Mind Flutters

New things are coming!

I know, I know! I've been away for so long but I have a new project in the works!  It's called Mind Flutters and you can follow it on twitter @mindflutters.  There are new ebooks and a new letter mail subscription.  You can't sign up quite yet but stay tuned!

Do you miss letter mail? I know I do. I had penpals by the dozens when I was a teen.  Relive those days with beautiful photography and poems sent to your mailbox.

Happy Autumn and happy Thanksgiving (if you happen to be Canadian, like me)

Wednesday Morning Summer Sale

When you wake up on Wednesday morning, and for the next 3 days, House of the Empath will be on sale at Amazon.com.  Drop by and have a look!

Don't forget to leave a review after you read! Happy end of summer!

PS. I'll send a reminder that day :)

Excerpt from The Paper Lantern

Enjoy!

Mary felt the steady breaths behind her before she heard them.  She hadn’t heard footsteps.  She breathed in slowly without turning around and held very still as if whatever was behind her was a predatory wild beast stalking her and would pounce on any sudden movement.  She looked down and focused on her paints.

     “What are you doing?” said the voice, a young man’s voice, smooth and curious.

     “Painting.”  She kept her voice calm and steady.  She felt him crouch behind her and she relaxed.  He wasn’t about to attack.

     “At night?” 

     “It’s the best time.”  She opened a tube of blue paint.

     “I agree.”

     “You can watch,” she said, the fear gone out of her now.

     “All right. I’d like that.” Mary felt him settle down close by.

      She turned then to look at him. He was in front of the paper lantern, his face cast in shadow.  The words her grandmother had said came back to her. Words about things and shadows, but his breath was warm on her neck.  She was not afraid.

     “You’re very pretty,” he said.

     “You’re very blunt.”  She put down her canvas then and shifted on the rocks so that she wasn’t looking at his face silhouetted by the lantern like a solar eclipse.  Away from the light, she could make out more details.  He was lean with slightly mussed sandy hair and eyes blessed with thick lashes. He was possibly a year or two older than she was. The star painting was no longer so important.  She’d give anything to paint the face of this boy but she wasn’t ready to look away from him yet.

     “Why are you here?” she asked.

     “I’ve always been here.”  His voice was soft, almost a whisper, but tense.

     “What do you mean?” she asked.  He reached out and touched a stray bit of her hair that had escaped her ponytail. She leaned back just out of his reach.  She noticed his clothing then.  His top was dirty and his pants were two sizes too big.  The word urchin came to mind, a boy from a Charles Dickens novel.

     “I mean I’ll be here whenever you come.”

Buy Today

A plan in the works

So, have you signed up for the newsletter yet?  I hope you have so you're not missing out on great contests and reads!

A plan is in the works here at my writing desk.  I've been struggling with what to write, what to dump, what to publish and finally have a plan for the second half of this year.  I'm aiming for at least one release a month.  Joining the newsletter will ensure you don't miss out on anything.

It's been a wet, cool summer which I'm so not impressed with!  I hope it's been warm where you are.

Here's my question for today. I'm looking at how to market more effectively.  What makes you buy an ebook?  Is it the cover, the blurb, the site you found it on?  Go ahead and leave a comment below. 

:) Jen

So bad...but here's a poem!

Okay, yes, I'm a horrible blogger.  I've found that out and will now attempt to be better.  Working now on the sequel to House of the Empath. Not sure yet what the title will be but I'll keep you updated.

Here's a quick little poem for a summer day

Sophie Fishes

She stands knee deep,
her fur fanned out in the water,
for hours in sun or shade
as long as I'm near
as if a look could pop
that defensive, flashy bass
Right out of the water
Into her waiting mouth
as if she could catch it
and then what...?

New Release!

What a beautiful night! Hope it's this nice wherever you are!  The mosquitos are obnoxious though.

So, in current news.... Rail Ties will be available tomorrow on Amazon.  It's a prologue to a longer work for romance.  Set during the Great Depression, a young girl leaves home in an attempt to find a job to help out her family.  Not really knowing where she's headed or what might happen, Josephine jumps a train headed north. It's on that train that she meets Christian, a handsome writer who offers his advice. So begins her adventure into independence.

If you read anything on Amazon, don't forget to leave a review. It's so important to authors.  Up next, a poem for you all to enjoy. Check back next week.

Try This Out

Dream Job

So, I was just visiting a forum where the job of owning a bookstore was in discussion. This is absolutely my dream job if it came with a guarantee of not going under.  This however, is not reality. I buy my books from Amazon more than I visit my local bookstore (which is a gorgeous little place, overflowing with books).

For now, I have to put up with my day job which pays the bills.

What about you? What's your dream job?

Just Thoughts

“I believe neither in what I touch nor what I see. I only believe in what I do not see, and solely in what I feel.”

Gustave Moreau

The Paper Lantern is available! ....and contest details

Yay! It's release day!  The Paper Lantern is now available on Amazon !  Click the link to purchase.  I'd love to hear what you think. 

In celebrations, if you can answer these two questions, I'll send you a free copy of my middle grade book, Persephia by mail.  Email your answers to me along with your mailing address and the first one I receive will win!

1.  What is the name of the boy in The Paper Lantern?

2.  Who warns Mary of the coming storm?

Thanks for playing! (Contest Deadline~ April 1)

The Paper Lantern

Coming this week to Amazon! If you read it and like it, please post a review on Amazon. I'll post more info and a blurb soon. Here is the beautiful cover

Revision Intimidation

My revision pile is currently scaring me! I have four book here that I want to release within the next two months. Not sure I can do it, but it's a goal to shoot for.

Look intimidating to you? I guess nothing worthwhile is easy to do. Writing is hard! I'd rather be crocheting a scarf! Seriously! 

 

Gathering Thoughts

I personally love to hear stories about the success indie authors have found. Total creative control is a dream and many authors have had that dream come true. 

Stories about the struggles of taking it all on yourself, whether you've been successful or not, help to bring us all together and promote a sense of belonging. We're all writers! 

Care to share a story?

Contest: The Shadow Prince Teaser Tuesday #10

Here's a great contest for all YA readers and writers!  Go enter!  Bree Despain is offering a fantastic contest and I know you will be thrilled to read her teaser.



Just click on the link below to be taken to Bree's page where you can enter to win! Have fun!



"Read Bree: The Shadow Prince Teaser Tuesday #10: Read the fir...: I am very excited for this week’s Teaser Tuesday. Hypable is hosting the release of the first 2 chapters of THE SHADOW PRINCE!"

An Inspiring Story!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAClMJwj0CY&amp=&ref_=73&noredirect=1

An inspirational story from an indie author who's found success.   This is something that all of us can appreciate and be inspired by.  Enjoy her story!

Why Write?

A blog you must follow!

Below is a link to a blog post from someone you should be following if you're a writer who is not yet published or if you write for a hobby or even if you just need to feel writer-ish.  This is a great post that encompasses quite a bit of what I wrestle with on a daily basis.  Enjoy~

Writing Dragons

It's Winter in Ontario

Sophie loving all seasons!