Literary R&R has reviewed Ashes. Find out what they thought of it!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
99 cent sale for The Day After Yesterday (Kindle edition)
For one day only, the Kindle edition of The Day After Yesterday is on sale for just 99 cents.
Visit Ereader News Today to take advantage of the sale, save yourself $2, and get a darn fine book to read (if I do say so myself).
Visit Ereader News Today to take advantage of the sale, save yourself $2, and get a darn fine book to read (if I do say so myself).
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Writing craft: Beyond the sea
In the not-too-distant future I'm going to be heading off on vacation - to the beach, to be specific.
I really can't think of a place I love more than the beach. I grew up in Southern California so I'm partial to that state's coastline, but really, as long as the it's that stretch where the ocean meets the land, I'm happy. I love the smell, I love the sound of the waves. There's a feeling of timelessness about the beach that's comforting somehow.
I like the beach in summer, when it's playtime. And I like it in winter, when it's good for wandering.
The beach is also very inspiring to me. It resets my mental equilibrium. The smell alone relaxes me. One time, when life was not going all that well, I stopped at one of my favorite beaches - El Capitan State Beach, just north of Santa Barbara. I paid the day use fee and spent a few hours wandering the shore and the coastal trails.
Best ten bucks I ever spent.
The beach is a big influence on my writing. You'll notice that the "good" places in my books - the fictional towns of Los Cielos, CA in The Day After Yesterday and Haven Cove, BC in Ashes - are coastal towns. Los Cielos is based on several real places that include my hometown of Redondo Beach, CA, as well as Laguna Beach. Moreover, Daniel's walk up the state of California in The Day After Yesterday takes place mostly on the coast, with particular attention called to the coastline of Ventura and Santa Barbara, and his journey ends in another coastal town, the fictional Faber.
My characters often have epiphanies on the beach, or at the very least experience life-changing moments there. The scene that opens The Day After Yesterday takes place at a beachside diner, and is the linchpin for much of what happens in the book. Likewise, in Ashes Jennifer celebrates the one-year anniversary of her survival at the coast, and the book's climactic scene is at a house near the sea. And in Ashes' forthcoming sequel Reckoning, there is another crucial event on a beach, this time in Maine.
So you can imagine that I'm looking forward to spending a few days near the beach. I've got reading material picked out, local restaurants researched, and oh yes, have a vague idea of what clothes I might pack. (Hey, I've got priorities.) And I'm definitely bringing the journal in which I keep my story ideas and musings. I'm looking forward to some long walks on the shore, and who knows, maybe that experience will appear in another book.
I really can't think of a place I love more than the beach. I grew up in Southern California so I'm partial to that state's coastline, but really, as long as the it's that stretch where the ocean meets the land, I'm happy. I love the smell, I love the sound of the waves. There's a feeling of timelessness about the beach that's comforting somehow.
I like the beach in summer, when it's playtime. And I like it in winter, when it's good for wandering.
The beach is also very inspiring to me. It resets my mental equilibrium. The smell alone relaxes me. One time, when life was not going all that well, I stopped at one of my favorite beaches - El Capitan State Beach, just north of Santa Barbara. I paid the day use fee and spent a few hours wandering the shore and the coastal trails.
Best ten bucks I ever spent.
The beach is a big influence on my writing. You'll notice that the "good" places in my books - the fictional towns of Los Cielos, CA in The Day After Yesterday and Haven Cove, BC in Ashes - are coastal towns. Los Cielos is based on several real places that include my hometown of Redondo Beach, CA, as well as Laguna Beach. Moreover, Daniel's walk up the state of California in The Day After Yesterday takes place mostly on the coast, with particular attention called to the coastline of Ventura and Santa Barbara, and his journey ends in another coastal town, the fictional Faber.
