Fiction Fridays: Beyond Home

I have a new short story collection coming up! It's titled Beyond Home. It should be published by the end of this month once I get the last beta readers' feedback and the last edits and proofreads in.

Here is a tentative cover. I'm still playing around with it. Just kidding! Here's the official one.


But here's a complete list of the short stories, centered around travel and transitions in life.
Magnitude — Two sisters visit The Grand Canyon after their dad dies. A short story published in Literary House Review 2010.
Song for Megan Leclare — A young woman remembers a trip with an ex while deciding whether to move to another state with her current boyfriend.
Number Six — A young man takes an impulsive trip to Hawaii with a runaway bride. 

There are only three, but it's just about the same length of Passages, about 13,000 words or around 52 pages. It'll go on sale for 99 cents the end of December. Keep your eye out -- I'll be giving away an Advanced Reader's Copy during the Holiday Hop! 

Editing After Nanowrimo (or any first draft extravaganza)

So, you wrote a novel in 30 days. Now what? That's the question of the century. . .er, month. You could put it in a drawer and only bring it out to read it and laugh (that's where my 2004 Nano is). Or you could try to bring it to a polished, maybe even publishable, piece or art. How do you revise now that you have a first draft?

Here's what's worked for me for Finding Fiona. Hopefully you can find something helpful out of it.

First, take a break from it. 
Step away for a couple weeks (or longer, if you can bear it!). Get a breather. Don't try to delve in as soon as you've finished it. The story is too fresh on your mind. Write something else. Read something else. Just forget about it for a little while.

A couple weeks later, read through it. 
Take out a weekend and read through your novel. Try not to have too many breaks between it. Enough to keep your eyes from glazing over, yes, but if you wait a couple days, you'll lose the flow. You need to be wrapped up in the story without forcing yourself to read on. Mark stuff up if you want to, but try not to get too in depth yet. Some things will stick out to you right away -- like changed names or spellings -- others will take longer. Don't get caught up in editing, though. Five minutes is your max!

Okay, onto the real list! Keep in mind #1-3 don't necessarily have to be in order.

1. Look at the big picture. 
Make an outline of your entire novel. Maybe scene by scene, maybe chapter by chapter. Look at where the characters start, where they journey, and where they end up. Ask yourself these questions:
-- Have you written a beginning, a middle, and an end?
-- Is there an inciting incident in the first 50 pages?
-- Do you have a sagging middle or is it tight and concise?
-- Is there a climax where everything comes to a head and your characters make that last life-changing decision?
-- And do things wrap up neatly at the end?

What do you think? Can you clearly see scenes you don't need? Can you clearly see scenes you need to implement?

I'm going to be honest here. I cleaned up the text, but I didn't really look at the big picture of Finding Fiona until after #3. 

2. Consider what you want out of this novel. 
When I start revising, I like to have an "end plan." This could be accomplished by asking yourself what you want your readers to feel when they put the novel down. Do you want them to be crying in agony from the main character's death or just catching their breath for the first time since they picked up the book? This can help you because you can consider what a reader might think about how your characters fall in love and kill each other and defeat evil.

You could also find your end plan by asking what you want the characters to be like at the end of the novel. He started off as a poor farm boy, but now he's a wizard embracing his destiny to save the world in the sequel. Or perhaps your MC started the book off as a spoiled brat, but after falling in love with the guy from the wrong side of the tracks, she's reevaluated her way of thinking. How will your character change? Asking this can help you during revision because you'll be thinking: how will this help my MC to her new self?

Another suggestion is to consider your theme: the overall messages of your book. Love conquers all? The love of money is the root of all evil? Books don't have to have a preachy message, but if your characters have morals instead of being morally ambiguous, it's inevitable that their values will come through in their decisions.

I wanted Finding Fiona to be a fast-paced novella with some romance and mystery. I also wanted people to wonder about the question, "What does it mean to be human?" and consider how science can overstep boundaries when trying to create something created by nature (in this case, a human being). 

