What's Cookin'?

The short answer to that one is, "Nothin'."

When I moved in here, the kitchen was dirty, dark, and difficult to work in. Now it's bright, airy and impossible to work in. My landlady has absolutely no concept of what makes a kitchen workable. She insisted on beginning a kitchen renovation she knew she would have to stop in the middle. Therefore, I currently have zero counter space.

When I say zero, I'm not exaggerating; all of my counters are gone, along with nearly all of my cabinets. My toaster and coffee maker are currently sitting on top of the stove. I've eaten little beyond raw foods for weeks.

But I'm not here to whine. In fact, it's just as well that I have no space in which I can experiment with new recipes because I've been working my tail off to help churn out several new books. So lets take a quick peek at what's new and on its way to tickle your Kindle, shall we?

Currently Available:

Far From Home 8: Warrior -- The eighth installment of Tony Healey's Far From Home serial takes us to the two thirds mark with some unexpected discoveries. It's definitely a piece you won't want to miss.

More Than a Maid -- The last, and longest, installment of the Barboza Brothers trilogy by Reeni Austin answers all the questions thousands of readers have been asking, but don't think we're done with this family yet.

Coming Soon:

The Girl from Tenerife -- A beautiful story about love, passion, and friendship as well as a haunting tribute and a challenge to the older generation of writers who influenced the author and his love of the craft. THIS is Bernard Schaffer's best work to date.

The Manifesto of Independent Writing and Publishing -- The second book by author Bernard Schaffer being released on the Dia de los Toros. This one is a manual meant to help the next generation of independent authors avoid the pitfalls that held Schaffer up as a newbie. If you're thinking of self-publishing, you need this book.

Both of those titles, plus a super-secret (that just means he hasn't shown off the cover or announced the title yet) children's book Bernard has written for his daughter, will be released on the same day.

PLUS, I'm finishing the final edit on a fan fiction piece by Joshua Unruh that may or may not be found in a larger anthology (that's still undecided), but it will be everywhere soon. Josh is also plotting a sequel to Downfall, the five-star debut in his Myth Reaver series.

Still in Development:

Here's the part where I get to be a bit sneaky and maybe show off a little . . .

From Reeni Austin -- More steamy deliciousness involving some peripheral characters from the Barboza Brothers series.

From Shaina Richmond -- More from the world of Tyler and Suzie.

From Tony Healey -- The final four installments of the Far From Home series and about ten other projects guaranteed to keep me busy for the next year.

From Bernard Schaffer -- Hellifino. He doesn't tell me anything because he enjoys teasing me as much as his readers.

And That's Not All:

I'm still in the midst of editing novels by newcomers Michael Tognetti and M. L. Adams. I've also been in contact with several authors who are looking to line me up for their second in series. And maybe one or two completely new projects coming out of the ether.

I will also be finishing my latest crochet project book and beta reading a couple of pieces for my dear friend Joshua Unruh, but without his permission, I don't even want to tease you with any details.

Yep, I'm already looking at 2014 and thinking, "How am I going to get this all done?" But then I look back and see what I've finished so far this year and I think. "I got this."

Happy Reading!

Politics, Religion, and . . . Football?

I do believe this is the first time I've ever brought politics or religion to this blog, and I'm doing it all in one post. (Click here to read the Huffington Post article that precipitated my need to do so.)

Heck, if the Pope played football, I'd find a reason to work in the third taboo subject I tend to avoid in conversation. I become far too passionate about all three subjects sometimes to discuss them rationally.

[Is this thing on? :taps mic: Where's my soap box?]

If you've read my facebook, or twitter, or Google+ posts, you've already figured out I'm a bit more liberal than moderate. You've figured out I'm pro-gay, pro-choice, and pro-marriage equality. I believe that every individual has the right to choose his or her own path in this life and it's nobody else's right to do it for them.

I was raised in a Roman Catholic family. For a short while, I went to a Catholic school. And the one thing that was drilled into me, beyond any other, was to hate no-one. NO. ONE.

(The crazy, senile, verbally and mentally abusive, old nun who ensured I would never grow up to be a Catholic is the exception, not the rule.)

I even do my best to use the word "hate" as little as possible. That said, I can honestly admit that one thing I DO hate is hypocrisy.

That is also one of the reasons I am no longer a Christian or a member of the Catholic church. It's not the religion that bothers me. It's the things some people do in the name of religion.

It absolutely INFURIATES me when I hear "Christians" spouting off about any group not deserving the same rights as everyone else because the Bible says they are wrong. The Bible also says, "Judge not lest ye be judged."

I look at friends, gay or straight, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist, raising children with good family values and I ask, "Isn't that all that really matters?"

I know so many people who accept Christ as their savior. Who are kind and loving and generous. They are so completely unlike the very loud, vocal few who spout hatred based on sexual preference, or any other preference. They may not all agree with me when it comes to certain subjects, but they accept that not all opinions are the same and that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.

To the haters I say: Your God didn't tell you to deny or hate anyone. He told you to love thy neighbor. He told you to help others where you could. He told you to spread His word, one of positivity and righteousness, and that He would make the final judgement.

