Glistering: B's Blog

Monday, March 31, 2014

Fool For Books Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Fool for Books Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer! I am celebrating Spring and life in general. No joke!

Book 2 of The Glister Journals is closer to being finished and the The Glister Journals website has a new look. I'd love for you to stop by and check it out. The button for the second book will begin working as soon as the title and cover are revealed. I still have things to add, but would appreciate any feedback. Is something missing? Was something not working? Is there something you'd like to see added? Please feel free to leave me a note here or on the website's contact page. Thanks!

For this giveaway I'm giving a $25 Amazon giftcard and a paperback copy of Bronze, first novel in my contemporary YA lit series. Good luck!

“We all make assumptions every day. Some more important than others. Some more damaging than others. And things, very often, are not at all what they seem.”

Allison Anderson is a normal but not exactly average fourteen year old girl. She knows she’s a little different, but it hadn’t bothered her too much—until now. Moving away from everything she has ever known to a new house, new neighborhood, and new school is bad enough but it’s her first year of high school too. She’s more aware of her social and physical limitations than ever before. And then there are the new people she meets: the tough-looking girl in her home room; the cute but dangerous-looking boy she first saw before school even started; the quiet, older girl who keeps to herself; the sullen-looking, seemingly isolated junior that doesn’t seem to trust or like her at all. Can they be friends? She’s been the victim of bullying in the past; can she trust them? While her peaceful new home only amplifies her doubts, she begins to learn that things are not always what they seem. Her world is turned upside-down by these and other new friends, two-legged and otherwise. Life soon becomes more complicated, and much more interesting!

*EDIT*

Wow you guys! Thanks for the great participation and for following me here, there, and everywhere! I'm so happy, I decided to spread the love around and give two prizes instead of one. I can't do it ALL the time, but you never know . . .

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze

More Glister Journals info and excerpts at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com

The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller, or purchase now at Amazon.com

Friday, March 7, 2014

March update . . .

Apologies for being late with this month's soundtrack clue. I'm having severe computer issues and unable to access the internet at the moment through my own computer. This makes online life pretty difficult! It looks like I'll have to buy a new one which I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do yet, but if it shuts down completely, I'm sunk! I haven't been online much anyway as I really am writing, transcribing, and revising like crazy! (Plus working, of course.) I've already gone past my original (self-imposed) deadline so am working extra hard to get everything done as quickly as possible. With lots of help from my most severe critic, of course....

The good news is, I am moving into beta-reader stage and will be sending first chapters out soon. Book cover should be coming along soon too. Yay!

So, on to this month's clue. Since the past couple have been a bit vague, I'll give you something more concrete this month.

CLUE #9 Some of the artists represented in the soundtrack can be found on my Pinterest "Music" board.

Not all the artists are there, but the board represents some of my favorite artists and the kinds of music I listen to most.

I hope that helps! Updates will be a bit slow until my computer issues are solved, but I still have book and music reviews to do so I'll try to post again soon!

Listening to:

Writing: The Glister Journals, Book 2: Chapter 24

Reading: Mockingjay

Watching: Gilmore Girls Season 4

Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze

More Glister Journals info and excerpts at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com

The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller, or purchase now at Amazon.com

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Rodeo Girls and Reality

I took this picture at a high school rodeo several years ago. Unfortunately I don't know the name of the girl or the horse, but I love this photo; the giving on both sides of this partnership: the rider's touch, the horse's responsive attention and obvious effort yet calm expression.

I don't watch television anymore. I watch movies and series that I've bought or borrowed, but only what I really want. When we moved to our present location I decided to not hook up the cable even though we do actually pay for it. It was (and still is) a question of time management. It was too easy to just flip the thing on and veg. Now I have to consciously do it and decide what to watch. No more flipping. It was cheaper to pay for both TV and internet than internet alone (which is annoying). Most of the time the TV stays off and I get a lot more done! Most of my knowledge about what is current on the boob-tube comes from sources on the internet, so I was surprised (and then revolted) to hear about a show called Rodeo Girls.

Now you'd think, considering the themes of my novel series and the interests of the main characters, that I would have been overjoyed. A show highlighting rodeo, equestrian sport, barrel racing in particular? But A&E apparently thought (for some demented reason) that a show with Real Housewives type 'reality' on a rodeo circuit would be a good idea.

Gag.

I found out about it through an online horse magazine, Horse Nation, and you can read their article here.

It's so maddening. It bears no relation to the average horsewoman, barrel racer or otherwise, nor what the sport is really like and about. Barrel racing (like other equine sports) is about the connection and communication between horse and rider; it's about the partnership. And yes, it's also about competition. It's about courage and hard work. And, usually, it's about good horsemanship AND sportsmanship.