My characters often have epiphanies on the beach, or at the very least experience life-changing moments there. The scene that opens The Day After Yesterday takes place at a beachside diner, and is the linchpin for much of what happens in the book. Likewise, in Ashes Jennifer celebrates the one-year anniversary of her survival at the coast, and the book's climactic scene is at a house near the sea. And in Ashes' forthcoming sequel Reckoning, there is another crucial event on a beach, this time in Maine.
So you can imagine that I'm looking forward to spending a few days near the beach. I've got reading material picked out, local restaurants researched, and oh yes, have a vague idea of what clothes I might pack. (Hey, I've got priorities.) And I'm definitely bringing the journal in which I keep my story ideas and musings. I'm looking forward to some long walks on the shore, and who knows, maybe that experience will appear in another book.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Ashes giveaway at Goodreads
Calling all Goodreads members - from now until April 15, you can enter to win a free copy of my suspense novel Ashes. There will be five lucky winners. Just check out the Goodreads giveaways page to learn more.
To see what readers and bloggers are saying about Ashes, visit its Amazon page.
To see what readers and bloggers are saying about Ashes, visit its Amazon page.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Picked for Teaser Tuesday
The Day After Yesterday was picked at the I.O.U. Sex - A Novel blog to be part of Teaser Tuesday. Take a look!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Watch this now: Trailer for Much Ado About Nothing
It's the Reese's Peanut Butter cup of culture - William Shakespeare and Joss Whedon!
Cannot wait!
Cannot wait!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
On the shelf at The Book Store in Lompoc, CA
Ashes is now on sale at another indie bookstore, The Book Store in Lompoc, CA. They've a great selection of new and used books - check them out!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Review of Ashes at POD People blog
The POD People blog (specializing in self-published books) has their review of Ashes up now. Check it out!
Look what's on the shelves at Vroman's Bookstore
Take a look! Ashes is on the shelves at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, in their Local and Independent Author section.
Always a good feeling to see your title on the shelf!
Always a good feeling to see your title on the shelf!
Kelly's Big Score: A Little Business, A Little Pleasure Edition
Went up the coast to talk to a few bookstores about stocking my novel Ashes. While I was there I picked up:
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
The Madman's Daughter - Megan Sheperd
Sacre Bleu - Christopher Moore
Safe Haven - Nicholas Sparks
And a couple of vintage paperbacks - Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster and The Jaws Log by Carl Gottlieb.
I think I should have plenty to read for vacation later this month...
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
The Madman's Daughter - Megan Sheperd
Sacre Bleu - Christopher Moore
Safe Haven - Nicholas Sparks
And a couple of vintage paperbacks - Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster and The Jaws Log by Carl Gottlieb.
I think I should have plenty to read for vacation later this month...
Books read in 2013: February
Here's what I read in the month of February:
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry (re-read)
The Chronicles of Prydain (The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, The High King) - Lloyd Alexander
Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse
First book for March is Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry (re-read)
The Chronicles of Prydain (The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, The High King) - Lloyd Alexander
Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse
First book for March is Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Ashes: now available!
My novel Ashes, the first in a two-book suspense series, is now available in print and ebook. What's it about? Here's what the back cover says:
Anonymous. That was Jennifer’s life. But when she survived a domestic terrorist attack and her last-minute escape became the iconic image of the event, that life was over. Wanting only to disappear and become just another face in the crowd, she cashed in on her unwanted fame and moved to a small town, hidden away and safe.
Retired. That was Sean’s life. A former covert operative – the kind the government denies exists – he’d been pushed unwillingly into a life of suburban peace and quiet. But his retirement ended when he saw Jennifer’s rescue; from then on he only wanted to find those responsible for the attack, even if it meant turning rogue.
What Jennifer and Sean will both find is that nothing goes to plan, and their paths will cross in a way neither could have foreseen.
Ashes is available in print at Amazon, at Vroman's bookstore in Pasadena, and at The Book Loft in Solvang. For ebook, get the Kindle version at Amazon, and for all other e-readers visit Smashwords.
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