December 25, 2012

I Wish You a Merry Christmas


On a Christmas album done by John Denver and the Muppets, there is a song where Kermit sings, “I don’t know if you believe in Christmas, or if you have presents underneath the Christmas tree, but if you believe in love, that will be more than enough for you to come and celebrate with me. (The Christmas Wish, Danny Wheetman)

This is how I feel toward all my friends, both my in-person friends and my “imaginary” internet friends. I don’t care what, if any, religion you pursue, we can all work together to increase the love in the world and make it a better place to live.

This Christmas, my family is enjoying homemade simplicity. Most of our gifts are being concocted in our kitchen. My mom has finally finished our living room murals, and each corner of the room has a tree from a different season. Our winter tree is a pine, because we didn’t want a bare deciduous tree taking a whole corner of the room. We have decorated our pine for Christmas with lights and homemade paper ornaments. And a lot of clear push-pins.

Whatever your religion, wherever you are in the world, and whatever you call your mid-winter (or mid-summer) holiday, carry with you my wishes that you and your family find peace and love in your lives, and that you spread it to others.

~Marie

December 24, 2012

My Gift to You

Merry Christmas!

I wanted to give my loyal readers a gift this year, and it didn't take much thinking to figure out what to give. From now until midnight pacific time on December 26th, you may follow this link which will take you to Amazon, where A Gigolo for Christmas is free.

What? You don't have a Kindle? Not a problem! Go to Amazon and download a free kindle app for your computer, or they also have apps for phones. The reader app is free, and right now, the book is free. How much better can it get?

I hope you enjoy your gift!

~Marie

December 23, 2012

Happy Christmas to All!

As a gift to all my readers, I would like to present you with a copy of my newest book, free. Monday December 24th, Tuesday December 25th, and Wednesday December 26th my book A Gigolo for Christmas will be available free to everyone. You can get it at Amazon.

If you don't happen to get a Kindle for Christmas, remember that you can get a free Kindle reading app for your computer, phone, or tablet, and you can still enjoy my book - free.

Much love to everyone, and have a safe and happy Christmas.

~Marie

December 18, 2012

Santa Has No Claws


Claws are long, sharp finger or toenails on animals. (Between the cheetah’s teeth and claws, the antelope was soon dispatched.)

A clause is part of a sentence, or a part of a contract. (You are in violation of clause b, subpart three, so the contract has been invalidated.)

Claus is Santa’s last name. (Santa Claus)

Keep them straight this way: Claws and Werewolf both have a letter “w”. Santa’s name begins and ends with the letter “s”. When a lawyer invokes a contractual clause, you might want to say, “eek!” Both eek and clause contain the letter “e”.

~Marie

December 11, 2012

Don't Censor the Sensor


A sensor is a mechanical device that takes in information and relays it to a human being in a different location. The rovers on Mars have a large variety of sensors to measure temperature, humidity, and the composition of rocks and soil. My front porch light has a light sensor on it that turns it on when it gets dark and off when it gets light.

A censor is an individual who decides what may be written, broadcast, and said in public, based on the prejudices of the ruling class of a given society. A censor is also a metal ball used to burn incense in, and waved around, generally in a religious context.

Keep them straight this way: Sensor is related to senses. A remote mechanical sensor takes the place of human senses, to a very limited degree. Both words start with an "s". Censor is either related to incense, or censorship...and all three of those words have the letters “cens” in them.

~Marie

December 04, 2012

Which Witch is Which?


Which is an interrogative, which is a fancy word for ‘question word’. You use it when you are trying to determine the difference between two alternatives (Which was better, the book or the movie?), or the best among a group of choices (Which is the best route to Apache Junction?)

Witch is a noun, commonly used with a negative connotation. It can mean someone who practices either good or bad magic (The Wicked Witch of the West or Glinda the Good Witch in Oz), someone with a bad attitude (What a witch! A phrase commonly used when we really want to use another word that rhymes, but consider ourselves too genteel to utter in polite company). People often dress up as wicked witches for Halloween.  The word almost always refers to a female, as a male practitioner of magic is usually referred to as a mage, a wizard, or a magician. The word is also often used to describe an adherent of Wicca.

Keep them straight this way: Witch has a t in the middle of it, just like that other word we don’t like to use. Both witch and the other word always refer to a person. Which has an h in it, just like other question words such as Who, What, Where, and When.

