Word Count Wednesday With Words People Hate

Family stuff is kicking my butt this week.  Seriously.  Butt kicked.

(I know some people hate the word butt.  Sorry. Please don't be offended.)

My word count was dismal.  My emotional self was hollow.  The only motivation I felt was when I was in my bed about to go to sleep and I would think, "dang, I really need to write this and this and this."  Right before my exhausted body said, "ain't happenin' sister."

So, even with all my good intentions, my word count sucked.

(I know some people hate the word sucked. Sorry. Please don't be offended.)

I am going to try to get some serious word count in this week before I meet with my critique group again. But we'll see how it goes.  Real life, mom life, wife life, they are all taking over my writing life at the moment. I have noticed in the past, though, that when my writing life is doing well, the rest of my life seems to follow suit, so I'll maybe try that and see if it can work for me one more time.

How did you do this week?

RONE Award Public Voting Round is Open!

The public voting round of the RONE awards is open and you can go vote!

(And yes, my novel Pocket Full of Posies is in the running.  But you aren't required to vote for it.  Although I'd really like it if you did, because the top 4-6 books in each category will go on to the judge's round.  So this is an important round.)

How do you vote you ask?  Well, there are two ways:

You can click here and you will be taken directly to the poll.  You have to subscribe to the magazine in order to vote, but it's a great magazine full of reviews and stuff for readers and writers.  They also don't give away your email addresses, so that's nice, too.

Or, if you are having trouble subscribing, you can send your vote via email to Ana Smith at anasmith@indtale.com   You can put RONE Awards in the subject line and then just say "In the Suspense/Thriller category, I vote for POCKET FULL OF POSIES by Julie Coulter Bellon."

One vote per email address.

Voting ends April 13th so you don't want to put this off.

(And thanks to all those who read my books, support me, and who do things like this. You are awesome!)

Book Review (& Giveaway) for Fortune Cookie And A CD Review!

First of all, I'd like to tell you about an amazing new CD by Jenny Oaks Baker.  Most of you know, that I love some rock tunes, and since Jenny Oaks Baker is a violinist, well, I didn't think they'd ever mix.  (Jenny Oaks Baker has always been more of a "Sunday listening" CD for me, if you know what I mean.)  

Until now.

Ms. Baker has combined her incredible talents (seriously, if you've never heard her music she is fantastic!) and she's done a rock album with songs like Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin and Clocks by Coldplay all with her signature violin.  I've been listening to this CD all week and really loving her style with the classic rock songs.  No words.  None needed.  The violin says it all. 

You've definitely got to hear this one because you'll want to own it.  

Tour Schedule

I am thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for Josi Kilpack's new book, Fortune Cookie.  This is a continuation of her culinary mystery series with Sadie Hoffmiller, and I have to say, I have loved reading this series and will be sorry to see it end. (There's one book left, sniff.)  

This book really delved into Sadie's personal life and childhood and yet kept a great pace with the mystery. I really thought I had the killer pegged about halfway through the book, and let's just say Ms. Kilpack has a few surprises up her sleeve.  I loved that Sadie has grown so much over the course of this series.  She is such a believable character and really resonates with me in her insecurities and how hard she tries to do the right thing.

In this book there are so many memorable characters and the mystery is one of the best yet.  The pacing was great, the setting of San Francisco was really well done, and of course, having my favorite characters in the thick of everything felt like I was back among friends.  I haven't tried the included recipes, but they all sound yummy.  A highly recommended mystery novel that will keep you guessing until nearly the last page!

Sadie Hoffmiller has always liked things to be just so. A place for everything and everything in its place. Order over chaos. And of all things Sadie should be able to control, her own wedding is at the top of the list. With the big day just three weeks away, Sadie is busily adding the final touches to her wedding plans but the arrival of a mysterious letter from San Francisco changes everything. The only person Sadie knows in San Francisco is her older sister, Wendy, whom she hasn’t seen since their mother’s funeral nearly fifteen years ago. Sadie has faced off against murderers and criminals in recent years, yet the possibility of reconnecting with her sister is both overwhelming and frightening. Sadie soon discovers, however, that the letter is just the beginning when Wendy’s world turns out to be a place of unanswered questions, twisted truths, and more than one person with a motive for murder. The more Sadie digs into her sister’s past, the more she places her own future at risk.

Amazon * Deseret Book * Barnes & Noble

Culinary Mystery Series

Author Josi S. Kilpack Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Lemon Tart, the first book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series was a finalist in 2009. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her husband, children and super-cute cat.

Website * Twitter * Blog

Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/30/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Freakish Friday

I feel the need to apologize to my loyal readers. I know I usually do a Freebie Friday, but with my son's surgery, and the fact that he's needed me so much, I didn't find any great freebies to showcase today.

I did look, I promise I did, but nothing jumped out at me.

(For those of you who have emailed/messaged me, the surgery went well, and now it's a matter of rest and recovery. Maybe I'll try to find him a good book, and then I'll have something to share with you all this weekend!)

Thanks so much for understanding.

Oh, and if you have a freebie/near freebie you'd like to share, feel free to do so in the comment trail, okay? Maybe you guys will have the very book I need!

The Things That Soothe Me

I'll be at the hospital tomorrow with my son who is having some outpatient surgery.  It's going to be a long day, however, since the surgery will take about five hours.  As a mother, this makes me anxious.

Because of this anxiety, I am packing my bag of things that will soothe me through the process.  I have a book (Josi Kilpack's, Fortune Cookie), I have my manuscript that I'm working on printed out and ready to be looked at, blank paper and pens, a bag of my favorite chocolate, and all my favorite music.  Lately, I've been listening to Piano Guys and Jenny Oaks Baker and there is something in their music that speaks to my soul.

I must say it's been a very stressful week for me and topping it off with a hospital visit puts my nerves a bit on edge.  As I pack my bag with my favorite things, however, I feel comforted.

What soothes you in stressful situations?

Word Count Wednesday

Well, I ended up having to trash/delete some chapters that were  . . . well, drivel.  I couldn't figure out a way to fix them, so I just deleted and started over.  That's not something that has ever happened to me before and it was hard.  I was feeling bad about it, but last night I took all my issues and laid them all at my critique group's feet and guess what? They helped me figure out a better direction to go in!  So it all ended up being okay.

So, I'm in the middle of the book, starting over with several chapters, but excited about where I'm going. This problem obviously set back my word count, but hopefully this week it will pick back up.

How did you do this week? Have you ever had to delete in the middle of a book, but later been glad you did?

April Fools' Day!

Happy April Fool's Day, if there is such a greeting.  (I guess there is since I just made it, LOL)

Well, I did get pranked today.  I got a call from a policeman saying my son had been arrested for disorderly conduct.  Got my heart rate going! I was so glad it was an April Fools' Day prank though. Whew!

I wish I were better at thinking up pranks, but I never can.  (Guess I should have gone on Pinterest. I heard there were some good ones there!)

What about you? Did you get pranked today? What's the best April Fool's Day prank you've heard of?