Pages of Pigments. Part II

I am blogging progressively later, that's how you know I am up to something. As it is, I am up to many, many things this week. For the second installment of Pages of Pigments I am sharing something with you a little different. Something right out of London 1666. Lucky for you, I was a drama major. FYI, this bit hasn't come back from the editor yet. Sometimes, especially late at night my eyes fail me.

I. See. Commas.

If you haven't checked it out yet, here is Pages of Pigments Part I--where you can read the first 3 Chapters of the book. Make sure you enter the giveaway. It's posted here, as well at the first post. There are ways to enter everyday! I *want* you to win.

Freshly fallen leaves crunched below the toes of her cream slippers. Tufts of the crinkly foliage gathered near rocks and tree roots, but most of it still was attached to the branches overhead. Large pockets of leaves were still green, and they stood out among waves of yellow and red. The wind seemed to whistle through them like they were curved lips as they danced and shook all around her.

Lucia was lost, in her head, and in these never ending woods. There were too many sounds, too many smells. All slightly out of focus like an old photograph, like baby pictures she had forgotten were ever taken, even though they were of her. Everything was so dull, and far away, until a sharp crack sounded from behind. Her burgundy dress glimmered, catching the light as she whirled around.

“I beseech thee young miss. Do not be leery, for though I be neither friend, nor foe, I could never raise but a finger to your porcelain skin.”

It seemed hundreds of years out of place, but Lucia would know that voice anywhere. How could she have forgotten it? How had she not known him the moment she saw him again.

“Oh, I know thee well Leonardo Stone, Painter of Light, and thou hast spent many moonlights by my windowsill, singing verse to I; who was feigning sleep. Beseech me not. Though I know thou would not strike my flesh, I cannot say the same for my heart, for thou are betrothed to the fair Helena!”

It’s a very strange thing to relive your heart breaking the exact same way all over, splitting as if by old fault lines that had long healed and had since been forgotten. 

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PAGES OF PIGMENTS #1 Read 3 Chapters for Nothing of PIGMENTS OF MY IMAGINATION

So for hitting five thousand followers on Twitter I promised my readers the first three chapters of Pigments of My Imagination for nothing, and here they are! Only a bit late because there is a ton going on behind the scenes these days--and apparently my editors are human (but I don't believe any editors are human).

Lets start with the boring stuff. I own all the rights to Pigments of My Imagination. I give you permission (and encourage you) to share what I have shared with you here, so long as you don't take credit for it. Simple stuff!

I am having a *sweet* giveaway for the rest of month to go with it. Giveaway deets are below the chapter links. I provided all of the pages in Google docs because they are long, and they were making my blog a mess yo!

AND here is the big kicker, this isn't the only excerpt that is coming for this book. I plan on doing a few more on Mondays and Fridays until release day. Check back often because there are so many chances to win I can't even remember them all! Lucky for me, Rafflecopter can!

Click here to at POMI to your Goodreads TBR list!

PIGMENTS OF MY IMAGINATION CHAPTER LINKS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three

Enter to win: Bookmarks, Posters, or a giftcard!


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THE GODS OF MARKET STREET. See the NEW cover. Read it for nothing. Vote to keep it going.

The second chapter of THE GODS OF MARKET STREET is now LIVE. Along with this, the brand new cover. As much as I appreciated all the love the previous cover (with the same image) got it, was making me INSANE. I had to toss it together quickly to do the submission (think <5 min) so I went back and changed it up a bit.

PLEASE. Wander over to JukePop Serials and vote for it. You can vote for every chapter. As much as I love and want you guys to get to read this serial for nothing, this gig only pays if I do well. 

Provided no one dies, starting next week I hope to update it Tuesday & Thursday until it's completion. Apparently, my editors have the nerve to be human. In addition to the serial we are editing 3 full length novels--two of which are mine! I still owe you guys your 3 chapters of PIGMENTS OF MY IMAGINATION in honor of my hitting five thousand Twitter followers BUTTTTT I decided to roll it into this awesome thing starting tomorrow called Pages of Pigments. There is going to be SO MUCH AWESOMENESS involved.

