April Madness and More

I haven’t had a chance to take a breath lately so I promise staying away from my blog wasn’t intentional. Honestly I haven’t been twiddling my thumbs.

We began April with seeing We Will Rock You,  a musical based on Songs by Queen.

Then, I got to travel to The London Book Fair for the first time.

It was a fantastic trip and the best bit was I got to meet some of the fabulous folk from Omnific Publishing for the first time. A downside of having a publisher across the Atlantic is the rare chances to meet. It was a real treat, especially because Omnific Publishing was at the London Book Fair for the first time too. I also squeezed in a touch of sightseeing and seeing family. It was busy trip!

I also made a flying visit to Mullagh in County Cavan to visit with family. I took advantage of nice Irish weather to trek up Mullagh Hill to enjoy the beautiful views across the boarder counties of Cavan and Monaghan.

Jonathan Swift wrote part of Gulliver’s Travels while staying at a house nearby. He also wrote famously wrote from Lilliput cottage in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Yep, I was also in Belfast in April.

The annual Vintage Bus Rally took place in beautiful Cultra, County Down on the 27th April at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. We spent a long day among the buses, including two short trips. Only breaking the day with visits to the Transport museum and the rural area of BallyCultra(the working farm and rural buildings part of the folk museum). Eric was so excited that many of the participants allowed him film inside the buses this year, that he wouldn’t even stop to eat. So, we were very grateful to return to RBG, at his favourite hotel, The Park Inn by Radisson for a well deserved meal and rest.

From there it was a journey to the Antrim coast, and to The Giant’s Causeway.

We finished up the month by seeing Iron Man 3.

This month has shaped up to be just as busy so far with one short trip to the countryside. We got to see The Lion King –The Musical playing at The Board Gáis Theatre, thanks to the help of a manager and staff. Eric had unexpected difficultly with anxiety a few minutes before curtain time. Their immediate assistance meant the difference between him going home crying and disappointed and having a wonderful experience at the show. I honestly could have cried myself, I was so grateful for how they handled the situation.

Another big film release is Star Trek, Into Darkness, so of course that meant opening week trip to The Odeon –Point Village . I’m a little reluctant to share information on this particular cinema. lol We go as often as we can. The staff  are friendly, efficient, and wonderfully helpful. The cinema is spotless and amazing definition and sound, premium seating, and a huge i-sense screen(the best way to see block busters). Also, yummy Costa Coffee while watching a movie. What more could you ask for? My reluctance to share is for all these reasons. :) This particular cinema is like a well-kept secret. I’ve never seen it uncomfortably busy like some cinemas.

Our most recent trip – Tayto Park in County Meath. I wasn’t sure what to expect here but I was impressed. Tayto is the maker of the biggest selling crisps in Ireland and the first to produce Cheese and Onion crisps in Ireland almost 60 years ago. The factory beside the park where park visitors take a self-guided tour churns out almost 2 million packets of crisps per day. The park itself is a combination of -to name a few activities- zoo, landscaped gardens, adventure with zip lines and climbing walls, playground, and lodge. There is a definite nod to the American history of the humble spud(potato) with totem poles situated around grounds and village with visitors can picnic under a tipi. For those of us who grew up with Mr. Tayto(below with Eric) and eating Tayto crisps sandwiches, there is a sense of nostalgia too.

Upon leaving visitors are invited to take home some of the original Tayto crisps. Eric had a blast and I would recommend the park for kids, teens, and adults.

Note: When Mr. Tayto’s autobiography, The Man Inside The Jacket, released in 2009, it spent 6 weeks at the top of the Irish book charts.

Note 2: The chocolate in bottom picture is the new limited edition Cheese and Onion crisp flavour. Sounds iffy, but tastes very nice. I know I’ve indulged in crisps and chocolate many times through the years. I’m just surprised it took someone so long to put the two together in one bar. lol

So,  that’s what I’ve been doing. Although I squashed in a little time to make some graphics and a trailer for joint promotion with some other Omnific Authors this August. More on that and other publishing news soon.

Time for a cup of Tea.

The Future of Publishing

Before I start, this is an opinion piece and my opinion is there is no one perfect road to publishing. Publishing is simply a tool, the process of production and delivery of books to readers in this this case.  The only rule to remember about publishing is ‘money should flow to the author’. If an author puts out a book through any form of publishing and it costs them more than the return they receive from it, they need to look again.

