Friday Flash: A Cupidian Festival

 

It seems like a long time since I've written some flash fiction. In fact, this piece is just a smidgen over flash fiction length, so I hope you'll forgive me. For today's piece, I've decided to write chapter eight from Pull of Gravity from Nike's point of view instead of Edonys's. So I hope you enjoy this alternate version of events.

A Cupidian Festival

Nike stepped into the ballroom. A gasp caught in her throat at the brilliant display. Cupidians twirled and danced, their wings a variety of colors. String music lilted toward her and lured her with its beautiful melodies. The festival reminded her of an old Earth costume ball, except these people didn’t wear masks and their wings were real. In another life, she would’ve joined them, but she was here to destroy the Cupidians and take their planet.

As Farah was whisked away by a blue-feathered Cupidian and Yacob and Lewis slipped into the crowd, she spotted the royal family. With a deep breath, she strode toward them. She had to get close to these leaders of Cupidis, learn their secrets. The fate of her people depended upon it.

“I trust everything is to your liking, Nike.” King Jypitr’s voice came out raspy. He summoned a female servant with a sharp snap of his fingers.

The servant bowed and produced a drink for him. Nike caught the heady scent of wine from his goblet.

“Yes, sir. Everyone has been most kind and generous.” Nike straightened until she felt a pleasurable burn between her shoulder blades. Her gaze flicked to the prince, who looked like he was about to choke on his drink. The way his eyes raked across her body made her cheeks feel like they were on fire. Why didn’t her outfit have more fabric? She felt naked under his gaze. Edonys was too handsome, and she had to keep her distance from him. Her shoulders lowered, and she hung her head, her hair draping along her jaw.

“Nike, would you like—”

“Let me show you around, Nike dear.” Princess Dite rose from her chair and fanned her golden feathers behind her. “Brother, you need to attend to our guests. Perhaps dance with some of your possible mates.”

What did Edonys wish to ask her? But it didn’t matter. Dite was giving her exactly what she wanted with a tour. She had to learn everything she could about these Cupidians before the SS New World landed.

“Of course. You two have fun.” Edonys left them.

“Come, let me show you around.” Dite latched her arm around Nike’s.

“Thank you for offering to show me the palace. It is most gracious.” Nike slowly extracted her arm from Dite’s. Her gaze flicked toward the other Cupidians. She didn’t like being so exposed to the enemy. But were the Cupidians really an enemy? She didn’t think so. Conflict weighed heavily on her.

“I’m happy to. How long do you think you Earthlings will stay on Cupidis?”

Nike dodged a Cupidian with purple feathers. “Huh?”

“How long will you be staying?” The princess clipped her words and grasped Nike’s arm again. Dite’s smile chilled Nike’s blood.

“Not long.” Forever.

“Good.” Dite then showed Nike around a few rooms. The tour was short before she patted Nike’s hand. “I must continue with my duties. I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course.” Nike watched the princess leave. Relief flowed through her, and she entered the ballroom again. Yet the relief was too short-lived. The crowded room sucked the breath from Nike. She danced with a couple Cupidians, and she avoided the prince at all costs, but the night wore on her. Before running away to join the military, she kept to herself. This glamor and grandeur irritated her. She had to get away, even for a moment.

She edged toward the wall. A door opened to an unoccupied balcony, and she slipped outside. She didn’t hold back her gasp this time.

Cupidis was beautiful and everything a girl with no home wanted. Stars, sparkling like diamonds, filled the dark purple sky. She clutched the railing and breathed in a faint floral scent. Home. This place really could be her new home, but the thoughts of the commander’s plans devastated her. She wanted a place filled with life, not death. Her vision clouded over with tears as her heart ached to deny her people’s plans to annihilate the Cupidians.

“It’s beautiful out here, is it not?”

She spun around and stared at Edonys. All evening she had avoided him, but now here he was.

“Are you all right?” He stepped toward her.

