never recover from. All the while, something is terrorizing the convention outside and turning the guests and celebrities into psychotic monsters.

Available on Amazon Kindle

My GRL Tour Volunteer Recognition – Linda Hill

January 22, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 2 Comments

Linda Hill is a volunteer to help launch My GRL. One has to wonder where she finds the time to volunteer or even eat for that matter. Currently Linda has two blogs: The latest is titled; Get On My Plate with a subtitle of Or I Will Eat You Right Now . This is the site that showcases Linda’s fiction. You will find a number of intriguing stories and poetry. Linda shows here talent is so many ways here which make frequent stops a must.

Her other site is titled simply Lindaghill Life in progress. It is here Linda talks about her experiences and her life. She has some touching antidotes with usually a twist from which all of us can take a lesson. Her writing runs a wide spectrum and if you pause to click on any of her tabs: Boy Series-One Through, Poetry, Life, On Writing and Parenting you will see the writer clawing to get out. She also publishes contributions to the Just Jot it January which is a fun way to keep writing. Here is the information. There are only a few more days left in January, but as you can see you can participate any time.

Post on your site, and join Just Jot it January. The rules are easy!

1. It’s never too late to join in, since the “Jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post) counts as a “Jot.” If it makes it to WordPress that day, great! If it waits a week to get from the sticky note to your screen, no problem!

2. If you write a JusJoJan post on your blog, you can ping it back to the above link to make sure everyone participating knows where to find it.

3. Write anything!

4. Have fun!

Linda is also an Editor of the Community Story Board and well as a frequent contributor. Go to her blog and wish her a Happy Birthday. Today is Linda’s birthday and she still finds time to support others. Thanks Linda for helping with the launch.

Hump Day is as Hump Day Does

January 22, 2014January 21, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 23 Comments

Here is a quick story for hump day. Warning. . . this one is a little weird and came rolling out of my head with little control. It is called My FLY.

“OMG, if I don’t find a place to lay these eggs soon I am going to burst.”

“Now dear you can put those eggs anywhere. You know that.”

“The doctor told me I needed to find some healthy waste so the babies would have a good start.”

“Start schmart. You know those little maggots don’t appreciate anything.”

“Yes, but it is a mother’s duty to give them the best chance.”

“Yeah and what does it get you. When’s the last time we heard from any of those adults? How many are there now a couple a billion?”

“Well dear I’m sure they are just busy. You know with flying around and looking for places to lay eggs. It is nowhere near a billion. I think millions would be more accurate. Of course, who knows how many have been taken by the giant swatter?”

“I heard old man Nichols got swatted last week.”

“Oh my. I hadn’t heard. How’s Mrs. Nichols?”

“Took it real hard. She hasn’t left her dung heap since.”

“I’ll have to stop by and give her my condolences.”

“Now there is an idea. You could kill two birds with one stone. Say hello and you’re sorry to Nichols, then drop off that pile of eggs.”

“You know it just might work. Get my suitcase it is time we went to give birth. Thanks for the idea.”

“No problem. We should probably fly low. I hear there is a swatter up high.”

“You know best dear.”

My GRL Blog Tour Volunteer Recognition – Hanna Stern

January 21, 2014January 21, 2014 ~ John W. Howell

Thanks to Hanna Stern for helping launch My GRL. Hanna is an outrageous humorist who has been transplanted from Washington DC to Ireland. Her stories are out of the real life of a Jewish mom and wife trying to make some sense out of the Irish society. She also has some interesting observations in general about life, liberty and happiness. I really look forward to her posts (which are not often enough).
Her Blog is titled Sunny Days in DC and she lets us know that she is a Jack of All Trades and Master of 3ish. Having spent the last year reading her blog, I can tell you the jack of all trades part seems right, but the master of only three ish seems understated.
Hanna can write a good story about some of life’s highs and lows. She does it with the sense of humor you would expect to pay good money to see. Her latest desire other than being a writer is to perform in a strip show. She wants to be part of a legitimate strip show according to her. I think we all need to check back often and see how this thing goes. Please pay her a visit and tell her hello from me. Thanks Hanna so much

My GRL Blog Tour Volunteer Recognition – Sarah Cradit

January 21, 2014January 21, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 3 Comments

A big thank you for helping with the My GRL launch. Sarah Cradit on her Blog And Then There is Sarah is a self-proclaimed writer, traveler, Tolkienite, author of the House of Crimson and Clover series, queen of hyperbole. A visit to her site will immediately convince you that she does not brag. She is accomplished in all of the areas outlined. Her site gives the visitor a number of reasons to stay a while. She has reviews, tips for authors, guest authors, and travel guides. A truly nice place to visit. Also effective January 20 all things Sarah can be found at http://sarahmcradit.com

Sarah is also the author of the four Crimson and Clover series which have received the highest critical accolades. There are two more on the way in 2014.

The Illusions of Eventide is Now Available

The long-awaited third novel in The House of Crimson and Clover series is now available on Amazon, BN, Kobo, and Smashwords! Links for Itunes, Sony, and Diesel coming soon.

Story Overview

Nicolas Deschanel was betrayed by the only two people who matter to him. Their disloyalty stung and an overwhelming sense of loss lingers. Nicolas has lived the high life professing to not have a care in the world, and now this illusion is calling his bluff.

Determined to take control of an existence now devoid of purpose, he sojourns to his family’s holiday home on the Gulf of Mexico. Resolved more than depressed, he plans to privately say goodbye to a world which no longer needs him. Of questionable fortune, he finds a woman, Mercy, sitting alone on the shore at eventide. Nicolas is conflicted between an obligation to help, and annoyance at her intrusion.

Mercy has many layers of secrets. Deepest of all, she cannot tell this Child of Man she is thousands of years old and very powerful. In her presence, Nicolas’ own dormant powers begin to surface, triggering a sequence of events that cause both of their lives to spiral further out of control. When old friends from both sides come to help, together they all learn a painful truth: new life can only begin once you’ve set free what means the most.

What Reviewers Are Saying

“In a word… beautiful. With every new installment I get to read in this fantastic series I fall more and more in love. This is by far the best novel by Sarah I have read, and one of the best books I’ve gotten my hands on of the year.”

“Many books can leave you breathless until the book abruptly ends and you have so many unanswered questions and feel cheated. That is not the case with this book. The author takes you to the very edge, then brings you back on multiple occasions.”

“LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!! Could not put it down!!”

“This is a story about forgiveness and redemption, thickly seasoned with fantasy and paranormal. Cradit has mastered connecting the dots.”

“Cradit’s ability to weave a story filled with mythology, paranormal, and the reality of life so fluidly kept me turning page after page, thoroughly engrossed. The Illusions of Eventide is by far my Top favorite of 2013!”

”Page after page of twists and unexpected turns, running the full gamut of emotions. At times it is heartbreaking, exciting, witty, charming.”

“I said it before, and I’ll say it again, this author develops characters better than anyone else I’ve had the pleasure of reading. I simply cannot recommend this book enough.”

“Sarah did a fabulous job of painting the pictures of places, characters, events, and visions! I felt the pain, passion, love, hate, and anguish of each character!”

“I cannot wait for the next installment!”

“This series is one you won’t want to miss out on. Sarah is an amazing writing and knows how to suck her readers into the story.”