~Marie

November 27, 2012

Day of Gratitude


I am thankful for my family who loves me. I am thankful for a daughter who values education and had the courage to make the difficult and informed decision to go back to school and finish her education. I am thankful that that same daughter values honesty more, and upon realizing that formal education was not for her, decided not to make herself and everyone around her miserable. I am thankful for friends who understand my physical limitations and care about me anyway. I am thankful for my parents who contribute to my career by allowing me to live in their home rent-free.

I am thankful for having a netbook with a long battery life, especially when the power goes out and I have work to do. I am thankful for a car that takes us where we need to go. I am thankful for Shen Hart, who founded Literary+ just when I needed more help with marketing. I am thankful for people who are willing to pitch in and work together to help a single member of the group succeed. There are many peer groups who will drag everyone down to the same level, but very few that will work together to build everyone up. I am thankful for my nook, because it makes it possible for me to read thick books with my increasingly arthritic hands and wrists.

I am thankful to the Lord for giving me a good imagination I can use to write books with, and a talent for using computers that has made the rest of my publishing journey possible.

I am thankful for all of my teachers at Chandler-Gilbert Community College for helping me learn what I needed and for accommodating my increasing special needs as I worked toward graduation. I learned a lot even from the really…shall we say…unique individuals with whom I did not particularly agree. I am thankful to the US government for funding the Pell Grant program, and not restricting it to young poor people, because this is how I funded my education.

~Marie

November 26, 2012

Cyber Monday Free Book

I just wanted to remind everyone that my new book, A Gigolo for Christmas, will be free all day today, Monday, November 26, in celebration of Cyber Monday. While you're online doing your Christmas shopping, drop by and pick up this free Kindle book for yourself! You can get it here.

~Marie

November 23, 2012

Free Gigolo, One Day Only!

I just wanted to let everyone know that my new book, A Gigolo for Christmas, will be free all day Monday, November 26, in celebration of Cyber Monday. While you're online doing your Christmas shopping, drop by and pick up this free Kindle book for yourself! You can get it here.

~Marie

November 21, 2012

A Gigolo for Christmas


Surprise! I bet you didn't expect another new book so soon after The Siege of Kwennjurat was released. I'll bet a lot of my friends are also very surprised that I would release a book with the word "Gigolo" in the title, too.

I've been working quietly yet frantically on this in the background, hoping to have it ready before Thanksgiving, because it would be pretty stupid to publish a Christmas story at any other time of the year. If I hadn't made the deadline, the poor thing would have had to wait a whole year to be published, and I didn't want that to  happen. This is a lot of why I've spent most of November being very, very behind on my NaNoWriMo word count.

A Gigolo for Christmas is a very sweet little romance novella being offered, at least for now, as a Kindle-only ebook. Here's what the back cover would say, if ebooks had back covers:


Shelia Everett couldn’t have imagined a worse company Christmas party. By the end of the evening she was unemployed and homeless. Fortunately her boss’ date, Anders Adamson was willing to help her repair the damage. He even offered to help her get a job at his escort service.
 
What’s a good girl to do when she discovers she’s fallen in love with a gigolo?
 
I'm posting this on my blog on the day before Thanksgiving, so that you know about it, but aren't bothered by it while you're spending time with your family tomorrow. Or maybe you want to download it today, and read it on that long car drive home from Grandma's place after Thanksgiving dinner.

You can buy A Gigolo for Christmas here, or borrow it if you're an Amazon Select member.

~Marie

P. S. Amazon seems to be having a problem getting the cover image up on their site, but be patient and don't let the apparent lack of cover deter you from purchasing - I'm working on the problem as we speak.  ~AMJ

P.P.S. Amazon got whatever the problem was taken care of, and the cover is up now. Hooray!  ~AMJ

November 20, 2012

I Know You Said No


The word no is a negative. It means, well, no. It expresses disagreement with something someone else said or did. It is a shorthand word that, depending on the context, can substitute for an entire sentence. No can mean anything from a refusal to cooperate (“Will you take out the trash?” “No.”), a negative reply to a query (“Did you remember to put gas in the car?” “No.”), or a plea to someone to stop what they’re doing (a child screaming “No!” as Mom takes them out into the hall during a church service).

The word know implies knowledge. If you know something, it is a piece of knowledge stored in your brain for some period of time.

Remember which one to use this way: the word know is the first half of the word knowledge. The word no is a very short and simple word. If you want to tell your kids no, then keep it short and simple.