“Yes,” she breathed. Her head tilted down, but then her cheeks burned again as she looked away from him and the castle. Why did he stir such warmth from her? More stars sparkled, and she yearned for their splendor. “And it is beautiful here. More than I could’ve ever imagined.”

Edonys shifted, as if he was going to leave, but then he offered his hand to her. “Dance with me.”

“I can’t dance.” With you. She pressed herself against the railing.

“Come, we can dance out here. Then, no one would see you.” His fingers curled, beckoning her to him.

“We can barely hear the music out here.” Her gaze fell to his outstretched hand. Would his hand be soft and warm? A slight chill tinged the air, and she shivered. She wanted to dance with him. She wanted a normal life. But she knew she could never have what she wanted.

“What do you have to lose?”

Everything. Her eyes met his, and with a deep breath, she accepted his hand.

Faint string music permeated the balcony. Edonys pulled her close. With his other hand on her waist, he swayed her about. Trembles raced through her. She needed to run away from him and stop this, but she barely dared to breathe. The last man who had touched her so intimately she had killed. Of course, his advances weren’t welcome. Were Edonys’s?

Her eyes closed, and she tilted her face toward his chest. She sighed as if the world had collapsed upon her. Her people were making a huge mistake, and they didn’t even know it yet. Only she and the commander knew their true mission.

As soon as the music ended, she pulled away and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Was it really so bad?”

“No, not at all.” Nike lowered her arms and reached back to grasp the railing. It offered some sense of steadiness. She felt dizzy after being so close to him.

“Tell you what. To thank you for this dance, I will show you my planet tomorrow.” He stepped closer to her.

She looked up, surprised by his offer. Her eyes still didn’t quite meet his as she reached out and touched his hand. He had played right into what she needed from him. Knowing the layout of the planet would help in the Earthling’s preparations. He would unknowingly give her the answers to destroy his people. She smiled sadly.

“Well?” He squeezed her hand.

“That’s an offer I can’t refuse.” But she wished she could.

Excerpt: Chapter Two of PULL OF GRAVITY

Sorry, folks, no #fridayflash for this week, but it will return next Friday. Instead, I'm revealing excerpts from Defying Gravity, Fighting Gravity, and Pull of Gravity. So, here is Chapter Two of Pull of Gravity.

Click here to read Chapter One, if you missed it last Friday.

 

 

CHAPTER TWO

Prince Edonys drummed his fingers upon the reclining chair’s plush fabric. For sixty-seven days, beautiful Cupidian females had lived in his father’s palace, eating his food, attending parties, and vying for the prince’s attention and affections. Despite these lovely females within the small aquarian room, his gaze drifted to the opened balcony doors. Freedom beckoned with its fragrant breeze and warm, late morning sunshine. His golden wing feathers twitched, itching to fly, but he couldn’t and knew it.

A sigh flowed through the Cupidian prince. Splashing water and laughter clashed with the tinkling harp music. The females shifted throughout the room. They flocked in small groups, chatting and indulging themselves with his father’s provided entertainment and feasting. Edonys endured their many batted eyelashes and leering looks.

At the moment, he couldn’t think of one of their names. They were too similar. Beautiful. Toned flesh. Brilliant colors in their wings. He had his selection of the very best Cupidis had to offer, but he couldn’t imagine loving any of them. None stirred his blood or caused his wings, or heart, to flutter.

Dite, his sister, and Father thought these small, casual get-togethers and the many evening festivities would be perfect for him to find his mate, but he knew what would happen if he did. The kingdom would be his.

And he wasn’t ready to be king.

The prince preferred his current role. For years, he’d watched his father deal with the day-to-day tasks of ruling a planet. The lines creasing his father’s eyes and the whitening of his wings’ feathers startled Edonys. Upon the prince’s mating ceremony, the king would die, and Edonys would do anything to keep his father alive. The longer he held off from a mate, the better.

