Crazy Cat Lady Advice from Elizabeth Seckman! Plus Godzilla, Indiana Jones, Ninja News, and a List of Upcoming Events

The Ninja is Everywhere!

I have an interview with the ever-enthusiastic Livia Peterson today! Short, simple, and unique – just the way I like it.

I’m also posting at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group website today on revision tips. Perfect for those of you finishing NaNo soon. My very first writing tips post! Feel free to humor me…

If you missed the #SFFWRTCHT Twitter chat last week, the full transcript is now up at the SFFW Chat Website.

And on Tuesday, Cassafire is the featured science fiction book with The Fussy Librarian!


And now, please welcome one of the funniest, sweetest, and most positive authors I know - Elizabeth Seckman!

Advice from the Crazy Cat Lady

My grandmother was a writer; a dreamer; an agoraphobic cat lover. She owned several acres of “farm” land that bumped up against a busy city. It was a green oasis just a few turns from the interstate. There was never any live stock on the farm, just pets. Lots and lots of pets. Seems people knew Mary Hartman had a soft heart and kept any creature dumped on her. Many times all of her monthly income would be spent at the vet as she scrambled to keep all the animals healthy and spayed.

I was in my teens when it hit me- my grandma was a crazy cat lady!

At least I knew that was how the world saw her. People didn’t care that she was once a speakeasy songstress or a greeting card poet.

Nope. Most of the world didn’t see past the cats. People would be rude to her…make sneaky snide comments.

Wow. That would that light me up. I’d want her to get mad, to get even…but she never did.

One day, she calmly told me, “If you ever want to know a person’s true nature, watch how they treat someone they have nothing to gain from.”

That’s some highly beneficial advice for a writer.

The literary world is a striated mish mash. From the smalls to the bigs. The traditionals and the indies. We meander in many of the same circles vying for the same market. So, as I wander, I take note- who is snarky, who is helpful, who is kind to the newbie who can’t even spell query? Who won’t deign to mingle with the uncontracted? Offer help when it doesn’t further their own career?

These are important things to know because everyone starts at the beginning. And unless you have a crystal ball, no one knows who will be where in a year…or five…or ten. That’s a mystery, but who you can trust doesn’t have to be. While you’re sitting on the lower rungs? This is where you find out where the loyal, dependable, trustworthy, and true are. Take notes and remember.

Elizabeth Seckman is a simple chick with a simple dream…to write stories people want to read. Find her - Blog, Facebook, and Amazon.

Fate Intended is the third book in the Coulter Men Series.
Fate brought them together…reality may tear them apart.

And to celebrate the release of Fate Intended, Elizabeth’s publisher is offering the first two books for ninety-nine cents on Amazon - Healing Summer and Past Due!

Ninja News

The ever-amazing Father Dragon threw an anniversary party this weekend that is probably still in full swing. Honoring his best friends with kind words and this award, Al revealed his dedicated heart and wise soul. Thank you, my friend.


Karen’s Very Prestigious Blog Awards are now open for voting. Several blogger buddies are nominated and I’m up for favorite blog!

The trailer for Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson debuted last week – check It out:

All six volumes of The Cindy Chronicles by RaShelle Workman are now available in one set for one great price!

And she’s offering prizes to celebrate, so check it out! 

Upcoming Events

Frozen comes out November 27, and despite my initial reservations, I may have to go see this one. It’s currently 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and being hailed a classic.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving for those of us in the USA. Wishing all of you a happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your day of food, family, and potentially crappy football.

Milo James Fowler is hosting another Freebies special – Tis More Blessed. “If you have a book/eBook/short story/collection you'd like to give away or raffle off on Friday December 6th, Friday the 13th, Friday the 20th, or Friday the 27th, just enter your name and the date(s) of your giveaway under Link Title.” I’ve signed up to give away copies of my books, but I’m a rebel – I will be giving them away on Monday, December 16.

The last Insecure Writer’s Support Group posting of the year is on December 4. Please note that the first one of 2014 will be the second Wednesday, January 8, due to the New Year’s Day holiday.

Lexa Cain and Julie Flanders’ Dream Destination Blog Hop is December 5-8. Lots of prizes for this one!

CheersFest 2.0 is December 9! We are roasting Lee ‘Arlee Bird’ of Tossing it Out this year. Yes, we are roasting the bird…
We also have a second badge now, designed by the awesome Jeremy Hawkins.

The Fifty States of Pray is Christmas Eve, December 24, hosted by Mark Koopmans. (Also known as The Madman or M-Koo!)

The signup list opens December 1 – join us in posting some encouraging words of prayer or blessing on Christmas Eve. 

Awesome Images

Jo Blo listed some awesome images they’d found around the net, including this one from Brian Rood, titled Indiana Jones. Check out his site for more amazing images.

From Blastr: they’ve kept his appearance mostly hidden, but “we get a teaser sample in a Godzilla tie-in book "kit" that will feature both a Godzilla figure that roars and 48 pages of material on the history of Godzilla and the making of the new movie will be released sometime next year.” And the cover:

Finally, this comes from Edi’s Book Lighthouse - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. It’s fifteen minutes long, so if you don’t have time, please bookmark it to watch later. It’s a stunning animation…


Yes, it’s post overload, but I won’t post again until next Monday. (Really rocking with the outline for my next book right now.) 
Do you know a crazy cat lady? Participating in any of those events? Think the images are awesome? And what are you doing for Thanksgiving?

Be sure to visit Livia Peterson for my interview, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group for revision tips, and if you missed my Twitter chat last week, the SFFW Chat Website for the transcript.