~Marie

November 13, 2012

The Maid Made the Bed


Made is the past tense of make. I can make something in the future, I can be making it now, or, once it is finished, I can proudly say that I made it.

The word maid had old roots in the word maiden, which refers to a young, unmarried female. In the days when people lived in huge houses and had live-in domestic servants, the word maid took on a new meaning as the job title of the young, unmarried women who cleaned the house. An old maid is an older, unmarried woman. In both maid and old maid, the term usually refers to a woman who has never been married, rather than a widow or divorcee, and is presumed to still be a virgin. Yes, I know that often does not apply today, but language is not good at keeping up with the times. I’m discussing language here, not current sexual practices.

Today, the word maid usually refers to a person, male or female, who works at cleaning other people’s houses. They are typically not live-in, but work either for themselves or for an agency, and clean several homes in a day’s work.

Remember the difference between made and maid this way: Make and made both end in an “e”. At my house “I” am the maid…and both of those words have an “i” in them.

~Marie

November 06, 2012

One to a Customer


The word soul refers to something which not all of the human race even believes in. Those who do believe in it usually think of a soul as the spirit which animates our body in life, and occasionally haunts our surroundings after death. Many believe that the soul passes to another plane of existence after death. However this blog is not a place to debate philosophy or belief systems, it is a place to learn about writers, writing, and the words that make books possible.

The word sole has several meanings, ranging from only (as in the family’s sole supporter), through a fish (the sole was delicious), to the bottom of your shoe (I need to take my boots in to have the soles repaired).

Keep them separate by remembering that a soul is all about “U”, and if it’s not about “U”, then the word doesn’t have a “u” in it.

~Marie

November 02, 2012

Resolution Update: November

My goals for this year began as:
  • Graduate from college. (Accomplished)
  • Write a new manuscript, something I haven't had time to do since I started college. (Accomplished)
  • Take a vacation someplace out of Arizona. (Accomplished)
  • Hug my daughter every day. (In Progress)
  • Learn how to make book trailers and post them to YouTube. (Accomplished!)
As I continue through the year, my evolving list of goals reads:
  • Hug my daughter every day. (Still in Progress, with modifications)
  • Support my daughter as she takes her turn at college. (Accomplished)
  • Finish editing The Siege of Kwennjurat and get it published. (Accomplished)
  • Reformat all ebooks so they look better. (Accomplished)
The hugs were temporarily stopped during October, as we realized we were passing the flu back and forth. Now that we're recovered enough to consider ourselves no longer contagious, they have resumed.

Happily, The Siege of Kwennjurat was released on October 24th. Of course, if you read my blog, you already know this, because I've talked about nothing else all month. I've been working in this world for sixteen years, and was rather happy to be done with it at last. During most of that time, I have had a hand drawn and colored map of the Ten Kingdoms hanging above my desk. Even though the book was available for sale slightly before the 24th, I had decided to take the map down on the 24th, as a private celebration of the completion of my work in that world, and a symbol to myself that goals can be accomplished, even when they take a long time to materialize.

On the 22nd, I had a dream. Book ideas often come to me through dreams, and the vivid scenes that are the seed for the novel usually remains largely unchanged through the writing process. In this dream, I saw two people meeting in a shadowy place, and speaking in low tones. I recognized one of them immediately as a character from Kwennjurat. From their conversation, I soon realized that the other person had been mentioned in the books, but didn't have a large role. I had thought the second person was dead. They are not dead. I have left my map up. Research and plotting is already underway. There will, apparently, be a third book in the Kwennjurat Chronicles, even though most of the action in the third book will not be in the Ten Kingdoms. Hang on to your hats, this is going to be an interesting ride!

I have two trailers up on YouTube, and ideas are coming for other video projects including but not limited to book trailers. My video camera had other ideas. It apparently decided it didn't have any further interest in living, so further forays into video are temporarily delayed until I see enough books to replace the video camera -- or find the money someplace else.

I always have more than one book project under construction, and at any given time they're in different stages of being written, edited, and prepared for publication. Right now, I have a romantic novella that hopefully will be out around thanksgiving. It's a Christmas themed story, so if it misses its deadline it will have to wait a full year. Because of its length, I plan to release it in ebook only, and for at least the first several months, it will be in Amazon's lending program, which means Kindle only. The title is A Gigolo for Christmas. Yes, you heard right, A M Jenner is writing a book with the word "gigolo" in the title. You'll have to get the book and read it to see if my standards have actually slipped. I've also got a short story collection that hopefully will be out around the first of the year named Bits and Bites. By the end of next year, I hope to have the suspense novel Just a Name, and the fantasy Mind Touch published as well, so there's lots of good news and new books in the pipeline for my devoted fans -- all ten of you. (That's a joke - I hope I have more than ten fans.)