A servant walked by with a tray filled with wine. He flexed his arm muscles, summoning the servant closer. Then, Edonys picked up a glass and drank deeply from the purple liquid. The sweet, slightly tangy drink reminded him of hot days along the family’s vacation oasis. They hadn’t gone there since Mother died.

For a split second, Mother’s phantom high-pitched scream filled the room, but then the tone changed to Dite’s musical voice.

“Oh, Edonys.” The voice so much like his mother’s held no compassion and was laced with poison claws.

Several females stopped and greeted his sister. How many had Dite personally chosen for him?

Dite giggled at something before settling beside him on the reclining chair. Her fingers stroked her pet creature that was little more than a puff of fur. Did she always have to carry that fluffter around? She tossed her golden hair, the same as his own, behind her shoulders. “Dear brother, what do you think of your choices?”

“There are so many. The future queen of Cupidis isn’t an easy decision.”

“Nor should it be.” She reached over and touched his arm. “Father and I just want you to be happy.”

Edonys cringed at her subtle emphasis upon the word “father.” Dite was always talking about what father wanted for him. 

But he doubted they cared for his happiness. If they did, then they wouldn’t force a mate on him. Why couldn’t Dite be the ruler? She was the eldest child, but Cupidis had always had kings. Plus, he doubted she wanted to deal with the reign either. She enjoyed her carefree life too much. Edonys couldn’t imagine her sitting on the throne with that damn fluffter in her lap and paying attention to their subjects.

“You do know we wish that, don’t you?” Her long nails dug into his flesh, and Edonys fluffed his wings behind him.

“Of course.” Not really.

She gave him a one-armed hug and hopped to her feet. “By the way, Father wishes to speak with you.”

“What about this time?” He tilted his head back. Purple sky and bluish clouds coated the ceiling, a mock-up of Cupidis’s sky. If only he could take off and fly, but his father had requested his presence since the mating search was announced throughout the Cupidian kingdom. So no leisurely flights for him.

Dite shrugged and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I didn’t ask. Probably about tonight’s festival. He’s getting antsy about you finding a mate.”

“Another celebration?”

“We have to keep your possible mates entertained.” Her eyes flashed toward the females. None seemed concerned with their conversation, since the females were happy to spend the kingdom’s resources.

“Very well.” He rose from his chair, nearly a head taller than his lithe sister, and reached out to touch Dite’s pet. The little fluffter growled, and its body shook like a flower in a windstorm. Stupid beast.

“Aren’t you going to say something to them?” She reminded him when he was half-way across the room.

“Oh.” He paused and looked at the females lounging around the room. They stared at him. “Have fun. I’ll be right back.”

He gave one more glance to the balcony and outdoors before he headed toward the throne room.

If you've enjoyed what you've read, you can purchase and continue reading the rest of Pull of Gravity at these retailers: Amazon US / UK / DE / FR / ES / IT  Smashwords  Nook  Kobo  iTunes.

I hope you enjoyed these excerpts from the Gravity trilogy the past few weeks. Starting in September, we're back to #fridayflash.

Excerpt: Chapter One from PULL OF GRAVITY

Sorry, folks, no #fridayflash for a few weeks. Instead, I'm revealing excerpts from Defying Gravity, Fighting Gravity, and Pull of Gravity. So, here is Chapter One of Pull of Gravity.

 

CHAPTER ONE

Corporal Nike Black had spent three years, nine months, twenty-seven days, six hours, and thirteen minutes aboard the SS New World. She probably could’ve figured up the seconds and even nanoseconds, but what was the point? This much time on a spaceship had worn on her nerves. She wanted to feel the sun on her face and breathe real air.

In four hours and forty-seven minutes, Nike would be off this ship with solid ground beneath her feet again. Thank God for wormholes! If they hadn’t been able to use one, hundreds of years could’ve passed before the SS New World reached their destination.

A giant sphere of bluish-purple mystery, Cupidis, home to winged, humanlike creatures, loomed before the spacecraft. She’d spent the past few years learning their language—it reminded her of French—as well as the intergalactic language of Anthronian. Although nothing could completely prepare the Earthlings for a new planet, Nike had done her best to organize her small reconnaissance crew. They were ready to conquer.

