Wendy's favorite quotes


"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."— Dr. Seuss

Friday, December 30, 2011

Over 25 Free Books, Ebooks, and SWAG in This Giveaway!

Hey guys,
First off, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the cool SWAG I'm giving away on my blog to celebrate Transcendent.

Robot Playground, the publisher of Transcendent, is hosting this huge giveaway of all these awesome books from amazing writers like...

Lani Woodland
Melanie Marks
Elana Johnson
Karen Hoover
Heather Justesen
CK Bryant
Tristi Pinkston
Cindy Hogan
Laura Bingham
Cheri Chesley
RaShelle Workman
Ali Cross
Cathy Witbeck
Tori Scott
Elizabeth Mueller
KC Blake
Rita Webb
& Wendy Swore (That dashing, amazing, brilliant writer)

I mean really, can you get any cooler than that? With twenty five different prizes, your chances are really good.
Here's the link.

 It runs through January 15th
Have fun!

If you could choose any prize for a giveaway, what would it be?

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Transcendent Interview with Heather McCubbin


Today we're visiting with Heather McCubbin, one of the new authors of Transcendent, Tales of the Paranormal.
     1)     Tell us a little about your story in Transcendent, Tales of the Paranormal:
My story begins in what is rumored to be a haunted house; haunted by the ghost of Ms. Ravenscroft who died 60 years earlier. Dawn, the main character, really doesn't want to be there so she is standing on the outside of this haunted party, people watching and supporting her best friend's ghost hunting habit.  Up until this party, Dawn is a firm believer that there aren't ghosts, as she has never seen one and neither has her ghost-loving best friend. Dawn's belief is shattered after she begins hearing voices that aren't in the room and comes face to face with a ghost from her past. A ghost who has answers to questions that enable Dawn to move on in her life.

 2) What gave you the idea for the story?
For some reason, I have had an obsession with twins ever since I was younger. I wanted a twin sister when I was little and when I began writing stories as a preteen each story had a character that was a twin, triplet or more! So, right away I knew there had to be a twin. Also, when this opportunity was presented to me before Robot Publishing picked it up, I was told to have a scene where the character was drinking punch (the original name was Paranormal Punch). So, working around those two ideas, the story just wrote itself.  The name "Ravenscroft" is one of my ancestors' names, and it sounds a bit Edgar Allen Poe-ish. That's how I chose that name for the ghost who is supposed to haunt the house…

      3) What would you tell yourself if you could send a letter back in time?
I would tell myself to NOT throw away all those stories I hand wrote, on the back of my father's scrap paper from work. When I left for college, I purged my filing cabinet knowing I didn't have room for them in my dorm and I didn't want my parents to read any of them. I have memories of two young adult stories that I wrote and I think I was about 7th or 8th grade when I wrote them…
      4) What was the best moment you’ve ever had as a writer? The worst?
      The worst was when the very first rejection letter came for one of my YA Romance books that I wrote around 2005. When you finish an 80,000-word manuscript and love it, edit it and then send it out you think you are the bomb. That because you love it, so will an agent.

  Wrong.

After getting rejections, I took another look at it and finally got two friends to read it and give me suggestions.  I read books on editing, attended workshops on writing and had a published author (Edith Hemingway) listen to my first paragraph. After encouragement from her and the writing group, I continued to work on it. Now, it was a polished as I could make it. This leads into a best moment (not counting this short story being published!) when I sent out that story refurbished, polished and edited the best that I could and I received some interest! Four agents wanted more, so I gave it to them. Of those three, two wanted the whole thing. Of those two, I got great feedback (one in an email and one in a handwritten letter) as to why it wouldn't work and what I could fix it, plus the strengths of the story. One even said he'd look at it after I fixed what he suggested.  However, life happens, I got a new job and the book got put on the back burner. I am hoping that in the next few months, I can upload it to Amazon if there aren't any takes on publishing it!

5) Have you ever written a short story like this before?
No, never. Besides the usual essays and papers you have to write in high school and college, I never wrote a short story. I am too wordy and find that I get attached to the characters and want to tell more about them. This was a challenge for me and the story took about two weeks to write. The editors were amazing and helped me trim it down. I had so much fun writing this short story, I know that I could do it again!

6) Why do you write?
  I write because what I want to read, sometimes, isn't out there. I can only read so much about vampires, werewolves and the mortals who love them. I can only read, "boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl" romances. so many times in a row. So, to change things up, I write so the hundreds of story lines floating around in my head will become a reality on paper and will finally have an ending or closure. I find that when I go back and read the stories that I have written, I can't put them down (if I can, then that's a bad sign and I delete it or put it in a "To Be Worked On" Folder) it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Finally, I write because it's relaxing and gives you another world to live in for just a little while so all your worries float away. Just for a bit. Until a child comes in needing something!

7) Where are you from and does it impact your writing?
 I am from Middletown, MD which is a small rural town about an hour west of Washington DC. I have lived here since I began Kindergarten so this is all I know. "Shadows of Promise" doesn't really reference a specific place, but the haunted house looks like a house that is here in town. My other stories that I have written all take place in a small town, with a larger city easily accessible. Every house that I mention in any of my stories exists within Middletown.  You know how Forks, WA began offering tours of areas that the "Twilight" books referenced? I could probably take my readers on a walking tour of "Shadows of Promise" (or my other unpublished stories) and show them where Dawn attended school, what her house looks like, what the haunted house looks like or where the popular hang out is for teens. So, yes, where I live has a huge impact on the setting of my writing.
 Be sure to find Heather on  goodreads, facebook, or her blog.