Mini-Alex on Vacation, Upcoming Events, Ninja News, and the Big News – CheersFest 2.0 Roastee!!!

Vacation and Mini Alex Photo

I’m back!!!

The wife and I had a great time seeing the sights and consuming food. (Don’t worry – we were go-go-go all week and I worked off all of my indulgences.) Actually had a couple chilly days – should’ve gone farther south!

Mini-Alex went along although he spent most of the time chilling in the hotel room. (Probably watched Sports Center and drank beer all day while we were gone.) He did slip out one day and posed by the river, but otherwise he preferred to stay indoors.

I missed everyone and tried to check in every day, although thirty minutes isn’t enough time to visit more than a few blogs and my email. However, I did work more on my outline and will pull back a day or two from blogging to start writing again.

Upcoming Events!

Tuesday, I am visiting Jessica Bell at the Alliterative Allomorph. I talk about the journey beyond your book’s release and how the stories in Indiestructible can help you down that path.

Wednesday I have the honor of participating in the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer’s Chat on Twitter! These weekly chats with authors, publishers, editors and others discuss relevant topics for SFF writing. They are hosted by author-editor, SFWA affiliate member, and SF Signal contributor Bryan Thomas Schmidt and reposted at the SFFW Chat Website. The chat is one hour and begins at 9:00 pm EST. Follow along with hashtag #sffwrtcht and @sffwrtcht or @BryanThomasS.

Ninja News

I’m sorry I missed most of the Realms Faire last week, but it appeared to be another successful and fun time this year. (And I believe the winning knight will be announced today.) Congratulations Mary – you’ve started an incredible event that will only continue to grow.

Rachel Schieffelbein’s Run for the Roses comes out Tuesday. The tour kicks off this week, so visit her site for details. Congratulations, Rachel!

Angela Orlowski-Peart’s latest, Almost Matched, is out now! She’s offering a great giveaway including books from other authors, so see her site for more information. Congratulations, Angela!

Crystal Collier’s latest is out, Moonless. Her blog tour for this historical paranormal YA story goes through the end of the month, so check it out. Congratulations, Crystal!


Last week I left you with some deep questions. (Not really!) The one I need to clarify was my question about people who don’t return comments. What I mean were those who don’t visit your blog after you comment on theirs. Not just one random comment, because I know those are easy to miss, but those who don’t return multiple comments. (And these can be seasoned bloggers, not just newbies.)
Hope that makes the question clearer.
And it really only takes three licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop.

Friday was amazing – so many balloons were released in Andrew’s honor! Kyra made a video for Nick Wilford’s family and Andrew, and it’s very touching:

CheersFest 2.0

“Ever attended a Christmas party where you bump into the one person who was always there for you during the past year. You’d thank them for being such a RockStar, right?”

So began the inaugural CheersFest (aka AlexFest) when our Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh, was roasted and toasted in December 2012.

Everyone, including A-Cav had such a great time that we’ve decided to do it again.

(Tears really big envelope with a flourish…)

“Ladies and gentlemen, the 2013 recipient of CheersFest is none other than Arlee “Lee” Bird.”

On his main blog, “Tossing It Out,” Lee describes himself, in part, “as a writer, speaker, entertainer, music lover, collector, husband, father, grandfather, friend, traveler, seeker of truth and wisdom.” He majored in English while at the University of Tennessee, has blogged since 2008, and currently has six blogs that delve into his diverse mind.

The original brains behind the annual A to Z Challenge, Lee can be counted on to pay it forward and is a well-respected member of the blogging community.

Hosted again by Mark Koopmans, Morgan Shamy, David Powers King, Stephen Tremp and The Ninja Captain himself, CheersFest 2.0 will go LIVE! Dec. 9, 2013.

In order to proper cheer (or roast) Lee:

Here are four questions for you to answer on CheersFest Day, but please keep the retorts short – (no longer than 20 words each):

·                     Why did Lee come up with the A-Z Challenge?

·                     If someone dreams about being a juggler, what does it mean?

·                     Is a post by Mr. Bird worth two in the bush?

·                     Who could play Lee in a documentary? (Living or dead.)

In +/- 100 words, (excluding the title) write flash fiction using all these prompts:

·                     Bird

·                     Juggler

·                     Challenge

·                     Brown Jacket

·                     Tossing

For Bonus Points:

·                     In +/- 40 words, can you come up with a caption for Lee’s Facebook picture? 

As usual, the Very Demanding Rules of CheersFest include:

·                     Join the Linky List *below*

·                     Have fun

·                     Post your 200 (total) word contribution ON Monday, Dec. 9, 2013.

·                     No, seriously. Have Fun!

Two winners – chosen by Lee – will each win a prize:

·                     An autographed color photo of Arlee Bird appearing as the Court Wizard in the World of Fantasy Players. Also included in the first prize pack are an assortment of promotional materials from Lee’s show biz days with a personal letter and a brief history of his entertainment career.

·                     A personalized graphics design from Jeremy at Being Retro for the winner’s blog. (Jeremy will design a header, badge, button, banner, or whatever might appeal to the winner.)

·                      

Excited to roast and toast our blogger buddy, Lee?

If so, the Linky is now open. Sign up and we’ll see you on Dec. 9^th

Did you miss me? Ready for a vacation? (I think I need another one.) Excited about the new books? Did you release a balloon for Andrew? Know why some people don’t comment? And are you ready to roast Lee this year for CheersFest? I’m ready to be on the other side of the roasting this year…

Don’t forget to visit Jessica Bell on Tuesday and follow the #sffwrtcht chat on Twitter Wednesday evening from 9-10:00 pm EST!