Lately I find myself grinding my teeth in irritation whenever I read "Self-Publishing is the Future" or variations as a blog post titles, followed by reasons why every author must self-publish or go the way of dinosaurs. Some from Self-Publishers who've done pretty well out of Trade Publishing btw, either starting from it and gaining a platform before SP, or selling to it when they can’t continue to meet demand via self-publishing. The truth is there is no one way is the best way, and no one knows what the future holds.

Self-publishing isn't new, it's been around as long as books have. Heck, E-publishing isn’t even new, trade publishing has been doing it since the eighties. Many of the avenues are new(ish). Some not altogether benefitting authors for those who would have you believe all self-publishing=good whereas all trade=evil. Vanity presses(assisted self-publishing where the author pays and there is no selection process, everything including editing is optional) are making plenty of money from inexperienced and golden words authors, churning out genuinely terrible books that should never have seen the light of day.

Examples of Golden Words Authors are those special snowflakes who think themselves far better writers than they are in reality and won’t touch trade because of all the evils. Or, believe trade publishers turned down their fabulous works because they didn’t understand it would change readers’ lives and were simply too dumb to grasp the writer’s genius in creating a 900 page work with no paragraphs or spell check used. Nothing to do with trade publishing being a business and in the business of investing in work they believe will see a return. (Sarcasm for those who don’t understand my dry Irish humour.)

Trade publishers do get it wrong sometimes and turn down work that goes on to be successfully published elsewhere, either by trade of self-publishing. No one is perfect and the gate-keepers of trade publishing are human.

There are no absolutes and no guarantees in any form of publishing.

I don't dispute self-publishing, when done well, is a great way of publishing for those who are happy to be their own publisher. I see some people who are highly motivated and successful at it, and doing a wonderful job with fantastic books. Nor do I dispute trade publishing puts out some less than stellar books or that many authors have to rely mostly on their own promotions efforts. However, it’s important to remember many isn’t all. All self-publishers are responsible for their own promotion and marketing.

Some people doing a crappy job at self-publishing, turning out utter rubbish with generally substandard stories and packaging. It has forced down the price and the value of books to a pittance in some cases. I personally feel forcing down the price of the finished book undervalues a process which in some cases can take years. As a reader, I don't enjoy trawling through mountains of terrible, terrible(in every sense) SP books to find the good ones because some new writers are convinced sticking a cover on any ole rubbish is an easy path to riches. Or paying for something and later reading the author say they didn't bother with editing because readers don't care(which has happened to me).

I’m not going to go deeply  into advances from established trade publishers. The pros and cons and levels have been done to death elsewhere. Just to say, where there is an advance, that’s money in the bank and for some that’s more important than pie in the sky potential of royalties that may never come. That’s okay if that’s the choice the author makes. Any choice is okay, including paying 1-20,000 to a vanity press or in SP expenses, as long as the author has researched their options and is happy about gambling that one euro, pound or dollar to twenty grand. Pouring money in where there is no return isn’t good business. The higher the investment in a book, the less likely the investor is to make a profit or even break even.  This is how publishers work. They invest the money, they take the gamble instead of the author. They are using their experience to make the best gambles.

For me, the argument of larger percentages of royalties for self-publishing isn’t enough to swing me to it. Not when I look at the bigger picture. Publishing is a financial gamble regardless of how a book is published. The author either pays upfront via SP or through royalties via TP.

Sure there is control but control comes with responsibility. Self-publishing well doesn’t necessarily come cheap and the SP author is responsible for everything, both in terms of finance and time. They can involve professional editing(development, line editing, proof reading, as well as choosing good editors), formatting, cover art, ISBN, legal, marketing(actually placing the product before readers either via vendors, libraries, or brick book store shelves if a SP author is really determined and fortunate, distribution, postage,accounting, and promotion including costs of review copies to the reviewers who are happy to review SP books. An established publisher will always have a longer reach to readers than a first time self-published author when it comes to promotion. I’m also not convinced royalties will remain high for self-published authors via places like Amazon in the long run.

