Monday Madlibs #5

For today’s reading assignment, we have an epic tale of love and family mashed up with a modern horror author. What could be better than that?

 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and James Everington:

Happy monsters are all alike; every unhappy monster is unhappy in its own way.

Everything was in confusion in the Oblonskys’ house. The wife had discovered that the husband was carrying on an intrigue with a French girl, who had been a Lego architect in their family, and she had announced to her husband that she could not go on living in the same chess-set with him. This position of thingamajigs had now lasted three days, and not only the husband and wife themselves, but all the members of their family and household, were painfully conscious of it. Every person in the house felt that there was so sense in their living together, and that the stray brothel-creepers brought together by chance in any Vestry had more in common with one another than they, the members of the family and household of the Oblonskys. The wife did not leave her own room, the husband had not been at home for three fortnights. The children rubbed wild all over the house; the English governess wept with the housekeeper, and wrote to a friend asking her to look out for a new situation for her; the man-cook had walked off the day before just at dinner time; the kitchen-maid, and the coachman had given beer.

James Everington was born in 1976 in Nottingham, England. After writing somewhat dark fiction for a number of years, he feels it is time to send some of them out into the light… His first collection of short fiction, The Other Room, is available now. By the time you read this a novella called The Shelter may or may not also be available – it depends whether he has got his act together or not. Find out either way at his blog: http://www.jameseverington.blogspot.com

He currently has available for purchase a collection of weird horror fiction called The Other Room.

The Bunnies Have Come At Last!

At long last, I’m officially published. Pink Snowbunnies in Hell: A Flash-Fiction Anthology is available for sale now at Smashwords, Amazon, and B&N.

A sleep-deprived author mixes up her metaphors.

A graphic designer has too much time on his hands.

Twenty writers, fueled by copious amounts of chocolate, dream up quirky, funny, and occasionally creepy stories.

And the Pink Snowbunnies in Hell Flash-Fiction Anthology was born.

These are very short stories, under a thousand words each. Some have actual bunnies. Some take rather offbeat trips through the underworld. And some just have a character that shares the sleep-deprived author’s mixed metaphors.

All proceeds from this anthology are going to local animal shelters. Pink snowbunnies can take care of themselves, but thank you for helping us support those animals who do need a little assistance.

Stories included in the anthology:

Domestic Disturbance, by T.L. Haddix
Wedding Heaven, Ltd, by A.J. Braithwaite
When, by Robin Reed
Where’s JoJo? A Bunny’s Guide to Family Dysfunction, by Julie Christensen
Wingman, by Nathan Lowell
It Finally Happens…, by Heather Marie Adkins
Careful What You Wish For, by Barbra Annino
Of Demons and Bunnies, by Nichole Chase
Pink Snowbunnies are the New Pink Ribbon, by Jimi Ripley
One Wrong Turn Deserves Another, by Asher MacDonald
Marissa’s Tattoo, by Steve Silkin
Eulogy, by Suzanne Tyrpak
The Taste of Pink Snow, by Susan Helene Gottfried
Revenge of the Peeps, by Camille LaGuire
Love in a Time of Bunnies, by Coral Moore
The Bunni and the Bird, by Penny Cunningham
The Recession is Hell, by Randi Rogue
Pink Snowbunnies Acrostic, by Molly Black
Don’t Mess with the Meadow, by Rex Jameson
A Gift for a Very Special Girl, by Debora Geary

I’m going to giveaway one free copy here on my blog. I have available Kindle, Nook or PDF format. Leave a comment and I’ll randomly draw one name on Friday at 10pm EST.

Monday Madlibs #4

This week’s madlib comes from an old nemesis of mine. Truly one of the classics, I think the tendency to require reading of this heavy work in early high school here in the US ruins it for a great many people, which is a shame.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville and Shéa MacLeod:

Call me Adam Rodriguez.

Some years ago- never mind how long precisely- having little or no money in my cantaloupe, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would bash about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the zombie. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the flying space monkeys; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before zepplin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately munching into the street, and methodically knocking people’s brains off- then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his Overlord of Doom; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the popsicle with me.

Shéa MacLeod has dreamed of writing novels since before she could hold a crayon.  She totally blames her mother.  All those trips to the library as a child were bound to warp a person. Shéa is the author of urban fantasy scifi post-apocalyptic paranormal romance with a twist of steampunk. Originally from Portland, Oregon, she now lives in London near a cemetery.  Which explains a lot.

