2nd Day of National Novel Writing Month

 

November is here and it's time to get back to business! 

 

What I'm working on for NaNoWriMo:

 

Murder on Hall D

 

A light mystery/suspense/comedy

 

 

 

 

Can't wait to see where this story takes me. LOL I think my brain is on overload from all the new adventures on the horizon. A senior getting ready to head off to college next year. Another getting ready to take her driver's test. And my son, who has always kept me on my toes, will be entering high school next year. Whew... Throw in the new puppy we got in August and top it off with the writing and I'm lucky I make it back home with a small bit of my sanity each morning after running errands. :)

 

NaNoWriMo is the perfect escape!  Ahhhh.....

 

 

Word Count so far:  3002



 

 



"Betrayals of the Heart" Goes LIVE!

I'm thrilled to announce the release of "Betrayals of the Heart" available today at Amazon  and hopefully Barnes & Noble soon. The print version is due out later in November for those who like to hold a book with pages. :) I do hope you will enjoy this one. It's a litte more thriller, a little less romance. And I must tell you that the villain in this book kept me up at night. He's bad to the bone and had me wondering just where the heck he came from. LOL

 

Makayla thought she'd fallen in love with the man of her dreams. But after the honeymoon, a horrifying reality sets in. She is a prisoner, a slave, a pawn for a malicious man's games. When her precious son is born, the need to escape intensifies. Little does she know that the man who helps her escape is working undercover with orders from the FBI to bring her in--a sure method to end not only her life, but her young son's as well.

Ryan Carter (AKA Robert Shaw from Target of Betrayal) knows way too much about lies
and betrayal. His entire life is now a lie. The minute he discovers his target is a victim and not the cruel criminal the FBI's profiler has made her out to be, his agenda changes. Against the wishes of the FBI, he disappears with their star witness, vowing to keep her and her young son safe from the satanic monster she calls her husband. What he doesn't plan on is falling in love--or having a son of his own.

Fate deals them a cruel hand in the form of a simple high school history project. The madman has found them and he's taken Ryan's son in exchange for Makayla. Can Ryan save them both? Or will history repeat itself and once again steal all he holds dear?

Show More

Show Less

Click links below to get your copy!  :)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Two Ends of the Pen: Interview with Melissa Ohnoutka

Just in case you wanted to read more about my publishing journey. :)


Two Ends of the Pen: Interview with Melissa Ohnoutka: Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Target of Betrayal : Kathleen Landon thought her life would finally get b...

Lots of Great Links to Share

Websites for Independent Authors

• A Newbie's Guide to Publishing (Joseph A. Konrath)
• Dean Wesley Smith
• Publetariat
• Kindle Nation Daily
• Self-Publishing Review
• WG2E (The Writer's Guide to E-publishing)

• Createspace
• Pubit
• Kindle Direct
• Smashwords
• XinXii
• Infinity Publishing
• New Book Publishing 

• Dan Poynter’s Para Publishing
• Publish Your Own E-Books
• ISelfPub.com
• Books Just Books
• David Gaughran Digital

• Amanda Kelsey of Razzle Dazzle Designs 

•  Hot Damn Desings by Kim Killion  

•  Book Cover Café  

This is just a list I've made for myself and wanted to share. Check them out and use what you like. :)
Good Luck!!

•  

Love is Murder - It's Here!

Highly recommend this one! Seems like we've been waiting forever. LOL This is an amzaing book filled with stories from some of the best thriller/suspense author's out there today. One of which is my very good friend, William Simon. It's time to celebrate!

Lori Armstrong * Jeff Ayers & Jon Land * Beverly Barton * William Bernhardt * Allison Brennan * Robert Browne * Pamela Callow * Lee Child * J.T. Ellison * Bill Floyd * Cindy Gerard * Heather Graham * Laura Griffin * Vicki Hinze * Andrea Kane *Julie Kenner * Sherrilyn Kenyon * Dianna Love * D.P. Lyle * James Macomber * Toni McGee Causey * Carla Neggers * Brenda Novak * Patricia Rosemoor * William Simon * Alexandra Sokoloff * Roxanne St. Claire * Mariah Stewart * Debra Webb

Blurb

Prepare for heart-racing suspense in this original collection by thirty of the hottest bestselling authors and new voices writing romance suspense today.

Go on vacation with Allison Brennan's Lucy Kincaid, where she saves a man from drowning, only to discover he is in far greater danger on land. Meet Roxanne St. Claire's "bullet catcher"—bodyguard Donovan Rush—who may have met his match in the sexually charged "Diamond Drop." Debut author William Simon shows us what happens when the granddaughter of the president of the United States is kidnapped. And Lee Child's pitch-perfect "I Heard a Romantic Story" puts a whole new spin on Love Is Murder.

Bodyguards, vigilantes, stalkers, serial killers, women (and men!) in jeopardy, cops, thieves, P.I.s, killers—these all-new stories will keep you thrilled and chilled late into the night.

ALERT! DNS Changer Malware - Is Your Computer at Risk?