3. Get a second opinion. 
Sometimes, we're just too close to our work. We can't see its own flaws. Sign up for a critique group (Critique Circle, Scribophile, Critters, ReviewFuse). Don't be rude and shove your completely unedited work on some poor unsuspecting soul. At least learn proper grammar and spelling first. I find it is much easier as a critter to critique someone's big picture issues if I can actually read a sentence of theirs. (And it will probably easier for you to clean up your writing before assessing if Character A's motivations made sense or not!)

Be nice and return the favor. Critiquing other people's works will really help you when revising your own work. You may think you don't have anything to offer. Just read the work like a reader and tell the reader if their story makes sense, if you enjoyed it, if you would read on, and if you answered negatively to any of those things, tell them why not. Worry about writerly terms (POV, setting, dialogue, description) once you feel comfortable with it.

Also keep in mind that it's hard to find critique partners who will read your entire novel in its first draft form. That's usually for a beta reader and they may come later. If you're lucky, then that's great! But don't expect someone to read your 75K unedited first draft unless you're willing to read theirs. In that case, good luck!

I sent Finding Fiona, originally 35K in its early drafts, through Critique Circle. I had about 11 chapters around 3K a submission, so I sent them through the submission queue week by week. I also had a couple beta readers look over it during the CC submission and afterwards.

4. Find out what you need to change.
You have your outline, you have your second opinion (maybe on the first few chapters, maybe on the whole thing). Now look at your draft critically and look at it with the eyes of a cruel editor who wants a best-selling novel under his belt.

POV -- Are you consistent with your POV? Have you chosen the right POV?
Setting -- Do you make it clear to the reader where the story is set? Have you placed the story in the right setting? Is it vivid and a part of the story instead of the backdrop? If I've invented a world, have I thought every logistic in this world through, but only shown the parts that affect my character?
Dialogue -- Is the dialogue realistic? Can I realistically see people saying that dialogue in real life? Do I use dialogue to info dump or to move the plot along? Do I use too many dialogue tags or adverbs? Have I punctuated it correctly?
Character Development -- Are my characters likable? Sympathetic? Three-dimensional? How do I reveal character? Do my characters change or remain the same?
Plot and Pacing -- Do I have an inciting incident early on? Is something at stake? What's the conflict? Are there any parts that drag? Does everything make sense?
Writing Style -- Is there a certain word or phrase I overuse? Maybe a certain sentence structure? Do I show instead of tell?

Not sure what the heck any of this means? Get a writing book and see if you're implementing its techniques. Read articles (I really recommend Writers Digest) on writing and compare their ideas to what's in your book.

Better yet, read lots and lots of fiction in your genre. Ask yourself what works and what doesn't work. What could the author have done better? What did they currently have that was absolutely crucial for the story to work? Then compare it to your own work honestly. Could you see your book on shelves? Or on the top charts of Amazon.com? Do you think readers would rave about your characters and your plot and your writing?

After my crits from CC and my readings, I realized Finding Fiona had a sagging middle. The characters sat around and talked a lot instead of doing things. I also saw that Fiona needed to be more of a proactive character instead of reactive; that the villains needed to be a bit more threatening yet more human at the same time; that I had way too many dialogue tags, sighs, and rolling of the eyes; and that one of my secondary characters needed more fleshing out. There are a lot more little changes, but I'm not going to bore you ;) 

5. Make a list of goals. 
This is a more detailed version of #2. You should have an idea of what you need to change by now. So, make a list of the changes and what the end result should look like after the changes. This works as a physical list, but it could also be mental. As long as you consider how to change the problems.

For Finding Fiona, I said: Okay, there's a sagging middle. I can cut this scene without too much trouble and combine these other two scenes. In order to make Fiona more reactive, Fiona won't ask James to talk to Greg for her; she will plan to go by herself. 

6. Go through chapter by chapter. 
Go through each chapter with your notes, your goals, and your critique partner's/beta reader's notes. Implement the changes.

