Cutlass Trilogy

Friday, December 27, 2013

Winners and other stuff!

HI EVERYONE!!

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday!! I sure did.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! You were all so awesome and supportive!! So many people listed Jack Sparrow as their favorite pirate! LOL. Someone had Barbosa, and another said their school's mascot because it was a pirate, and her son happened to be the mascot! I thought that was awesome!

The winner of my rafflecopter giveaway and a $25 gift card was....

Heidi Robbins!

The winner of my Facebook giveaway and $25 gift card was...

Cindy Posey!

This giveaway was so much fun! I cannot wait to have another! :)

Here are some awesome banners Regina at Mae I Design created for me (she's the one who designed my cover).




MY NAME IS EVERYWHERE!!



Thank you everyone!! I am hoping to reveal a trailer and have another giveaway soon!! I will announce all of that....

now, back to editing!!

<3

Monday, December 23, 2013

50 Shades of Pray: Oklahoma

Today the awesome Mark Koopmans is hosting the 50 Shades of Pray bloghop! 


Today we are to share in about 100 words, a prayer, a memory, a hope, and even a regret about the past and/or a wish for the future.

My Prayer: 
I pray that everyone is safe and finds comfort. It is a huge prayer, but this has always been a part of my prayers, even when I was young. 

A Memory:
This year has been filled with many, but perhaps the most moving was the times with my best friend and her mommy, Rosemary who passed away from her 5 year battle with ovarian cancer in November. 

A Hope:
I hope for more understanding in the world. 

A regret about the past:
I try not to see anything as a regret, and instead try to understand that everything happens for a reason. 

A wish for the future: 
My wish is that everyone will view others with more love ad kindness. 


Thanks for hosting a great bloghop, Mark! 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

COVER REVEAL!!!

CANNOT DELAY ANY LONGER! HERE YA GO!



Showing it all cause LOOK AT THE BACK!! 

Blurb: 

Notorious pirate Barren Reed has one thing on his mind: Revenge against the man who killed his father. So kidnapping his enemy's fiancĂ© seems a perfect plan…until he actually does it.

Larkin Lee is more than a pretty face and fiancé to a powerful man. Her fierce personality is enough to make any pirate want to push her overboard.

But when the King of the Orient comes to Barren with a task—to find the Bloodstone, a powerful gem thought only to exist in legend, Barren sees another opportunity to destroy his enemy. Together, Barren, Larkin and a crew of pirates set off to find the stone, only to discover it caused the death of Barren’s own mother and Larkin’s, too. As his strongest allies turn into his greatest enemies, and the life of the girl he kidnapped becomes more important than he ever dreamed, Barren’s quest for revenge becomes a fight to save the Orient.




Ya'll already know what I look like so you don't need a pic of me, but here's all my linky stuff that I sometimes use: 




Let me know what you think!! :) :D Also, enter the giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift card!! ALSO, if you share or like my cover from my Facebook page, you will be entered to win another $25 Amazon gift card! 

I want to thank everyone who participate in revealing my cover, and Xpresso Book Tours for helping me (Giselle, you are amazing!). YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!! I will be around to thank everyone personally as soon as a I can. You can visit the participating blogs by heading to my Events & Appearances page on my website! I'm heading home for Christmas. After a crazy semester of graduate school, I am happy for a break. I did get straight A's though!! MUCH LOVE!






a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Cover Reveal Tomorrow!!

Tomorrow is my cover reveal!! 
I'm so excited. 
HERE you can find a list of participating blogs. 
Also, there will be giveaways here and on my Facebook page!! :D 

See everyone tomorrow!! 

Friday, December 13, 2013

Celebrate the Small Things: 12.13.13



WOW! Do I have SO many wonderful things to celebrate! If you haven't joined this great bloghop, head over to VikLit's blog and add your name to the linky list!

1. I AM FINISHED WITH SCHOOL FOR A WHOLE MONTH!!
Yes, that's right. Today is actually the last day of finals week! I have ONE more semester of graduate school and I am finished. I am definitely ready, as my book will be published by then, and I'll be on a different path!

2. Speaking of books, I HAVE A COVER!!!! My book has a face and let me tell you, I just think it is GORGEOUS!!! Remember to head back here on Wednesday the 18th to see it!! :)

3. I have an amazing BFF - yes, you've heard of her before - EMILY! She is such an amazing person and she is so strong. After having just lost her mommy a few weeks ago, she can still encourage me like no other person can.


4. Did I tell you all I got author pics? My boyfriend's sister is going to school for photograph. She's pretty awesome!! Check out her Tumblr! Anyways, here are some pics:

The one I use the most

Ridiculous smile! lol

And a cute one
Anyways! I hope you all have a GREAT weekend!! I am preparing for my cover reveal! Come back and see my cover and enter the giveaway (a $25.00 Amazon gift card!!) :D

<3 <3

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

My First Indie Life Post!