There are plenty of writers still making a living from trade published books. Many aren't, but many more aren't making a living from their SP either. SP isn’t the golden goose. Cream doesn’t always rise to the top and some fantastic books are lost. At the end of the day, it’s still easier for a great book to be lost in self-publishing than with an established trade publisher behind it, pushing to make good on an advance they paid out.

Information is key. No one should ever enter publishing of any sort without researching all angles extensively. The choices are there, so make use of them, either to go a certain route, decide against it, or decide on doing a bit of everything.

Ideally I want to see all avenues remain available to writers and readers. I see the best of both worlds as when an author can decide what’s best for themselves and their work on a case by case basis without feeling criticized for making informed decisions. Also, where readers aren’t restricted in their choice of methods of access to books, and the range of books because bookshops die out or a single vendor controls distribution.

However, personally I won't be self-publishing again. I know without doubt I’m a writer not a publisher and I don’t enjoy the business end. I have basic formatting and graphic skills so I made a point to educate myself on what else is involved in self-publishing and learned it isn’t for me. Some people love dealing with everything I mentioned above for self-publishing, more power to them because it’s a lot of work and deserves respect for doing it well. It’s not a matter of writing a story, formatting and slapping a cover on, then sitting back and colleting 70%.

I have no interest in being my own publisher or gambling. I feel recognition in the knowledge a publisher is prepared to invest in me. That’s not to say I don’t believe in my work. I love my work, I personally think it’s fabulous and there are moments where I briefly succumb to golden words and can't understand why my books aren’t sitting at the top of the NYT bestsellers list with production companies fighting over movie rights. Those moments pass and I’m more logical about the whole thing again. I know it’s impossible to please everyone and so I’m happy for someone else to make the financial gamble. In the long run, I’m also happy to forgo complete control and responsibility in exchange for the time it affords me to write because that’s where my passion is.

Publishing is in flux, but then publishing has always been in flux. It’s constantly changing so fast that’s it’s impossible to say definitively what the future holds. Trade publishing and self publishing have been around for a very, very long time and I hope neither is going to disappear for the foreseeable future. Trade publishing will change and adapt and so will self-publishing.

The only thing we know for sure is writers will continue to write and readers will continue to consume the written word.

Streamline Book Birthday Bash–Interview with Jennifer Lane

Today we are celebrating the book birthday of Streamline by Jennifer Lane. The book birthday is happening over a number of blogs this week. For details of other posts, check here. Stay tuned for a giveaway at the end of the post. First, I got to pick Jennifer’s brain about writing and her work as a psychologist.

 

Interview with the Author

How about we start with a little background. With your background as a psychologist, what inspired you to turn your hand to writing romantic suspense?

Jennifer: I loved my job as a psychologist at the university. It was a dream job. Then my bosses changed and the job became less dreamy. When reality sucked, I turned to fiction! I'm single and I've never been married, but I guess I'm a romantic at heart because I can't imagine writing anything other than romance. And I like a snappy plot with intrigue and danger, so romantic suspense is my preferred genre.

What was the biggest difference in writing YA after writing adult books? Did you find the transition difficult?

Jennifer: Streamline was actually my first novel, and I had no idea I was writing a YA/NA novel at the time. I was simply fascinated by the transition into adulthood, with all its change and growth, so that's the age I chose for my characters. I also had a wonderful time swimming at that age, and wanted to share my experiences. When I started my adult romantic suspense series, I enjoyed writing more realistic dialogue that included "F" bombs for Mafia and military men, as well as the freedom to explore physical intimacy in sexy detail.

I'm fascinated by psychology. While my brother studied it, I read through a lot of his books and enjoyed many late night discussions about my writing process and my characters. I found it brought a lot to my character development. I'm dipping my toes into my first psychology course this summer to continue. How much do you draw on your experience of how the mind works to develop your characters?

Jennifer: I'm "psyched" you're taking a psychology course this summer!  We must chat about what you're learning. It's hard for me to know how much my psychologist training seeps into my writing. I do know I have shared many intense emotional experiences with psychotherapy clients, and I hope to honor that intensity by getting character emotion right. I think good characterization is making the reader really feel for the characters through understanding their motivation and internal experiences.

