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Happy Holidays

12/23/2016

It's time to Celebrate the Small Things! This is a blog hop hosted by Lexa Cain, L.G. Keltner, and Tonja Drecker.

One small thing: holidays mean lots of fun time with family! The cards have been sent, the decorations are up, and the presents are wrapped. We're ready!

In book news, I did my last interview of the year, and I loved Nicola Hassapis's questions. You can read it on Skyhorse's blog, Carousel.

I also received what may be my last review of the year! J.L. Powers of Pirate Tree said in part, "Black Flowers, White Lies compellingly and convincingly questions the links between mental illness and reality, revealing how fragile our understanding of and grip upon reality actually is. Ventresca tears apart the wall many of us have built between ourselves and “crazy” and shows that none of us are exactly “normal”, none of us can claim we have all the answers, and our relationships with other people–the trust we’ve built over months or years of interaction–is the key to compassion, love, forgiveness and self-forgiveness." Read the complete review on the Pirate Tree blog.

I hope to have renewed energy behind this blog in 2017. In the meantime, here's a photo of one of my favorite ornaments.

"Writing: I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions." --James Michener

Do you have a favorite holiday decoration?

Have a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year!

Writing Tips: Creating Suspense

12/2/2016

Thank you to author Jody Casella for hosting my guest post about creating suspense. Check it out on her blog, On the Verge: Three Simple Ways to Build Suspense.

I have not been blogging regularly this past month, but it's time to Celebrate the Small Things! This is a blog hop hosted by Lexa Cain, L.G. Keltner, and Tonja Drecker.

My small thing: We had a lovely Thanksgiving with family. My contribution to the meal was making my grandmother's egg noodle recipe. Do you have a favorite food you like to eat around the holidays?

Five Bloggy Things That I Do by C. Lee McKenzie

11/18/2016

Welcome to my long-time critique partner and friend, C. Lee McKenzie! I'm at the NJ Association of School Librarian Conference, so Lee has graciously agreed to guest post a "Friday Five" about how she's built her blog following over the years.

5 Bloggy Things That I Do by C. Lee McKenzie

Blogging isn’t for the dilettante. It’s not for the lazy or the slap-dash among us. Not if you want to gain an engaged readership and keep them. When I started The Write Game, I didn’t have a clue about what to do. I was almost clueless about why I should blog. The only direction I had was from my publisher: “You must blog.” So I did.

If I had it to do for the first time again, I would have invested more time in learning how, but that’s too late. All I know is what has worked for me and kept me returning to post week after week. So here are five suggestions:

1. Write about what interests you, what you’re passionate about and do it when you say you will: every day, three times a week, or once a week. It doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re interesting and dependable.

2. Decide who you’re writing for and why, then let them know YOU. I have to write to and for readers and writers because that’s my passion, but I thread in bits of my life and other interests, too. This lets my readers know me and relate to me.

3. Join the “fun” every once in a while, be silly/serious in a hop or enter to win in a giveaway.

4. Respond to your visitors in some way: reply to their comments, visit their blogs and comment with something of value (please avoid “Thank you for sharing. Sorry, but that screams, “I really didn’t bother to read what you spent hours to write.”)

5. Enjoy the blogging process. If you stop having fun or being interested, take a break. Just hang up a “Gone Fishing” sign and be sure to tell your followers when you’ll be back. Everyone understands the need for a break.

C. Lee McKenzie is a 4 & 5 star reviewed author. Her greatest passion is writing for young readers. Sign of the Green Dragon is her third Middle Grade novel. Alligators Overhead and the sequel, The Great Time Lock Disaster were her first two. She has traditionally published four young adult novels: Sliding on the Edge, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Double Negative and Sudden Secrets.

Piper Morgan to the Rescue by Stephanie Faris

11/16/2016

Congratulations to Stephanie Faris on her newest book! I'm a big fan of Stephanie's blog, so I'm pleased to help spread the word about her latest release:

In Piper Morgan to the Rescue, Piper helps some four-legged friends find the perfect home in the third book of the brand-new Piper Morgan series.

Piper is super excited to help out at Bark Street, a local animal shelter in town. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by adorable puppies and dogs all day? And when Piper sees Taffy, the cutest dog she has ever seen, Piper is determined to find a way to bring Taffy home. But it won’t be easy--especially when she finds out someone else wants to make Taffy a part of their family, too!

Bio: Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.

Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, as well as the upcoming Piper Morgan series. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all--fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive.

Links: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Upcoming Events in NYC/NJ/PA

11/7/2016

Here are my upcoming events. If you're local, please come say hello!