Happy Birthday to my FAVORITE little hobbit!

Last night I hit some massive mile-markers on my journey as an author. It wasn't in books or stars, it was in followers and finders. People who care about me and what I do. People who look for me. Last night this blog, the one you are looking at RIGHT NOW rolled over 50,000 page views and I hit five thousand followers on Twitter.

I remember when I had eight Twitter followers and two hundred page views but more on that Wednesday; when as promised I shall be putting the first three chapters of PIGMENTS OF MY IMAGINATION, here. So everyone can read them. FOR FREE. Hopefully early in the morning. This after dinner blogging is for the birds.

Today is big freaking deal, because it's Frodo's birthday. Frodo, one of my favorite book bloggers. Everyone who is human despairs at some point, and it just so happened that he rescued me from a very dark time in my writing career. The pit where I would have gone to die--or at least the pit where I was planning on hiding all my stories away; to never, ever be seen by anyone else.

So if you like my books--you know who to thank, because I'd have given up without him. I wanted to give him something special! It hasn't seen the editor yet it's third in line so no one panic. But this is for you buddy. Chapter One of Barneby Knotts. I can't even post the cover, because that's for a different day, but I hope you like it! I know it's a shorty ;)

P.S.--the husband's birthday is tomorrow. He is going to wonder why he didn't get an EPIC blog post.

I held my breath willing the window not to squeal. If anyone heard me now, I'd never make it out. 

        I'd be a prisoner here for months, the whole summer trapped in this box. I'd go mad. At least, that was what happened last time mom caught me sneaking out the house.

Slowly, painfully slowly, I lifted the dusty frame up a millimeter at a time. My fingers damp with sweat, black grime sticking to them like fingerprinting ink leaving evidence of my crime. My window always jams halfway up, but it had to be enough. I couldn't risk sneaking out the back door again. My sister was on to me. 



When I was sure that was as far as my window was moving, I turned back in facing my bedroom. On my bed lay my  empty black Jansport. I shoved my school books deep under my bed, where I hoped my mother wouldn't dare look for anything. If everything went according to plan, I'd be off seeking treasure, and she'd think I'd gone to school early because I put off my math homework again.

Really the plan was almost flawless. 

Propped against my desk chair was the sword my father had given me for my last birthday. It had belonged to his grandfather, and now it belonged to me. You rarely need such weaponry in these urban gigs, but it felt wrong to leave it behind. 

I was still wearing the same sweat pants and over sized t shirt I always wore to bed, but under that were my favorite pair of jeans, and holiest band tee. I peeled off the top layer, and used it to wipe the black smudges from my window away before tossing them it the corner of my room. Just like I would do any other school morning when I as half awake. If I used the hamper my parents would know something was up. 

I used what little light came into my room from the window to glance into the mirror. My hair was a mess, just like always. Black tips falling into my face still held in place by yesterday's hair gel, the back flat where I'd feigned sleeping for a few hours. It was so dim my brown eyes looked black, pupil-less, but the circles under them stood out above anything else. A small price to pay for the chance of a lifetime, I told myself. Grabbing my bag I slid out my window soundlessly. My feet landed softly on the roof of the back porch. It was a bit of a chore to get the window to slide back down as this side of it was smooth but eventually I managed. 

Flinging my backpack on one shoulder I stopped to listen. No one in the house was awake to catch me escape, and I was one jump closer to getting away with it. I stared over the edge of the roof, wondering which way down would make less noise. Shimmying the column or just dropping?

I sucked in a breath and stepped off. 

The night was warm, it was almost summer in Texas. The wind whooshed in my ears on the way down. I landed on my feet but with a much louder thump than I was hoping. I ran, not looking back to see if anyone had heard me. I thought I heard footsteps echoing on my path, but they were surely mine because the night was dark and empty. 

Read my new book THE GODS OF MARKET STREET for NADA!