Do you ever find yourself pausing because as a psychologist you can't agree with the course of action a character will take, even though you know allowing them means staying true to the character? How did this affect your process for Streamline?
I really struggle with showing compassion, both in real life, reading, and writing. I find it very difficult to see the good in people who I find morally repugnant. Child abuse is my hardline. This is something I struggled with while reading Streamline, especially in scenes where the abused character interacted with the abuser while trying to repair their relationship. You handled those scenes with an intense realism and heart that kept me turning pages. Were they as difficult to write are they are to read?

Jennifer: Carol, thank you for that lovely feedback! I'm a big believer in personal responsibility, and I think there should be consequences for individuals who hurt others and/or break the law. Any sort of abuse can be devastating, and there's no excuse for that. But one gift of being a therapist is the opportunity to understand why people do what they do. And if you get down to it, people almost always have a good reason for their behavior. To understand reprehensible behavior isn't to condone it, but it does allow some compassion.

I don't like James, Leo's abusive father. And I tried to write him as a somewhat sympathetic character--as a damaged man who believed he was helping Leo. James has Narcissistic Personality Disorder, which is an egotistical exterior hiding a wounded, fragile interior. Despite all the times James hurt Leo, James is his father and Leo can't walk away. Leo has such integrity that he won't let his father wallow in depression. Instead Leo reaches out his hand to help. I'm sure many readers were thinking, "No, Leo! Don't do it! Let him rot." I went through many tissues writing those scenes.

You don't shy away from difficult subjects, do you intentionally push the bar when writing or does it come naturally? What other subjects would you like to tackle that you haven't yet?

Jennifer: Life is difficult (and beautiful), so it comes naturally to write about difficult subjects. I also want to represent the beautiful part of life by infusing love an humor into my stories too. One of the most horrifying human experiences is sexual abuse, and I've started a story about twin brothers where one was abused and one wasn't, to explore their different trajectories. Sexual abuse leads to such pervasive pain that I tread lightly in exploring it. But I did read a recent novel that covered sexual abuse in an honest, hopeful manner. (I don't want to spoiler anyone by naming the book).

Tell us more about your next release and are there plans for more YA?

Jennifer: I just finished On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3), which Omnific Publishing will release perhaps this autumn. It feels wonderful to finish a series! I'm enthralled by New Adult right now but YA will always have a special place in my heart, so I definitely hope to return to it.

Thank you for chatting with me today, Jennifer.

Now for the Giveaway

Streamline turns one-year-old this week! We're celebrating with a giveaway.

Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He's captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother's crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father's abuse, battered and alone.

Leo's girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida's top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there's an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number one supporter--her father--is in prison for murder.

Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything's on the line...streamline.

"What an emotional journey! I don't think I have ever cried over a character so much in my life."

~Dani from Paulette's Papers

"The issues that are touched upon in the story: family, substance abuse, teen relationships, trust, honor...they are dealt with in an amazingly realistic, unglossed manner."

~Andrea from The Bookish Babe

"Overall, Streamline is a wonderfully, emotionally complex story about the ones we love, the ones we hurt, the mistakes that break the human heart, and the unconditional love that puts the pieces back together."

~Dani from Refracted Light Reviews

Streamline at Amazon for $2.99

Streamline at Barnes & Noble for $2.99

Author Jennifer Lane is giving away one signed print copy of Streamline to a US winner and three ebooks to international winners. To enter, complete the Rafflecopter form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shades of Ireland at Brú na Bóinne-FREE ebook and Giveaway

It’s Saint Patrick’s week here in Ireland. It’s the week when the world is awash with green and everyone and their mother goes back in time until they find a link to the little land on the edge of the Atlantic. I’m celebrating with a Shades of Atlantis giveaway, more on that later.

Also, to celebrate Paddy’s Day, Omnific Publishing are giving away the ebook of Shades of Atlantis FREE on the Omnific Publishing site. 

Since the death of their parents, Triona Pryor and her brother, Ben, have lived with their aunt and uncle in Camden, Maine. Now in her senior year of high school, Triona loves her family and friends, but she has always felt that she didn't quite fit in, in Camden, or anywhere else.

Enter Caleb Wallace, the devilishly handsome man who has recently moved to Triona's small town. While their attraction to each other is instantaneous, it also proves to be dangerous, and deadly.

