November 8th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina – 

Happy Friday! To be honest, yesterday felt like Friday already because my daughter has a four day weekend. Yesterday and today are Teachers’ Convention, so schools are closed. I had forgotten all about it until my daughter came home from school on Wednesday and asked if she could sleep over a friend’s house. I said not on a school night and she said not to worry, she’d be home by Sunday. She’s such a brat. The child is incredibly quick-witted.

When she was four or five, which put her brother in the thirteen - fourteen range, was when we really started noticing this, often comical, sometimes annoying, trait. My son used to be a big guy – I’m talking 4’6” and 100 lbs going into kindergarten big. Anyway, my son was going through a phase, like many teenaged boys do, where he was growing his hair long. Normally I didn’t care about the kids’ hair (it can be short, long, purple, spiked, shaved – whatever, it was hair, no matter what they did, it wasn’t permanent), but we were coming up on a holiday.

We were sitting in the living room watching tv, when my son walked through. I asked him if he was going to cut his hair, and said he was starting to look like a hippie. That’s when my little one chimes in and says, “Yeah, a hippiepotomus.” For a second, the room went completely silent, then we all busted up laughing, even my son. He did go and get his hair cut. Not short, but he got it shaped so he no longer looked like a sheepdog, and that’s all I really wanted. However, because of the reaction my daughter got, she now felt free to release her one-liners at will.

Sorry for the detour into left field there, but I thought you’d get a kick out of the story. The reason I began to tell you all of this was, since my daughter spent Wednesday night into Thursday at a friend’s, I had the house to myself, so it was quiet and I was able to work on Faerie Tale Queen. (The next chapter will be posted on FB later today.) Today however, she’s home. Hopefully she’ll sleep until ten and I’ll get some writing accomplished. If not, it won’t be until Monday when I can get some serious words down, and I’m behind already. Yesterday I should have hit the 12.5K mark and I’m only at 10K.

Since my window for writing is going to be very small for these next three days, my blogs are going to be on the short and sweet side, so I can grab whatever quiet I’m allotted.

On that note, I hope you have a fabulous Friday and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge:

 

The countdown has begun…

 

Thirty days, a whole month, no problem, this will be a piece of cake. I’ll pace myself, do a little each day, and, who knows, maybe I’ll even finish early. Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go. I’m so excited.

Twenty seven days, I’m off to a good start, as expected, I’m ahead of the game. I think I’ve earned a break.

Twenty two days, I’ve been a little distracted and have fallen behind a bit, but it’s no big deal, there’s still plenty of time. I’m not worried.

Sixteen days, the laundry, the groceries, the house, a nasty cold, now I’m really behind. How am I ever going to finish? Don’t panic, don’t panic, you can still do this.

One week left! Maybe if I kick everyone out of the house and pull a couple of all nighters, I’ll still have a chance. Why do I do this to myself? Never again!

The last day. The final word is written. The end product is submitted. I finished with a few hours to spare. I knew I could. I can’t wait for next time!

The cycle of a NaNoWriMo participant.

 

Hey guys, don't forget today is the last day to enter Heidi Angell's contest for a signed copy of Angel's Dance. It's the top contest on the right of my page. Good luck!

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

 

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

November 2nd Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina – 

Okay folks, I know the look of the blog today is really different, but there is a good reason. I am participating in a blog hop for Heidi Angell and she is giving away prizes. You only have a few days to enter the first one, so you better click now. The other two giveaways will be going on for three weeks, so you have a little more time on them.

 

 

Here's what the items look like: 

Angel's Dance - only 6 days left on this one folks. Enter now.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bookmarks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Poster:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a really cool idea, and I’ve seen other authors do similar events. Both Heather Graham and Stephanie Laurens have done contests with other authors, and the readers needed to go to each of the author’s sites and do something (make a comment, hit the “like” button, count the pumpkins, whatever) to be entered into the contest. It was a fun way to introduce you to authors you may not know and see what was new with your favorite authors. I just wish I had the technological expertise to do something similar for my next book release.

Since I am a technological ditz, I’m going to keep it real simple. For my Facebook and Twitter followers, you need to log onto my blog - http://christinapaulbooks.blogspot.com/ - put “ENTERED” into the comments section, and then you can click on the contest giveaway buttons (yes you can enter all three) on the right hand side. For my blog followers, you still need to put “ENTERED” into the comments section, and then you can click on the contest giveaway buttons on the right hand side.

So, all this hubbub and rearranging is because Heidi Angell is releasing Angel’s Dance, her sequel to Elements of a Broken Mind, which I reviewed (and thoroughly enjoyed) a few months back.

Grant and Clear are back, and they’re better than ever. After several months with no contact, Grant shows up in Clear’s doorstep, in tears, looking like hell and begging for her help. His daughter had been kidnapped and the trail has gone cold. He has nowhere else to turn if he wants to get his get his daughter back. He just prays he’s not too late already.

Seeing Grant again is difficult for Clear, and what he is asking her to do could literally destroy her, but how could she refuse him when a child’s life was at stake?

You are thrown into the seedy underbelly of the dance world, the polar opposite to the grace and beauty seen by the public. And somewhere within that dance world lies a psychopath…

This psychological thriller sucks you in, thrashes you about, and won’t let you go. At the end, you are completely spent, yet somehow left craving for more. Heidi Angell has outdone herself on this one.

Elements of a Broken Mind is available on Amazon if you are interested in reading the first book in the series before Angel's Dance is released later this month.  

I hope you have a great day and happy writing!

 

Your Last Challenge:

 

You work at a restaurant – you witness a blind date that goes horrible wrong

 

“Morey, Morey, you are not going to believe what just happened at table twelve.” Tabatha exclaimed as she rushed into the kitchen through the swinging doors.

“How many time has I got to tell you, you dimwit use the door on the RIGHT, ALWAYS the door on the right!”

Tabatha cracked her gum in response, “Whatever. It ain’t like anyone else would be comin’ out the left doors anyways. You sure as heck ain’t gunna. So anyways, guess what happened.”

“I don’t give a dang what happened. Ain’t yous got tables to wait on? An iffin you don’t, you could always clean up… Yeah, like that’ll ever happen.”

“Quit bein’ a jerk and listen. You know that new English teacher who’s been comin’ in here.”

“The tall doofy guy?”

“Yeah, he’s the one. Anyways, Trixie started feelin’ sorry him. Sittin’ there all by himself, day after day, eatin’ alone. So, she fixed him up with her cousin Cassey.”

“Aw cripes, not Sassy Cassey!”

“The very one.”

“The poor shlub!”

“You said it. So anyways, Mr. Teacher man comes in dressed all professor like. He’s even got a bunch of flowers. Not ones he picked out of a garden neither, they had paper around them and everything. Then in walks Cassey.”

Your Next Challenge is:

 

There is a knock at your door and you answer it to find a lawyer. He tells you your great uncle has passed away and has left everything to you. One of the things he has left you was and island. Yes, you now own your very own island…

 

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.