Confession: I was totally surprised. I was convinced I was carrying a girl. So much for mom's intuition, eh? *snort* I was right with both of my older kids, so I guess my overconfidence derailed me. But no matter, I AM HAPPY! And EXCITED! It's a baby boy! (Now if only I'm good at finding boy names. I already had girl names in mind, but alas! I can't use them. Hmmm...)

Anyway, as promised, we have a WINNER!! I drew out this name from the boy camp list, so


Email me at writercherie AT gmail DOT com, and let me know which prize you want: a $10 iTunes gift card, OR, a first chapter crit.

As for all of you who participated in my little celebration: THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing this special moment with me. Love ya, guys! :)

Alright, people! Let's do something fun this beautiful Monday morning. Yes, believe it or not, it's a lovely day outside, and I feel like Spring's on its way here. (Ack! I hope I didn't jinx the weather :S)

On Wednesday, I'm going to find out whether I'm having a BOY or a GIRL baby (or bunny, as my 3-year-old pointed out when we were discussing it). So! Here's a little game for you with a mini-prize for fun:

You GUESS which one I'm having. That's right. We'll have a GIRL camp and a BOY camp, and come Thursday, whoever falls under the correct camp, I'll draw a winner from the names. The prize?

Hmmm...well, let's say the winner gets to choose between two mini-prizes:

Prize 1: A $10 iTunes gift card ('cause I know you all like to listen to music while writing)

Prize 2: A First Chapter Critique

That's it! Easy-peasy. Let's shake things up around here, eh? :) Happy guessing! 

Source

I've been such a scattterbrain lately. I really thought life would resume normality once my little kiddo goes to school, but while this week has been a success for her (she LOVES her teacher, she's gotten a NEW BESTFRIEND on the very first day, and the school lunch menu has 3 meal choices now--and "Mommy, there is cake on Thursday!"), I've been lost in the wanderings of my own mind.

So. I haven't done any real writing, haven't been reading a lot of your wonderful blogs, and I've just been in a general sort of funk. Not the sad kind, more like the "What am I going to do and Where am I going next?" kind of a thing. Sounds like a midlife crisis, but no, it's not. Besides, I'm not THAT old. :D

I guess I'm just going to ramble now. Feel free to stop reading whenever you want--I promise I won't get offended. ;) Sometimes I feel like I have to do things--for instance, I've been thinking about how I haven't even blogged about writing tips, or anything remotely helpful or thought-provoking. Then I see all the other blogs in my RSS Feed and they've pretty much covered everything else I wanted to say or write about. I stare at my WIP and the old doubts rise up to attack me: You call yourself a writer? Do you even know what you're doing? And then the ever annoying chuckle, followed by: You dish out writing advice and you can't even follow your own advice?

Sigh. Get out of my head, you miserable Mr. Doubt! And take Ms. Self-Pity with you on your way out!  

If only it were that easy, right?

To pass the time (who knew I had time to pass?), I've been doing some digital art work. It's my therapy. The interesting thing I've come to realize is that when I'm creating visual art, my writing gets stoppered with a cork, and vice versa. It's like I'm only allowed one creative outlet at one time. What's up with that? Maybe this is one of those conundrums: You draw, you can't write, OR you can't write, so you draw, OR you write, and you can't do anything else at all. HAHA!

Writing this post seems to help me rope my brain back into my noggin. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get some writing done today. Crossing my fingers now.

I wish you all a fabulous, productive weekend! May the MUSE be with you. :)

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Because I'm a scatterbrain, I forgot to give you the link for this week's Skeleton Key blogvel Chapter 12 by the ever prolific writer, Michelle Simkins. 

Also, J. Lea Lopez of Jello World hosted a sexy short story contest called Clothing NOT Optional. J. Lea writes romance and erotica, and her challenge was to come up with a sexy story where the characters steam up the page while keeping their clothes on. No nudity. I normally don't write sexy stories but peer pressure, and the challenge to write out of my comfort zone, made me cave in. There are four entries up on her blog, and the voting is now OPEN for readers to choose their favorite story. I won't tell you which one is my story so it will be a fair contest, as all entries are anonymous. So head over there to read and choose your favorite (hopefully, you'll like mine). You are allowed to blush, btw. It's ok, I won't tell anyone.

Hello Monday!

We are going to have a very exciting week! My friend and writer extraordinaire, T.S. Welti, is being featured here for the whole entire week. She is an amazingly talented woman and I'm very proud to present her awesomeness to you. Her debut novel, The Fifth Specter: Book One of the Parker Chance series is OUT and ready for your reading pleasure! I had the good fortune of snagging a signed copy from Ms. Welti herself, so I'll be sharing my review soon.

So! Let's get this started.