Every time she thought of Earth, a lightning bolt of pain shot through her gut. Two generations before her birth, an asteroid had struck Earth. From what she’d learned in history books, the climates changed and chaos reigned. The defunct space program took many years to build the SS New World, and she’d been lucky to be selected for the crew. Since she’d joined the army at fourteen, the twenty-one year old had spent her youth preparing for her departure from Earth and the task of colonizing a new planet. Now that everything was falling in place, all Nike wanted to do was to go home.

Her breath shuddered as she pulled for an image of her home planet. At first her memory fell short. Had the almost four years aboard wiped her memory? No, not quite. Glimpses of stunted trees, arid land, and the winter sun that held no warmth flicked before her eyelids.

It all seemed like a bad dream, but had they left one nightmare for another?

She would know in four hours and forty minutes.

“Nee-kay?” Commander Athenia Law always drew out her name, as if she called a dog to heel.

“Yes, ma’am.” Nike straightened her shoulders until the muscles in her upper back tensed and ached. Her courage relied on that stance to make herself appear taller than her 5’4” frame would allow.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she? Our new home.” The commander waved her arm toward the hovering planet.

“Yes, ma’am.” Nike didn’t dare look at Cupidis again, lest her real emotions showed. She’d wanted this post too much when she was on Earth to voice her doubts.

“Is everything prepared for Mission: Conquest?” The commander smoothed a hand over her bald head. Slight perspiration made her scalp gleam like an eight ball.

“Yes, ma’am.” Nike sucked her cheeks in and bit them. A stray dark strand tickled her cheek, and she tucked it behind her ear. “Ma’am, about the mission?”

“Yes?” The commander’s attention drifted away.

Nike paused. How could she express her concerns without showing weakness?

“Annihilation is still our plan, correct?” Stupid, stupid.

Athenia placed a hand on Nike’s shoulder. “We’ve traveled too far not to make this planet our home. Fate may have dealt us a cruel hand, but she also granted us the knowledge to travel to Cupidis. Get to know the Cupidians. Find their weaknesses and discover a way for us to exploit them. We have a chance to rebuild.” Her voice lowered. “The civvies are restless, Nike. If we don’t do something soon, they’ll revolt again. We can’t have that, can we?”

“No, ma’am.” Nike’s uniforms had gone through four washes to remove the blood after the last riot. “We will study our enemy and defeat them.”

Why did the words leave such a bitter taste in her mouth?

“I knew I could count on you.” The commander squeezed Nike’s shoulder and left the room.

Nike turned toward the window. The planet filled the small viewing window now, since the ship drew closer. In four hours and thirty-three minutes, she would depart with her crew in a supposed mission of peace, but it would really be one of espionage and war.

 

The Cupidians had no idea what was coming for them.

If you've enjoyed what you've read, you can purchase and continue reading the rest of Pull of Gravity at these retailers:  Amazon US / UK / DE / FR / ES / IT  Smashwords  Nook  Kobo  iTunes.

Next Friday, we'll meet Edonys in Chapter Two of Pull of Gravity.

Wednesday's Writing Update: An Interview, a Review, an Update, and More!

 

Happy Wednesday!

Now, I have quite a bit of news, so let's see if I remember it all.

First, I'm over at M. Pax's today for a Spacedock 19 interview. We're talking about science fiction and fantasy and a little about marketing. You can read the interview here.

Author and fellow Valley Writer Wayne White wrote up a wonderful review of my A to Z Flashes of Foxwick on his blog. He's fairly new to blogging, so please stop by and say hi. You can read the review here. By the way, A to Z Flashes of Foxwick is free at: iTunes, Kobo, Amazon, and Smashwords. 

Pull of Gravity is now available on the iTunes bookstore here and now Kobo here.