I signed up for Indie Life last month! I'm so excited to share some of my journey and hopefully motivate and inspire others while they are on their journeys. If you want to sign up for Indie Life, go here and add your name to the linky list!

I was sort of worried about this post. I wasn't sure what to write about, but after a talk with my BFF and some roadblocks on my journey (not ones I haven't been able to drive around), I decided to talk about following your heart.

Yeah, sounds cheesy, huh? But the most important thing you can do when you are self publishing is follow your instincts, or at least, that's been my experience.

So far, I've had lots and lots of opinions on what I should do--people have input about the book itself, the cover, how to edit, how to market. It is all so overwhelming. You can get lost in other peoples opinions and forget the way you actually feel about all of those aspects of your book and publishing process.

What I have to do--and what you must do as well--is figure out how YOU feel about all of those aspects of publishing because YOUR opinion is all that matters when it's your book.

You might think that sounds a little selfish. But I think that's okay. After all, you wrote the book. You want what you feel is best, not what other people say is best. When I get lost in other people's opinions, I turn to my BFF and she says, "It's your book, you wrote it. You need to ask yourself 'is this what I want?' She said the same thing about editing, about my cover, and marketing.

We can get so overwhelmed by what other say we SHOULD be doing, and neglect what we WANT. So, incase you're feeling overwhelmed (like I have been), stop and think: What do I feel is right? You will never be wrong!

Talk to me about what you've felt overwhelmed about during your publishing process. What did you do to get through that time? 

Monday, December 9, 2013

FINALS WEEK!

I AM DONE.

DONE.
DONE.
DONE.

I should probably say finished, but you know what? Done just seems to have a final tone.

What am I finished with?

My third semester of graduate school!

You know what that means???? ONE MORE SEMESTER!!!! AHAHA!!!

Gosh, I am so excited. I do really enjoy school, but I am excited for a new chapter. Hopefully I can do some good blogging over this break!

The past few days we've had some ice and snow here in Oklahoma. The roads aren't too bad where I am, but in some places, you can almost skate on the sidewalk! (It sounds cooler than it really is).

This was outside my door when it began Thursday (I think):



And this was Friday:


I'm not sure if you can tell, but it was pretty deep, and now that snow has been walked on, and there is tons of ice on my sidewalk!!

Anyway, I love snow. ESPECIALLY around Christmas!!!

Do you guys get snow where you're at? Do you love it?

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Dream Destination Blog Hop!

Lexa and Julie are celebrating the release of their books by having an awesome bloghop! 



Lexa's book is Soul Cutter: 



Seventeen-year-old Élan spends her free time videoing psychic scams and outing them online. Skepticism makes life safe—all the ghosts Élan encounters are fakes. When her estranged mother disappears from a film shoot in Egypt, Élan puts her medium-busting activities on hold and joins the search.

In Egypt, the superstitious film crew sucks at finding her mom. When a hotel guest is killed, whispers start—the locals think their legendary Soul Cutter has come back from the dead. Élan's only ally is Ramsey, a film-crew intern, but he’s arrogant, stubborn—and hiding dangerous secrets.

When Élan discovers the Soul Cutter is no scam, she finds herself locked in a deadly battle against a supernatural killer with more than her mother’s life at stake.

Élan is fighting for her very soul.


Julie's book is The Ghost of Aquinnah: 



A brilliant flash of light transcends through time.

Another freezes a cloaked figure within a frame of salty mist as waves crash against a rocky shore. Her harrowing expression shadows the beacon to a pinprick.

By the next blaze, she is gone. Only the lighthouse remains.

Hannah’s eyes blink in step with each heartbeat. Images of her deceased parents and Martha’s Vineyard explode like firecrackers inside her mind.

She shakes her head.

For weeks this eerie woman dressed in nineteenth century garb has been haunting my webcam, but tonight she stared into my soul.

Why? ...

Who is she? ...

Casting aside months of research on historic lighthouses, Hannah drives to the coast and boards a ferry.

What is the strange connection she has to this mysterious woman suspended in time?

Hannah finds out.

But, it’s not at all what she expects ...

Hannah unravels a century old murder.



Now for my Dream Destination! 

I didn't have to think long and hard on this. My dream destination would have been England, but I am  going there in May, so I get to choose the place that's been on my mind for a while: GREECE!! 

Yep. My dream destination is Greece! 

Pics? Yes, please!! 

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/75/c1/9
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http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/a5/e4/6e/
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http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/c4/e0
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http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/9a/78/6a
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http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d8/f0/fe/d8f0fe77752c18893a2afaad1ea79d76.jpg
Here's a link to some beautiful pics: http://wanderlust-diaries.com/destinations/greece/

Visiting Olympia would be amazing, probably equivalent of visiting the Roman Forum in Italy. I love to see places I've read about in history or in literature. I love to imagine what it was like all those years ago (it was pretty astounding while in the colosseum). 

