Guess where I've been!

I wrote another book!

Let the rejoicing commence...

What's that you say? Of course, I wrote a book? That's what I do?

Okay, you've got me there. Yes, I write books. But I wrote ANOTHER one!

Hmm. I see. You're not impressed.

Well, what if I told you that wasn't the only thing I did while I was gone?  That's right, I've been a busy girl...

I also lost 30 pounds!!!

Wow, you're a tough crowd. Let me see...well, I also made Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat? available in paper back!

That's right, you can now read a real, physical copy of WereWhat?!

You don't believe me? Well, here, take a look!

Ahh, I see that's got your attention. Well, I can make that even better! To celebrate all these various accomplishments, I've decided to have

A CONTEST!!!

That's right! A contest! All you have to do is help me spread the word about the contest. Easy peasy! How's that, you ask? Well, just share this post on FB, twitter or any other means of "sharing" and let me know about it down below. Share a link so I can see it myself! 

I told you it was easy peasy, right? 

Oh wait, you want to know what you can win? Fair enough. 

Three lucky winners will win a HARD COPY of Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat?!!!

And one of those lucky winners will also receive a GRAND PRIZE: an AMAZON GIFT CARD for $10! 

Not bad, eh?

Oh, one other (and VERY IMPORTANT) thing: Make sure you leave me a way to contact you if you should win! An email address would be nice.

So, go share the news and paste a link (and include some kind of contact information) in the comments below. You have until Thursday, May 17, 2012 to enter!

But wait! Well, you didn't think I'd leave it at that, did you? (You are so clever!)

To sweeten the deal, I'm also offering Summoning for FREE on Amazon on Saturday and Sunday, May 12th and 13th. 

Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat? will be FREE on Amazon on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, May 14th, 15th and 16th.

So, am I forgiven for ignoring my poor blog for so long?

*phew* Thanks!

We Have a Winner!

Here are all the entries (in a bowl, because I couldn't find a good hat) surrounded by a few of the prizes. See I told you the bouncy balls were cool! (My Kindle just had to get into the act, too. Sorry about that.)

And then I picked out the GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

Everyone give a round of applause for JOSEPH MILLER and his WerePlaytpus!

Next was the FIRST PRIZE WINNER:

 Another round of applause for AEICHA and her WereGuppie (AKA the WereShark-Wannabe).

Finally, I drew out the SECOND PRIZE WINNER:

And it's Billy Burgess and his WereZombie!

As for the THIRD PRIZE WINNERS, that would be the rest of you (namely Dolly, Cherry and Jodelle).

Thank you to all of you who participated.

Now for the logistics of it all: Could all of you send me your mailing addresses/email addresses so I can send out the prizes (emails for the gift certificates and mailing for the "goodies"). Please send them to debi l faulkner (at) g mail (dot) com (in the usual no-spaces format, of course). I promise not to keep or abuse your addresses in any way whatsoever.

This is Exciting! (No, really. It's VERY Exciting!)

This past month has been hectic. I spent 3 weeks in the US with my family, which included watching my extremely talented son compete in the International Teen Talent Finals (he's such a talented kid!) in Tennessee, seeing as many friends and family as I could squeeze into random visits, two trips to the cinema (what a luxury) and loads of time hugging my parents (and that talented kid of mine!).

But in addition to all of that fun and excitement, the final touches have been put on Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat? and now it's time to launch my newest baby out into the world.

Yes, you heard that right! Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat? is now LIVE on Amazon and Smashwords! (Barnes and Noble should be live soon . . . still waiting for the processing . . . .)

To celebrate, I'm having a giveaway. Not just your average, run-of-the-mill giveaway, but a SUPER, STUPENDOUS, BLOW-YOUR-MIND giveaway!

That's right. Here's what you can WIN:

Grand Prize: an Amazon GIFT CERTIFICATE for $50, a cool POST CARD with the cover of Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat?, and a TURTLE (make that a WereSeaTurtle) BOUNCY BALL

First Prize: an Amazon GIFT CERTIFICATE for $20, a cool POST CARD with the cover of Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat?, and a TURTLE (make that a WereSeaTurtle) BOUNCY BALL

Second Prize: an Amazon GIFT CERTIFICATE for $10, a cool POST CARD with the cover of Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat?, and a TURTLE (make that a WereSeaTurtle) BOUNCY BALL

Third Prize:  I'll send the cool POST CARD with the cover of Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat? to 5 people

Now you may be asking yourself, "What must I do to have a chance to win one of these MIND-BLOWING prizes?"

Well, that's the easy part! In Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat? Jack Henry and his family turn into WereCreatures that reflect their "inner selves." All you have to do is tell me in the comments below what kind of WereCreature you would be. Which animal would showcase your inner self? 

If you want to earn extra entries, you can! You can share this contest with your friends! Help me get out the word! Just email me at debilfaulkner (at) gmail (dot) com (or post in the comments below) a  link to where you've mentioned this contest. Post me a link to your TWEET, your FACEBOOK page, your BLOG, your MYSPACE page . . . wherever you mention Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat? or this contest! Mention me in more than one place and earn more extra entries! 

