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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

DEAD RINGER COVER REVEAL

When my CP Sarah Fox asked if I wanted to take part in her cover reveal I was like DUH OF COURSE! No brainer there! I always get annoyed when people write a bunch of stuff about a cover and you have to scroll for ages to get to it. JUST SHOW ME THE COVER!!! Am I right? So, here's this fabulous piece of awesomeness for you to feast your eyes on:

This is what the book is about:

Midori Bishop’s life is hitting all the right notes. She has her dream job playing violin in a professional orchestra and is embarking on a secret relationship with the symphony’s hot maestro. But when Midori finds a cellist strangled to death, the maestro soon becomes the number one suspect. 

Midori sets out to prove the maestro’s innocence but discovers that he and many others have secrets they would rather keep hidden. As the investigation takes Midori closer to the truth, the killer gears up for a grand finale -- with Midori as the intended victim.

I absolutely LURVE this book! Midori is so fun to read and Sarah does such a great job drawing readers into her world that I felt like I was really behind the scenes of an orchestra while I was reading it!

And honestly, THIS COVER!!! I love it so much I'm going to put it on here twice just because it's so pretty to look at: 


I mean REALLY! The yellow is so bold and gorgeous, it draws your eye without being blinding. And my absolute favorite part is the blood dripping down off the bow. Because who doesn't love a little bit of gore on a book cover?! I'm so excited for this book to be out in the world so you can enjoy it as much as I do!

You can preorder it here from Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Google Play.





Tuesday, November 4, 2014

One Minute in the Life of a Writer (With Gifs)

:00

IMMA WRITE!

:04

It's way too quiet. I need some SOUNDS.

:06

Where's iTunes? I CAN'T FIND iTUNES! DAMN YOU NEW OS! WHY IS EVERYTHING DIFFERENT!


:20

Oh. It was right there the whole time, only it's RED.


:25

Ahh! City sounds. Perfect. IMMA WRITE NOW!


:26

I AM SO PARCHED I MUST GET WATER IMMEDIATELY OR I SHALL PERISH!


:32

Ahh. Much better. Now IMMA WRITE!


:46


:48

Forgot to take allergy medicine! Better do that IMMEDIATELY.

:53

IMMA WRITE!


:59

Ohh, no...


















Thursday, October 30, 2014

The Vampire Comes to London

In the process of cleaning out my closet last weekend I uncovered a portfolio of my writing from some of my workshops back in college. I've had a lot of fun glancing through the words I wrote ten years ago (!!!) and it's been exciting to see how far I've come as a writer since I was but a wee little Sarey. It was also wonderful to be reunited with my old characters whom I tucked away so long ago. These characters are the very first ones I truly fell in love with, and they're still close to my heart. 
Since it's Halloween, I thought I'd share a spooky little scene with you. At the top of the page, I scribbled THE VAMPIRE COMES TO LONDON. So, without further ado...

***
It was the grand re-opening of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden and everyone who was anyone in the ton made sure to show up. This included Lord Gregory FitzWalter and his wife Caroline. The chair beneath Gregory creaked as he shifted and leaned over heavily on the arm to stifle a yawn. The company was opening the season with a rendition of “That Scottish Play” and while it was one of his favorites of Shakespeare’s work, his mind was elsewhere tonight.
Doing his best to avoid glancing in a different direction, he focused on the pearl earring dangling from his wife’s ear. It jiggled as she canted her head to the side. The stage filled with an eerie mist as the lights came up on the three witches circling their cauldron. Caroline shivered beside him.
As soon as the lights dimmed, Gregory took the opportunity to steal another glance at the woman on the other side of the theatre. Her box was directly opposite theirs–which he was certain was no coincidence–and a steady stream of gentleman callers still made their way past it, even though the play had long been in progress. It had to be her. There was no other like her in existence. He just wondered how she could possibly be here, in this place, at this time. Why?
The fair crown of blonde hair accented with the bright glitter of jewels, was nearly unmistakable. But that wasn’t what marked her as unusual. No, it was the pale, ethereal complexion that so many women coveted and no one achieved the way this one could. Her attention drew away from the stage. As though she felt his gaze, her bright green eyes shifted in his direction.
Their glances caught and tangled in mid-air, and the corner of her mouth turned upward. Like a spider snaring a fly in her web.
Gregory’s blood sang in his veins as the witches cackled on stage.
He certainly couldn’t sit still now. The delicate touch he felt all over his body was not from his wife, sitting right next to him. She’d faint at merely the suggestion of his true desires.
No, this was a different touch, and even though it was merely a memory he could still feel her cold hands searing his burning skin. If she could force him to recall these images with a simple half-smile of those pouting lips, he wondered what it would be like to find himself in her arms again. Gregory shifted once more, discreetly adjusting his tightening breeches.
Caroline reached her hand over and rested it on his knee. She turned her head slightly in his direction, keeping her eyes directed at the stage and whispered, “What ever has gotten into you? Be still.”
He squeezed her hand and placed it back in her lap.
“Not feeling well. That salmon at dinner. I need some air.” He rose and exited their box, galloping down the narrow red-carpeted stairway that led to the lobby. He burst through the front door and dodged through carriages as he made his way across the street. Though, he thought as far as the moon and back wouldn’t be enough distance to put between them.
Pacing up and down the block, gulping in the damp night air, he shoved his trembling hands deep in the pockets of his waistcoat. After a few trips to the corner and back his stride became more even, the knots in his stomach loosened along with his breeches, and the lightness in his head faded away.
He laughed aloud, thinking he was silly for letting a woman get to him in such a way.
“Better not do that too much, or people will think you’ve gone mad.”
Gregory snapped his jaw shut and spun around. She was standing there before him with a coy smile playing on her mouth and a look of hunger in her eyes. The fabric of her gown was woven so finely, with such an iridescent silk that if she swayed a certain way the street lamp above made it seem invisible. He nearly forgot himself and half reached out for her, before he snatched his hand back as though he’d stuck it in a flame.
The glowing lights of the grand theatre lit up the street even from this far away. The doorman stood like a statue on the steps but Gregory still couldn’t risk being seen with this woman. Eyes of the ton were everywhere.
“Am I?” Gregory demanded.
“No more than any other mortal being.” She took a step toward him.
“Don’t.” He stepped back. “I have a wife here. A family.”
“That didn’t stop you before.”
“That wasn’t real,” he insisted.
“Stop kidding yourself, or you will go mad.” She walked her fingers up the front of his waistcoat. “My darling, what we had was as real as it ever gets. When you change your mind, I’ll be waiting.” She slipped a dainty card into his pocket. The sweet smell of her perfume wafted up, intoxicating him as if he’d drunk a hundred goblets of Brandy after dinner instead of just the two.