Have you ever been to Greece? Italy? or England? Lol. 

Don't forget to enter Lexa and Julia's giveaway! Go by their page and enter the rafflecopter! 

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

IWSG: Compare Ourselves to Other Writers



Let me say that writing about the negativity in the publishing/writer world helps me a lot. So, I'm going to share these revelations with you all in hopes they help you as much as they help me!

I wanted to talk about comparisons today:

Puppy Twins!

Human Twins!

Puppy twins are Pepper (left) and Piper (right). Human twins are my bubba and me! Yes, we are really twins, I'm not just saying that for the sake of this post. Lol. Born 2 minutes apart, me and my bubba have spent twenty-three years together. That's been twenty-three years of bonding, fighting, and yes--comparison.

My bubba was held back in his transition from kindergarden to first grade. He went into a class called T1. Because of this, though we were twins, he was always been a grade behind me. People NEVER understood how my brother could not be like me. Why he wasn't as "smart" as me. Why wasn't he just like me? You don't have to be twins to experience this. You can be a sibling, a cousin, or just anyone, really.

The reason my brother is not like me is because he is not me. It's so simple.

It's the same with writing. We constantly compare ourselves to other writers. I realize this is a way we can relate to one another--similar experiences and all that jazz, but comparison can hurt us--it has hurt my brother and it's hurt countless others I know. It's cool to have high aspirations and say, "I want to be just like J.K. Rowling." But really, that's not realistic. Not because you can't accomplish what J.K. Rowling accomplished, because you can--I believe that with all my heart.

It's not realistic because you are not her

See, there are all sorts of quotes that tell you not to compare yourselves to others in some way. Some are: 

"Comparison is the death of joy." - Mark Twain

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde 

"It is not for you to judge the journey of another's Soul. It is for you to decide who You are, not who another has been or has failed to be." - Neale Donal Walsch.


Mark Twain's quote is very important here--how many of you actually feel better after you compared yourself to another author? Now, before you say "Well, this author was terrible, so I felt great" - how is that helping you at all, really? No, you probably didn't feel better about yourself. What this does is open a whole mine of negative thoughts. You start thinking about why you're not good enough. You start thinking about all the impossibilities, and then you're sad again. Those are all icky keywords we don't want in our vocabulary!

It's so important to remember, as Wilde stated, that we are all different. It's one thing to read another author's work and aspire to have certain qualities. Those are goals. Everyone should set goals for themselves. It's when you turn the qualities of other authors into a rant of self-hatred against yourself that you've crossed a line. There's a healthy balance while reading other's works--a give and take, I think. Find merit in your own work, praise your differences, and know when they are what make you the writer you are. 

The last quote is very much about comparing journeys. It's a fancy way of saying no two paths are alike. I know we all know this, but do we really understand it? No one's road to getting an agent, publishing, fame is the same. Everyone has their own story. Sometimes it's simplistic, sometimes it's complicated. Sometimes you're angry at the simplicity, sometimes you're angry at the complications--but those experiences, easy or hard, make us who we are. 

You need to remember that experiences shape you. Experiences are creating things you're going to write about. Experience are making you that unique writer, and for some reason, you're going on your unique path. Believe there's a purpose to that. So don't let comparison make you feel less worthy--it's so silly! You're not the person you're comparing yourself to, so how in the world is there even a comparison? 

I think it's a scary thing to present your raw self to the world, but you're a beautiful self and you've got a unique gift. We all have something that makes us who we are and also different from others. 

My challenge to you is to look in the mirror and tell yourself you're an awesome writer. No matter how much you have to work on, no matter how many words you wrote today, look in the mirror, look yourself straight in the eyes, and tell yourself how wonderfully unique you are.

You are awesome, there's no one else like you.

There's something so beautiful about that. 

Monday, December 2, 2013

50 Shades of Pray!

Hey everyone! This week is dead week at my school and next week is finals, so it's a busy week! What's great about this week is there are awesome things going on in the blogosphere! Today is the day you can sign up for Mark Koopman's 50 Shades of Pray! If you wanna sign up, head on over! There are still some states not represented! 



All that’s required is to take a moment and about 100 words. Then, on Dec. 24, 2013, please share a prayer, a thought, a memory, a hope and even a regret about the past and/or a wish for the future. - Mark 

Just to let you all know, you can still sign up for a cover reveal! I have yet to send out any information on it (cause...I still don't have the cover in my possession!), but we'll have lots of fun on December 18th!

CUTLASS COVER REVEAL SIGNUP! DECEMBER 18th!