What I want to know is whether you've learned anything from the stories of the Bible. From the Samaritan who stopped to help his fellow man. From Jesus spending time with lepers and easing their suffering. From the woman at the well.

It's been a long while since I've opened a Bible (although it was on a Kindle app), but I don't recall it saying, "Love thy neighbor who is a heterosexual white male."

So, to the R's, and even the D's, who are like the person in that HuffPost article I ask one question: How can you vilify a group of individuals and deny them equal rights and then, in good conscience, call yourself a Christian?

Namaste

The Manifesto of Independent Writing and Publishing

The man himself. NO! I was
not the reason for the Band-aid.

If you follow me on twitter, you've already determined a few things concerning my relationship with author Bernard Schaffer.

First: You've seen that we're very close friends in spite of the fact that we've never been in the same room together. 

Second: I'm not just his editor; I'm his biggest fan and his second harshest critic. (He's tougher on himself than I could ever be.)

Third: We're a hell of a team. Think, Maddie and David, Laura Holt and Mr. Steele, Beckett and Castle, Turner and Hooch . . . Wait, what?

Fourth, and most important: I read nearly everything he writes whether it requires editing or not.

Welp, today I decided to share with you a blog series Bernard has been working on to help new independent authors avoid some of the mistakes he made when he was first starting out.

If you're thinking of publishing your own work, it's a must-read. Follow this link and you'll see what I mean.

Enjoy!

Merry Handmade Christmas!

Basket Case Kitchen Set

I think we're all familiar with the crazy practice of Christmas in July, but it's not so crazy when you consider that you have about five months to decide upon, and make, all those handmade gifts for the holidays. I love giving handmade gifts whenever I can. I also love receiving them. Partially because they can be economical, partially because it makes me feel good to know how much love and attention goes into handmade products. They don't simply roll off an assembly line, mass produced in a factory where thousands, even millions, of the same design are spit out by machines.

The only part of gifting that makes me happier than bestowing a handmade present is returning to find that gift tattered and torn and used and abused. Why? Because that use and abuse tells me that the item was truly cherished, truly loved. I'd rather return to find an afghan falling apart than one in pristine condition as though it's been hiding in a drawer except when the recipient pulls it out because they know I'll be visiting.

A person who truly cherishes a handmade object (and the person who made it) understands that it won't last forever, and that the maker filled it with love, and that the best way to acknowledge that love is to use the item.

My mother, about thirty years ago, went through this crazy afghan-crocheting binge. I took several of those blankets with me, including one she made specifically for me, when I moved into my own apartment. I still have one of them. I will confess that it's currently packed safely in a box on the floor of my closet waiting for the day when I again have a larger apartment where I can proudly display that afghan (and use it daily). That blanket is one of my prized possessions, which is saying quite a lot when you consider I've become something of a minimalist.

On the opposite side, I have a friend for whom I made a beautiful baby afghan to celebrate the birth of her first child. I searched my personal library for just the right pattern and decided I wanted to cross-stitch an adorable Pooh design to match his room. I stood in the store, pattern in hand and picked out just the right fabric and scoured the rack for the correct colors of embroidery floss. Then I spent evenings and days off, whenever I could find a few spare moments, bringing the design to life. I washed it by hand, allowed it to air dry, and pressed it carefully so it would be pristine and ready for use by the first child brought into the world whom I would be honored to call not "my friend's kid," but "my nephew."

The "baby" is about to celebrate his eleventh birthday. The blanket already has. You see, that cross-stitched afghan has spent nearly all of its eleven years in a drawer. Hours of painstaking work, hundreds, maybe thousands, of stitches, and it has hardly seen any use. That breaks my heart. I begged my friend to donate it to Project Linus or to Children's Hospital so at least a child who needed it could use it. But she refused. Why? Because she didn't want it to get ruined.

If I had known it would never get used, I would have purchased a blanket for half what it cost me to make that one and the store-bought one would have been put to use. Fifteen bucks, fifteen minutes, done.

So why have I shared these stories with you? Because I hope to remind you to choose wisely if you're making some gifts and buying others this year. And if you receive any handmade gifts this year, I hope to help you understand that a handmade gift belongs in your hands where it will be used, not in a drawer where it won't.

The Whole Shebang Value Bundle (pot holders)

Anyhow, let's get to the point. It's time to decide what to make and what materials to buy. And I'd like to help if I can. My Whole Shebang Value Bundle is already a great deal at $24.99 for 18 patterns; that's six different kitchen sets. But I'm sweetening that deal for the month of July*. Use this link which will take you to my Ravelry store and automatically drop the deal into your basket. What's the deal? When you purchase the Whole Shebang, you will also receive my Basket Case Value Bundle, normally priced at $5.49, as my Christmas in July gift to you.

If you prefer, you may drop the two bundles into your basket separately and the highly intelligent Ravelry computer will do the rest. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to offer exactly the same deal automatically via Etsy, so I will do it manually in the back of the house. (That's retailspeak for, "I'll take care of it for you; don't worry.")

*Offer expires July 31, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. GMT.

Merry Christmas!