Gregory glanced down and removed the card, fully prepared to thrust it back in her face, but there was nothing left in front of him except a bit of swirling fog.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

DRAWN TO YOU Cover Reveal!

We all know you want to see the cover right away, so HERE IT IS!!!



Shy Ellie Baylor goes away to college in an attempt to escape her overbearing and zealously religious parents. In between dodging their daily phone call and lugging her oversized art portfolio across campus, she manages to be happy, mostly by avoiding any kind of social interaction. Then she meets River Daniels, the hot guy she's secretly been ogling in her art classes.
River is understanding and sexy, and their connection quickly grows.However, a lifetime of listening to her parents has left Ellie uncertain not only about herself, but her relationship with River. Their blatant disapproval of River and her choices leave Ellie with the hardest choice she's ever faced- her parents' approval or the love of her life.
DRAWN TO YOU comes out August 19th anywhere and everywhere ebooks are sold.

This is Angi. My amazing CP and I love her!


Angi Black is a dancer, a singer, a pirate, a poet. One of those is a lie. She writes New Adult and Adult and owns her own editing business, Wise Owl Words. She also teaches dance and theater all while baking treats and greening up the world around her. She loves music and donuts. She's Team Damon and her muse is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Gene Kelley. Whedonite. Coffee. Ambassador of Awesome. Bourbon. Beatles. Zeppelin. Mraz. Queen of useless trivial knowledge. Betty White is her spirit animal. Her patronus is a chorus of back-up dancers singing Don't Rain on my Parade. Angi blogs at The Writer Diaries, All The Write Notes, and Indie Ignites. She even has a fancy website.

Angi's Website

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AND NOW FOR THE GIF PARTY!









Thursday, December 12, 2013

Writing is a Journey

Over Thanksgiving week I had a chance to visit one of my favorite places: New York City. I used to live there ages ago, and even when I visited the first time, it felt like coming home. There's something about the city that's energizing and inspiring. I can't figure out what it is, but there's a reason so many songs talk about making your dreams come true in New York. Because really, when you're on the street surrounded by all that activity and creativity, it makes sense that you can conquer the world.

This is part of the reason I based my novel THE SHIFTING DARKNESS in New York City. It's a place where anything can happen. Down in the subway tunnel it's easy to wonder what's lurking in the shadows beyond the reach of the platform lights. Another more practical reason that I used it for my main setting is because I lived there and I was familiar with the locations I wanted to use. All except one of them.

Ellis Island is a key location in my book that I had never had the opportunity to visit. I really wanted to make it a point to get there on this latest trip. My husband booked us a room with a spectacular (albiet rainy) view!



I was so excited as soon as I looked out the window and spotted Ellis Island. I mean, all I had to do was peer out and see everything I'd studied so hard on Google maps. It was thrilling to see how much I got right. All I could do was sit there and stare as my characters came to life and watch as the events of my novel unfolded in my mind. 
“You are aware my labs on Ellis Island house the most renowned medical research facility in the country,” Alexander Lake continued.

Sidney made her way over to the huge window. The sun had set awhile ago and the buildings at the lower tip of Manhattan twinkled in the false twilight that always hovered around the city.
“Lovely, isn’t it? Mr. Lake is very proud of the view.”

