The Magic Wakes Hop, Ninja News, Small Things, and the Best Way to Support an Author

The Magic Wakes Mini Blog Hop!

Thanks for hosting me today Alex!

So many wonderful people have offered to help me out with my debut book release blog tour that somehow I signed up 6 people for my 5 stop mini blog hop today. Now some people might think this is a sign of poor planning, but I choose to see it as an opportunity and a blessing. What better place to start a blog hop than on the most supportive writer’s blog in the blogosphere?

Today’s blog hop is a series of bite sized posts on my Top 5 Things I Wish I Had Know Before I Started Writing. 5 great bloggers agreed to host me on their blogs:

Cally Jackson--Time
Elizabeth Poole--Publishing Options
Charity--The Process
Mason CanyonCritique Partners
Katy Sozaeva--Platform Building

If you want to learn more about the novel, you can visit my website to read the blurb and view the trailer.
And don’t forget to sign up for my two giveaways on my blog under the giveaways tab. You can win one of two amethyst necklaces that I made to represent my MCs necklace, and/or 1 of 2 signed copies of the printed book on Goodreads.

Charity Bradford
The Magic Wakes February 19th, 2013 from WiDo Publishing
Website
Blog - My Writing Journey
Facebook

Congratulations, Charity!

Ninja News

Everyone have a good Valentine’s Day? We didn’t do anything really special. But then, I don’t need a special day to tell my wife I love her.


The A to Z Challenge Participant list on Twitter can be found HERE

Terry Lynn Johnson revealed the cover of Ice Dogs, due out February 2014, this week – and it’s amazing. Congratulations, Terry!



Christine Rains’ latest book is now available – 1303: The Dragonslayer.

Mina Burrows revealed the cover and blurb for her upcoming book, Blessed Blood. Congratulations, Mina!


Misha Gericke announced the winners of the Paying Forward Awards:
Most Encouraging Blogger:
1) Alex J. Cavanaugh
2) Julie Luek
Best Reviewer:
1) David Powers King
2) Amy Cockram
Best Writing/Inspirational Blogger:
1) Annalisa Crawford
2) Elizabeth Spann Craig
Beginner/Small Blogger with Most Potential:
1) Livia Peterson
2) Al Diaz
Thanks to everyone who voted for me and congratulations to the other winners!

Clare and Kyra are hosting the Bloghop of Joy on March 1 – see their sites to sign up.

Celebrate the Small Things

For VikLit’s weekly “Celebrate the Small Things,” I’m celebrating that I’m almost done with revisions to CassaStorm and plan to send it back to my publisher on Monday!

Next Friday I’ll be celebrating something big - the CassaStorm Cover Reveal! Thanks again to everyone who has signed up to help.

Best Way to Help an Author

Elizabeth Craig at Mystery Writing is Murder posted this week about author copies, but she stated that the best way to support an author was to buy that author’s book. (I’d also read that on a major book marketing site recently.)

That’s good to know, because I’ve purchased a lot of my author buddies’ books! (And those of you with books in the iBookstore – I and my two dozen iTunes gift cards thank you.)

Of course, I’ll keep doing features and shout-outs here, because I know those help as well.

Following Charity’s tour or plan to pick up her book? (I already have it!) What did you do for Valentine’s Day? Excited about the new books and covers? Celebrating something small this week? And do you support authors by buying their books?

Mush!

No, I’m not talking romantic mush – yuck!

Dog sledding mush!

Terry Lynn Johnson’s first book, Dogsled Dreams, was released a few weeks ago. She’s a fellow blogger and super nice person, so I asked her to tell me a little more about dogsled racing. She also listed signs of dogsled addiction guaranteed to make you laugh! So please welcome Terry…

Dogs ran my life for over twelve years.

Yes, the term “musher” usually means someone who runs sled dogs, but I found it was the other way around. And I think most mushers would agree.

To own a team of dogs is all or nothing. You must be completely committed to them, because they give you everything in return. When I wasn’t on the trail, I was dreaming about dogs, planning events with the dogs, weighing dogs, inspecting dog feet, cooking for dogs, picking up dog poop, grooming dogs, studying dog charts, or talking about dogs.

At a dogsled race, you will see the results of months of running together – alone, often at night, through mud, then icy trails, then finally snow, and blizzards. Years of living and working together, creating strong bonds.

The relationship mushers have with their dogs is more than that of a pet. I have had several pet dogs. I’ve never seen any of them look at me the way one of my leaders have. I know that dogs – all dogs – seem to have the ability to look into your soul. But I simply can’t explain the understanding that reflects back from the eyes of a sled dog. I’m sure it’s the same with any working dog. The dogs seem to relish they have a job. They are relied upon. They are needed and have responsibilities – especially lead dogs.

Dogsled racing isn’t really about going fast down a trail.

I hope that in my novel DOGSLED DREAMS, I show that relationship and help people understand why anyone would want to do this crazy thing. You can read the first chapter and more at my site, Terry Lynn Johnson

So that you don’t think I’m just some weird anomaly who had a strange, unnatural attachment to her dogs – here's what other mushers said about their dogs on a forum on Sled Dog Central.


You know you have a problem with being addicted to dogsledding when:

You spend more time reading the labels on dog food bags than you do your own food.

You sleep with the window open to get used to the cold.

You think dog hair is a food group.

Checking dog poop for consistency is no longer weird.

You have your favorite sprint sled in your living room so you can study it.

After a heavy snow, you dig out the dog yard before the driveway or front steps.

You change the straw in the dog houses more often than you change your bed sheets.

When you can tell which dog is barking in a kennel of 40 dogs.

The second you think, “I have four, what difference does two more make?”

To order DOGSLED DREAMS -
Barnes and Noble
Amazon Canada