To start off, we have a BOOK GIVEAWAY, courtesy of Ms. Welti. All you need to do is answer this simple question:

If you could have a SUPERPOWER, what would it be?

Leave your answer in the comment section below. The contest runs for a week and will end on Monday, August 15th. After the contest ends, the winner will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday, August 16th.

The prize? A COPY OF THE FIFTH SPECTER BY T.S. WELTI! So go wrack your brain for superpower ideas!

On Wednesday, I'll be posting my review of The Fifth Specter.

On Friday, Ms. Welti answers my prodding questions in an interview (ala Barbara Walters, or...possibly Rita Skeeter-style.)

So stay tuned and show some love!

Bio:


Check out her blog The Smoking Quill. You can also follow her on Twitter: @TS_Welti.

Not a Twitterer? Check out her FB Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/tswelti.author

Also, her FB Book Page: http://www.facebook.com/TheFifthSpecter

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Chapter 10 of the Skeleton Key Round Robin Blogvel is now up by Laura of Laura's Universe.


Have a great day, everyone!

Photo by Michelle Simkins

Today I'm shaking things up. I don't normally blog on Sundays but I needed to post my entry for Michelle Simkins' Give Me Your Cute Evil Longing to Eat Brains contest. The prize: a rather scary but adorable zombunny named Ryan that she knitted herself.

The competition is VERY fierce, and I know a few participants who would be more than willing to bonk me and others in the head just to win the yarn zombunny. *coughJustincough* I wasn't going to participate, but alas, the brain had a lightbulb moment last Saturday, and I spent the afternoon sketching and concocting a short story to go with the drawings. So here ya go, and if you like it enough (and if I get to be a finalist), don't forget to vote for me. ;)

Warning: Something cute and evil is afoot. Proceed with caution.

********
She was the girl who used to laugh. Nose crinkling, eyes squinting, the laughter bubbling inside her throat. He loved the sound of her voice, even back then when they would play tag, running around long grass and rocky stones, their feet bare and filthy. He remembered her hair, black as midnight and cropped short like a boy, catching sunlight and sticky burrs in the field behind his house. He remembered because there is nothing left of the friend he once knew, but her shell. Alabaster skin, the curves of a sixteen-year-old, and the face of a stranger. Her hair had gone silver in places, as if it was a dye job gone awry.



He watched her from his bedroom window, his fingers gripping the folds of the curtain, afraid she would look up and see him. He'd known what to expect; it was clockwork this unusual habit of hers, wandering down the street until she'd reach the bench near the cemetery. There she would sit as if waiting for someone. Her back rigid against the chapel wall, her fingers would touch the scarf on her neck intermittently. Once or twice, he'd thought of coming down the stairs and out the door to...do what? Sit with her out in the evening cold? Talk as if years of silence had never separated them?

The moon came out of hiding, illuminating her face. He caught his breath.

A creature stirred from the shadows, its coat of snowy fur glistening in the moonlight. He squinted through the glass pane, trying to get a better look. The thing hopped into the girl's arms and nestled its head against her neck.

Ache and longing twisted in his gut. He wanted to reach her, touch her. He craved the smell of her skin, the scent of childhood and innocent love. To bring back what they had before.

The stairway seemed endless, and the halls were quiet except for the gentle snores of his father who had fallen asleep in the living room couch. The door did not creak as he pulled it open. He crossed the street in hurried strides.

The creature started at his approach. It jumped down from her lap and onto the muddy ground, peering at him with large, soft eyes. A bunny. He stifled a laugh at his silliness, at his envy.


"You must leave us," she whispered, her voice brittle with fear. Her eyes widened, and now that he was near her, he could see how red and puffy they were, as if she'd spent hours crying. "Go now."

"Selene, I...I'm sorry. I just wanted to see you."

The bunny wiggled its nose and hopped an inch closer toward his feet. He smiled and crouched down, reaching out a hand to pet the animal. "Hey, little guy. You're cute. Whatcha up to? Are you hungry?"

"No! Stay away from him," she yelled, though she didn't move from the bench.

"I won't hurt him. Look, I'm harmless. Really. Do you remember when we used to feed the goats at the petting zoo? We used to have so much fun together."

She pressed her palm to the side of her neck, as if making sure her woolen scarf was staying put. "The past is gone, Ryan. You don't understand. You must leave now."

He stood up, hurt coursing through his veins. "Okay, I get the message." She turned her head away and sighed. A drop of blood slithered down her shoulder.

"What--" he began to say, but the bunny hopped around his legs, begging for attention. "Not now, little guy." He gave it a gentle kick.

"You shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have--" Selene stopped, her trembling hand covering her mouth. Behind her, a shadow grew and loomed, stretching, taking shape.