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:
November 11, 2016, Friday, 6 to 8 PM
YA Panel and signing with A.S. King, Una LaMarche, and Jocelyn Davies
Books of Wonder, New York, NY

FOR MY WRITER FRIENDS (Pre-registration was required)
November 12, 2016, Saturday
NJ SCBWI Fall Craft Weekend, Faculty
Workshop -- Keep the Pages Turning: Maximizing Suspense in Your Novel
Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:
November 13th, 2016, Sunday, 1 to 4 PM
Book signing with author Natalie Zaman to benefit the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter at the Dragonfly Cafe, Somerville, NJ

FOR NJ SCHOOL LIBRARIANS:
November 17 and 18, 2016, Thursday and Friday
NJ Association of School Librarians Fall Conference, Faculty
Workshop -- Judging a Book By Its Cover, plus signing at Authors Alley
Long Branch, NJ

IN PENNSYLVANIA:
November 19, 2016, Saturday, 1 to 4 PM
YA panel and signing with authors Alison Ashley Formento, Jennifer Hubbard, Jeffry Johnston, and Dianne Salerni
Open Book Bookstore, Elkins, PA

Celebrate the Small Things: Chocolate and Limericks

10/28/2016

Let's celebrate the small things: Today is National Chocolate Day!

I'm also celebrating a limerick that a young reader wrote about Black Flowers, White Lies. SPOILER ALERT! Scroll past this if you haven't read the story!

Celebrate the Small Things is a blog hop hosted by Lexa Cain, L.G. Keltner, and Tonja Drecker.

Do you love limericks? How about chocolate?

Celebrate the Small Things: Books

10/21/2016

This week I'm celebrating a few small things: SCBWI, a guest post, and a giant pile of books to read.

Celebrate the Small Things is a blog hop hosted by Lexa Cain, L.G. Keltner, and Tonja Drecker.

Here are my small celebrations:

1. SCBWI
Did you know that SCBWI (Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators) is running a Book Blast? It's like an online catalog of members' books published in 2016, and it's a great way to find something new to read (from picture books through young adult). There's a page for Black Flowers, White Lies if you want to give it a "like." (Whenever you like a page, there's a fun cheering sound. Try it out!)

2. How long does it take to write a novel?
I have a guest post, "A Novel by the Numbers" on the Sky Pony Express. Of course creative experiences can vary, but I tried to analyze my writing journey with numbers and data.

3. Books
My to-read pile is out of control. I currently have 14 books out of the library, plus two a friend lent me, plus the many more that I've recently purchased. Any tips on making a dent in the book tower? Should I buy fewer books? Read every day for set a time? I tend to read in spurts which clearly isn't enough. There are just so many good books!

October 18th, 2016

10/18/2016

Release Day Celebration: One Summer with Autumn by Julie Reece with Giveaway

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Hello Readers! Welcome to the Release Day Celebration for

One Summer with Autumn by Julie Reece

presented by Swoon Romance!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Happy Book Birthday, Julie!

one-summer-with-autumn-cover

Seventeen-year-old Autumn Teslow arrives at her father’s job fair knowing she’ll never measure up to the perfect image of daddy’s little girl—her twin sister.

Wearing anger management issues like a second skin won’t help Autumn win her dad’s approval for the big trip she’s been planning—or meet his condition that she successfully complete a summer internship for college.

Autumn’s cool unravels when her sister lectures against disappointing the family again. And when a young, bearded guy steps through the crowd to settle the growing argument between siblings, Autumn lashes out, dubbing him a “Duck Dynasty wannabe.”

At Nineteen, Caden Behr is clueless as to why his man parts are threatened by the fearsome girl before him. He'd only come to find an intern for his recreational equipment company, not break up a girl-fight between two sisters.

Unfortunately, the only candidate left is the girl who just told him off. Without her, he’ll never prove to his CEO mother that he’s ready for more responsibility.

Autumn and Caden agree that if they can keep from killing one another, they can use one another to get what they want and then never have to see each other again. Which is what they want.

Until it isn’t.

Because despite her best efforts to scare him off, and his fading desire to push her into the lake, they’re beginning to enjoy the time they spend together. But pride is a hard habit to break. And if neither will admit their changing feelings, they could lose a whole lot more than one summer.

One Summer with Autumn by Julie Reece Publisher: October 18, 2016 Publisher: Swoon Romance

Available for Purchase: Amazon

About-the-Author2

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As a child, Julie’s summers were about horseback riding and fishing, while winter brought sledding and ice-skating on frozen ponds. Most of life was magical, but not all. She struggled with multiple learning disabilities, and spent much of her time gazing out windows and daydreaming. In the fourth grade (with the help of one very nice teacher) she fought dyslexia for her right to read and won.

Afterward, she invented stories where powerful heroines kicked bad-guy butt to win the hearts charismatic heroes. And then she wrote one down…

Writing ever since, Julie weaves southern gothic, contemporary, fantasy, and young adult romances. She enjoys sweeping tales of mystery and epic adventure… which must include a really hot guy. Her writing is proof a dream and some hard work can overcome any obstacle.

giveaway2

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

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Celebrate the Small Things: Gratitude

10/14/2016

Today, I'm celebrating all of the help I received during the official release of Black Flowers, White Lies last week. Thank you to everyone who shared the news on social media and on their blogs. Here are some of the bloggers who helped -- consider paying them a visit!