On the handcrafting front, I hauled out my daughter's knitting looms and started a shawl, but that project got derailed because of the dollhouse project I'm involved in. It began as an idea to make a miniature bookshop to use as a set for photo shoots for my website, but has evolved into simply a project to build a miniature bookshop dollhouse with a flat above the shop. Each of the floors has been constructed. My mom is planning on finishing and furnishing the flat, and I'm working on the bookshop. So far, I have built the stairs to go upstairs with, laid down hardwood flooring, painted, and polished it, painted the walls in the office at the back of the shop, and I'm working on creating the wainscoting for the front of the shop. I'm not going to post any pictures until it's finished, though. I'm making it on a budget in half-scale, which means I get to make the doors and windows and everything else completely by hand, because purchasing dollhouse things in half-scale is beyond my budget. Plus, it's fun to figure out how to create it and make it look good when my construction materials are mostly found items already in my craft supplies.

I only finished reading seven books this month, but my page total is 4367. 

~Marie

November 01, 2012

Holly's Besieged on the Farm

Holly must have wanted a copy of The Siege of Kwennjurat very bad, because she practically stalked me on all the websites my tour took me to. Her efforts have paid off, and she won the ebook!

Holly, drop me an email and let me know if you want it for Kindle (.mobi), Nook  (.epub), or as a PDF.

The Goodreads giveaway is also concluded, and of the 219 people who wanted a copy, I'd like to congratulate the five people who won. I can't list their names here because that's against the rules, but I'd like them to know that I'm mailing out those books this afternoon.

Congratulations, and thanks again to everyone who helped make my pre-release give-away and my blog tour a success!

~Marie

October 31, 2012

Stop Seven: Lost in a Storm

The blog tour for The Siege of Kwennjurat was planned months ago, to begin the day after the book was released, and to run for a week, ending on Hallowe'en. The posts were written weeks ago. The hosts volunteered last week.

Today my host was supposed to be JD Savage. He lives in New York. He hasn't posted anything online, as far as I can tell, for three days. I am sincerely hoping that he is just holed up somewhere with his family, safe, snug, and dry. I am blaming his absence in hosting my blog tour on Hurricane Sandy.

It's amazing to me how interconnected the world now is, that a person from Arizona can be personally affected even in a small degree by a storm more than two thousand miles away. I'm very lucky, though. The only thing I lost is having someone else make a blog post on my behalf, which is nothing really important in the larger scheme of things.

As I post the content here on my blog, my thoughts and prayers are with the people in the eastern half of the North American continent, some of whom are still experiencing Sandy, and others who are now digging out, and those who loved the very few who will never come home.

Cover Art

My friend Paul Carroll recently posted on my blog about the technical aspects to creating cover art for novels. He did a very good job, so I'm not going to cover that part of creating cover art.

I read an article which shared the different aspects of what writers and marketers feel cover art should be. The writer wants the cover art to include specific details from the novel. They want to tell the story of the entire novel in one single photograph. To the writer, it’s extremely important that the details be exact. If the heroine has red hair and green eyes, the cover model had better match! As I read through this part of the article, I found my head nodding. "Exactly! This is what covers are all about", I thought.

Then I got into the second half of the article, explaining what marketers feel about cover art. Apparently, the purpose of cover art is not to tell the story. In fact, if the ratio is "a picture is worth a thousand words", then it would take a hundred pictures to express the content of most fantasy novels.

The cover of a book has four purposes: to identify the author, to give the title, to give the genre, and to get the browser in the bookstore to pick the book up and turn it over to read the description on the back. In online bookstores, clicking the link to go to the books page is the equivalent of picking it up and turning it over to read the back.

Identifying the author and giving the title are obvious. There have to be words on the cover with the author's name and the book's title.

Identifying the genre of the book is not something readers think about. However, both the font chosen for the author name and title, as well as the style of picture, identify the genre on a subconscious level. For example, if a book cover has an old-west wanted poster font, and a picture of a man with his horse, the reader automatically identifies the book as a Western and is either interested or dismissive depending on their opinion of Westerns.