Last Thursday, I found out that a short story of mine won first place in a writing competition and is going to the next level. I'll have more details later, but it's my first first place win ever, so I'm pretty excited.

Also, I've been looking over my August goals, and I've decided to put off writing Nightmare Ever After for a week or so. I want to write it right, so I've decided it would be best to keep my focus on Gravity: The Complete Trilogy, writing the epilogues for it, and getting feedback, so I can format the print and ebooks of it. Then, in September, my focus can shift to writing Nightmare Ever After with a mid-to-late October release in mind for it.

Also, I'm sorry I have been a bit slow to comment back on blogs this week. We're short-staffed at work and I have a big manuscript to edit for a client, so that unfortunately has to come first.

So what have you been up to?

Wednesday's Writing Update: Pull of Gravity now available!

 

Happy Wednesday!

I have exciting news to share with everyone. Pull of Gravity, the stand-alone book three of the Gravity trilogy, is now available!

I'm really pleased with how this last story turned out, and I would say it is the best of the three. Of course, my work with the trilogy isn't over. I am now compiling the three stories into one book and adding epilogues for each story. Then, I hope to have a print/ebook editions of Gravity: The Complete Trilogy available sometime in September.

PULL OF GRAVITY
Surrounded by Books Publishing
August 13, 2012

Only $0.99!

To purchase: Amazon US / UK / DE / FR / ES / IT  Smashwords  Nook  Kobo (forthcoming)  iTunes (forthcoming)

 

Add this book on Goodreads!

A space fantasy novella

A no-nonsense Earthling corporal, Nike accepts a mission to destroy the winged-people of Cupidis to give her species a new home planet.

A spoiled Cupidian prince, Edonys gets whatever he wants until his dying father tells him he must choose a mate and take his rightful place as king.

Nike and her reconnaissance crew's space cruiser lands upon Cupidis, and they are taken to the royal palace. The king's decline leads her to believe Mission: Conquest will be easy. Edonys refuses his father's last request to fall in love, but Nike isn't anyone. She's bold and different than any Cupidian female. As Nike and Edonys's quests intertwine, an Earthling and a Cupidian will find it easier to ignore the pull of gravity than the pull of love.

A review of Pull of Gravity:

"Cherie outdid herself with the final novella in the series. Goodness knows I couldn't resist the pull of her incredible storytelling!" - Christine Rains, author of Fearless

And in case anyone is curious, this is how the word totals went for the series.

Defying Gravity - 15,388 words
Fighting Gravity - 14,245 words
Pull of Gravity - 19,744 words

For a grand total of 49,377 words!

Of course, with the addition of epilogues for Gravity: The Complete Trilogy, the collection will be a little longer.

 So what are you working on this Wednesday? Do you have any exciting news to share?

IWSG: Not Enough Words and a brief Wednesday's Writing Update

 

Happy Wednesday! Since it is August 1st and the first Wednesday, that means it is time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group created by the fantastic super ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh. Click here to see the other participants.

My concern today stems from what I admit to be a silly fear but a fear nonetheless. I'm worried I won't have enough words in me to write all the stories in my head. I have hundreds of ideas for stories, some short, some novel-length. What if I don't have enough in me to write all those words down to tell the stories properly? What if I only have so many words I can write? If I use them all in one novel, then I might not have enough for the next.

I think sometimes that is why I am a lean writer. I'm saving words for the next story.

Silly, isn't it?

I tend to write in the moment for first drafts and the bare minimum I can write to get that draft down. If I just have the story, then I can always add more, right? Then, I slowly add more emotions, more descriptions, a touch of backstory. I've learned from critiques and reviews that I need to write more. People want more. It concerns me because then I think back to do I have enough words to write more and still write everything else I want to write. So I do add, but I wonder if it'll be enough.

Somehow I think I might just have to work harder to find more words because there are just too many stories within me not to write down.

Do you worry about not having enough words? Or are you on the opposite end and have too many?

 

And a brief writing update.