That's right! I have turned my unreleased novel, The Gods of Market Street into a serial and listed the first chapter on JukePop Serials. I originally wrote the book for the 2011 Three Day Novel contest. I *really* wanted to add another book to my list in the first half of the year, (other than the ones scheduled Pigments of My Imagination, Dust of the Dead Sea, Barneby Knotts) but I just couldn't fit it in.

This is a fun new venue I am trying out. It helps me give away my books for free, which I enjoy, in a completely different environment. The only thing I ask is that you take a moment to vote for The Gods of Market Street if you enjoy it. Chapter 2 and 3 will be up soon. 

Want to win a $40 Amazon giftcard? Check out the details below!

Contest runs until 11:59 PM EST 4/30




Here is the blurb:
Grace Teller is no one. All that is left of her former existence are shadows of memories, no weightier than the daylight, and fading just as fast. Yet, in the center of her being, are the things the universe is made of--and something even older than that. As the storm inside her mind becomes a cloudburst over New Orleans, Grace seeks out the only person who might know who she was supposed to be: her father. Only when she is around the god-like Carawyn does Grace wonder if who she is right now is maybe all that matters.

But as the newness wears off on her new life, the person responsible for erasing the old one resurfaces--claiming that she belongs in Grace's new family as well.

The Gods of Market Street is a Young Adult Paranormal Romance.




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This Cover's a Dandi! COVER REVEAL for Dandi Summer 2013 Release

So, funny story. I had the cover reveal for this book during February, Indie Author Month over on A Love 4 Lit. It went up, and then I never talked about it. I can't even recall if I ever told you guys I was writing it. But I did. We can all be shocked together! Dandi is a young adult contemporary romance. (SEE shocker!) Add it to your Goodreads TBR list here. Here's the blurbish:

Dandi’s not exactly a delicate flower, but she’s starting to feel the lawn closing in. She longs to run barefoot in the buttercups and clover but her daddy, Pastor Scott, thinks it’s high time for her to be settling down; and he’s got the perfect boy picked out. Nolan White is rich, compliant, and from a family who knows how to keep its secrets buried deep. Now there’s two problems with their potential match, and both of them seem to involve the sexy Rhett Wilder. Rhett, who is complicated enough all by himself, is the son of the town drunk, and grounds keeper to cemetery that makes up Dandi’s front yard.

You will be happy to know that Larry Kollar is about to pry Pigments of My Imagination out of my  ink stained fingers. After that, I think the books will be released in the following order:


Barneby Knotts I: Hire Yourself a Hero
Dust of the Dead Sea, The Hollows Series Book Two
Dandi

And the year doesn't really slow down after that! I even have another cover real next week. See you then!

Don't hit me, I'm sorry

2013 might be the year of the snake, but for me it's the year of the GIANT HAMSTER WHEEL. I'm running and running but I just can't get off. I had so many opportunities this year that just fizzled out. So in brief here is my list of Thanks & Regrets.

Margaret from A Love 4 Lit. Put up with my crap during Indie Author Month. I wanted to rock that! But my laptop died, and my posts went missing, and she didn't kill me when I couldn't make time to fish everything out of my dead computers guts. February 2013 was one of the most stressful months of my life. I was trying to replace me vehicle, the military expected my husband to work so many hours he was making roughly minimum wage, and I could not keep my family well. Despite all that; I was really glad I got the shot so thanks for being awesome M!

Larry Kollar, who holds my hand like every day. He does all the things I can't stand to make myself do with out complaining. He is my best book buddy, so I should probably stop reminding him he's old enough to be my dad. Especially since he seems to have more energy than I do recently!

My POOR husband; who has to put up with this craziness everyday. I am so far behind schedule that I ended up spending half of every day FREAKING OUT that I was so far behind--and as you can guess that didn't really help anything.

My daddy, who bought me Ruby. My father in law who bought and drove my Honda Odyssey from Houston to Las Vegas because they cost so much less there. My family is the best!

I'm sure I'm forgetting people, because I have been forgetting things all year. The good news is, things seem to be getting back to normal. It only took three months! Let's hope this is the last apology blog for 2013 at least.

AND GUESS WHAT? Pigments is headed to the editor this weekend, so I will have something new to freak out about.