Books with starfield backgrounds and planets floating in them are automatically categorized as science fiction, while anything with a dragon, or a large sword is usually a fantasy. A man and woman either caressing or gazing into one another's eyes is obviously a romance, and in many cases the steaminess level of the romance can be determined by how much clothing the woman is or is not wearing on the cover.

Finally, the hardest element to include is creating in the reader the desire to pick the book up and turn it over. I’ve found the easiest way to do this is by making the cover pose a question to the reader.

The front cover of my novel Deadly Gamble shows a stretch of asphalt with a chalk outline of a body. Obviously, someone is dead. The cover poses the question, "Who died and what were they gambling on?"

On the front cover of Fabric of the World is a piece of fabric. The center of the fabric has an image of the world on it. The edges however, are frayed, and some of the strings trail off in different directions. The question here is, "How is the world coming apart, and what can be done to fix it?"

On my newest book, The Siege of Kwennjurat, the cover photo is a castle courtyard, with some kind of mist or dust outside the walls. Is it morning fog coming off the river? Is it dust raised by the besieging army? You'll have to read the book to find out!

 

 

 

October 30, 2012

Stop Six: Dublin, Ireland

Stop six on my international blog tour is at Paul Carroll's place in Dublin, Ireland. Drop him a comment to let him know you've come visiting.


http://paulcarrollwriter.blogspot.com/2012/10/guest-post-by-m-jenner-its-all-in.html

The First Tuesday After the first Monday

Next week is Election Day in the United States. (I know I have international readers, but the majority of you live in the US.) Ever wonder why Election Day is the "first Tuesday after the first Monday in November"? Payday for some people used to be the first and fifteenth of the month. For others it was the last day of the month, every Friday, or every other Friday.

If Election Day is on a Tuesday, it can't be on any Friday. If it's the first Tuesday, that keeps it from being on the last day of the month. However, every so often, November 1st falls on Tuesday. The law was therefore written the "first Tuesday after the first Monday" specifically to keep it from falling on payday, because there were unscrupulous business owners who would withhold their employees' pay if they did not vote for the owner's candidate.

I don't often wax political in public, but I feel there's something which needs to be said. I won't tell you who I plan to vote for, and I won't tell you who to vote for, but I encourage you to vote based on the issues, rather than the popularity of a candidate or because his opponents have said unflattering things about him. Look at each candidate's political record, and vote for the individual you believe will best represent your values.

I believe that every election is a critical crossroad in the course of any political entity. If you don't vote for what you believe in, then those who hold viewpoints which oppose yours will change the course of your city, state, and nation in a direction you don't want it to go.

~Marie


October 29, 2012

Stop Five: An Unexpected Day at Home


Something must have gone wrong today. I have no idea what or why or how. Although I do know who, I have no way to get hold of the lady who had agreed to be my blog tour host other than the internet; and she doesn't seem to be able to get online today.
 
I was supposed to have been in Indiana today, but since it seems that this is not going to happen, I'll run with plan B. Yes, I have a plan B. I (almost) always have a plan B. In this case, plan B is that I will host myself for this installment of my blog tour. Mostly because I really want this post to be seen.
 
 

How Ebooks Have Changed Writing

 
I've had a lot of people ask me what I think about this recent craze over ebooks. They want to know how ebooks have changed the face of writing. I tell them writing has not changed. Publishing has changed a lot, and so has technology, but the art of crafting a story and presenting it in a permanent form has not changed in several hundred years.

No matter what the genre is, or the length of the story, all fiction writing has a few things in common. There must be a hero. The hero must have a goal. There must be obstacles between the hero and the goal. Some people may be surprised I don’t specify there must be a villain. There are many types of conflict and obstacles, not all of which absolutely require a villain; however, most heroes do have a flesh and blood nemesis throwing obstacles in their path.

Now, a little about publishing.

Some 700 years ago, Johannes Gutenberg put together several new technologies to create a new type of type of printing press. Before this time, all books were either written by hand or printed after a piece of wood had been carved for each page.

Somewhere around 150 years ago, Samuel Clemens is credited with being the first author to turn a manuscript in to his editor which had been written on a typewriter. Before that, all manuscripts were written out by hand. In fact, the very word manuscript means hand-written.

Some five years ago, ebooks became very popular with the invention of the Kindle. Ebooks had been around before that, but people like to carry their books around with them, and not have to sit at their desk to read them. The Kindle made the carrying-around part easy. Suddenly readers had the ability to go on vacation and take all of their favorite books with them. They would never run out of things to read.