"The hell," he said, his legs frozen in place.

"I was keeping you safe, Ryan. You and everyone else." Tears trailed down her pale cheeks. "You should have listened to me. When I first saw it, I thought it was adorable and I couldn't stay away. I had to come see it, night after night, to gaze upon its beauty.  But it's a monster, a demon, and I was letting it feed off me so it wouldn't hurt anyone...especially the people I love."

Her last words barely registered in his mind, though he did remember the word love. As cruel, sharp nails slashed his skin, he lay on the ground with eyes turned to the girl. Her face glowed in the night. Such beauty and sadness and pain.


"Selene," he whispered, as the monster clamped its jaws over the wound on his neck and began to suck. "Help me."

The girl bit her lips until blood oozed from the tear her teeth made. She pulled a short, silver dagger from her pocket. "I was going to end it tonight...but I couldn't...couldn't hurt it."

"Selene..." Drop by drop, he was wasting away. "You can...do it."

Her eyes widened--dark beautiful eyes--and with a swipe of the dagger, warm sticky blood spurted out, the fountain of life. He exhaled, feeling the monster loosen its bite on him. He gasped. "You did it."

There was no answer. He turned his head an inch, slowly, slowly, toward the sight of the limp body lying prone on the bench, an ugly red gash smiling over where the throat should have been. The monster, lured by this fresh offering, left him. When it had its fill, it shrank back and resumed its former appearance.

His fingers clawed the dirt until he found the dagger. The bunny sniffed the air, and with timid steps approached him. It stood on its hind legs and regarded him through round, soft eyes. He raised the dagger and dropped it.

"Come here, little guy. It's okay. I'll take care of you."

**********

 

Hello Monday!

Wow, good to know we're all still here. I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend despite rumors of doomsday and the so-called rapture. ")

First things first--because I know you've been waiting for this while hunkering down in your fortified bunker-style basements for two days--we have WINNERS!

Dundundundun...(drumroll)

For the First Chapter Critique: Rachel McClellan

For the $15 iTunes giftcard: Sarah Fine

Congratulations! Email me at writercherie [at] gmail [dot] com to claim your prize. Thanks to everyone who participated. I had fun reading what made you happy. Apparently, family/kids/baby toes ranked topmost being listed 9 times by participants. Here is the breakdown:

Writing/Ideas/Agent Requests: 8        Reading/Good books: 4
Good friends: 5                                Being comfy: 5
Hot cocoa: 5                                    Food/Drinks: 5
Pets: 3                                             Weather (sunshine/rainy days): 3
Movies: 4                                        "Me" time: 2
Disneyland: 1
Personal goals (such as getting a job, getting toned, not moving): 3
Watching people fall down: 1

Er, I won't bother interpreting those data stats. I think they speak for themselves. ;)

Before we get on to the funny for today, I have a quick desperate plea favor request announcement: My good friend Michelle aka Green Woman is hosting a Round Robin Blogvel, and we'd like to urge bribe invite you to join us in what could be a potentially fun (if it's not disastrous) writing blogvel.

If you're like me and you went glassy-eyed at blogvel, here are the details from Michelle's own blog:

Here’s how it works:

• I will write chapter one and post it on my blog.
• Someone else will write chapter two, based on my beginning, and post it on his or her blog.
• Someone else will write the next chapter, based on developments in previous chapters, and post it on his or her blog.
• Repeat until everyone has had a turn.
• I will write the concluding chapter and post it on my blog, UNLESS someone else feels a burning desire to do so.
• Each person who posts a chapter will include a link to the FIRST chapter (for newcomers who want to start reading at the beginning), a link to the PREVIOUS chapter, and a link to the blog where the NEXT chapter will go up, to make it easier for readers to follow the whole story.
• I will post a link to the latest chapter on my blog every week, OR I will make a Round Robin Blogvel PAGE and update it weekly.
• Chapters will go up on the same day every week. Probably Monday.
• The more authors who participate, the longer our blogvel will be.

I think it’ll be a great way for writers to meet other writers, and for readers to find more awesome blogs they didn’t know about. Also I think it will be very fun.
So here are the RULES:

• You can write in your own style, and you can make just about anything happen. The only thing I ask is that what you write flows naturally from what came before. A hypothetical example: If Mary Sue has always been kind to animals throughout previous chapters, and you decide she is going to throw stones at a puppy in your chapter, you MUST provide a believable motivation for the sudden change. Like, you know, demon possession, or being under a spell. Or maybe a killer puppy.
• Please keep chapters to 2,000 words or less
• Please be sure you can do it if you sign up. It will be more difficult for everyone (but especially me) if you flake out.
• Post your blog entry on MONDAY the week your chapter is scheduled. Email me a link to your chapter at michelle [dot] simkins [at] gmail [dot] com.

