I Was a Guest Blogger

I wrote a post over on Delilah Devlin's blog about visiting Russia without ever leaving my house (that's because I was crazy enough to write a book set in that country!). It was posted yesterday. Here's a link to go check it out:

https://www.delilahdevlin.com/blog/2020/03/23/stacy-mckitrick-how-i-visited-a-country-without-leaving-my-house-free-read/

Only 1 week + 1  day until Finding the Perfect Mate releases! Although, the way Amazon works, you can order the paperback now, it just won't be delivered until after the 1st. I'm still having issues with Smashwords (which feeds into Kobo and Apple), so send some positive vibes that I get it all worked out in time.

I really hate it when they change the way they want files. I've never had problems before, so of course when I'm on a tight deadline, I run into problems. Ain't that the way it usually goes?

Ugh.

At least it looks to be a decent day outside today. Might actually take a walk. I miss walking, and luckily I'm still allowed to do that in Ohio.

So … You got any plans today?


Stacy

I'm On a Roll!

Every month this year (which would be only three times), I’ve set a writing goal to add 5000 words to my WIP. January I added 1527. February was worse at 683. But this month? So far I’ve written 2524 words in the past 5 days! And I passed the 10K mark on my WIP, too!

I am on a roll!!

I am determined to keep up the madness work and obliterate that goal.

The other day I was interviewed over on the Eight Ladies Writing blog. You can read it HERE. Don’t worry. It’s short. I apparently don’t believe in rambling in my answers. Is that a good or bad thing? I haven’t decided.

Hubby returned home safe and sound at 3:02am yesterday. His flight was only delayed twice! Don’t you just hate flying? We do.

Penguins won last night, but lost in overtime the night before. What an ugly game that was, too. I’m happy the games were on NBCSN, but hate those back-to-back games. And they have the most (or 2nd most) back-to-back games this season. Doesn’t seem right.

So… Got any big plans this weekend? I’ll be attending my local RWA chapter meeting on Saturday and then on Sunday we celebrate my daughter’s birthday at the Cheesecake Factory. No, it’s not her birthday yet (it’s actually April 10), but we have eight coupons for free slices of cheesecake (oh, look, and there will be 8 of us!) and they expire on the 31st. Can’t let them go to waste (just waist). J

Happy Friday!

Stacy

An Anniversary, an Interview, and a Synopsis

Forty-one years ago today I joined the U.S. Army. Boy, was I young or what? FYI: I was young. 18 years old. Found this picture that was taken during basic training. That crooked hat cracks me up!

And to think a little over two and half years later I met Hubby. Wouldn't have happened if I hadn't joined. Well, re-enlisted. Met him during my second tour.

Yesterday Abbie Roads posted an interview she did with me (Author on the Couch). You can read it here http://abbieroads.com/2017/01/author-on-the-couch-stacy-mckitrick/. Go on over and comment and you’ll be in the running for an e-copy of Blind Temptation. I don’t know when the name will be drawn. Probably Monday. Yeah, Monday sounds good. J

Yesterday I also submitted Ghostly Interlude to my editor at Lyrical Press. Now I need to write a synopsis! Gosh, it’s been like forever since I last wrote one. I had PLANNED to write it during my little writing break, but you can see how that went. Haha!

So it looks like that’s what I’ll be doing today. Just another day to cut into my WIP. Of course, my WIP is also suffering because I’ve been hosting the Sizzle and Sass page all week. Facebook will kill time faster than anything. I swear!

I probably shouldn’t have made my goal to write 3000 words this week. I should have seen what was coming.

What else came? Books I promised to judge. And I can’t take credit for reading these books on Goodreads (or here) until after the contest winners have been announced. That’s not so bad, really, because I’ll eventually get credit. It’s just that I’ll be doing a little more reading than I thought. And reading has been a problem lately.

Sometimes I think my brain is out to get me. Or would that be my muse? Whatever it is, every time I start to read, my mind keeps going back to my WIP. How I can fix it. How I can make it better. What this character could do. So on and so on. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to re-read paragraphs. It’s very annoying.

