Category: Reading

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the ghost whisperer

So, The Ghost Whisperer ventured into the world this week. After a flurry of rejections last week, things settled down considerably. Well, they settled down to nothing. After last week? I’ll take it.

This week, I’ve kept myself occupied with taking a class on The Great Gatsby.  I recommend the Jake Gyllenhaal narration via Audible. Even better, if you own the iconic blue cover in Kindle format, that version and the audio one are Whispersynced and you can get a reduced price on the audio.

I also revised Gone Ghost and will head straight into revising Must Love Ghosts, just to keep the story continuity in my head. Then? I don’t know. I’m starting to feel the need to go on a writing tear.

Writing Work:

  • Revising Gone Ghost
  • Lit class: The Great Gatsby

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Ghost Whisperer

Episode 3 of the Coffee & Ghosts serial is now available! You can buy or borrow The Ghost Whisperer over at Amazon.

Ghost in the Coffee Machine is still free to read and includes an excerpt from the second episode, Giving up the Ghosts.

You can read more about what’s up in episode 3 in my post of a few days ago.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with giving up the ghosts

Finished off the last bit of work for my classes (for now). Yay!

I started the last of the Ghost episodes (also for now–there might be a season two). This episode is challenging. It not only has its own story arc, but also the entire season story arc comes to a close in this story. Again, hats off to television writers. This. Is. Challenging. I’m calling this last episode Must Love Ghosts–tentatively (for now).

But it’s a lot of fun. As I mentioned earlier this week, Giving up the Ghosts is live. Plus, Ghost in the Coffee Machine is free and it includes a sample of Giving up the Ghosts. So, if you’re uncertain about Coffee & Ghosts, you can give it a no-risk sort of try.

Writing Work:

  • Calvino class: All done!
  • Writing ~ 3,600 words
  • Started Must Love Ghosts
  • Revising The Ghost Whisperer

Submissions:

  • The Perfect Canvas

Rejections:

  • The Perfect Canvas

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Giving up the GhostsGiving up the Ghosts is now live! And Ghost in the Coffee Machine is free to read.

If you want to learn more, see my post from a few days ago.

Memorial Day 2015 Charity Challenge: Gone, but Not Forgotten!

Memorial Day 2015 Charity Challenge: Gone, but Not Forgotten!

During Memorial Day week, from the 22nd to 29th of May, more than 70 veteran authors will pledge 100% of their book royalties to their favorite charities.

Once again, I will be participating in the Vets Give Back charity challenge, this time for Memorial Day. My organization of choice is Helping Paws, a local organization that has a pilot program to provide veterans with service dogs. I am pledging $100 as a baseline PLUS all royalties I earn for the week.

While I will donate all royalties, my pledge book is The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath because of its military theme.

Fine Art_blue

MacKenna’s mother died when she was a baby, a casualty of the first Gulf War. Now seventeen, MacKenna has spent her life navigating the minefield of her dad’s moods, certain of one thing: she is destined to follow in her mother’s combat boots. But when she pursues an ROTC scholarship, she finds herself at war before even enlisting.

Her father forbids her from joining the military, inexplicable considering he’d raised her to be a “warrior princess.” MacKenna turns to her grandmother—who arms her with an ammo crate containing her mother’s personal effects from the war. Hidden in the crate’s false bottom is a journal, one her mom stashed there hours before her death.

While MacKenna untangles the secrets of her parents’ tragic love story, her own life unravels. Dad’s behavior becomes erratic, her best friend grows distant and even hostile, and a boy from her past returns—with a life-threatening secret of his own.

If ever a girl needed her mother, it’s now.

The pen might be mightier than the sword, but are a mother’s words strong enough to slice through years of hidden pain? Can those words reach through the battlefields of the past to change MacKenna’s future?

Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Print

Be sure to check out all the books on the challenge site. There is something for everyone. And if you’re a subscriber to Kindle Unlimited, you can even give for free by borrowing many of the authors’ books. So you can donate and grow your to-be-read pile all at once!

Happy reading and thank you!

YA Spring Fling Blog Hop with H.S. Stone

The YA Spring Fling is still going strong and there’s plenty of time to enter the giveaway. Want to know what you might win? Well, keep reading to learn a little more about one of the authors, H.S. Stone.

YA Spring Fling med

What’s your favorite thing about spring?

The fact that it’s not winter anymore! Cold weather and I don’t get along very well.

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

I love coming up with new story ideas. I’ve been inspired by dreams, books that I read, or just from taking a walk. Whenever a good idea hits me, I write it down in a notebook. As a result, I can’t wait to finish my current manuscript because there are so many new ideas beckoning me!

What’s the worst thing about being a writer?