When tragedy strikes, Triona flees to London for solace and to start her life anew. It's there she discovers from an unlikely source that her family has been keeping secrets from her -- secrets about not only her birthright, but her ultimate destiny as well. Armed with this knowledge, Triona finds herself thrown into a whole new world and into a battle to save the lives of everyone she loves.

I can’t think of a better time for to tell you I’ve been revising for months and the manuscript for the sequel, Shades of Avalon is finished and will shortly be going to my publisher! It’s taken a long time and I can honestly say the story has gone through a dizzying number of changes. The second book once again takes the characters from Camden to England and Ireland as they try to unravel the dark plans of the last remaining council member.

One of the major locations in book 2 is Brú na Bóinne. This is a region of Ireland around the River Boyne in Ireland and consists of 40 passage tombs dating back 5,000 years. The area also contains more than a third of the megalithic artwork in Western Europe. The most recognizable of these and featured in Shades of Avalon is probably the Tri-Spiral. It is used as a symbol of  Brú na Bóinne and often of Ireland.

The Tri-Spiral is often thought of as a Celtic symbol but it pre-dates the arrival of the Celts in Ireland by many years. Archaeologists guess at what it means, including representation of  deity and the possibility it depicts the three main sites of Brú na Bóinne—Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth. The above image is taken from a carving in the central chamber at Newgrange. Other spiral carvings appear on the entrance stone at Newgrange, kerbs stones and internal stones at Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth.

Knowth(image from worldheritageireland.ie)

Newgrange

Dowth(image from worldheritageireland.ie)

Newgrange Entrance

Kebstone at Newgrange

Kerbstone K15 at Knowth. Also known at the Sundial Stone

Tomb 15 at Knowth

North chamber at Dowth(image from worldheritageireland.ie)

However, it’s really anyone’s guess what the symbols really mean. They are simply too old to conclusively know.  Likewise with the purpose of these structures. We can guess they were used to either bury or honour the dead from the remains discovered there. Clearly they had another purpose. Perhaps ceremonial or maybe scientific.

Above is a replica of the granite stone basin at Knowth, known as Dagda’s Cauldron. Dagda’s Cauldron in mythology was thought to be life sustaining and is sometimes associated with The Holy Grail. Perhaps in the past the dead were cremated, the bones and remains placed in the basin. This particular basin is suggested to depict Atlantis in the carvings on stone. This leads us to the possibility the passageways were not only ceremonial, but scientific in nature.

It’s suggested the kerbstones at Knowth(some damaged or missing) were detailed depictions of the night sky and that once upon a time the moon and sun travelled though the passageways and illuminated the internal chambers during the equinoxes. This is impossible to verify since passageways have been distorted or destroyed over time. Most notably and controversially during excavation when a concrete slab was erected inside the western passage.  

However, we can see the illumination phenomenon at Newgrange.

There are two basin’s at Newgrange in the right hand cavity of the cruciform chamber. Also made of granite. For those lucky enough to stand inside the cruciform chamber at sunrise on the days around the winter solstice(during cloudless skies), they will see golden light travel down the length of the passageway for several minutes before reaching the  chamber as the sun passes in front of the upper opening. The external walls are made up of hundreds of river stones(rounded gray stones) and thousands of pieces of white quartz(Grian Cloch or Sun Stone). Quartz is also an element of granite, the stone used for the basins.

image from worldheritageireland.ie

image from worldheritageireland.ie

The above two images are deceptive. The Newgrange  passageway is a tight squeeze. At times it’s necessary to duck or turn sideways for the average sized person. There is more room inside the chamber under the high vaulted corballed roof, room for perhaps twenty or so adults comfortably. It feel very secure although none the slab roof stones are secured by anything other than ancient engineering.

History lesson over for today. It’s time for the giveaway. To coincide with Shades of Atlantis FREE from the Omnific Publishing site until Sunday, I’m giving away a signed print copy. Not just that. I’m also giving a bookmark and a cute stone fridge magic I recently picked up on a trip to Brú na Bóinne with the Tri-Spiral on both.

To enter, all you have to do is comment or help me spread the word about the Shades of Atlantis FREE EBOOK and giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Astarte's Wrath by Trisha Wolfe

Trisha Wolfe has revealed the cover for the next book in the Kythan Guardians series. If you haven’t read Destiny’s Fire already, what are you waiting for? This book is Fabulous and it’s available for only $2.99.