I'd hoped to have good news about Pull of Gravity, but unfortunately, I didn't get any editing done as I'd hoped last week. I've been working hard, but not on my own work. I'm now looking towards a release date of August 15th or so for Pull of Gravity. It's not an official release date yet, but I think it is more doable, especially since I have August 6-10 off from the day job. I'd rather edit it right than rush through it just to get it out there.

Wednesday's Writing Update: The Dark Knight Rises and Writing

 

Happy Wednesday!

Thank you to everyone who has commented on the Gravity trilogy covers yesterday. I will still announce my winner of the trilogy on Friday. And if you haven't entered, there is still plenty of time.

My sister and I went to the midnight viewing of The Dark Knight Rises. I am saddened by the shooting in Aurora, Colorado, but I do hope people won't let that stop them from seeing this fantastic movie. It's the best Batman movie I've seen, and I didn't know if it could top my love for The Dark Knight, but it did. Hope seemed to be a key theme of the movie and rising from the darkness. As a writer, I was very impressed by the storyline, particularly how backstory was introduced. It's so seamless that it doesn't halt the plot. Now, I hope to be able to see it again before it leaves movie theaters.

As for writing news, I've received my critiques for Pull of Gravity. I'm slowly editing it and still hope to publish the last of the Gravity trilogy sometime next week. By the end of September, I plan to compile the three novelettes, add epilogues for each of them, and make them into a print book called Gravity: The Complete Trilogy. I figure it'll be around 200 pages or so.

Next Wednesday, I hope to begin writing Nightmare Ever After, the sequel to Once Upon a December Nightmare. I've outlined the story (comes in around 28 chapters), but I'm not yet certain how long it'll be. I'm thinking novella length, since I lean toward shorter chapters, but we'll see.

I'm also proofreading and formatting a novella for a friend (hope to finish by Friday) and working on a client's manuscript (hope to finish that by August 3rd).

I guess I better get back to work then. Heh.

So what are you up to this Wednesday?

Purrsonal Stories with a Cover Reveal

 

Today is a special purrsonal story, which includes the cover reveal of Defying Gravity, Fighting Gravity, and Pull of Gravity and also includes a chance to win the entire trilogy, but first, it's story time!

I worked off and on since December 2009 on Defying Gravity. It was short-listed for one anthology, which was cancelled. Then, I submitted it in 2011 to a publisher and never heard back, so I withdrew my submission and decided to self-publish the story. It expanded from an 8,000-word story from one POV to a 15,500-word story from two POVs. This story inspired the other two stories in the Gravity trilogy.

The reviews started rolling in, and the majority were four and five stars. Some people wanted more, but to be honest, I told the story the way I wanted it. Then, after a free run, a couple bad reviews almost ruined everything.

That's right. I almost gave up on Fighting Gravity and Pull of Gravity and was tempted to unpublish Defying Gravity too.

But I had promised a trilogy. I re-read Defying Gravity, and I still loved that story and believed in it. Those bad reviews taught me truly how subjective writing is. It was a humbling experience. And I decided to persevere and keep writing.

Fighting Gravity came out on May 1st, and I hope to publish Pull of Gravity by the end of July/early August.

And I decided that all three needed a cover makeover.

So without further ado, here is the Gravity trilogy!

 

I love my new covers, and I think they breathe life into the trilogy. I look forward in sharing Pull of Gravity with you soon.

And now, you have a chance to win a copy of the complete trilogy. All you have to do is comment on this blog post. I will announce the winner on Friday.

Want more chances to win? Some friends are also revealing the covers and hosting a giveaway of the trilogy, so please stop by their blogs as well.

Christine Rains

Aubrie Dionne

Nicole Zoltack

Esther Spurrill-Jones

Rachel Morgan

Golden Eagle

Cher Green

Wednesday's Writing Update: First Draft Highs

 

Happy Wednesday!