So… Do you think I should just stop working on my WIP while I get my reading assignments finished? I don’t know if I can do that. And I don’t think stopping will get my mind to stop wandering over there. And truthfully, I’m glad my mind IS wandering over there. I was afraid it wouldn’t. I was afraid this story wasn’t working. I’m not feeling that fear so much anymore. But I sure am feeling the frustration when I can’t find the time to work on my WIP. Arrrgh!

Have a great Friday and hopefully I’ll see you over at Abbie’s!

 

Stacy

Bragging Rights a Movie and an Idea!

No, this isn’t about USA winning the Women’s World Cup Soccer Final. Although, it was a great game and I’m very happy!

Remember when I was featured on Romance Lives Forever Blog (back on June 26)? Well, I was listed as one of their top bloggers! My post was the 4th popular for the month (out of 29 features). That means I get bragging rights and this neat emblem/award. Yay!!

Who knew I was so popular? Certainly not me. I have you all to thank for visiting and making it possible!

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I didn’t get to watch “Magic Mike XXL” on Friday, but did get to see it on Sunday. While it’s not as good as the first one, I still enjoyed it. And yes, I really enjoyed seeing Joe Manganiello’s ass. If you go in not expecting much more than seeing the guys perform, you’ll have a good time.

Our local theatre (Cinemark/Rave) is being remodeled to feature these vinyl/leather-like recliners. I got to try them out yesterday. Can’t say I’m that impressed. I can only imagine what shape they’ll be in after a month after kids have had a chance to spill stuff all over them. Cleaning crew doesn’t really do all that great a job in cleaning between shows as it is, can I really expect them to wash down the seats?

Yeah, I don’t think so.

Also, we got to pick our assigned seats. I don’t know what I think about that. Makes it nice for the people who want to spend a fortune at the concession stand and not wonder if they’ll find a decent seat. But my daughter wondered how that would work if you were meeting friends at the theatre and you didn’t all buy your tickets together. You can’t save the seat next to you; someone else might have picked it. I think it’s kind of stupid, but hey, it’s not my theatre and I can always refuse to go. Frankly, for the $7.90 matinee price, I’ll probably just stick to going on Tuesdays, when it’s $5.50 all day. It’s bad when matinee prices seem too high.

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I have to laugh at myself. I had written this whole paragraph asking for help and then ended up helping myself.

You see… I planned on including a character interview of one of my vampires in my next newsletter, but I had no idea what kind of questions to ask. So I thought you all could help. Then I went and started writing notes about who was being interviewed (Perry seemed like a fun choice) and who would be doing the interviewing (Victoria came to mind, only because she and Perry don’t get along so well). Then I realized I had it all backward. Perry would be the one asking questions and not just to Victoria. Instead, there will be five segments (in the next five newsletters) entitled: Getting to Know Your Committee Member (since there are five Committee Members in my vampire world). I’ll start with Victoria and work my way down the list. I think I can have a lot of fun with that. What do you think?

If you want to read these fun interviews, you’ll have to sign up for the newsletter. There’s a signup form on the sidebar, one on my website (www.stacymckitrick.com), or you can just sign up HERE. Am I sneaky or what?

So... What’s the most you’ll spend going to the theatre to watch a movie? What’s the most you’ll spend on a book? I find it interesting that most people won’t think twice about the movie price, but will balk at a $4.99 e-book. Doesn’t seem right.

Have a great Monday!!

Stacy

I’m a Guest Poster at Romance Lives Forever

I’m still trying to get the word out about Blind Temptation (oh heck, who am I kidding? I’ll never stop. Right?). Today I’m being featured on Romance Lives Forever Blog. You can find my post HERE (which is why I posted this an hour later than usual; the post should be live by now). I’m also featured on their ezine: http://paper.li/kayelleallen/1349530261.

