Bidding You Adieu

Yep. That means goodbye.

You probably have noticed that updates have been scarce in recent months. Truth be told, life has changed — in good ways! —and I simply don't have time to blog like I used to. In addition to writing, I'm now a full-time freelance editor (check out my business's site at booksidemanner.com), and while being my own boss is fantastic, it does leave me with less time for other things.

I will keep the blog here, so feel free to browse through the archives for random and sundry thoughts on books, writing, movies, and more. 

Thanks for reading!

A birthday gift to my readers: Join my email list for a chance to win a gift card!

Greetings everyone!

July is nigh, and that means my birthday is as well. I'm going to celebrate by giving back to the people who've made the last couple years so enjoyable - my readers.

At the end of July, I will randomly choose a reader and send him or her a $30 gift card/coupon to the ebook retailer of their choice: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, or Smashwords.

All you have to do is join my email newsletter by the end of July. It's quick, simple, and free. You'll receive news and updates about my books (including a sneak preview of my forthcoming mystery Undertow), and of course be in the running for the gift card. The drawing will be held on August 3, 2014.

You've nothing to lose and $30 in free books to gain!

Indie bookstores for ebooks

Good news. Indie bookstores aren't just for print books any more.

Take a moment to check out Libiro and YouHeartBooks - these indie ebook stores offer a variety of genres in the formats you need for your ereader. (Full disclosure: my books are available at both stores.)

Buried

My apologies for being so scarce on the blog. Buried, swamped, inundated - you name it.

That's been my state for the last few weeks and will continue to be for the near future. It's all (well, mostly) good, though.

In the meantime, I'm planning a nice blog entry called "Postcards" about the characters I really would like to hear from. Just a postcard to let me know they're OK is all I need.

Back to the beach

Needed inspiration and a re-set of my mental equilibrium, so the other day I headed to the beach. I'm grateful that I live in California, where a trip to the beach is possible even in the middle of February (though I didn't go into the water higher than my knees, and spent much of that time exclaiming, "Oh, that's cold!"). I built sand castles with my kid, and we found an amazing conch in the tide pools. A very good day.

What's up my sleeve for 2014

The good news is that I've got a lot of irons in the fire for 2014.

The bad news is that most of them are not in a state where I can talk about them right now.

Let's just say that I'm going to be a busy girl this year. Considering setting up a caffeine IV drip.

But one thing I can talk about is my first nonfiction book: A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema.

Inspired by my stint as reviewer at Horrorview, I'm putting together a book of 200 movie reviews. My thinking is that you don't need me to tell you to see Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, but maybe you do want my opinions on some of the more oddball movies that might pop up when you're browsing Hulu or Netflix. There will be cult classics, interesting failures, direct-to-video oddities, and much more. There'll be a heavy dose of the horror, sci-fi, and thriller genres, but also a little bit of everything: martial arts, anime, film noir, European art-house, silent films, and so on.

I'm currently into the home stretch for writing reviews, and an illustrator is at work on the cover (I've seen the roughs, and this is going to look fantastic). I'm aiming for a release this autumn - further details as and when!

Adios to 2013, muchas gracias to all of you

The year had its ups and downs, but when it came to being an independent author, it was fantastic. I'd like to thank all my readers and reviewers, and all my fans, friends, and followers. You make it all worthwhile.

Here's to a happy 2014!

Reading in 2013 - the year in retrospect

It was a very odd year for me in terms of reading. Regular readers will have noticed that I stopped doing monthly updates of what I was reading a few months ago. The truth is that it's been a busy year, with a lot going on (mostly positive but some negative). Not only have I not been keeping good track of what I read, but a lot of new books I've read this year haven't held my attention, and I've fallen back on re-reads and looking through cookbooks.

But there were some excellent books I read this year, so seeing as it's nearly year-end, here are the books I most enjoyed reading in 2013:

Clockwork Twist (Waking) - Emily Thompson: First in a steampunk series. Very imaginative and enjoyable.

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn: Watch the train wreck of a sociopathic couple at odds with each other.

I, The Jury - Mickey Spillane: Hard-boiled and politically incorrect, and loads of fun.

NOS4A2 - Joe Hill: Fantastic tale of the supernatural, and surprisingly moving.

The Best of Roald Dahl: Wicked and witty.

Bones of the Moon - Jonathan Carroll: A very interesting twist on the fantasy genre. Will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author.

Cold Light - Jenn Ashworth: Creepy, chilling tale of adolescent friendship gone wrong.

Honorable Mentions for Brain Candy Books: If you need escapism you could do worse than to read What Happens at Christmas by Victoria Alexander (fun romance novel set at Christmas in 19th century) and Frozen Heat by Richard Castle (nice to see the Castle tie-ins turning into real novels).

