Cover reveal! Gears of Brass

Gear up for GEARS OF BRASS! 

It's cover reveal day for Gears of Brass! Sheri Larsen, a good friend of this blog, is one of the contributing authors to this anthology (TIME SPUN SOULS). Best of luck to Sheri and all her co-authors!

A few words about Gears of Brass:

A world like ours, but filled with gears of brass, where the beating heart is fueled by steam and the simplest creation is a complex clockwork device.  

Within this tome, you’ll find steampunk fairy tale re-tellings, as well as original stories that will send your gears turning.  

Welcome to the steampunk realm, with eleven authors guiding your path. 

GEARS OF BRASS is a steampunk anthology published through Curiosity Quills.  It will be available for purchase on November 10, 2014.  Within the pages, you’ll come across clockwork inventions and steampunk-ified fairy tale retellings.  Eleven authors will guide you through worlds filled with airships, top hats, and corsets. 

Meet the authors:

Jordan Elizabeth writes young adult fantasy for Curiosity Quills, including ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW which was published in October and the upcoming TREASURE DARKLY; she’s represented by the Belcastro Agency.

J. Million is the author of Last of the Giants and can always be found reading or writing.

Lorna MacDonald Czarnota is a professional storyteller and author of several books including, Medieval Tales That Kids Can Read and Tell, Breadline Blue, Legends Lore and Secrets of Western New York, Wicked Niagara, Native American and Pioneer Sites of Upstate New York, and Dancing at the Crossroads: Stories and Activities for At-Risk Youth Programming.

SA Larsen is represented by Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary and is the author of published short stories, community-interest stories, and magazine articles focused on children. 

Grant Eagar is an Engineer who would take the tales he told his children at bed time, and transform them into fantasy stories. 

Clare Weze is the author of The House of Ash (forthcoming) and the co-author and editor of Cloudscapes over the Lune.

Eliza Tilton: gamer, writer and lover of dark chocolate; author of the YA Fantasy, BROKEN FOREST, published by Curiosity Quills Press.

Heather Talty's stories have been featured in Enchanted Conversation, as well as her own fractured fairy tale site, Mythopoetical (www.Beatrixcottonpants.com).

W.K. Pomeroy is a third generation writer who has published more than 70 short stories/articles/poems across many genres and styles, which now includes Steampunk.

Christine Baker is the author of Lana's End, The Guild of Dagda, and many more. 

Natalia Darcy: a bookilicious reader, tea drinker and Zumba aficionado who enjoys playing cards against humanity and washing her hair with ice cold water. 

You can get your steampunk fix before GEARS OF BRASS is released in November.  To enter for your chance to win a copy of GEARS OF BRASS, you will need to share the cover.  This can be on your blog, Facebook, Twitter… Each time you share the cover image, log it into Rafflecoper to record it.  It will give you more chances to win.  The drawing for the winner will be held on October 27^th. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grateful for the Long Road #IWSG

Hello, friends! Today I'm participating in Alex J. Cavanaugh's brilliant brainchild, Insecure Writer's Support Group, and Sheri Larsen's It's All About Gratitude blog hop.

I'm also featured at The Artist Unleashed on Jessica Bell's blog. Stop by and chat about how we mature as writers. Cuz I'm mature :)

Is it possible to be insecure and grateful? Sure! Let me explain.

On Valentine's Day, Super Supportive Hubby and I took a romantic ride in a horse-drawn carriage on a moonlit night. He gazed lovingly at me as I cradled long-stemmed roses in my arms.

Just kidding. That is soooo not us!

Instead, we spent the day hiking the jagged peaks of Vasquez Rocks--cool rock formations near our home (seen in Roswell, The Flinstones, and Star Trek: The Next Generation). We've hiked there several times before. Hubby wanted to branch out on a new trail. I was game.

We took a long, meandering trail shaded by overhanging trees. We were like the So Cal Lewis and Clark, exploring new surroundings. I loved it. By the time we reached our destination, we were hungry, hot, and tired. We'd planned lunch at the local Mexican restaurant. I was having visions of mango margaritas. Forget Lewis and Clark. We needed to get back to our car, stat.

Hubby's solution? A shortcut! Less distance, less time. Brilliant. True, the distance was shorter, but the climb was straight up. Hard work when you're seeing mirages of mango margaritas. Hubby had to push and pull me in certain places. I didn't care about the beautiful surroundings. I just wanted to get to the end.

What did I learn? I like long, meandering roads much better, where I'm focused on the view and not the destination.

Same with my writing road. I'm grateful my journey has not been rushed. I'm grateful I didn't get what I wanted when I wanted it. I'm grateful I've had time to learn and grow along the way. I'm still insecure about each fork on the trail, but I'm grateful for the long road. I can walk, run, take detours, stumble, and fall. Things have a way of working out the way they should.

What else did I learn?

1. Mango margaritas are worth the wait.
2. We must choose the right paths for ourselves.
3. Beware the man who says, "Let's take a shortcut."

If you're a hiker, do you like long roads or shortcuts? How about with your writing life? Please share!

Huge Giveaway For Writers!

Writer friends, today we have the joy of celebrating wonderful news with a writer friend. Sheri Larsen has signed with Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary. In keeping with Sheri's generous spirit, she's celebrating her milestone by organizing a huge giveaway for writers.

Lots of great prizes, folks. So please join me in congratulating Sheri. And please, enter these amazing giveaways. Just click on the links below. Good luck!

A message from Sheri:

Today, I invite you to celebrate with me!! I've signed with Literary Agent Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary! And because our literary community is so freaking fabulous and generous, I'm having a Bigger-Than-A-Shopping-Mall GIVEAWAY!! The giveaway consists of:

•  two separate Rafflecopters with multiple giveaways 
• and one grand prize Rafflecopter giveaway - to enter for the grand prize, you must enter either giveaway #1, #2, or both. 

There's only one mandatory entry. Everything else is up to you!! I know Rafflecopters can be a pain, but it was the only way to organize such a huge giveaway. The giveaway is open until September 27th. WINNERS will be announced on September 28th. (Entrants may win more than one prize!)

Thank you so much for entering, spreading the word, and celebrating with me!!

List of Rocking Participants: Lenny Lee, Colene Murphy, LM Preston, Darby Karchut, Joanne Brothwell, Patti Larsen, Christine Fonseca, Catherine Stine, Jessica Bell, Kelly Hashway, Leigh Moore, Christine Danek, Alex Cavanaugh, Katie Mills, Matthew MacNish,Beverly McClure, Marcy Hatch, Jennifer Million, Nicole Zoltack, Christina Lee, Kris Yankee, JL Spelbring, Sharon Mayhew, Candice Granger, Dianne Salerni, Lisa & Laura Roecker, Elana Johnson, Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, Susan Kaye Quinn, Lydia Kang,Julie Musil, Natalie Agurrie, Talli Roland, Medeia Sharif, Kelly Polark, Angela Brown, Sarah Fine, Stina Lindenblatt, Lynda Young,Susan Fields, PK Hrezo, Shannon O'Donnell, Shelli Johannes-Wells, Theresa Brown Milstein.

Links to Rafflecopters: 

Giveaway #1 -  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YTAxM2U2MDc3MGFmN2FkMjUwNzEzOGVjOWJhNWYyOjEy/

Giveaway #2 - http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YTAxM2U2MDc3MGFmN2FkMjUwNzEzOGVjOWJhNWYyOjEz/

Grand Prize Giveaway -  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YTAxM2U2MDc3MGFmN2FkMjUwNzEzOGVjOWJhNWYyOjE0/