This is a show created by (and apparently specifically for) a woman with more money, hair, and botox than wit. I wouldn't bother posting about it at all except it struck a chord too close to my heart. If you are not rodeo, equestrian sport, or even just horse savvy, please ignore this show. It is NOT representative of anything realistic. At least, nothing I've seen, and I've lived quite a long time.

Much better (with no big hair and botox and MUCH more actual horse) is this adorable video created in response. So in case you don't know better, THIS is what it's really all about.

He he . . . this was this fastest post I've ever written. :)

Writing: The Glister Journals, Book 2: Chapter 23

Reading: The Iron King

Listening to: Walk Off the Earth

Watching: Buffy

Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze

More Glister Journals info and excerpts at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com

The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller, or purchase now at Amazon.com

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Romance Is In the Air

This giveaway can be entered at my Wordpress blog!

Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze

More Glister Journals info and excerpts at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com

The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller, or purchase now at Amazon.com

Monday, February 3, 2014

February update...

Well, here's me falling down on the job again. I had meant to get a couple of posts out before the end of January, but I have been writing. In fact, besides actually working, all I've been doing is writing. I want to get this book (the second Glister Journals book) out as soon as I can. So, sorry I haven't been around much. I hope to still get some book and music reviews out soon and I've got a Retro Thursday lined up when I can get to it.

In the mean time, here's the Bronze Soundtrack clue for February:

CLUE #8 There are no jazz, hip-hop, or rap songs.

Not a big clue, I know, but it might narrow it down for you. And I hope that doesn't disappoint too many people!

Next week I'll be posting a giveaway for Valentine's Day which happens to be the birthday, the first publication date, of Bronze and The Glister Journals series. I had originally hoped to have the second book published on Valentine's Day too, but that's obviously not going to happen and I don't want to wait until next year! I still can't give a firm date for release, but I'm hoping I can still get it out in the first half of this year. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I'm working hard!

The Glister Journals #2: Chapter 22. Word count: imposing.

Reading Scarlet

Listening to Bastille.

Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze

More Glister Journals info and excerpts at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com

The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller, or purchase now at Amazon.com

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer! As the name implies, you don't have to follow, tweet, or otherwise jump through hoops--just leave a comment with a way to contact you in case you're a winner. (Personal info and links won't be publicly posted.)

For this giveaway I'm giving away a $15 Amazon gift card (enough for at least one book of your choice!) and a paperback copy of my YA/Lit novel Bronze. This giveaway is open through January 21st. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Hello 2014!

This is just a quick post to look ahead to some of the things I hope to accomplish this year. But first things first - the January soundtrack clue! Let's see . . . we're on number seven:

CLUE #7 Songs/bands/genres mentioned in chapters do not necessarily reflect that chapter's song.

For instance, in one chapter The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, and The Beatles are all mentioned. The chapter title is not by any of these bands, though there are two clues right there - one having to do with the chapter title and one for something else.

I realize the clues so far are a little vague, but if you've read the book, they'll make sense. I'll give more specific clues as we get closer to the contest opening.

As far as what is coming up:

My main focus as always is to write, write, write. With limited time and living with frequent interruptions, this is a continuing challenge. However, I finally feel like I'm on the downward slope. With Bronze, the first two-thirds of the book took much longer to write than the last and I'm quite sure it will be true with Book #2 as well. This is the most fun part for me to actually write (you'll have to wait to find out why) and I expect things to go relatively quickly. So, as much for myself as for anyone potentially interested, I'll let you know what stage I'm in at the end of my posts. This will also serve as a progress report toward the new cover/title release and soundtrack countdown. :D

I will be needing a couple of new beta-readers soon. I'm also seeking more reviews for Bronze. More about that in future posts. More excerpts of Bronze will be available at The Glister Journals website, and excerpts of Book 2 as soon as the cover's released.

I'll be posting as part of a giveaway hop (hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer) this month. I'll be trying to participate on a somewhat regular basis in these.

There will be more music - of course! - and I will be getting some book features of the books I do manage to get read posted and organized, though I don't plan on reviewing per se. My features will consist of book information and brief thoughts on the books, and will only be on books I can recommend. I also plan to do some indie features this year. I'm definitely going to have to get an e-reader of some sort though, as most of the indie books I have are digital and it's almost impossible to find the time to read on my computer.

New and upcoming music I'm excited about:

Toad the Wet Sprocket (first album in sixteen years!), Foster the People, Switchfoot, Broken Bells, The Fray, Elbow, Tycho. There are many others I'm interested in and I'm sure there will be plenty more!

Books on deck . . .