Publishing for Vision & Hearing - Win ME!

Okay, well....you can't exactly win ME, but trust me, you wouldn't want that anyway. I'm a little high maintenance in person. But, I AM a pretty damn good critiquer, if I do say so myself. Some of the people I've read for before have gone on to get great agents, publishing contracts, and sweeeeeet indie pub sales. (Super proud of my pal Rebecca Lyndon for selling over 800 copies of her debut novella in the first few weeks.)

If you'd like a piece of that action, click right here. The best part is that you'll be supporting efforts to combat blindness and deafness. The Irene Goodman Agency has been working hard for this cause for many years. You can read more about it below.

And if I'm not your cup of tea, fear not! There are dozens of other authors, agents, and editors signed on to critique. Make your bid any time in December, and let's plan to kick some publishing ass together in the new year!

We auction the editorial services of editors, agents, and bestselling authors to give feedback to aspiring writers. Auction items can range from a lunch meeting to a proposal evaluation to an entire manuscript critique. All net proceeds go directly to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the Deafness Research Foundation, and other research organizations or clinics that further our cause. Through this auction, the united talent and expertise of the publishing community will dramatically transform lives. Our goal is to put ourselves out of business by making the twin scourges of blindness and deafness a thing of the past.

Mike's CLAWBACK cover revealed!

Aaaagh, how hard it's been to resist posting this cover until it was public. I LOVE my brother's book, as you are probably tired of hearing.

Too bad you have to wait until March for THIS:

"After a stint in the Middle East, black ops vet Silas Cade becomes an "accountant"-the go-to for financiers who need things done quickly, quietly, and by any means necessary. Silas is hired by a major player to pay a visit to a hedge fund manager to demand clawback: the mandatory return of compensation paid on a deal that goes bad. But before Cade can tell his client that he got his ten million back, the guy turns up dead.

And he's not the first. Someone's killing investment bankers whose funds have gone south. Silas's scrubbed identity, and his insider's perspective, makes him the ideal shadow man to track down whoever's murdering some of the most hated managers on Wall Street. With the aid of a beautiful financial blogger looking to break her first big story, Silas tracks a violent security crew who may be the key to the executions. But as paranoia and panic spread, he begins to wonder: is the threat coming from inside the game-or out?

With breakneck pacing, nonstop action, and cutting edge details of today's financial intelligence technology, Clawback hurtles to its final twist, a gripping contemporary tale of shady finance, venal corruption, and greed run rampant."

Check out Mike's web site, or follow him on twitter or Facebook.

Current Events Pie

An annual tradition at the Littlefield house, current events pie is a chance for Auntie and the kids to share what's going on in the world...with pastry.

This year's was pretty tough. Can you figure it out?



Ah, yes...the Republican slate of would-be presidents, each with his or her emblem...there's a "newt" (lizard), a tea party for michelle, pizza for Herman, skinny jeans for Mitt, EPA for Rick, communist sickle for Huntsman to honor his ambassadorship to China.

Of course the best thing of all was having our boy home. Picking him up at the train was one of my happiest moments.

My Thanksgiving Post

I'm thankful for my family and friends, of course, and for blessings earned and unexpected both. In no particular order:

Hearing "Mom, I love it here" after sending my baby out of the nest and off to college.
Fantastic co-workers, some of whom blur the whole friend/colleague line so hard you'd never know a line was ever there. In particular the one who never met a cliff she didn't want to jump off, and never runs out of "Hell yeah"
The sunset on the Lost Coast, even if - perhaps especially if - I hadn't showered in 4 days.
The wig shop - and the example G2 sets every day, and the gargoyle angel watching over her.
Everyone fighting over Mike.
Youthful ebullience - Junior's, and occasionally, mine. :)
That night on the roof.
Discovering a new, obscure author who took my breath away. Reading a passage that makes my heart pound. Reading.
Don Giovanni, and a spectacular donut.
A new Pen, and the old ones. Knowing there's a tire iron and an alley - figuratively, of course - for anyone who crosses us.
Parking lots and dashboard lights.
Smitty's, knowing there's a place JB'll always take me in, fries for dinner, Laphroaig, secret decoder necklaces, the way you always think your hair looks worst when it looks the BEST, sharing Watermelon Burts Bees, 1000 other things we haven't discovered yet.

Did I mention the best job in the world? If I ever finish this beast of a book, this is how I want to celebrate:

I want to walk into my favorite bar with my trusty sidekick. Outside it'll be raining, but inside it'll be as cozy as only neon bar signs and career drinkers and old linoleum floors and Marcello can make it. There, at the bar, will be Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. They'll buy us a drink - probably a shot of Old Crow with a bottle of Rolling Rock, and we'll spend the night telling tales. At about three in the morning, someone will suggest getting a little something to eat at the Merritt Diner. Probably a pile of bacon and a scrambled egg. And if Willie steals a kiss as the sun comes up and we stagger home, well, sometimes you just have to live a little.

Thank You, Big Guy, for blessing me every day and for keeping things interesting.

Winner: Heather E.!

I just had Junior help me draw a winner for my writing book collection, and it's Heather E.! Heather, I don't have a way to reach you via email so I really hope you see this. I'll give it a week before drawing another winner - the books are all boxed and taped up and ready to go!

Thanks to everyone else for participating. I loved reading all the comments about your favorite how-to books and manuals.

I always feel like a blog post should have a photo to keep it interesting, so here, for no good reason, are a couple of photos of gifts I recently received. How great is it to be me - my friends keep me well supplied with zombie paraphernalia!

Zombie cookie cutter from Rebecca

Zombie mug from Gigi

Win My Writing Library!

So once again I have moved and found that I don't have room in my office for all my books. This time, I'm going to give away the writing manuals and guides that have served me well. It's a good collection, because the last time I moved I gave away the ones that weren't very helpful - the baker's dozen that remain, pictured below, are my "keepers."

I'm definitely not saying I know everything there is to know about writing, and I'm sure I'll build up a whole new library in the future, but I've read these books and now it's time for them to find a new home.

To enter to win, just leave me a comment - tell me your own favorite writing book, or just say hi. Of course, as always, I appreciate a Facebook "like" or a Twitter follow.

I'll draw a winner this weekend.

P.S. You may notice my copy of King's ON WRITING isn't included. 'Cause I'll never part with that one.

Tinfoil Shoes

Last week Maureen Dowd wrote about, of all things, the biannual Manolo Blahnik sample sale. I didn't know much about the guy, except he designs shoes that are wayyyy out of my price range, but then I read this:

"During [Blahnik's] lonely childhood in the Canary Islands, he captured lizards and made shoes for them out of tinfoil saved by his mother from her Camel cigarette cartons."

There is so much story in that single sentence. If I had the cash I'd go out and buy a pair right now, I love that so much.

Perhaps these.

AFTERTIME Nominated for Goodreads Choice Award

i was thrilled to discover that AFTERTIME was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in the Horror Category. I'd love it if you'd consider voting for AFTERTIME to help me advance to the next round! Or cast your vote for my dear friend Steve Hockensmith, who's up for DREADFULLY EVER AFTER....either way, the good guy wins.

Vote here...