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Showing posts from August, 2012

Booze and Good Times!

It's back to school time! And for many high school and college students, it's a time to experiment with alcohol. For adults harangued by work stress, parenting, or political mumbo-jumbo, it might be time to chug a glass of wine. For authors waiting to hear back from agents or publishers, it's time to drink. A lot. My question for you is: If you choose to drink alcohol, how do you get the good stuff without the bad stuff? (Aren't you lucky I'm writing this blog post between psychotherapy clients?) I've learned a lot about extracting buzz, relaxation, and fun from alcohol (while avoiding hangovers and beer goggles) from the amazing University of Washington researcher Dr. Alan Marlatt. He and colleagues published an interactive journal titled "CHOICES" related to the information in this book. ...and I want to pass along some golden nuggets to YOU. First of all let's talk about the choice to drink alcohol. Did you know about 20% of college st

Review: Gone Girl

Every once in a while a psychological thriller comes along that indeed thrills this psychologist/author (psycho author). That book is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn My rating: 4 of 5 stars "Fatal Attraction of the 21st Century" ...only I'm not sure who plays the role of the psycho Glenn Close character -- the wife Amy or the husband Nick? Gone Girl is a fascinating read, an emotional rollercoaster featuring two "whackos" (thanks for that apt description, AnneOK) who have the misfortune of marrying each other. Nick is a magazine writer from Missouri who feels guilty for his charming good looks. Amy is also a writer, a beautiful blonde, and the daughter of two psychologists (the poor thing -- she's definitely screwed for life with parents like that!) Nick and Amy meet in NYC and fall in love with each other...or who they think is each other. When they both lose their jobs in the recession, they move to Nick's small Mis

Swimming Out of Water Blog Tour

I'm happy to be a stop on the blog tour for Swimming Out of Water by Catherine Garceau . Thank you to Babs from Babs Book Bistro for hosting the tour! I truly enjoyed this memoir by synchronized swimming Olympic medalist Catherine Garceau. She struggled with eating disorders, crises of faith, and countless disappointments to represent Team Canada at the 2000 Sydney Games. Although I was a speed swimmer and utterly graceless in the water, I have done psychotherapy with athletes with eating disorders, so this memoir intrigued me. It's an interesting format for a memoir, flashing back to the past from a perilous present. Catherine decides to take one last hike before leaving Las Vegas, where she's been working in a Cirque du Soleil type of water show after retiring from swimming. Unfortunately, she hops down a mountain ledge only to find she's stuck there, with no one to help and no water or food. Perched on the ledge, she scribbles in her journal, and these memo

My Babies Reviewed, On Sale, and Given Away

Authors, after countless hours spent writing and polishing your novel (your baby), isn't it lovely when you hear positive feedback? I'm sharing a few great reviews book bloggers have bestowed recently. Additionally, for a limited time, you can buy my babies ON SALE. If $2.99 is too rich for your blood, you can enter giveaways of my babies! ~*~ Streamline is a Young Adult swimming romance. Julie from A Tale of Many Reviews hosted a YA Summer Reading event, providing interested reviewers with a copy. Bookworm Lisa called Streamline "stunning" in her review . That brought a big, fat smile to my face! Karen from Nose in a Book gave Streamline a 5 star review ! Omnific Publishing put all its YA titles on sale for $2.99 as part of the reading event. Get Streamline on sale HERE . And check out the sidebar of this blog to enter a giveaway for a signed print copy of Streamline from Goodreads. ~*~ With Good Behavior is book one in The Con duct Series--a

Cover Reveal: Iridescent by Carol Oates

I'm excited to reveal the new cover for YA Paranormal IRIDESCENT by Carol Oates ! Simply gorgeous. I have book one in this series -- Ember -- waiting for me, and I can't wait to start it. Ember is only $2.99 as part of Omnific's YA Celebration...get it HERE so you're ready for Iridescent 's release in October! Sign up for the blog tour for Iridescent at A Tale of Many Reviews TOURS . Candra Ember used to dream of saving the world one person at a time. She never expected to become an angelic weapon and the last hope in the battle against ultimate darkness. Falling for a Nephilim wasn’t part of Sebastian’s plan. Distraction is something he can’t afford when his rival, Draven, wants what Sebastian has. Lies, manipulation, and corruption are twisting the lives of the citizens in Acheron. The Arch is missing from Heaven, and a demon is intent on claiming the city. At a time they should be growing closer, grief and paranoia is driving Candra and

3 Essential Components of Character Building

Today I'm pleased to have Katheryn Rivas on the blog for a guest post about building a *great* character! Take it away, Katheryn: 3 Essential Components of Building a Great Character Quirks I have the habit of brushing my fingernails across my lips while I’m concentrating, and sometimes I lean on my desk and rest my chin in my palm. Mentally, I fluctuate between intense focus and broad contemplation. A character’s mannerisms are silent voices of mental undercurrents. Each time characters clear their throats, lower their eyelids, shift their gazes or scratch their cheeks – there is a reason they do it. My favorite exercise for character building is people-watching. At restaurants, bars, parks and even church – I study people’s appearances: how they speak, move and interact. Then, I make up stories about them. (For people who aren’t writers, this process could be called making assumptions; but for us, it’s just a fun exercise with no ill intentions.) The still damp hair of

Summer Reading Event: The YA of Omnific

Omnific Publishing joins Julie from A Tale of Many Reviews Book Tours to present a Summer Reading Event: The YA of Omnific ! My YA novel Streamline will be reviewed, as well as the great YA stories by my pub sisters: Ember and Shades of Atlantis by Carol Oates, Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe, Embrace by Cherie Colyer, Life, Liberty, and Pursuit by Susan Kaye Quinn, and Breaking Point by Jess Bowen. I'm also excited to announce that all of these novels will be on sale for $2.99 on Amazon during the month of August! Get your sale copy of Streamline HERE . You can also enter giveaways for Streamline on the right side of my blog. Stay tuned for my reviews of Destiny's Fire and Insurgent --I'm loving both of these stories so far.

Summer Giveaway Hop

(Please scroll down for the Insecure Writers Support Group!) I love summer and I love giveaways...sounds like time for the Summer Giveaway Hop . Thanks to Kathy from I Am a Reader, Not a Writer blog and Mary from Book Hounds blog for hosting this giveaway. (That's hilarious how Mary names her followers her "dogtourage" hee hee). My giveaway is INTERNATIONAL. To celebrate the best sport in the Olympics, I'm giving away a Jennifer Lane ebook of your choice, including a swimming novel ( Streamline ) or a swimming short story ( Swim Recruit ). I'm also giving away a $10 iTunes gift card so you can jam to your favorite inspirational song and pretend you're Missy Franklin or Michael Phelps! ATTENTION: The link to download the free short story Swim Recruit on entry #4 below somehow got corrupted. Sorry!. HERE is the correct link. a Rafflecopter giveaway Hop on over to all the other participating blogs.