Easier said than done, I know, but you can do it. If you need your character to be more spirited, then have her argue with her parents when they ground her. If you need your dialogue to be less boring information, then rewrite the conversation with just the essentials. If you need the climax to be more difficult for your characters, then put someone's life at stake. You can do it!

I opened up Finding Fiona in one window and my crits from Critique Circle in another window. Then I went paragraph by paragraph and made the changes. 

7. Get another opinion. 
This may seem repetitive, but you should get another opinion. Preferably from different people. A few of the old ones is fine because you can ask if it's an improvement, but get some fresh eyes.

I found some more beta readers for Finding Fiona and sent what I felt were the roughest chapters through Critique Circle.

8. Make the changes again. 
Pretty self-explanatory, right?

9. Get another opinion. 
Yes, another one.

I asked my husband to read over my "final" draft and and sent my first chapter to my local writing group. I implemented changes and posted again on Absolute Write. 

Your process may vary after this. Some people believe drafts need to be revised and sent to beta readers and revised and sent to beta readers until there isn't one flaw. Others believe that too much revising will cause your story to lose its spark.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I think there is such a thing as too much revision, but it varies from story to story. Some just need enough tweaking to let the characters shine. Others are going to need an overhaul. But I do think it's important not to let yourself lose the original vision of revising. Remember your goals way back before hours of editing, before you had a dozen betas all with different opinions? What did you want out of this novel? Keep that in mind.

If you're going to self-publish, then you really do need to revise and edit until your eyes bleed. You need to get as many opinions as you can and read this story until you are absolutely sick of it. Comb every sentence and every paragraph. You are a businessman/businesswoman, and this is your product. If you are going to ask people to spend money on it, even only a dollar, this needs to be the best product possible. Really, this makes sense for those who are querying or searching for a publisher, as well, but I can't stress this enough for self-publishers. Put your best foot forward. If you can, maybe believe that hiring an editor and/or proofreader is essential to self-publishing.

I think the hardest things for writers during revision is knowing what needs to be changed and then having the perseverance to change it. First, you need to recognize what's flawed in your work. Then, you need to find ways to fix it. It's not that hard once you get down to it, it just takes more work than the first draft for most people. Think of it this way: you found a beautiful gem in a trash dump. Now you need to polish it up so it can shine and everyone can see it's true potential.

Sometimes, you may need more than this. There are a few novels of mine that I know need an entire rewrite because the plot doesn't make sense. It's based on villains that don't make sense and worldbuilding that's nonexistent. I could make all the goals that I want, but I'd need to go back and completely change the structure of the novel. That may be necessary for you, but the important thing that will help you is bring able to ask yourself hard questions and giving yourself honest answers. Or getting honest answers from beta readers and critique partners.

Some more resources:
Natalie Whipple's Stages of Revision
Holly Lisle's One-Pass Revision
Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King (what's super helpful with these is they actually have exercises at the end of each chapter that help you put what you've learned into practice).

Good luck with Nano or other first draft revisions. You can do it! Stick with it. Don't give up. I'm starting to like revision more and more as I do it for more novels. Kind of messed up, I know, but there it is.

How to make a good book trailer

This was a guest post on Adopt An Indie, and I thought my readers might enjoy reading it.

Book trailers have recently grown in popularity with the advent of YouTube. Large publishing houses have budgets to hire actors and produce special effects, but self-publishers and smaller presses are “stuck” with a lower budget. What are some ways to set yourself apart and make your video look professional?

DON’T go too long.
DO keep it under two minutes. 

Unless you have interactive or extremely interesting content, you’re going to lose people if you go longer than a minute and a half. If you have a nonfiction book and you’re featuring an interview, that would be a good reason to go longer. 

DON’T make your video look like a family slideshow someone plays at a high school graduation.
DO vary from simple stock photos and cheesy transitions. 