If you want to earn 10 extra entries in one go, just post a review of Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat? (an HONEST review!) and send me a link.  

See how easy that is? You have until the end of LABOR DAY (that would be Monday, September 5th for those of my non-American friends), because I'll draw the winners' names from a hat on Tuesday, September 6th. That gives you just over 2 weeks, people! 

What are you waiting for? Tell me all about your Inner WereCreatures!  

The Trouble with Sequels . . .

If you take a quick look at my last post , you'll see the WAY COOL cover of my upcoming MG book, WereWhat? Let me just tell you that writing that book was the most fun I've ever had writing. I mean, look at that cover? How could that be anything but FUN?

And now I'm writing the sequel. Yikes! There is a whole new set of rules, a new set of required skills . . . things I never even imagined when I decided to make this a 2-book odyssey. Every word I type, I wonder whether I'm being true to the characters in this point in their journey, whether I'm including too little or too much back information (to help remind readers where the former story left off), whether the tone stays consistent, whether the stakes are being "upped" or . . .

See what I mean?

The challenge at this point is to silence that inner editor long enough for me to get the story down, then allow myself to go back to edit it.

Anyone have an inner-editor-squasher?

What works for you?

The Big Reveal!

Those of you who follow me on Facebook may have noticed that I was very excited yesterday. (For those of you who don't, well, just take my word for it now.)

Anyway, here's why!

The wonderful Glendon Haddix (who is a GENIUS!) from Streetlight Graphics has completed the cover for my upper mid-grade book, launching this summer: Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat?

And it's absolutely FABULOUS! (Okay, don't take my word for it -- take a look for yourself!)

It's fabulous, right? Tell me it's fabulous!

Okay, so what do you really think?

Book of the Day -- Demon Day, by Penelope Fletcher

Today's Kindle INDIEpendence Book of the Day is Demon Day, by Penelope Fletcher. Here's the blurb:

Rae is falling into darkness. Grieving the death of her friend at the hand of dark magics, she is full of hate and vengeance. Tracking Devlin and his followers across demon territory, she is forced to turn to the local shifter pack for help. Tricked into rescuing the Pack Alpha’s daughters from the Temple, she learns there really is no place more dangerous than home. Breandan the fairy is done being patient. He wants Rae to stand by his side and refuses any claim they are not destined to be. Unsure, Rae denies him the right to have her, but will the urges of her nature and the strength of their bond allow her to walk away? Then there is Tomas, the alluring vampire who needs her help. But what exactly does he expect of her, and is the cost of helping him worth turning her back on life itself? Courted by the dark, and in love with the light, Rae must choose her path, or face the burden of Rupturing the world once more.

It's available on Amazon for just $2.99!

Book of the Day -- Monster Mashup

Here's a great book to curl up with in front of the fire (whether a fireplace or a campfire). Today's Book of the Day is Monster Mashup, by MJA Ware.

Here's the blurb:

Now with twelve short stories.

Monsters, magic, goblins, zombies, and more. Be prepared to sleep with the lights on. This collection of short stories will have you looking over your shoulder, avoiding mirrors, and jumping at the slightest sound.

From fiendish creatures hiding in your bathroom mirror, to Halloween pranks gone deadly wrong. Each story will scare, delight, and surprise.

No gore or cursing here, just good ol' spine-chilling fun!

Infinite Reflections – When Jessie's sister gets trapped in a haunted mirror, he must figure out how to destroy the creature within. Though, Mom might like it if he gets his sister out first.

Bloody Marcy – Mixing a game of Bloody Mary with a practical joke proves to be a deadly combination.

Monster in the Mirror - Nate, his little sister, and best buddy Dan, stumble upon a hidden room during a sleep-over. What they find inside is anything but friendly.

Death Trap – Mike takes a bet to go inside a haunted house, but will he live long enough to collect?

Steven, Space Stowaway – Steven sneaks onboard a spaceship bound for Mars. Just one problem: the Captain has a particularly unpleasant way of dealing with stowaways.

The Price of Friendship – How much is a best friend worth? Joey finds out the hard way.

Hobgoblin Horror – Jake only volunteered at the retirement home because Shelby works there. So, it's no wonder he's doesn't hear Mr. Fitches' warnings about a local homicidal hobgoblin—too bad for him.

Rolling Leprechauns for Change – Leprechauns can have a nasty sense of humor—especially, when they're getting even.

Hide-n-Go-Coffin – Playing hide-and-seek in a cemetery is disrespectful. When it happens to be cursed, the results can be deadly, or maybe even worse.

Grandpa's Suits – A game of spin-the-bottle with the school pervert isn't a bright idea. Fortunately for Zoey, she's not quite alone.

Brother's Keeper – Zack would be wise to spend less time looking for his missing sled and more time worrying about what's lurking outside. And he's not the only one who'll suffer for his single-mindedness.

Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb When Life gives you lemons, kill zombies. In this special short story that inspired the upcoming novel, Nate and Misty's town is overrun by the undead and they'll need a little luck to squeeze their way out of this sticky mess.

These stories are not recommended for kids under 8.

You can get Monster Mashup from Amazon, B&N or Smashwords for just  $1.79.