For me, the revision process is the most painful part of creating a book. After the first draft, I’ll go over my manuscript several times before sending it to an editor, and by then, I’m usually sick of reading my story.

Tell us more about your books.

I write young adult speculative fiction. About half of my books can be classified as dystopian or post-apocalyptic, while the remaining ones fall in the realm of science fiction or fantasy.

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee, but I also like tea. I like coffee-flavored anything: ice cream, cake, candy, etc.

Plotter or Pantser?

I used to be a plotter, but now I’m somewhere in between. I start out each story by writing an outline, and while I try to follow it when I write the first draft, the characters invariably lead me in a different direction. I then revise the outline to match and continue with the draft, iterating when needed until I’ve completed the story.

Are there any books involved in the YA Spring Fling that you’re secretly lusting after?

Oh yes, there are several! But since I’m secretly lusting after them, I won’t reveal which ones. I think there are lots of great books being offered, and I’m grateful to be part of it.

What are your top tips for surviving a bad review?

Remember that everyone has an opinion, and even the best books aren’t for everyone. Re-read your positive reviews to remind yourself that there are readers who enjoyed what you wrote.

What are your top tips for surviving a zombie apocalypse?

Zombieland provided some very useful tips, so I’ll refer to that list: http://www.zombielandrules.com/.

Remember the double tap.

Where can readers find your books?

You can find a full list of my books from my website with links to the retailers that carry them:

H.S. Stone’s books

 

YA Spring Fling! Win books, swag, and more!

It’s here! The YA Spring Fling! Enter to win a whole bunch of books: print, e-books, and audio. There’s swag and other prizes as well.

The giveaway is open between now and April 3rd, so head on over and win some books!

YA Spring Fling Logo

 

 

For Valentine’s Day: The Burden of So Many Roses in audio

Just in time for Valentine’s Day! The Burden of So Many Roses is now in audio over at Toasted Cake.  Having a bad day? Well, have a listen. It could be much, much worse.

roses

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the best in category

The Kindle Countdown Deal for The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath is wrapping up. If you want to grab a copy for 99 cents, you have about a day and a half to do so. Also, maybe this just happened:

bestseller

 

So. Yeah. That was fun. Otherwise, I had a good writing week of about 1,000 words a day, and a good writing month as well. I’d love to inch that monthly word count up to 40,000. I don’t have that far to go, so we’ll see.

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 7,554 words
    Monthly total: 37,377 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Fine Art_bluePick up the Kindle version for only 99 cents. It’s also available in print.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The MazeThe Maze: Three Tales of the Future is also having a countdown deal for 99 cents. Three tales! Of the Future! But hurry. This one ends in a day and a half too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now and Later ebook coverIf you’re in a short story sort of mood, you can pick up eight young adult short stories in one volume. Currently, it’s only available in Kindle, but I plan to release the print version soon.

Two countdown deals and a new release

That’s right. Two countdown deals this week and a new release. Why? Because I can? Because I’m crazy? You pick.

Fine Art_blueYou can pick up the Kindle version for only 99 cents this week. It’s also available in print.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The MazeAnd, just for fun, The Maze: Three Tales of the Future is also having a countdown deal for 99 cents. Three tales! Of the Future!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now and Later ebook coverLast, I have a new/old release out. I’ve compiled all my published young adult short stories into one volume. Currently, it’s only available in Kindle, but I plan to release the print version soon.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with incriminating evidence

issue-004-cover-smallNot as much writing this week, but I’m not turning up my nose at ~4,000 words either. I also did the page layout for a +300 page book in Adobe InDesign. That … takes time.

I received my gift card and a very nice note from the women at WOW, Women on Writing for my honorable mention. Plus, I sent the story on its way again.

Issue #4 of Fantasy Scroll Magazine is out and it includes my story Incriminating Evidence (links below). So all in all? Not a bad week.

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 4,393 words
  • Page layout +300 pages

Submissions:

  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies 

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Weekly writing check-in: the one at the end of November

More proofing this week, revising, and other whatnot. Even so, I managed to eke out 3,200 words. I mentioned at the start of the month that I wanted to do the equivalent of National Novel Writing Month, or 50,000 words. I ended up with 30,000, which considering I switched gears and did a few other things during this month, isn’t too bad.

Switching gears like … organizing a promotion for The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet (see links below). Between now and December 14th, I’m having a 99 cent sale on the electronic version. Or! If you buy the paperback via Amazon, you can get the Kindle version for free.

So? November? You didn’t turn out too shabby at all. I think I’ll keep you.

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 3,200 words
  • Revising, editing, proofing, oh my!

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

None, but! The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet is now on sale! If you buy the print version via Amazon, you can get the Kindle version for free. Just in time for the holidays. Buy early, buy often.

Print, Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo

Keeping Quiet