Some things you could incorporate to avoid the boring stock photo slideshow:
-- Stock video. One website is http://www.stockfootageforfree.com (You do need to register to download their videos, but I can vouch that I never received junk mail or anything crazy from them.) Just google "stock video" and you're bound to find a lot of resources.
-- Voiceover. Read your blurb or speak from your main character’s POV. Make sure you're using the best quality you can. Download Audacity, a free and simple recording program available for all three major operating systems. 
-- Use a list ("How to tell if your best friend is a werewolf", "Three things Carrie Smith is about to find out", "Three ways to know if your father is haunting you". The last one is from Haunting Miss Trentwood, and I loved it.)






-- Use lines from a journal of the main character (which is what I ended up doing for Finding Fiona)
-- Explore effects from other video editing software. For example, Amanda Hocking’s Switched trailer. (I searched and searched, but I can't figure out what software she used to make this. It's her best kept secret so far, but it reminds me of effects I've seen for After Effects, which I doubt self-published authors are going to buy and learn how to work simply for their book trailers.)






DON’T make your video a dry rehashing of the blurb. 
DO make use of the audio and visual mediums. 

Is your book a horror? Use creepy music. 
Is your book fast-paced? Put the video to fast music and avoid slow transitions. 
Is your book a renaissance fantasy? Make sure your photos and text give off the feel of an older time with magical possibilities. 

DON’T take pictures and music from anywhere.
DO make sure you have the proper rights to use commercially.

Your video is trying to sell something, thus it's commercial use. Respect the hard work of photographers and music artists by gaining permission and crediting as much as you can. If you have a Mac, you can use the loops in GarageBand to make your own music, which is what I ended up doing for the Finding Fiona video. 

DON’T throw together transitions, fonts, and photos from all over the internet.
DO give it a seamless look. 

Use the same look throughout the whole video. This isn’t your time to experiment with different effects. It’s your time to snag a potential reader, and if everything matches everything else, you’ll give off a professional vibe. Bonus points if your video matches your book cover, your blog, and your website. Branding!

DON’T be confined to one simple way of doing things. 
DO explore your (or other!) video editing software. 

If you have Windows, you'll probably have Windows Movie Maker; and if you have a Mac, you'll have iMovie. If you want the opposite, visit your library or a college library in your town to see if they offer those operating systems and programs. Or ask around to see if any friends or family has something you could use for a couple hours.

Here are some other free video editing programs:

Wax
Video Spin
List of 10 Free Video Editing Programs

This is a big learning curve. If it's too much hassle, don't bother with it. Which leads me to the next point. . .

DON’T stress yourself out over something that hasn’t yet been proved to drastically influence sales. 
DO treat it as a learning experience and have fun!

Fiction Fridays: Another Conversation

Another conversation from the Promising Light prequel. The prequel takes place over a long period of time, about eight years, so this takes place a couple years after the last one.

Sierra looked over her shoulder at him, then turned completely and faced him. “Tisha tried to talk me into leaving the Avialies again.”

Evan gritted his teeth and shook his head. “He’s such slime.”

“I know. He even hinted at me working for them.” 

“What?” he snapped. 

She sighed. “It’s kind of creepy. I’m sixteen, I don’t have any magic in my blood. . .why does he even care?”

“He thinks we’re corrupting you. He’d probably feel really good about himself if he was the one to save you from us monsters.” He scoffed and flopped down on his back. The next firework that burst into the sky resembled a dragon, and he wondered if Mahris had helped with them. The Protectors were fine with magic when it suited their purposes. 

Sierra leaned on her elbow. “I wonder if they’ll ever see you as real people.” 

“I doubt it. In their eyes, Avialies are abominations.”

“Do you think we’ll ever find a way to break the curse?” 

Evan glanced at her. Her gaze was fixed on him, her face serious. He sighed. “I don’t know. It’s been three years already. You’d think if they could have broken it, they would have already.” 

She touched his tunic, playing with a string. He held his breath. “I wish we could do more.” 

