Meet Me in Person! #WIN Free Books! Join Indie ReCon!

Happy Monday, reader-friends!

I'm peeking out of my writing cave with TONS of fun stuff to tell you about (in spite of that silly Groundhog... or the Super Bowl, if you're a Broncos fan)...

First, anybody in or near Louisville, KY?

Want to meet me or many other Amazing independent authors (including new author-friends Kate Roth, Aleatha Romig, etc.)?

Check this out:

Visit the Website for More Info!!!

The Louisville Author Event is FREE!

I'll have books on hand for you to buy and have signed, or you can buy your own to bring with you! Let me know if you're coming, and I'll look out for you~

NOTE: Remember if you buy the paperback copy of The Truth About Faking or Dragonfly from Amazon, you can get the ebook FREE through the Kindle Matchbook Program! (ALL of my books are in this program--the others you can get for 99 cents if you buy the paperback!)

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Need Another way to WIN Free Books?

Want a signed set of the Dragonfly series?
How about a Kindle cover signed by several popular authors?

A great blogger friend of mine, Kimberly Faye, is celebrating her birthday with a mega Giveaway.

Go here to enter and WIN! (link)

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Some of you know I'm part of the blog YA Confidential (link).

Every Monday, we have a "From the Vault" post, and every month, we choose one lucky commenter to WIN a free book of his or her choice!

Head on over and see what you think--today we're talking about "Under the Radar YA."

Comment and join the FUN!

And remember to check back next Monday when we'll be talking about favorite book couples, and comment again~

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Attention Independent Authors!!!
(and/or Aspiring Independent Authors!)

Indie ReCon is an annual event put on by my group of writing friends The Indelibles (link).

It's a fantastic FREE online conference where many well-known and successful indie authors share their experiences and insight.

Here's the scoop from my great writer-friend Ali Cross:

If you receive The Indelibles newsletter, then you already know what I'm about to tell you. (*Hint* It's an awesome idea to subscribe to our newsletter!)

In four weeks, at exactly this time (12:00 p.m. EST) we will have the privilege of hanging out with Barry Eisler and JA Konrath. These two giants of indie publishing will be here, chatting with us, with YOU, for two whole hours.

I'm not even joking.

So come on, get excited! And mark your calendars! Because IndieReCon 2014 is going to rock your socks off.

In the meantime, help us spread the word for maximum awesomeness! Hugs and kisses to everyone who posts our button on their site!

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I'm headed back into the writing cave now, reader friends. I'll be back soon with Mosaic!

Stay warm, and keep in touch~

Why I Hate Writing & FOUND

(Y'all realize ^ ^ ^ that's me being intentionally provocative, right?) I know, what??? 

Here's the deal, and I'll keep it short. I love being a writer. I couldn't do anything else, and it's all I've done professionally for almost 20 years.

But it wasn't until 2009 that I started writing novels.

When I did that, it was a lot like when I went from being a full-time professional, career gal in a bustling, busy office surrounded by fast-moving people... 

...to being a full-time, professional Mom, in a quiet home, alone with a beautiful little baby girl who didn't smile at me for three months.

(If they smile before three months, it's gas. Read the book, people. #nerdmom)

Flower says, "What, I'm
not lively enough for you?"

Writing novels is awesome! I love it! And it is looonely.

Spoiler Alert: I'm a pretty social person.

In the past, I've had jobs in public relations and marketing. I was a journalist, which requires you to talk to people...

Writing novels is not like that. And some of you like it that way!

But what about the rest of us?

Well, it helps to get connected, of course. I'm not intimidated about reaching out to other writers (I blame my past work experience), but even for me, that isn't always successful.

For one, writers need to write.

Social media and writers' groups are FAB, but to do this job (write novels), one has to be alone for a good amount of time. And writers don't always coordinate their schedules with each other. (Read: never.)

Some writers are grumpy, mole-type people, who really don't want to make friends. I get that. Sometimes I feel like a grumpy mole-type person, too! And I hate to say it, but outside the group here, I've bumped into some writers... who aren't very nice for whatever reason.

I'm a Cancerian, and I'm sure writer-friend Tami Hart Johnson (link) can tell you better than me why that makes me scamper back into my shell quicker than... something really fast.

Luckily, none of you guys are like that. ((hugs))

So I'm just thinking out loud over here, coming off a new book release. It's quiet. And I actually have promos to do for the publicity blitz coming...

Y'all know I've joined a few writer's groups, The Indelibles (who are fantastic!), Indies Ignite (who are up and coming!), and most recently YA Confidential (who are hilariously helpful!).

We'll see if I can balance this. And of course, YOU, my bloggy reader- and writer-friends, supporting each other since Feb. 2010.

I guess, what do you guys think? And if anybody's looking for a group or if there's a group that needs a member(s), you can put it in the comments. I encourage you to team up! Don't be scared off by grumps or meanies. We've got to have friends in this tough business.

I'm so thankful for mine~

Now what's this FOUND?

From Stacey Wallace Benefiel, the author of the Zellie Wells trilogy, comes a New Adult trilogy set in the Society world.

Penny Black hasn’t had it easy. Just about everything you’d expect to happen to a harassed foster-kid turned junkie has happened to Penny. 

Add in the mysterious power to rewind time, conducting events around her, and it’s a wonder she held up on the streets for so many years. 

Now, at seventeen, the New Society has found her. Finally, Penny is where she belongs. But that doesn’t stop the visions, or the need to protect the victims shown to her.

*The Penny Black trilogy is a companion to the Zellie Wells trilogy and not a continuation of the series. (It's set 18 years in the future with a new cast of characters.)

*Due to language and sexuality, FOUND is recommended for older teens. (Most of the characters are out of high school and preparing for college.)

Purchase links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

Coming soon to the Apple iBook store and in paperback!

Haven't read the Zellie Wells trilogy yet? Pick up all three novels together for $6.99 at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes. Or get the first novel, Glimpse, for FREE at all ebook retailers.

And have a great week-end, reader- and writer-friends! <3