However, because mainstream publishers were slow to make their books available in electronic format, readers became frustrated. At the same time, writers who for one reason or another were unable or unwilling to publish via mainstream companies were frustrated at the inability to get their books in front of willing readers. Self-publishing a book at that time cost a small fortune. By making ebook publishing affordable and available to all, readers and authors both found a cure for their frustration. Authors could afford to self-publish. Readers had more novels to choose from. Self-published ebooks made everyone happy except for the main-stream publishing companies who didn’t dare try the new technology.

Various inventions have changed the face of publishing over the years. The art and science of novel-writing has changed very little, however. An author still needs a hero, his goal, and a bunch of obstacles standing between the two. A good story is a good story, no matter how it’s produced, and it will continue to delight readers for many years to come. The method of its delivery to a reader’s eager eyes and hands is largely irrelevant to the writing process.

Instead of stories being written and revised and copied out by hand on voluminous amounts of paper, an ebook can be produced entirely with a computer and use no paper at all, yet still be totally engrossing to the reader. Thanks to my e-reader, I have just discovered a “new” favorite author...H. G. Wells.

Over the thirteen years I worked on Tanella’s Flight, I used a lot of paper. Many of the chapters were written in longhand, then typed into the computer. The manuscript was printed out, double spaced, at nearly a ream of paper per copy, for each revision. Ten copies were printed and sent to beta-readers. By contrast, The Siege of Kwennjurat was never on paper at all until the proof copy was printed. No paper! If you buy an e-copy, then between us we have used no trees in the production of an excellent novel. If you want a print copy, then the tree-consumption is still kept at a minimum, because only copies that are ordered get printed. There is no pile of paper books sitting in a warehouse someplace gathering dust.

The publishing process of both books was different, but the writing followed roughly the same path. I have a hero...and a goal...and a whole pile of obstacles standing in his path.

October 28, 2012

Stop Four: Bayside, New York

I'm in Bayside, New York today, talking about the ins and outs of research as my international blog tour continues in support of my newest novel, The Siege of Kwennjurat. Drop by for a visit, and leave a comment or two to thank Leonard for hosting me.


http://czhorat.blogspot.com/2012/10/writing-equals-constant-research-guest.html

October 26, 2012

Stop Two: Phoenix, Arizona

 
Stop two of my international blog tour takes me to Phoenix, Arizona, the home of the IronQuill.

http://www.ironquill.net/coming-up-with-ideas/

October 25, 2012

The First Repeat Winner


Random.org picked Dani as the first repeat winner of the Great Book Giveaway. She will get the very first signed copy of The Siege of Kwennjurat in existence, considering that the book just came out today. Congratulations, Dani. If it's all right with you, I'll just slide it into the same envelope with your copy of Inherit My Heart.

I'd like to thank everyone for participating, and for helping spread the word about the book giveaway. It's been a lot of fun. I'm "leaving" today on an international blog tour for the next week. I'll be writing about the writing process, and my posts will be all over the Internet. I just now decided that I will give a prize to the most dedicated fan - Follow me on my tour and make relevant posts on the blogs where I'm guesting. At the end of the week, whoever has been on the most blogs with me will receive a free ebook copy of The Siege of Kwennjurat. In the event of a tie, I'll let random.org pick. As usual, you'll get one entry for commenting, and one for sharing; so there will be fourteen chances to enter during the week. However, the content has already been sent to the hosts, so there will not be any reminders about this contest...it will be strictly our secret. Looking forward to seeing some of you on my blog tour! I will be posting daily links here that will point you to where I'm guesting.

~Marie

First Stop, Arkansas!

Here's a link to the first stop on my international blog tour celebrating the release of The Siege of Kwennjurat!

brooke johnson's blog: fantasy world building - guest post by a.m. jenner...:

~Marie

October 24, 2012

Moms Place Giveaway

Scott Roche is giving away an ebook copy of The Moms Place on his blog this week.

Kwennjurat, Part II


My new book, The Siege of Kwennjurat, is officially published, and I feel like celebrating. Today, I’m giving away a signed copy of my new book. Here’s how to enter:

Making a comment on the blog gets you one entry. If you’re a blog follower, say so for a second entry. Tweeting and sharing to Facebook or Google+ are worth one entry each (post a link to where you shared in your comment). First thing tomorrow morning, I will put all the entries in a hat and draw a winner. I’ll announce the winner, then they can email me their real name and address, and their signed book will be on the way!