“Me, too. I wish I could hunt that Thieran down and kill him.” 

Her fingers stilled on his chest. “Kill him?” 

“After making him reverse the curse.”

“How would you do that?” 

“I don’t know. I’d do whatever I had to.” He fell silent, thinking of torture or threatening his family members. He gazed at the fireworks above them. What kind of a person did that make him, that he’d be willing to do things like that for his family’s future? How else were they going to reverse the curse?

Biblical Literalism, Biblical Lifestyles

I haven't updated too regularly this month. I had midterms, then Nanowrimo, then a bunch of other real life stuff. But I've recently been reading Marcus Borg's The Heart of Christianity for my religion class, and I really wanted to write about it.

He speaks a lot of the "Earlier Paradigm" vs. the "Emerging Paradigm." Basically, the earlier paradigm characterizes traditional Christianity, biblical literalism, emphasis on the afterlife. The main difference, Borg seems to think, is the function, origin, and interpretation of the Bible. The emerging paradigm sees the biblical as more metaphorical, a human response to God, and they emphasis transformation in this life.

I grew up in a traditional Christian home. My parents were Salvation Army Officers, and our first doctrine is, "We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice." My dad is like a biblical guru. Go to him if you want to know something about the Bible. He quotes of verses like it's nothing, and from a very young age, I read and treasured this book.

These days, my family and I aren't your typical traditional evangelical Christians--no, we also take into account the laws of Torah, including keeping kosher, biblical feasts, Sabbath, etc. We don't see the Old Testament as old or the "former" covenant, and we embrace the "New" Testament. Our rule? "Scripture interprets scripture."

So, reading Borg's book has been a little difficult for me because he's questioning what I see as the very foundation of Judaism and Christianity. At first, I felt like by questioning it, he could hardly be considered a Christian at all. He views the most basic tenets of Christianity such as the virgin birth, crucifixion, and the resurrection as metaphors. But I kept reading, and I think I've become more forgiving of his views as he goes on.

One of my favorite chapters of this book has been a chapter on the Kingdom of God. Borg asks, 'What does the kingdom of God look like? How are we as Christians trying to implement these ideals and bring these changes into our world today?' The specific examples he uses are health care (taking care of the sick), the environment (taking care of God's creation), economic justice (being fair and just with our money), the use of imperial power (being compassionate and helping instead of violent and proud). I thought, 'Wow, how much does this relate to the Occupy movement that is going on right now?'

Then I started to consider if I look at my bible, the one I profess to believe every word of, what does it have to say about belief? Paul does say that we will be saved by our belief (Romans 10:9), Jesus says those who believe without seeing are blessed (John 20:29), but there is much more of an emphasis on a lifestyle dedicated to God rather than a belief that God created the world in six days, cursed the tower of Babel, then killed everyone with a flood a few hundred years later, etc.

Will Jesus be separating the sheep and goats based on what they believed, or on how they treated the poor? (Matthew 25:31-46) Actually, earlier on in Matthew (7:21-23) Jesus says there were be people who say to him, "Lord, Lord" but he won't even know them.

Did God smite cities such as Sodom, Gomorrah, Tyre, and Jerusalem because of what they believed, or because of the injustice in their societies? (Ezekiel 16:49-50, Jeremiah 21:11-14)

Does he promise blessings on the Israelites because they believed there was one God, or because they lived their lives as though there was? (Deuteronomy 30:1-10)

Did Jesus say we would know them by their beliefs, or by their fruits? (Matthew 7:15-20)

I will admit there are some serious things I disagree with Borg about. I do believe that he is underestimating God when he views the resurrection of the dead as a metaphor. I do believe that my God can do all things, even--no, especially--the impossible. But am I going to judge Borg, or other Christians who view the Bible as metaphorical, if they worship the same God and uphold the same tenets of love, justice, mercy, and holiness? I don't think I should.