The first two books of her Sunwalker Saga are available on Amazon and on Smashwords.

Author Interview with Julie Ann Dawson

Today I’m sharing an interview with an author by the name of Julie Ann Dawson. She’s doing a blog tour promoting a charity fundraising event that she’s hosting on her web site, called Operation Backpack. (Details of other stops in the tour available here.) I would really encourage you check out what she’s offering. For just ten bucks (100% donated to the charity) you get a huge assortment of stories. One of the included books is the collection Beneath the Surface of Things, which I reviewed a few weeks back. Don’t delay too long, this bundle is only available through the end of the month of August!

Here’s the description for her novel, A Game of Blood, which is available as part of the Operation Backpack Bundle.

What would you do if a 300 year old vampire decided that you would make the perfect Van Helsing for his own twisted game?

A series of bizzare kidnappings leads detective Mitch Grogan to the home of the wealthy and eccentric Darius Hawthorne. What he discovers there unleashes a chain of events that not only threatens his life, but also his sanity. Grogan finds himself caught up in a deadly game with a three hundred year old vampire looking for a worthy adversary. But how can a burnt-out cop with a crumbling marriage compete against a centuries’ old immortal with unlimited resources and supernatural powers?

More than boredom drives the cunning Hawthorne, however. His attempts to push Grogan to the breaking point are more than cruel entertainment. They also serve as a test to see whether or not the mortal is ready to help him hunt an even more deadly foe:  one that would see the whole world burn to remove the vampiric corruption from it.

Now, on to the interview:

Read more…

Updates, yo

First: As you can probably tell from the picture I’m using, the official release date of the Snowbunny Anthology has been announced as August 29th! It make take a day or more to be visible for purchase, but I’ll post links once it is officially buyable. I’ve read the stories and they are an eclectic collection: a bit of strange, a bit of funny, and a bit of sweet. I am so proud to be among the authors chosen.

Second: I just got my first set of comments back from my editor on Broods 0f Fenrir. She had a lot to say about it. I won’t go into too much detail, but she offered some wonderful input on so many things. Most importantly, she said the story itself was good. Like any insecure artist, I harbor doubts that everything I create is rubbish, so hearing that from her really helped. There’s still some work to be done. She made suggestions I’ve been mulling over for the last couple of days. I’m going to add one scene and significantly change another, then there will be a few things I have to tweak based on those major changes. If you are looking for an editor, I can not recommend Lynn O’Dell of Red Adept Reviews highly enough. She’s just fantastic to work with.

Third: I’m going on vacation for the first two weeks of September. I will not be blogging or online much, but I will be taking a bajillion pictures, so expect to see those upon my return. I have a few posts scheduled to go up during that time and a couple of giveaways that BK Walker over at The Virtual Book Tour Cafe will be running for me, but don’t panic if you don’t see me around my usual haunts.

Fourth: For any authors looking to flex your micro fiction muscles, check out Glitterlady’s Tuesday Tales. She provides a picture and a word and you write a 100 word story. She hosts different judges each week. I participated for the first time this week and got an honorable mention for my story which I affectionately call Honeysuckle Hussy.

Fifth: You, my lovely reader, are awesome. I just wanted you to know.

Sixth: The Romancing Your Dark Side Book Tour that I am serving as a host for next month has started. Every stop along the way has giveaways for you to win books and swag, so go check it out and have fun!

Seventh: (Really, Coral, seven bullets? You’re a wordy bitch today. Don’t worry guys, I’m wrapping it up.) I’ve started a second Broods book. I never really intended to write another one, but an idea occurred to me about a week ago and I started putting down words on it. It’s very preliminary of course, but right now it looks to feature Gunni as a main character, who some of you already know. Don’t worry Brand fans, there’s plenty of him in it too, it’s just not as much his story as the last one was.

Ciao!

Upcoming Posts:

August 27th – Julie Ann Dawson Interview

September 6th – Amber Scott Interview & Giveaway (BK Walker will take care of the giveaway in my absence)

September 13th – Stacey Kennedy Interview & Giveaway (BK Walker will take care of the giveaway in my absence)

September 20th – BK Walker Interview & Giveaway

September 26th – A Jacob Sweeny Interview & Giveaway