I have good news. On Sunday night, I finished the first draft of Pull of Gravity. It's now with my critique partners, so I'm waiting to hear back from them. If all goes well, I should be ready to publish the third and last novelette in the Gravity trilogy by the end of July/early August.

Also, next Tuesday (instead of Monday's Purrsonal Stories post), a few friends and I are having a special reveal of the new Gravity covers.

While I'm in between projects, I'm slowing down and taking some time off. I have a client's manuscript that has moved up to my #1 priority as well as a friend's manuscript to proofread/format. Then, I'm going to be writing my outlines for Nightmare Ever After and Twelve Days of Foxwick. And I hope to get some more reading done.

I am actually taking a few days off (today, Thursday, and Friday) from the day job too. My sister and I are going to see The Dark Knight Rises at midnight tomorrow, so I'm really excited about that.

And since I'm taking a bit of time off, I've decided not to have a #fridayflash this week. But next week, I'll have a special treat until the end of August with excerpts from Defying Gravity, Fighting Gravity, and Pull of Gravity.

What have you been up to? Are you going to see The Dark Knight Rises?

Wednesday's Writing Update: Post-Release Date

 

Happy Wednesday!

Yesterday was the official release date for Women of Foxwick. I'm very proud of this short story collection, but it was probably the most difficult to get together for publication. Of course, having jury duty and being on the summer schedule (i.e. less sleep) didn't help matters. I spent twelve hours on Sunday editing/proofreading the last three stories and formatting the collection for publication.

So I'm tired.

Now my focus is shifting from epic fantasy back to space fantasy as I write Pull of Gravity, book three of the Gravity trilogy. I have my outline on hand, and my goal is to have a first draft written by July 2nd. I do not have a release date yet, but my cover artist and I are working on finalizing the cover. Of course, she can't finalize it completely until she reads the story. (And if you follow my newsletter, you would've heard some exciting news about the Gravity trilogy covers. *hinthint*)

So, I'm writing and slowly catching up on blogs as well as writing new blog posts for July.

What are you up to lately? And can you believe the year is almost half-over?

Wednesday's Writing Update: A winner, a new kitten, an award, and more!

 

Happy Wednesday!

A lot has gone on lately, so I hope I don't forget anything.

First things first, the winner of Rachelle Ayala's Michal's Window is:

Christine Rains!

Congrats, Christine! I'll contact you shortly to see what e-format you want Michal's Window in.

The Sunday before last, we went to my co-worker's sister's house and picked up my sister's new kitten. She's an adorable gray ball of fluff we named Juliette, or Jules, and is around six weeks old. I tried taking a good picture of her, but she's in that run-and-play stage.

Thank you to everyone who has downloaded a copy of A to Z Flashes of Foxwick at Amazon. My little flash fiction collection has kept great company, even being beside Tolkien's Lord of the Rings at one point.

 

I'm still editing, proofreading, and formatting Women of Foxwick. I hope to upload it on Amazon, Smashwords, and Nook on Friday to make certain it's ready for the release date of Tuesday, June 26th.

I've also started writing Pull of Gravity, the third and last book in the Gravity trilogy. I'm really enjoying writing it so far, and I believe it'll be longer than the first two (around 20,000 than 15,000 words).

Also, Medeia Sharif and Precy Larkins awarded me The Booker Award last week. Thank you, Medeia and Precy!

 

This award is for book bloggers only. To receive this award the blog must be at least 50% about books (reading or writing is okay).

Along with receiving this award, you must also share your top five favorite books you have ever read. (More than five is okay.) You must give this award to 5-10 other lucky book blogs you adore.

Here are my five favorite books (aka mainly series). I have more, but these are the first five that popped into my head.

1. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

2. Across the Universe series by Beth Revis

3. Become by Ali Cross

4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

5. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Now, I'm supposed to award 5-10 bloggers for this award, but I'm so bad at choosing people, so if you tell me your favorite book in the comments, then you can have the award too.

Before I forget, I also updated my author website and my self-publishing company's website.

Well, I'm back to writing and editing. What have you been up to?