Darkspell Spookfesta

Darkspell by Elizabeth Mueller is released today! As part of that celebration I'm participating in the Darkspell Spookfesta.

"If I had all the magic in the world, I'd . . ."

Make it so I never had to eat or sleep again so I can do everything on my to do list. :) So I'd be a little bit on the selfish side, but hey . . . a girl can dream! :)

Now, here's a bit of a Teaser for Darkspell and reviews that have come in. Let me know what you think!

Mary Kay Monday--Hand Lotion

This week is 20% any of the hand creams (Vanilla Mint-Limited Edition, Vanilla Berry-Limited Edition, Fragrance-Free, and Peach Scented). Normally $10, it will be 20% off. As always, if you're a follower, you get an extra 5% off. Become a follower and get the 5% off. This is a great Christmas idea! Order at my website or leave me a comment. Happy Shopping. Here's a link to the Holiday Catalog and the eCatalog.

Awesome Giveway

Check out this awesome giveaway on Once Upon a Twilight's Blog. Running through Nov. 20 with five different prizes. Check it out!

Book Review--No Angel

No Angel by Theresa Sneed. I remember seeing something about this book on my writing groups critique line awhile back. It snatched my interest then and I couldn't wait to read the entire story. Sometimes when I anticipate a book like that, I find I'm let down. You know, you hype it up so much that nothing can come close to what you imaged? Well, this book held up to what I imagined from the first page to the last. Jonathan was so Grinch-like that you have to love him. His journey through a world he did not want anything to do with had me laughing, crying, and gave me chills. This is definitely a book I will not only read again, but convince everyone around me they have to read it too. It receives a :):):):):) Here's a blurb and an interview with Theresa. Take a look and let me know what you think!

An angel with an attitude

Jonathan Stewart is not at all happy about having to return to earth
as a guardian angel, but it's required of all post-mortal spirits to
fulfill at least one angel guardianship. Fortunately, on the Guardians
Unlimited application, he had the good sense to request a client
with early-marked-death status, so he believes that while his stay
on earth will be most unpleasant, at least it will be short.
What he doesn t know is that a spirit with EMD status can choose his or
her time of death! Jonathan's client, Celeste Knight, has a mind of
her own and refuses death at every turn, leaving him stuck as her
guardian angel in a place he only wanted to forget.

• What made you decide to become a writer?

That’s easy—I’ve always loved the connection between words and life. I remember as a young teen spending hours in my hometown library in Dover-Foxcroft Maine, just leafing through whatever book caught my fancy. I’d seek for passages that gave my life meaning and then copy them down by hand and tack them on my bedroom wall. And I loved getting lost in a good book that made me feel like a heroine or like I could overcome every obstacle in my path.

• Who inspires you?

Good people inspire me of all walks of life and faiths. As far as writers go—of course, any scriptural writings, but beyond that, I love any fictional books that make me ponder and reflect. Believe it or not, for me, the writings of Tolkien, most C.S. Lewis, and the Bronte sisters, are among my favorites. As far as modern day writers go, I’m a huge fan of Steven King. Even though I shy away from his writings, I recognize his genius.

• What would you like your readers to get out of your writing?

More than anything, I’d like my readers to consider the possibilities of there actually being a heaven that we came from and will return to, and that our choices determine our eternity.

• Where did this idea come from?

The idea for No Angel came from several personal experiences and a strong belief in God and life before life and after life.

• Who was your favorite character to develop?

I’d say Jonathan was my favorite character to develop. Right off the bat, my writing group fell in love with him, even though he was hardly loveable. He was a fun character to create.

• Any advice for aspiring authors?

Yes! If you desire to be a writer, then you CAN do it! But you must be willing to put in the work – learn the craft through study and practice, and believe in yourself! I highly recommend joining a writing group that has your best interest in mind, and preferably, your same standards.

• What can we expect next from you?

I’ve already written two additional angel books, the second of which is in its final stages of beta-editing. It’s called Occasionally Yours and its set entirely in the premortal existence. It’s my favorite, by-the-way. I LOVE the story! I love No Angel, love, love, love it! But Occasionally Yours, in my opinion is twice as good!

• Where can we purchase your book?

You can purchase No Angel at Deseret Book, Pioneer Book, or any LDS bookstore. You can also purchase it at Barnes & Noble, order it through any bookstore, or online at Amazon.com, among several online stores. I have those purchase links listed on my author blog at http://theresasmallsneed.blogspot.com. I love to meet my readers and I have several book signings coming up. I always post the most current on my author site. I also would LOVE to be invited as a guest speaker at any book reading clubs that choose No Angel! If I can’t physically be there because of distance, I would still LOVE to visit with them through skypes!

Book Buzzin'--Emerine's Nightmare

Emerine's Nightmare by Anna del C. Dye. A perfect book for this month. Here's my review. Let me know what you think!

What would you do if one night, life as you know it changes and you are left alone in despair? That is how Emerine’s nightmare starts and now all he does is run.
His family lived at the edge of the forest until dark shadows killed them all. Now they want him, and so does a magic tree. He has never seen dark shadows or enchanted trees before. Emerine has to get to the heart of Red Forest, to the fairy people. Only then he will be safe. Safe? He has never heard of fairies before and once he gets there what?

Mary Kay Monday--Gift Set

On sale this week is the Limited Edition LipBalm Set, Vanilla, Vanilla Mint, and Vanilla Berry scented. Normally $15, it will be 20% off. As always, if you're a follower, you get an extra 5% off. Become a follower and get the 5% off. This is a great Christmas idea! Order at my website or leave me a comment. Happy Shopping. Here's a link to the Holiday Catalog and the eCatalog.

Do I need to loose some words?

By Bonnie Harris

I finally got a chunk of time to work on my writing. My wonderful sisters watched my baby and I got to stare at my computer screen, revising one of my manuscripts. Needless to say I was thrilled and got some really good revising done.

Now I knew that I needed to cut some words, so I was diligently working on strengthening sentences, taking out the unnecessary articles, and things like that. I had several moments that brought a smile to my face and the thought of, "This is really good," crossed my mind. It felt great to be so productive.

Well, I'm sure you can see where I'm headed with this. The last fifteen minutes I realized that what I had just spent the last hour and a half honing to perfection, didn't really need to be there. The scenes were wonderful, fun to write, showed character, everything you could want, but . . . it wasn't essential to the story. So, laughing at the irony (at least what I thought was an irony), I highlighted, copied and pasted into a new document (because you should never really delete anything), and deleted what I had just worked on. Bam! 5500 words gone. With the click of a button.

I laughed for the rest of the day, trying to figure out if there had been a way to avoid what I had just done. My conclusion, there really isn't. I remember in a class, Melanie Jacobson talking about how cutting scenes can be like cutting off arms and legs or ripping your heart out. I can see that now, but the benefit of deleting scenes? I learned a lot about my characters. They learned a lot about themselves and now I have more to build a strong story with the words I have left.

So I guess I'm saying, don't be afraid to delete. It can truly turn out to be for the better. I know for a long time I felt married to my words and couldn't let them go. If anything, I could have avoided this situation by not getting so attached that I couldn't let go until now. Gotta love lessons learned! Happy Writing and Deleting! :)