New Year's Resolution #3: Puppy Tale Fridays

So, I've noticed that over the last 2 years, posts that include or talk about the Big Drooly Puppy who runs my life (or tries her best to) are often the most popular. Not always - I've had a few guest authors who've generated a whole lot of buzz - but most consistently.

I get it. She's cuter than me. She's got personality. And she's just a funny story waiting to happen.

(And she's currently whining at me in dulcet tones, saying, "Beach? Time for the beach? Get off the computer already!!!")

Okay, so my goal is to feature a Puppy Tale each Friday. It may not always be Puppy's own story - she does have some funny friends and cousins we can also visit, and books with doggy protagonists we can discuss... but if you're looking for a good dog story and a smile, stop by on Fridays. Puppy will be here.

And now I need to get my walking shoes on before the whining goes on any longer. (There's only so much whining a person can take...and Puppy knows that...)

Have a great weekend!

New Year's Resolution #2: Guest Posts!

"G" is for Guests!

I love having guests visit my blog - and I love doing cover reveals for other authors and helping to spread the word about new releases. For one, it helps me feel more connected to the writing world at large, because let's face it, writers spend most of the work day sitting alone with a computer screen staring back at them...sometimes with words on it, sometimes with silly videos of talking unicorns, but alone nonetheless.

Guests - even virtual ones - make the day go by so much faster. And you don't have to dust when blog guests visit - big bonus!

So for 2013, one of my resolutions is to HOST MORE BLOG GUESTS.

My plan is to reserve TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS for GUESTS. All year long. Except maybe in April when the AtoZ Challenge makes everything, well, challenging. But for the rest of 2013, I'm available.

Which means - this is your invitation! Send me an email and let's set up a playdate. Or send me your info and cover and I'd be happy to post it to spread the word about your book. Let's have a virtual cup of coffee and talk about writing and books and all kinds of stuff - as long as you don't notice the dust or that pile of unfolded laundry in the corner. And don't mind the big drooly Puppy. She's friendly. And she stopped eating books. (Mostly.)

If you have a new release coming out sometime this year, add me as a stop on your virtual tour! The more the merrier, right? Right! (And I still won't have to dust!)

Some of my fellow Crescent Moon Press authors have already taken me up on this offer, and are signed up in the coming weeks to visit and let me interview them - so excited to share their new books with everyone!

And you? Would you like to be my guest?

New Years Resolution #1: Writing Wednesday

So, in an attempt to get my life more organized, I'm working on putting this blog into a more predictable order. Some kind of schedule I can cleave to amidst the chaos of being the mother to three teens and two overgrown puppies who act like toddlers.

So... Wednesdays are going to be focused on Writing. This is a broad topic in my life, so I'm pretty confident I can stick with this as a weekly blog headline. I'm also going to try to focus my actual Wednesdays on writing, too. Okay...so... not so much today maybe, even though it's obviously a Wednesday. Today I need to get a handle on putting the holidays away...

Today's blog topic, however, will focus on writing - and one important aspect of Writing is Reading.

Reading good books helps a writer improve their own writing. Not by copying, but by being inspired. (Reading bad books can help too, but that's a topic for a whole different blog post!)

The two best books I read in the last month have been ONCE UPON A RIVER, by Bonnie Jo Campbell and THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern. Both hit the bestseller lists early on. Both books have been on my TBR list for ages. And I resisted cracking either of them open. I don't know why. But I read them both in December and recommend them with my whole heart. Two very very different books, but each achingly beautiful in its own way. If you like romances with an odd touch of paranormal, you need to read THE NIGHT CIRCUS. Campbell's book has not a hint of paranormal or sci fi, but is full of cold, stark reality, in all its beautiful and horrible glory.

The YA series I've been obsessed with for the last month is the I AM NUMBER FOUR series by Pitacus Lore, which is not a real author name although I read that James Frey is one of two writers behind the series. I've read all 3 books and all 3 novellas in the series, the last one in hardcover since it only came out in August 2012. I have to admit I don't like all of the writing, but I love the way the story is put together, and the way it flows from one scene to the next, especially the action sequences. When I was in Mexico I read the second book on the beach in a day, and then re-read it again the next day. These are definitely paranormal and sci fi, with alien teens from another planet hiding on earth from other aliens bent on destroying their race. Lots of action. Fun reading. Totally recommend if you're into this type of book.

Okay, so what have you been reading? I'm always looking for a good recommendation, or something new to review. In fact, I should probably post "real" reviews for all 6 of these books on Goodreads. Maybe I'll get to that today, too. After I finish vacuuming the pine needles!

And be sure to leave a comment and tell me what to read next!

Happy New Year and Cover Reveal for JANUARY BLACK!

Happy New Year to all ! Hope everyone's holidays were happy ones, and your New Year's Eve full of good intentions for the coming year.... or something along those lines, at least!

One of my resolutions is to stick to a more regular blog schedule, but I haven't yet figured it out... I figure for now the idea of a plan will have to suffice. Be that as it may... I had to share a Cover Reveal from one of my fellow Crescent Moon Press authors for her new novel - JANUARY BLACK, by Wendy Russo.
( I love this cover!!!! )

The back cover reads:

Sixteen-year-old genius Matty Ducayn has never fit in on The Hill, an ordered place seriously lacking a sense of humor. After his school’s headmaster expels him for a small act of mischief, Matty’s future looks grim until King Hadrian comes to his rescue with a challenge: answer a question for a master’s diploma.

More than a second chance, this means freedom. Masters can choose where they work, a rarity among Regents, and the question is simple.

What was January Black?

It’s a ship. Everyone knows that. Hadrian rejects that answer, though, and Matty becomes compelled by curiosity and pride to solve the puzzle. When his search for an answer turns up long-buried state secrets, Matty’s journey becomes a collision course with a deadly royal decree. He’s been set up to fail, which forces him to choose. Run for his life with the challenge lost…or call the king’s bluff.

Wendy Russo got her start writing in the sixth grade. That story involved a talisman with crystals that had to be found and assembled before bad things happened, and dialog that read like classroom roll call. Since then, she's majored in journalism (for one semester), published poetry, taken a course on short novels, and watched most everything ever filmed by Quentin Tarantino. A Wyoming native transplanted in Baton Rouge, Wendy works for Louisiana State University as an IT analyst. She's a wife, a mom, a Tiger, a Who Dat, and she falls asleep on her couch at 8:30 on weeknights.

Her book should be available later this month, and she'll be a guest on this blog on January 17th! In the meantime you can stalk her find her on the web in the following places:

Blog <http://wendysrusso.wordpress.com>
Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wendy-S-Russo/134565346603922>
G+ <https://plus.google.com/112814882028410401663>
Twitter<https://twitter.com/#!/wendysrusso>
Goodreads <http://www.goodreads.com/wendysrusso>