Now you are asking, “How do I join in on this fantastic adventure?” Lucky for you, no dwarves or wizards need mar the green paint on your door to issue an invitation. All you have to do is email me at michelle [dot] simkins [at] gmail [dot] com. When you send your email:

• put “Round Robin Blogvel” in the SUBJECT line.
• include a link to your blog
• let me know if you want to write a chapter at the beginning, middle, or end of the blogvel. OBVIOUSLY if you start at the beginning, you will be writing your chapter sooner. If you go middle or end, you are at the mercy of the plot twists of all authors who came before you.
• Get your email to me by midnight on Monday, May 23.
• Please email me even if you already said you were in on Twitter or AQConnect. I need your contact info, blog link, and your beginning, middle, end preference.

After sign-ups close, I will take all of the author’s requests and assign chapter numbers to everyone. I imagine there will be a certain amount of shuffling and tweaking that has to be done. So, allowing another week for that, I believe that chapter one of this endeavor will be posted on Monday, May 30. That is, however, a TENTATIVE start date and could change depending on the number of participants. And on how fussy they are.

*************

I hope you'll consider joining us. Be warned though: we're a wacky group, but in a really, really good way. If you've seen us on Twitter, you'll know. Right, Michelle?  ")

Have a fantabulous Monday everyone! Here's a funny for you to enjoy....

BY Debbie Ridpath Ohi

                           

CONTEST! PRIZES! FOLLOWERS! OH MY!

As I've mentioned in yesterday's post, I've decided to do a fun little contest to thank my wonderful followers. Also, as I'm not a millionaire, we'll stick with easy, inexpensive prizes.

So. What's the deal? Two winners, two prizes. A $15 iTunes Gift card and a First Chapter Critique (your first chapter doesn't have 50 pages, right?). I know it's not super-mega-fantabulous, but hey I won't pull your leg either with the contest rules.

Speaking of rules, here they are:

1. Follow my blog. If you're already following, hooray for you! You're halfway there. *wink*

2. Post in the Comment Section the answer to this question: What makes you happy?
Easy, right? Since my blog is about the "pursuit of writing and happiness", I thought it would be fun to see what makes people smile.

3. Tell me your preferred prize, whether you want the gift card or the critique. I will then separate the entries for each prize and draw for a winner accordingly. Nothing scientific in the drawing process. I'll simply write your names on a piece of paper and let the kiddos pick them out of a hat. Or a bucket. Depends on what I find lying around the house. Contest ends on Thursday, May 19th at midnight (MST).

I hope you'll participate. I'd love to know what makes you float, sigh, thrum with giddiness, or burst into laughter. What makes your heart beat. Life is short, but it doesn't mean we can't make the most of it.   <3

Alright, on to the blog award my snazzy, peppy, and full of awesomesauce herself, blogger friend Sophie Li of The Wordsmith Apprentice bestowed on my undeserving head. She's quite a busybody--learning ballet, playing the violin and the viola, stalking out So You Think You Can Dance dancers, dressing up as a Harry Potter character, and did I mention she also served in the Army and had jumped out of a plane for a parachuting exercise even though she's scared of heights??

And yes, she's a writer working on her memoir. So pay her a visit unless you want something similar to this happen to you. Nah, just kidding. Sophie is an absolute sweetie. =)  Thank you, Sophie for the honor.

I had this on spaghetti. Super yum!

The rules are:

1. Thank and link to the person who gave me this fabulous piece of work. Thanks, Sophie!
2. Pay it forward to no more than one person per month. Elaborate why said person is deserving of said award. Are you deserving? I'm accepting applications now. *wink*
3. Answer the following questions:

       - What is your favorite song currently playing on your iPod, CD player, etc.?
I have Colbie Caillat's album Coco playing on repeat. Don't ask me why. It just is.

       - If we peek into your Internet history, what would we find?
Most likely a Wikipedia entry on carnival games. Been researching for my WIP. Good thing you didn't ask me this a week ago when I was searching for combination drugs for er...well, never you mind.

       -And lastly, what is your all-time favorite movie that you watch over and over again?
 Princess Bride! "Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher." "As you wish." Swoon! LOL

I am pleased to pass this award to one of my first ever blog friends, the lovely Ms. Anita Howard from A Still and Quiet Madness. She made me feel welcomed when I was still wobbling as a new blogger, and she encouraged and uplifted me in many, many ways. I know I'm not the only one who can attest to her awesomesauce-ness. Thank you, Anita, for being my friend.

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PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO JOIN THE CONTEST! It's really painless, and I'm a pretty adequate critiquer. I think. Hehe. =)