I also don't want this to come off as a "as long as other religions are doing good things, they're okay" post. The Bible speaks about idolatry and following after other gods nearly as much as being unjust and cruel, so I can't ignore that aspect if I'm going to listen to another.

One last note: Jesus and his crucifixion and resurrection. Borg tends to think of God as a metaphor and sacrament of God, not God himself. At first, I'm inclined to be harsh on this mindset, but then I have to think of how I view observant Jews. They believe in the same monotheistic God, they align their lives to his laws, and they dedicate all to him. If they don't recognize Jesus as the Messiah because of how we have presented him, is that their fault or ours? It varies from case to case, I'm sure, but I think I want to give extremely liberal Christians the same grace.

I do believe Borg and other biblical metaphoricalists (I just made it a word, okay?) are shortchanging God a bit. Do they really believe he couldn't do those miracles if he wanted to? I feel like they're missing out. Jesus' resurrections points to his triumph over death. It points to the fact that God is willing to do anything to be close to us. It means we were separated from God by our sin and we have a chance to be reconciled to him. What's neat, though, is I've gathered that even if Borg doesn't think these things actually happened, he still sees the messages. And those messages are important because they shape the way we view God and how he factors into our lives.

Perhaps this has rambled a bit, but I felt like there was so much to talk about and get into one blog post! I haven't finished the book yet, but I will soon.

Hidden Haikus

Using http://mrfeinberg.com/haikufinder, I found some inadvertent haikus in my stories. Neat!

Finding Fiona (Chapter One)
The girl’s eyes stung with tears,
and she took a steady breath,
trying to hold them back.

Melanie's Secrets
“I really like you.”
The words come out of my mouth
unexpectedly.


Promising Light (Chapter One)
She felt completely
exposed to him, physically
and emotionally.

Fiction Fridays: A Conversation

A conversation from the Promising Light prequel.

Seth turned away and picked up a knife and an apple. It was silent for a moment before he spoke. “I’m sorry about earlier today. Maybe I went a little hard on you.”

Sashe raised her eyebrows at him. He surprised her everyday. She tried to fit him into a little box, but he was different. If he was Evan, he never would have apologized. If he was Dar, it never would have happened. He was somewhere between the two of them. She shrugged. “Maybe.” 

“I just really want you to be safe.” His voice was soft as he brought apple slices to the table. He sat down across from her, and she picked one up. They’d eaten apples when they first met nearly six weeks ago. “I was telling Evan. . .my mother didn’t know how to defend herself. I always wonder. . .if we’d taught her, would she still be alive?” 

Her eyes widened, and she slowly chewed up her apple slice, gazing at him. His gaze was fixed on the table. He truly cared about her safety, and it touched her. She reached out and touched his hand. “You told Evan that?” 

His eyes met hers. “Yes. Why are you smiling like that?” 

She shrugged. “It’s probably good I’m not the only one you talk to.” 

His thumb ran over hers, sending chills up her arm. “I can’t believe you don’t treat me like a freak.” 

She stood and moved in front of him. She put her hands on the sides of his face, running his black hair through her fingers. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. His hands touched her waist, only a few layers from her skin. 

“You’ve just been through more than us,” she said softly. “That doesn’t make you a freak.” 

“What about a murderer?” he whispered. 

His eyes searched her face, and she was struck by how young he was. Sixteen, and yet he’d already lost his parents. Already killed three men. And she was upset at a long lesson with the dagger. She couldn’t even think past her anxiety around him and how he made her feel when the Protectors were killing people. She shook her head, brushing some hair back from his forehead. “They’re the murderers. You saved Vin and Caleb’s lives.” 

“But not my mother and father’s.” His arms pulled her closer, and she lost her balance, nearly falling into his lap. “Sorry.” 

She sat on his legs and pulled his face toward hers. Their lips met.

Fiction Fridays: The Protectors

I will be publishing a series soon, titled The Protectors. The series is comprised of three books (but it could be four in the future, I'm not 100% sure).