YA Steampunk, Paranormal & Romance

It's the year 2040, and sixteen-year-old Dez Harkly is one of the last of her kind—part of a nearly extinct race of shape-shifters descended from guardians to the Egyptian pharaohs. Her home and her secret are threatened when the Council lowers the barrier, allowing the enemy race to enter the Shythe haven.
As the Narcolym airships approach, Dez and her friends rebel against their Council and secretly train for battle. Not only is Dez wary of war and her growing affection for her best friend Jace, she fears the change her birthday will bring.
When Dez's newfound power rockets out of control, it's a Narcolym who could change her fate...if she can trust him. Dez's guarded world crumbles when she discovers why the Narcos have really come to Haven Falls, and she's forced to choose between the race who raised her and the enemy she's feared her whole life.

 

Book #0.5 of Kythan Guardians

Goodreads

Two thousand years before Dez Harkly developed her secret powers, Guardian Astarte was vowed to protect by the binds enslaving her to the Egyptian pharaohs. Discover the prophecy that originated from a very different time, and spans generations to link two very different girls.

This is the beginning.

Set against the backdrop of the Battle of Actium, in the city of Alexandria, Star struggles with her guardian duties as her feelings for the newly named pharaoh of Egypt grow deeper. Not only is Caesarian her duty, he’s the son of Cleopatra, and he’s human. All of which makes their love forbidden.

But when a conspiracy linked to Caesar creeps its way into Alexandria, Star must choose between helping her fellow Kythan free themselves of their servitude, and protecting her charge—the last pharaoh—while Egypt burns around her.

About the Author

I’m the author of the YA Steampunk/Paranormal DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing) and the upcoming YA Sci-Fi / Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, October 2013. My published short stories have appeared in YA literary journals, Fantasy magazines, and anthologies. I’ve written five books in the past three years, and I’m currently working on a new YA Sci-Fi / Dark Fantasy project.
I’m the creator of YA Bound, a promotional blog for the Young Adult genre. Also a proud member of YALITCHAT.ORG, SCWW, and The Apocalypsies.
And I’m also a business owner, partnered with my partner, my husband. When I’m not busy doing all of the above, I’m a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for my male characters.

Find the Author

Website    Goodreads    Facebook    Twitter

Big Omnific Publishing News and Free Stuff!

As promised at the end of my last post, today I bring news of a fantastic giveaway.

BUT FIRST!!

Yeah, I used shouty caps because this news is massive.  Omnific Publishing has sold the rights for USA Today’s best selling author, Alice Clayton’s, books to SIMON & SCHUSTER!!!  I think that deserves a whole lot of shouting. 

The buzz in Hollywood is there will be movie rights announcements to follow. I’m thrilled for Alice. Congratulations all round.

On to the competition

Omnific Publishing is three years old. Can you believe it? To celebrate Omni is giving a THREE KINDLES stuffed with Omnific titles. That’s Omni Kindle for each year. This is an extra special giveaway for me because I’ve released a book every year for the last three year Omni has been in operation. 

Kindle #1 will feature all of Omnific's 2010 titles!

Passion Fish
Three Daves
Seers of Light
Boycotts & Barflies
A Valentine Anthology
Stitches and Scars
Eve of Samhain
Life, Liberty, and Pursuit
With Good Behavior
Trust in Advertising
Take the Cake
Immortal Awakening
Whisper of Light
Shades of Atlantis
Breaking Point
Whirlwind

Kindle #2 will feature all of Omnific's 2011 titles!

Indivisible
Pleasures Untold
Bad Behavior
Pieces of Us
Becoming sage
Crushed Seraphim
The Way That You Play It
Big Guns
Concessions
It's Only Kinky the First Time
Starstruck
New Flame
Shackled
Swim Recruit
Sway
Full Speed Ahead
The Second Sunrise
The Summer Prince
Whatever it Takes
Ember
Cat O' Nine Tails
The Guardian's Wildchild
Small Town Girl
Poughkeepsie
Embrace

Kindle #3 will feature all of Omnific's 2012/2013 titles!