Ten random facts about me

Will have this on Facebook as well, but here it is for the blog readers and followers.

1. I am a cockroach-phobe, so much so that it took me 20 years to finally watch the "They're Creeping Up On You" segment in the movie Creepshow.
2. I have eaten alligator, snails, squirrel, frog legs, rattlesnake, and a fried shrimp head (not all in the same meal).
3. The first writer I ever met was Leonard Wibberley, author of The Mouse That Roared, among other works. His wife was the principal of my elementary school. I was 8 years old so details are fuzzy, but I remember him looking a good deal like Papa Hemingway, and I remember being amazed at actually meeting a real writer. 
4. My favorite time of year is Christmas.
5. I prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate. Don't even bring up white chocolate; to me it tastes like wax.
6. When I need to recharge, I go to the beach. Any type of beach, any season. As long as I'm near the ocean, I'm good. In my fiction you'll notice a lot of character moments at beaches.
7. I'm a latecomer to book series. Didn't read Harry Potter or A Song of Ice and Fire until their fourth books were published. Didn't read the Hunger Games books until long after Mockingjay was published.
8. I sort of miss the days when The Wizard of Oz showing on TV was a once-a-year special event.
9. Speaking of The Wizard of Oz, it wasn't until embarrassingly recently that I figured out how they did the Horse of a Different Color trick. Yes, I'm slow.
10. The last book to provoke an audible non-laughter response from me was Cormac McCarthy's The Crossing (when you find out how the old blind man became blind). 

Page added for Reckoning (Ashes #2)

In the very near future, I'll be publishing Reckoning, the sequel to Ashes.

In the meantime, click the tab above to take a look at the page I've just added for it, and to see what the book is about and read an excerpt. Enjoy!

Like the new look?

Felt it was time to freshen up the blog, so I've changed its look and feel a bit, and also added pages for each of my books - click those to find descriptions of the books, reviews, links, and a short sample. I hope to be adding a page for Reckoning very soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

If you have a moment, let me know what you think of the blog's new look!

Reckoning (the Ashes sequel) on target for November publication!

Good news for fans of my suspense novel Ashes. I got the final copyedits/proofreading notes in from the editor, and have started on those. The book's well on target for its publication date in the first half of November.

I'm very excited, because of all my books Reckoning was the one that was most fun to write. I was coming off a several-year writing hiatus at the time (said hiatus was because my son was very young and I didn't have the physical energy or mental stamina for serious creativity), so I was very enthusiastic to be getting back to writing, and I think that shows in the book. Those of you who read and enjoyed Ashes will like the sequel (which can be read on its own - but it's best to read both books to get the full story arc).

Now, back to editing!

Update: The Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema

It's been a while since I mentioned my book of movie reviews that's in progress, but now I have an update on The Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema. I have 3/4 the quota of reviews designated for the book, so we're definitely on the downhill side. I'm already getting things prepped for the cover art.

Those of you who've read my reviews at Horrorview know that I'm fond of horror and other genre films, not to mention oddball films and cult classics. Is there a particular film you'd like to see my take on? Leave a comment and let me know!

Ashes signing at Vroman's Bookstore, August 25

Join me and other local authors for a signing at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, CA. It's this Sunday, August 25, at 4 p.m. I'll read from and answer questions about Ashes, and a signing will follow.

Hope to see you there!

Save the date: Ashes book signing in August!

I know it's a way off in the future, but save the date: I'll be doing a signing of my novel Ashes at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, CA, on Sunday, August 25. Further details as and when!

So excited!

Today's mood

Follow me on Twitter

2013 is certainly the year I got dragged into the twenty-first century, isn't it? First I got a smartphone, and now I'm on Twitter.

Follow @Kelly_Cozy for the latest news and witticisms from me.

Nerd alert

My boys went to the Doctor Who con here in L.A. this weekend.

I think the only way they could have looked geekier is if they'd worn Jayne hats with those Tom Servo Dalek shirts.

I've raised a nerd child and I'm very proud of that.

Ashes release date, cover, and description!

Good news! My suspense novel Ashes, the first book in a two-book series, will be published and available for purchase on March 19.

It will be available in print at Amazon and at select California independent bookstores, and as an ebook for Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, Sony Ereader, and more.

To whet your appetite, here's a description and the front cover.

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.

Join in the "Next Big Thing" meme!

If you want to participate in the Next Big Theme meme, now's your chance. If you haven't been tagged but would like to participate, let me know.

It's a way to promote your writing and promote your fellow writers too! To see an example of this in action, take a look at Cliff Garstang's blog (he's the good person who invited me to participate in this). 

If you're interested, post a comment!