Some people have been waiting three and a half years since the publication of Tanella’s Flight to find out “the rest of the story”. In your comments today, tell me about the longest wait you had to endure. Thanks for playing. See you tomorrow with today’s winner, and happy reading!

Princess Holly Gets Crowned!



Random.org picked Holly as the winner of Tanella's Flight! Holly, email me with your address and how you'd like it inscribed, and I'll get it right out to you!

~Marie

October 23, 2012

Dani Inherits the Book!


Random.org chose Dani as the winner of Inherit My Heart! Congratulations! Drop me an email to let me know how to sign it and where to send it.

~Marie

Kwennjurat, Part I


My new book, The Siege of Kwennjurat, is scheduled for release tomorrow days from now, and I feel like celebrating. Tomorrow, I am giving away one signed book each day. Here’s how to enter:

Making a comment on the blog gets you one entry. If you’re a blog follower, say so for a second entry. Tweeting and sharing to Facebook or Google+ are worth one entry each (post a link to where you shared in your comment). First thing tomorrow morning, I will put all the entries in a hat and draw a winner. I’ll announce the winner, and then they can email me their real name and address, and their signed book will be on the way!

Today I’m giving away Tanella’s Flight. This fantasy is the first half of the Kwennjurat Chronicles. You’ll want to read this before the sequel, The Siege of Kwennjurat comes out tomorrow. The heroine of this book is a princess. In your comments today, tell me when in your life you most felt like royalty. See you tomorrow with a new giveaway and the announcement of today’s winner.

Wonky Ruminations

According to dictionary.com, ruminate has two basic meanings; chewing cud, and thinking something over. Officially, no one knows how the two are connected, but I have a personal suspicion that it’s because when a cow is laying there chewing her cud, she looks like she’s thinking over a very serious and complicated problem.

If something is wonky, it is shaky, unsteady, or crooked, and likely to develop a problem or break down at any moment.

Take some time today to ruminate over the wonky things in your life. See if you can fix them before they actually break!

~Marie

October 22, 2012

A Magical Win


Random.org picked DzrtBxr as the winner of Fabric of the World! Drop me an email with how you'd like it inscribed and your address and I'll get it right out to you.

~Marie

A Great Inheritance


My new book, The Siege of Kwennjurat, is scheduled for release three days from now, and I feel like celebrating. For the next three days, I am giving away one signed book each day. Here’s how to enter:

Making a comment on the blog gets you one entry. If you’re a blog follower, say so for a second entry. Tweeting and sharing to Facebook or Google+ are worth one entry each (post a link to where you shared in your comment). First thing tomorrow morning, I will put all the entries in a hat and draw a winner. I’ll announce the winner, and then they can email me their real name and address, and their signed book will be on the way!

Today I’m giving away the romantic suspense Inherit My Heart. In this book, strange things start happening in Katrina’s life shortly after a lawyer appears uninvited on her doorstep. In today’s comments, tell me your best (or worst) lawyer story. See you tomorrow with a new giveaway and the announcement of today’s winner.

October 21, 2012

Diamonds for Kaaren!


Random.org picked Kaaren as the winner of A Heart Full of Diamonds! Email me with your address and how you want it inscribed and I'll get it right out to you!

~Marie

The Fabric of Quibell's Life


My new book, The Siege of Kwennjurat, is scheduled for release four days from now, and I feel like celebrating. For the next four days, I am giving away one signed book each day. Here’s how to enter:

Making a comment on the blog gets you one entry. If you’re a blog follower, say so for a second entry. Tweeting and sharing to Facebook or Google+ are worth one entry each (post a link to where you shared in your comment). First thing tomorrow morning, I will put all the entries in a hat and draw a winner. I’ll announce the winner, and then they can email me their real name and address, and their signed book will be on the way!

Today I’m giving away the fantasy Fabric of the World. The hero, Quibell, can see the fabric and threads the world is made of, and manipulate them. To other people, it looks as though he is practicing magic. My most magical moment was the instant they laid my new daughter in my arms. In your comments today, share the most magical experience of your life. See you tomorrow with a new giveaway and the announcement of today’s winner.

October 20, 2012

A Down-to-Earth Winner



Congratulations to Lulahe, the newest winner in the ongoing Great Book Giveaway! Drop me an email with your address and how you want it inscribed and I'll package it right up for you.