Promising Light: Grace has followed the rules most of her life. Starting a secret courtship with the noble Dar is one of the first things she does against her father's will. Their relationship is cut short when a mysterious man warns her about him and Dar leaves her. She searches for answers to mysteries surrounding Dar but only encounters people determined to keep the truth from her—until she's kidnapped by Dar's family. Based on a vision from an elder, they claim she can break a curse set on their family ten years ago by the Protectors.

Grace is intrigued by these people, but turned off by the claim she must get pregnant to break the curse. Her father and the prince are determined to keep her from the shape changers, but will Grace choose to help the innocent instead of living a comfortable life with their oppressors? If she does, she'd have to leave behind everything she knows. If she doesn't, the shape changers could die out forever.

Promising Light Sequel (Currently untitled) continues the story that started in Promising Light. I could post the blurb, but of course there will be a few spoilers. I'll release it once Promising Light has been released for a little while.

Promising Light Prequel (Also untitled - I'm the worst with titles, okay?): The Protectors are merely rumors and distant whispers for Sashe until a new boy moves to her hometown. His parents were killed by the Protectors, and he personally killed three of them. When pregnant women start dying, Sashe realizes just how far reaching the Protectors' hatred is. She and her sister Sierra aren't shape changers, but they've considered them nothing less than family. Years pass with more battles and deaths, and the shape changers become desperate for a way to break the curse. When an elder approaches Sashe and Sierra claiming they could break the curse, will the girls risk their lives for the chance at a brighter future for the shape changers?

If all goes according to plan (must allow time for beta readers, editing, proofreading, etc.), the prequel will be released as a free read in late December, and Promising Light will follow in January. I also posted some cover art, but I haven't made the final decision yet. It was mostly me playing around in Photoshop. The stock photo is from http://bugidifino.deviantart.com. This is the official cover!

New Finding Fiona Cover and Reviews

A lot of exciting things have happened this week! Finding Fiona has a new cover featuring a quote from the lovely Keary Taylor about the novella.

"Fantastic! An emotional roller coaster that will leave readers both satisfied and craving more."

If you've read Eden by Keary, I think you'd enjoy Finding Fiona. Alternatively, if you enjoyed Finding Fiona, I know you'll like Eden! There are some similarities between Eve and Fiona, but there are some big differences, too. Keary also just released the last book in her Fall of Angels series. Check it out if you like paranormal romance.

Thank you, Keary! And thanks to my lovely husband for the cover. (Psst, if you like accordions, Indie rock, and great melodies, check out Tent City.)

There have also been some new, lovely reviews. Here are quotes from a few:

"This novella was phenomenal. It was definitely one of the most original works I have read this year." ~from LyzzieB on Amazon.com

"One of those diamonds in the ruff that you stumble upon. Great YA sci-fi novella. Highly recommended." ~from Wendy-Reads on Amazon.com

 "I am not exactly sure how I came across Finding Fiona, but I am so glad I did. . .It's a great novella! Full of action, not overly romantic, the writing is wonderful." ~from Anonymous on BN.com

It's almost the weekend, so cuddle up with Fiona and follow the twists and turns of finding out who she is. Only $2.99 on Kindle, Nook, and various other retailers!

New Edition of Passages Available

One downfall of the new electronic world of self-publishing is anyone can upload a book as soon as they find out about it. I thought Passages had been through enough editing, but a few reviews have pointed out some typos and errors.

Typos and misspellings are embarrassing, but one benefit of this new world is the ability to upload new editions immediately. So, as soon as I realized Passages had more than one stray error, I read through it again and uploaded a new edition.

Mya has now been accepted into college, not excepted. Yay! Lesson learned, and I am researching my work thoroughly and finding proofreaders for the Protectors series.

Buy the new edition on Amazon today. If you've already bought it, I'm not exactly sure how to send you the new version because Amazon doesn't make it easy to send new editions. You can contact me and I will try to send you a new one. Enjoy the new edition!