Inspired By Website Design + Special Giveaway

I’m thrilled to be unveiling my new website and updated blog in conjunction with my Thursday’s Children post.  I’ll tell you, building this website was more inspiring than I’d assumed it would be.  Choosing colors and images made me think long and hard about what connects each my stories to the others, what elements lay at the heart of all my writing, what emotions I want people to feel, what sparks my creativity and much more.  I even ended up tweaking my WIP after finding one of the images.  I almost don’t dare say it because the idea’s a little overwhelming, but designing this website helped me get a clearer idea of my brand.

Okay, I’m not going to ramble on.  But I’d love to have you check out my new website and let it speak for itself.  Here it is!

To celebrate, I’m having a giveaway.

As some of you know, Anie, the main character in my story MOONHILL, grew up dealing antiques with her father. She loves nothing more than getting a good deal on a cool vintage treasure, especially retro clothes and shoes.  In Anie’s honor, I’m giving away a $25.00 gift card to EBay.

Also, I’m giving away a second prize. Since Xuni.com who designed my website also designed Laura Anderson’s new site, I’m giving away a copy of Laura’s book THE BOLEYN KING.  Some of you lost out on my last giveaway for this book, this is your second and last chance to win a copy.

Here’s how it works.

This giveaway is open to everyone: writing friends, new friends, critique partners, relatives, and anyone who likes to read.  I will choose the two winners on July 10th.

To enter, simply join the mailing list on my website and leave a comment here.  Promise, I’ll only be sending out a couple newsletters a year, so your email won’t be barraged with junk.  Best of all, there will more giveaways and special news available only to newsletter subscribers.  All followers of this blog will automatically be giving a second chance to win. 

One last note,  Xuni  Design is amazing and wonderful to work with, not just their skills, but also their passion for website design and the genuine concern they have for their clients. If you’re thinking of upgrading or building a new site, check them out  here 

If you'd like to join the amazing Thursday's Children Blog Hop simply write a blog post about what inspires you and add join the list below.

Tagged: WIP Snippet-sharing

Fun new game!  Kip Wilson Rechea  aka Kiperoo tagged me in a snippet-sharing blog post. Check out hers here  Definitely makes me curious to read more!

I’m sharing a snippet from my contemporary YA thriller, Devil’s Orchid. The rules were: “Search the words “moment,” “forever,” “time,” or the like in your writing, pick your favorite chunk, post on your blog, and tag others!” I opted for “moment,” but it was a lot of fun looking for all three words.

For a long moment we hunch there, gulping air. The smoke isn’t wafting out anymore, but the smell hangs in the air and clings to the inside of my nose. My hair sticks to my fingers as I push it back from my sweaty face.  Quincy’s cradling his bad arm.

“What happened?" I ask.

He lets go of his arm. “I’m not sure. I was digging around in the pantry. The door slammed shut. There was banging, then smoke.”

“Was it Colt?”

“I don’t know. When I got here, I opened the kitchen window and lit a candle to get rid of the raccoon stink. A gust of wind probably blew the door shut and knocked the candle over.” He takes his hat off and starts scrunching and scrunching it like he’s struggling to keep his anger in check. His voice is a million kinds of raspy.

I toughen my voice. “Don’t treat me like I’m an idiot. You saw him, didn’t you?” 

That’s it! I’m tagging my agent-mates ( kind of like litter mates, I guess ;) )

Debbie, Cass, and Katherine   Can’t wait to see a moment in your manuscripts!

Revision as Inspired by Rogue Chickens

Those of you who follow me on Twitter may have noticed my tweets about a flock of rogue chickens, in particular this white hen.  She insisted on returning and hanging around the front of our store, even after her brown sisters had wandered back down the street and once again been imprisoned in their coop.

At the time, the writer part of me started asking the ‘what if’ question and wondering why Ms. White Hen wanted so badly to be a store mascot. At least her continuous peering in the front door made me think that’s what she wanted.

At any rate, at the time, I dreamed up stories--and now it appears to be time for revisions.

While cleaning up the shop’s side yard, my husband decided to get rid of a piece of junk plywood and ended up uncovering deeper layers of the white hen’s story. In fact, he exposed all kinds of subplots and story possibilities that never would have seen the light of day if the story had been written down as a first draft.  Okay I’m pushing this analogy, but I’m about a third of the way through revising Devil’s Orchid and what he found was a good reminder to me to continuously keep any eye out for hidden layers and opportunities as I move forward.

The hen’s story ended up being be a tragedy about a lone white bird who longed for her own family, escaped from bondage and laid eggs in secret, but the lack a rooster doomed her to return home and become nothing except an imprisoned egg machine—well, a pretty fat and sassy one, but no matter how you look at it her dream was crushed. 

So, to all of you in the middle of fast drafting or revising, did you uncovered any hidden possibilities in your story this week? 

Thursdays Children is a blog hop. If you'd like to join simply write a post about what inspires you and add your link to the list below.