Can you relate to Heather's perspective on writing?




Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Free Books, Prizes, and Goodies! The Transcendent Blog Tour Starts Now!

Welcome to the Transcendent Blog Tour!
Are you in the mood for some sweet paranormal prizes?
Yes? 
Excellent. You've come to the right place!  In fact, we'll be giving away three,
yes count 'em,
three prize bags full of awesomeness.
(more on that in a moment) 

Transcendent, Tales of the Paranormal, is a collection of short stories from some of the newest names in YA fiction.     ...and Evan Joseph.
 You can read its blurb and great reviews on goodreads, or in my last post. The ebook is out now, and the hardback will be out in about a week.

(Okay, back to the fun part... Let's give away some prizes!)

Goodie Bag #1:
A hardback copy of POSSESSION by Elana Johnson,
an ecopy of TRANSCENDENT,
and your choice of Sour Patch Kids,
Popcorn, 
  or (in honor of one of Elana's Favorite foods) Bacon Popcorn!
*Update, Elana says this popcorn is not as good as regular bacon, but it mails better.*

Goodie Bag #2
A hard copy of TRANSCENDENT,

an ecopy of BECOME by Ali Cross,

an ecopy of BOUND by C.K. Bryant,

And your choice Twizzlers,

or a Symphony bar (C.K.'s favorite treats!)


Goodie Bag #3
A hard copy of TRANSCENDENT,


an ecopy of its sequel, THE ARMOR OF LIGHT

and your choice of Russel Stoffers Chocolates (Karen's Favorites),
or Junior Mints.

(Shipping only to the continental US. International winners receive ecopys only)

CONTEST IS CLOSED!
Thanks to everyone who entered! See the winners here!
BONUS ENTRIES:
Tweet, Blog, OR Post on facebook about TRANSCENDENT
AND link back to this post
OR add Transcendent to your Goodreads "To Read" list
OR review TRANSCENDENT (on goodreads, amazon, or another online scource)
OR Subscribe to this blog via feedburner (on the left of this page)

= one bonus entry of each kind per day
= 7 possible bonus entries per day.
Leave a comment telling me what you did with the link so I can verify.
Be sure to keep a running tally of your points.

Want More Chances to Win?
Go on the Blog Tour! 
Check out these awesome bloggers--each with a different giveaway! The number in front of their name is the date in December when their Transcendent giveaways begin.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Awesome New Paranormal YA Anthology!

I'm thrilled to announce the release of Transcendent, a new YA paranormal anthology which includes two of my short stories, Strike and Spectre. Check out these excellent reviews:      

"Transcendent is deliciously creepy with hauntingly unforgettable stories that will keep readers glued to the page--even after the lights go out." --Elana Johnson, author of Possession

"Holy cow, I loved this book!!! I'm not usually a short story person, but this was full of creepy tales, love stories, ghosts, and things that go bump in the dark. A fascinating, well written paranormal collection I'd recommend to any and all!" --Karen E. Hoover, author of The Wolfchild Saga

"Mystical, romantic, and downright otherworldly, these stories will open your imagination to the possibilities of all that lays unseen with our mortal eyes." --Tristi Pinkston, author of the Secret Sisters Mysteries
"Transcendent offers everything you get from a full-length novel but in bite-sized pieces--perfect for those times when you only have a few minutes to read!" --Ali Cross, author of Become
~ Back Cover ~
Discover the secrets of a siren, fly with a hawk girl over the mountains of Montana, and flee supernatural party-crashers as the décor comes to life in this magical journey through paranormal stories.

Along the way, watch for ghosts in a haunted house, or ride through the moonlight with a stranger. Save a comatose boy who has lost his soul, and don’t forget to bring your garlic and wolfsbane—you never know when the shadows will snag you.

Transcendent includes eight stories of magic, love, death, and choice by some of the newest names in young adult fiction. Also included, are stories from Lani Woodland, Melonie Piper, (the co-author of Strike) Rita J. Webb, Melanie Marks, Heather McCubbin, and Evan Joseph.
You can purchase an e-copy of Transcendent on Amazon now for just 99 cents. This clean, fun read, would be great for any teen or YA reader who'd like a little dip into the paranormal!  
The hard copy will be available soon. I'll update you as soon as that becomes available!

Isn't that awesome news? While I'm at it, here's one more fun bit of news to share!

 Aspiring Writers Short Story             Winning Entries:     Another of my stories as just come out in this anthology of twelve winning stories, each only 750 words long. My story, Voodoo Hog, not only won the horror competition, but is the overall winner of the collection. All proceedes from this book go to St. Lukes Children's hospital, the charity of my choice. I loved writing this story because I only had 750 words to tell a whole story, so every word had to count.  This collection is available on Lebrery. for $4.00--all of which goes to St. Lukes.

Sunday, December 4, 2011