I heard some disturbing news a few weeks back about a computer threat and wanted to spread the word. This is another reason it is a "Must" to backup our computers. Even if we're careful, we just never know when a click on the wrong link will infect our computer with some type of virus, leaving us at the mercy of someone who understands this stuff. I learned the hard way a few years back. Had to have my laptop completely rebooted. Thankfully, I have an awesome computer repair guy, who just happens to be my baby brother. Now, I save everything. Everyday.

I'll start with the good news.  The FBI shut down an operation, called Rove Digital, last November and arrested six Estonian nationals behind it as well as shut down their malicious servers. The trojan virus, called DNS Changer, redirects your computer’s DNS queries from your ISP’s server to one created by the trojan’s creators — this essentially hijacks all Internet traffic from your comupter. The FBI set up its own DNS servers to ensure computers already infected wouldn’t be cut off from the Internet. Thank goodness.
But now the bad news. The FBI will be turning off their servers on July 9, 2012. If your computer is infected with this trojan it won't be able to access the web on or after July 9. With your Internet access cut off, installing anti-virus software to remove the virus will be a bit more difficult.

For more information about this and how to check your computer, click here:  FBI-International Cyber Ring

Memorial Day - A Day to Remember

This is a day for Americans to attend one of the thousands of parades held in large and small cities alike all over the country. We watch as marching bands march by, the overall military theme, the National Guard and other servicemen participating along with veterans and military vehicles from various wars, helping us remember the cost of our freedom.

Flags are flown at half-staff to honor the more than one million men and women who gave their lives serving this great country. It's mind boggling when you think about it. Their courage and sacrafice for others.  For us. Strangers they've never met.

So as we enjoy our day and the traditions listed below, let us remember why we are able to do so.


Indianapolis 500 - an auto race held on the Sunday preceding Memorial Day since 1911.

Coca-Cola 600 - stock car race held later the same day since 1961.

Memorial Tournament - golf event on or close to the Memorial Day weekend since 1976.

End of School Year and Beginning of Summer - usually resulting in lots of barbecue, deserts and family fun for us.

A Very Happy Memorial Day to you and yours. Don't forget to pray for our brave men and women, past and present, and thank them for giving us this opportunity to live free and proud.

Scrivener for Windows

I'm patiently waiting, if that's even possible for me, on this one! I've heard so many wonderful things from a friend who uses this Scrivener program on his Mac. So when they came out with the Windows version, I jumped on it. This program is designed to help you organize your writing. Something I've been trying to do for years. LOL So many cool options.  Check out the tutorials or even download a trial version here: 
http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php

I've been playing with the program and love what I see so far, but I'm so happy that even more help is on the way. Gwen Hernandez is a fellow blogging buddy over at www.everybodyneedsalittleromance.com and an expert in my opinion on this program. I can't wait to grab a copy of her book when it comes out in September. :)

 Check it out here: Amazon

• Walks you through customizing project templates for your project needs
• Offers useful advice on compiling your project for print and e-book formats
• Helps you set up project and document targets and minimize distractions to keep you on track and on deadline
• Explains how to storyboard with the corkboard, create collections, and understand their value
• Shows you how to use automated backups to protect your hard work along the way

Let's face it.  I need all the guidance I can get in all of these areas. LOL I've been using a program called Liquid Storybinder and it has some really nice features too. I guess it all boils down to what works best for you.

Do you use one of these programs or how about another you'd like to recommend? :)

The Lone Star Writing Contest - Don't Miss It!

Looking for a great contest for feedback on your next novel. Well look no more! :)

Lone Star Contest

The 20th Annual Lone Star Writing Competition

Entry fee: $20 NWH members; $25 non-NWH members,

Early bird entry: $5 discount on all entries submitted by midnight May 26, 2012


Deadline: Electronic entries must arrive by midnight June 9, 2012. Any entries received after the deadline will be deleted unopened.

Finalists will be announced on August 19, 2012. Non-finalists will have entries returned by August 28, 2012.

NEW !!! Special Prize !!! All entrants will be entered into a drawing for a 50 page edit by one of NWHRWA’s published authors. There will be 7 winners, one for each category.


Winners will be announced at the Lone Star Conference on October 13, 2012.

Eligibility: Unpublished may enter any category. Published may enter any category in which they’re not published, or in which they’ve not been contracted for five years. Open to RWA and non-RWA members.



Rules and Formatting: (see Rules and Entry form for more specific information.)


1) First 25 pages, including prologue, if desired.

2) All entries must be in the standard submission form: 1” margins all around, 12 pt. font, double space, 25 lines per page.

3) Save as .RTF

4) Manuscripts can be entered in only one category, however multiple manuscripts are allowed.

5) Entry form must be complete and payment made by PayPal.

Scoring: All entries will be sent to three first round judges: two published authors and one unpublished author. The lowest score will be tossed and final round contestants will be chosen by the average of the final two scores. In the event of a tie, the dropped score will be considered.

Finalists will be given one week to edit manuscript using the comments and score sheets from the first round judges before sending to final judges. Top three high scorers in each category will be category finalists. Those entries will be sent to both an agent and an editor for placement.


For more information please vist:  http://www.nwhrwa.com/