~Marie

Not All That Glitters is Diamonds


My new book, The Siege of Kwennjurat, is scheduled for release five days from now, and I feel like celebrating. For the next five days, I am giving away one signed book each day. Here’s how to enter:

Making a comment on the blog gets you one entry. If you’re a blog follower, say so for a second entry. Tweeting and sharing to Facebook or Google+ are worth one entry each (post a link to where you shared in your comment). First thing tomorrow morning, I will put all the entries in a hat and draw a winner. I’ll announce the winner, and then they can email me their real name and address, and their signed book will be on the way!

Today I’m giving away the romantic suspense novel A Heart Full of Diamonds. In the book, Marilee runs away from her husband when she finds out he’s going to have her killed. In your comments, tell me about a time when you felt like running away. See you tomorrow with a new giveaway and the announcement of today’s winner.

October 19, 2012

Hosmers' Gamble Paid Off!


Random.org picked Hosmers as the winner of Deadly Gamble. Drop me an email telling me how you want it inscribed and where you want it sent, and I'll get it out to you as quick as I can.

~Marie

Where on Earth?


My new book, The Siege of Kwennjurat, is scheduled for release six days from now, and I feel like celebrating. For the next six days, I am giving away one signed book each day. Here’s how to enter:

Making a comment on the blog gets you one entry. If you’re a blog follower, say so for a second entry. Tweeting and sharing to Facebook or Google+ are worth one entry each (post a link to where you shared in your comment). First thing tomorrow morning, I will put all the entries in a hat and draw a winner. I’ll announce the winner, and then they can email me their real name and address, and their signed book will be on the way!


Today, I’m giving away my science fiction novel, Assignment to Earth. I’ve always been fascinated with anything to do with space, and at one time wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up. My earliest memory of space-stuff was when my mom woke me up at the age of four to watch the moon landing. In your comments, share your favorite space-related memory. See you tomorrow with a new giveaway and the announcement of today’s winner.

October 18, 2012

Bubbaloo Gets a Clue!


By virtue of being the only entrant yesterday, Bubbaloo Magoo's persistence finally paid off. Let me know how to inscribe the book and where to send it, and it will be on its way, bubs!

~Marie

A Life or Death Gamble!


My new book, The Siege of Kwennjurat, is scheduled for release seven days from now, and I feel like celebrating. For the next seven days, I am giving away one signed book each day. Here’s how to enter:

Making a comment on the blog gets you one entry. If you’re a blog follower, say so for a second entry. Tweeting and sharing to Facebook or Google+ are worth one entry each (post a link to where you shared in your comment). First thing tomorrow morning, I will put all the entries in a hat and draw a winner. I’ll announce the winner, and then they can email me their real name and address, and their signed book will be on the way!

If you've already won, you can still enter. I have nothing against repeat winners.
 

Today I’m giving away a copy of Deadly Gamble. Since the murder victim in this suspense novel was a gambler, tell me in your comments what was the biggest gamble you’ve ever made in your life? It doesn’t have to be a money wager. See you tomorrow with a new giveaway and the announcement of today’s winner.

October 17, 2012

Moms for Mama

Random.org picked tiggermama as the winner of The Moms Place. Drop me an email and let me know how to sign it and where to send it.

Also, for the record, if you've already won a book, you are still elegible to win another one, just be sure to enter each day. In other words, Goofy Girl and tiggermama can enter again tomorrow and have the same chance of winning as anyone else who enters tomorrow.

~Marie

Get a Clues!


My new book, The Siege of Kwennjurat, is scheduled for release eight days from now, and I feel like celebrating. For the next eight days, I am giving away one signed book each day. Here’s how to enter:

Making a comment on the blog gets you one entry. If you’re a blog follower, say so for a second entry. Tweeting and sharing to Facebook or Google+ are worth one entry each (post a link to where you shared in your comment). First thing tomorrow morning, I will put all the entries in a hat and draw a winner. I’ll announce the winner, and then they can email me their real name and address, and their signed book will be on the way!

Today I’m giving away Clues to Food, a cook book full of yummy tried-and-true recipes along with a little tom-foolery. One of my favorite recipes is for my great-great grandmother’s spice cake. It reads: “To your basic white cake recipe add 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, 1/2 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg, and 1 tsp. cinnamon.” Please include your favorite recipe in your comments. See you tomorrow with a new giveaway and the announcement of today’s winner.

October 16, 2012

And the Winner is...

Random.org picked Goofy Girl as the winner of the signed copy of the reading sampler. Email me with how you want it signed and where to send it, and it will be on the way!

~Marie