Two Favorite Authors and a BOGO

When my two favorite authors collaborate, you know there has to be a guest blog. Take it away, Tony:

BUY ONE GET ONE DEAL: SUN HAMMER PARTS 1 AND 2

If anyone had told me a year ago that an idea I had for a sci-fi serial would be an international bestseller . . . I’d have laughed.

But that’s what happened.

Every instalment of FAR FROM HOME has hit to the Top 100 in its category without fail upon release. Its readers number in the thousands, and those numbers continue to rise.

I’m not boasting. But as an experiment in serialization, nobody can argue that the series is a resounding success.

So it was inevitable that I’d team up with another successful author, who just so happens to have his own sci-fi series.

Bernard Schaffer and I have known each other a couple of years now, and I not only view myself as a fan of his work, but as his pupil in many ways. I learn more about the craft with each book he publishes.

Seriously, the guy has not peaked yet. He’s not even half way up the mountainside. Bernard calls his writing ‘weaponized words,’ and you just can’t argue with that.

Our writing styles are completely different . . . and yet as we came to realise when we worked on this collaboration, they sort of complement one another.

I shot a suggestion across Bernard’s bow a few months ago with regards to teaming up, maybe having a two-part story that crossed from my universe to his, or vice versa. He was instantly excited by the idea, and we emailed back and forth to work out a story that would take an antagonist from the FAR FROM HOME universe to that of his GRENDEL UNIT.

We each wrote a rough draft, then shared it with one another – something neither of us ever does. As Stephen King says, “your first, rough draft is your own private domain. It happens behind a closed door.” But with this project it was essential we read where we both were and made notes, suggested changes.

We fired some more emails, then set about rewriting.

Finally, we worked with the wonderful (and hardcore) Laurie Laliberte to make the two pieces shine.

The two halves are called:

FAR FROM HOME & GRENDEL UNIT: SUN HAMMER PART 1

and

GRENDEL UNIT & FAR FROM HOME: SUN HAMMER PART 2

respectively. And as a special offer this Sunday and Monday, I am making Part 1 FREE on Kindle. This way you’re getting a TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE deal.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy it enough to grab Part 2 and see how the story ends.

This two-part collaboration is very much a stand-alone tale in each universe, meaning you don’t have to have read either of them before to enjoy it.

It’s a good old fashioned romp in space, and I swear Bernard rocked my socks off the first time he sent Part 2 for me to read.

Grab SUN HAMMER PART 1 for FREE in US.

OR grab SUN HAMMER PART 1 for FREE in UK.

And why not get SUN HAMMER PART 2 for ONLY $0.99 in US?

Or get SUN HAMMER PART 2 for ONLY £1.01 in UK.

Thank you for reading. And thank you to Laurie for letting me post here once again.

Happy Reading!

The KAS Takes on Comic Con

My original intent today was simply to reblog Alexander Maisey's post recapping the boys' trip to Philly ComicCon. However, the entire KAS panel had great posts to talk about last Sunday's shenanigans. So, I will instead share with you the links to each author's blog post and encourage you to check them out.

Alexander Maisey

Bernard Schaffer

Michael Shean who didn't actually make it, but blogged about it anyway ;)

William Vitka

And, in my desire to inject at least one photo into every one of my posts, I offer you a sneak peek at my most recent crochet projects. They will all appear in my next crochet book, but you will also find them here on the blog* . . . eventually.

I can barely put into words how much I am enjoying this project.
Shown are the Large Tote and the Tablet Sleeve.

*The motif on every piece in this collection is the Big Girl/Blog Collection motif. I have every intention of keeping my original promise to my readers that those patterns will be available on my blog free of charge. I have no release date for the book yet, but the patterns in it will be released on the blog, one at a time, over the next twelve months.

By the way, the boys plan to take on New York next. Stay tuned to the Kindle All-Stars website for more news.

Keep Calm and Comic Con!

Lining and Cheating

Hey y'all! Perhaps one day I will blog about this week's adventures and tell you how much fun it isn't to have a mile-wide tornado headed straight for your neighborhood, but not today.

I won't have time to offer you a proper blog post, so instead I will round out the Windmill Bag series with a link to a fabulous tutorial I found for making a lining for your bag. I plan to use this one myself if I can find just the right fabric. (Call THAT a great excuse to visit my favorite Wal-Mart on the other side of town.*)

I can't tell you how deeply I've fallen in love with this bag. My version, the original that inspired it, and all the many incarnations shown in the project pages on Ravelry. (Confession: sometimes I visit the project page of that one just to ogle the various ideas Ravelers have come up with.)

I guarantee, if you are a Handbag Queen, like I am, you will be making more than one whether it's mine, or a version of the original, or a concoction of your own.

So, here's that link and a sneak peek (check out the pic below) at what you might see when I release this series in the Kindle store!

Fun right? The yarn is Lily Peaches and Cream in Hot Blue and Hot Pink.

*Oklahoma City is such a huge land mass (according to the 2010 census, OKC covers 606.41 square miles) that there are at least ten Wal-Mart locations inside the city limits.

Happy Crocheting!