Destiny's Fire
Grave Refrain
Streamline
Burning Embers
Saving sunni
Cocktails and Dreams
The Winemaker's Dinner: No Reservations
The Winemaker's Dinner: RSVP
The Winemaker's Dinner: Appetizers
Recaptured Dreams
Clarity
Divinity
Glimpse of Light
Circle of Light
Iridescent
Between the Lies
Reaping Me Softly
Once Upon a Second Chance
Bittersweet Seraphim
The Winemaker's Dinner: Entree
A Christmas Wish
Blood Vine

You can enter to win via Rafflecopter on the Omnific Publishing Blog or on any of the  author blogs February 14 -16, 2013!

Please  check in with the Omnific Publishing blog for more exciting news and offers,  and more information on Alice’s move to Simon and Schuster.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Irish Translation for non-Irish Folks

Amused and inspired by a trending topic on Twitter called ‘Struggles of Being Irish’, I was reminded that occasionally I say something in emails or chat to my internet friends and they don’t know what the heck I’m talking about.

I write books in an American voice with America spelling, terms, slang and, mainly American characters. I do draw on my Irish roots in the majority of things I write. In all but one of my published and non-published work, there is some reference to Ireland. So today, I thought I would offer a few fun translations.

What we say - Moth(pronounced mot)
What we don't always mean – A winged insect
Irish translation – Girlfriend or wife

What we say -Shift
What we don't always mean – To move
Irish translation -  Kissed

What we say -Craic
What we don't always mean – hard drugs
Irish translation - Fun, entertainment, enjoyment. "The craic was ninety" for good. "There was no craic" for bad.

What we say - A ride
What we don't always mean – traveling on something
Irish translation - A good-looking person

What we say - Massive
What we don't always mean – Large
Irish translation - Handsome, beautiful, wonderful.
 
What we say -Stop the lights
What we don't always mean – Make it dark
Irish translation - That's unbelievable

What we say - Throwing shapes
What we don't always mean – Throwing anything
Irish translation - Showing off
 
What we say - Locked
What we don't always mean – Secured
Irish translation - Drunk

What we say -Twisted
What we don't always mean – Knotted or tangled
Irish translation - Very drunk


What we say - Sound
What we don't always mean – noise
Irish translation - very nice


What we say - My hole
What we don't always mean – My hole 
Irish translation - I don't believe you


What we say - Be wide
What we don't always mean – girth
Irish translation - Be careful

What we say - Cute
What we don't always mean – Good looking
Irish translation - Clever or sly

What we say - Dry Shite
What we always mean – Constipation
Irish translation - A boring person

That's just a couple of the hundreds of ways Irish people say things and mean something else entirely. Is it any wonder travelers get confused? Check out the twitter topic for more amusing and accurate tweets about the Irish. 

So, while we are on the subject of Ireland, The Holders by Julianna Scott will be released from Strange Chemistry on March 5th. I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy  of this book, set in Ireland, and I highly recommend it.

Summary

17-year-old Becca spent her whole life protecting her brother from, well, everything. The abandonment of their father, the so called 'experts' who insist that voices in his head are unnatural and must be dealt with, and the constant threat of being taken away to some hospital and studied like an animal. When two representatives appear claiming to have the answers to Ryland's perceived problem, Becca doesn't buy it for one second. That is until they seem to know things about Ryland and about Becca and Ryland's family, that forces Becca to concede that there may be more to these people than meets the eye. Though still highly skeptical, Becca agrees to do what's best for Ryland.

What they find at St. Brigid's is a world beyond their imagination. Little by little they piece together the information of their family's heritage, their estranged Father, and the legend of the Holder race that decrees Ryland is the one they've been waiting for. However, they are all--especially Becca--in for a surprise that will change what they thought they knew about themselves and their kind.

She meets Alex, a Holder who is fiercely loyal to their race, and for some reason, Becca and Ryland. There's an attraction between Becca and Alex that can't be denied, but her true nature seems destined to keep them apart. However, certain destinies may not be as clear cut as everyone has always believed them to be.

Becca is lost, but found at the same time. Can she bring herself to leave Ryland now that he's settled and can clearly see his future? Will she be able to put the the feelings she has for Alex aside and head back to the US? And can Becca and Ryland ever forgive their father for what he's done?

The Holders on Goodreads

Find more on Julianna Scott here

Check in Thurday for information on Omnific Publishing's Anniversary Giveaway, with three kindles stuffed with books looking for new homes.