“Get down!” Someone shoved her. The air hit hard and suddenly all she could hear was a high pitched ringing. She lay there on her back, staring up at the sky, thinking how pretty the smoke looked as it swirled up around the water tower in the middle of the courtyard.
In case you were wondering, that's just a hint of what it's like to be me. 



All I wanted to do was get down there and go exploring. From where we were staying, it seemed as though we could walk down to a footbridge and cross over into Liberty State Park, then catch a boat to Ellis Island.

The path didn't turn out to be very direct. Not even close. We had to go around a marina, through parking lots, past construction sites, and there were PLENTY of times we thought about turning around. 


But just when we thought we were at a complete dead end and we'd have to give up, we took a few more steps or peeked around a corner. Sure enough, we discovered a path to take us a little bit closer. Once we made it to the footbridge it was easy sailing. But getting there? It wasn't easy at all, and a couple of times it was even kind of scary. 

Now I'm going to get all deep and metaphorical, and compare this to my writing journey. 


Wait for it, I swear it makes sense. 

I've hit places I thought for sure would be a dead end. I've had rejections and set backs. A lot of times I felt like this whole writing thing was as pointless as... 


But I'm still going. Because, every time it felt like maybe this was it, maybe I was done for good... something else has opened up. It might have been an opportunity I didn't expect or see before, but it's always given me fresh hope and one more reason to keep going.

Right before I left for New York (as I was packing, in fact), I had another setback. A pretty devastating one. But a few days later... I entered Pitch Wars and I got chosen as a first alternate! So it just goes to show that you have to keep trying. 


If you want something to happen, you have to be prepared. You have to do everything in your power to be ready when good things come knocking, because you really just don't know what your path to publication might be.

How about you? Have you ever felt like quitting? What helps keeps you motivated?

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Pitch Wars: About Me

Hey Y'all! I applied to do Pitch Wars this year! Since everyone else is doing it, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and share a little bit about myself in case you're looking for someone super awesome to mentor.

Instead of TELLING you how awesome I am, I figured I'd SHOW you, because I'm a good little Creative Writer.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.


After graduation I moved to Atlanta where I got a job herding cats teaching preschool, and writing in my spare time.



My husband worked for the Atlanta Falcons, so I attended a bunch of NFL games and fed elephants with Matt Ryan.




(I know it's hard to see him in this pic, but that's his #2 right there behind the tree. I swear I wasn't being a stalker and hiding in the bushes. As you can see, Freddie Falcon and I are BFFs, so it's totally legit)



I have an annoying obsession totally healthy relationship with gifs. I mean, I love them like


For reals, they make me all 


because 


and sometimes I need to express them. So this is why I think gifs are



When I'm not hanging out on twitter, I enjoy spending time as an advocate for human-zombie relations.



And occasionally, I act as an ambassador on diplomatic missions throughout the intergalactic empire.







If you need any rum smuggled, I've got connections.


I don't really like to brag, but I've met some pretty famous people in my life, including but not limited to:

John Goodman
Regis Philbin
Barbara Walters
Liv Schriber
Johnny Knoxville
Hugh Jackman
Bryan Cranston
and Elvis.



I'm also super addicted to book signings, because I think it's fun to support fellow writers, and also to be able to meet my heroes and tell them how awesome they are. So here I am with some amazing writers I've met either at a signing or out in the wild:








Megan Orsini, Megan Whitmer, Angi Black





Another thing I really love to do is travel. I lived in Wales for a semester in college. I've also visited France where I saw the Mona Lisa and met Quasimodo.







And there was that one time when I was visiting my brother in Wisconsin and had an encounter with a Hodag.



Oh, and I met Jaws too, but that didn't go so well...


When I moved from Georgia to California, my friends were concerned I'd turn into a tree hugging hippie, but that hasn't happened. At all.



Out of all the crazy activities in my life, my favorite thing to do is write. The X-Files was a huge influence in my life, so I really enjoy creating stories with a good murder (or 12) and some kind of paranormal element.


Scully and Beckett are my heroes (heroines?), so every story I write needs to have a tough chick who can hold her own against whatever she might encounter.



This past year, I've spent revising my manuscript THE SHIFTING DARKNESS. It's been torn apart and put back together, so you should know that it's in really good shape and I'm also not afraid to beat my own words into submission.


And if ALL OF THAT didn't convince you how how badly you need me as your mentee for Pitch Wars? Maybe my gangsta friend Kelsey Macke can do it... watch here. I'll wait.


Isn't she bad ass?? I totally wouldn't be anywhere at all with out the support of my incredible CPs like Kelsey! She and the rest of my critique partners have helped me take THE SHIFTING DARKNESS from the 65k she mentioned in the video all the way up to it's current word count of 77k. 

I've shed blood, sweat, and tears, and I'm damn proud of this ms. I need a mentor who will love my characters and story as much as I do. Someone who can help me spit-shine my ms so I can present it in the best way possible to the awesome agents, because I fully intend to be the WINNER OF PITCH WARS.