If you want to help me out, please comment on the blog and maybe share it on Facebook or Twitter (if you have an account). The hashtag for Twitter (or both) is #RLFblog (I’m not a tweeter, so I’m not sure what that will accomplish). The post that gets the most visits/comments gets recognition later (maybe even free advertising on the site). And since I’m looking for recognition, I could use all the help I can get.

Don’t know if you noticed, but I made some subtle changes to my blog. And if you’re reading this on a mobile device, you might not notice (or care). Anyway, waaaaay down at the bottom there are lots of book covers. These are the last 48 books I’ve read. Then on the sidebar I added my Goodreads Challenge (we’ll see if this one works, the last one wouldn’t). It’s not much, but I like sharing what I read, so I thought it was appropriate. We’re all about the books, right?

So… I’ve had two good writing days so far. Sure, I had to go back and fix what I thought I’d fixed (grrr), but I still fixed it and added almost 600 words this week. Not a lot, but better than nothing, right? Plus, I’m getting the stupid book FIXED! Now, if I can get the next scene fixed (which is a pretty major scene I thorough goofed on), I’ll be heading into the weekend on a major high. What kind of stuff gets your blood pumping?

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and I'm a Guest Poster!

I’m being featured on Gemma Brocato’s blog today. If you would like to see a snippet of my current WIP, please stop on by and say hi. J When I get the direct link to the post, I’ll add it HERE. 

So nice to get writing and reading accomplished (well, except for yesterday--see below). Here’s what I read this week:

Feb 23: “Shadowed” by Rebecca Zanetti, #6 of the Dark Protector Series, a paranormal romance at 270 pages long. Blurb from book: Danger signs rise off Jase Kayrs like steam—the scars, the secrets, the strength. He’s got a mission, and he’s not interested in much outside of it. Except Brenna Dunne. Brenna was an ass-kicking, name-taking witch—before the poison that’s killing her sapped her powers too. She knows there’s more to Jase than a handsome face and an ugly history. But there’s no time to find out what. Taking him as her mate might save her life. But once she unleashes the force of his desire, there will be no turning back… I am enjoying this series, and looking forward to seeing how it all ends.

Feb 24: “Tamed” by Rebecca Zanetti, a novella in the Dark Protector Series (#6.5), a paranormal romance at 100 pages long. Blurb from Goodreads: Caleb Donovan was never meant to be a prophet. At heart he's a conqueror, his appetites far more carnal than spiritual. He's not inclined to repress his passions and surrender to fate. After all, that's what cost him Lily—three centuries ago. She married another, because it was ordained. Now that he's in the same benighted calling—and forced into proximity with her—all the old desires are roaring back to life. . . After widowhood and centuries of celibacy, Lily is eager to explore the wild side of life, except now she's vulnerable to another forced relationship, with an enemy. But this time she's determined to choose her own path. And if hot, furious Caleb comes charging to the rescue, it might just change both their destinies. . . Love is about to start conquering. . .  Sometimes novellas between series books are fluff, but this one isn’t. Granted, nothing happened to move the overall story forward, but it was a good setup for the finale. And I’ll be reading that one next.

While I have been getting a bit of writing done, yesterday was the pits. My whole schedule was off (due to a doctor appointment and a trip to the commissary), that I didn’t get anything written. Plus this cold is really bugging me. I’m hoping I’m over the heavy-duty stuff, though. Keeping my fingers crossed!!!

So… Have any of you watched the new Odd Couple? What did you think? I’m thinking television executives can’t think of anything new to create. Still, it had its funny moments and I expect I’ll see a few more episodes before I make a final yay or nay.

Happy reading!

Stacy

I'm Guest-Posting Today

Yeah, I know, I don't normally post on Sunday, but I'm guest-posting today over at Delilah Devlin's blog here: http://www.delilahdevlin.com/blog/2014/12/28/stacy-mckitrick-ghosts-real-or-just-stories/.

I even included an excerpt from Ghostly Liaison. So... if you're curious, come on over! :)

I’m a Guest Poster and There’s This Liebster Award

When the word LINK is highlighted, the URL to the post I wrote for Romance University will be linked (since I did not receive the link prior to posting this—although you could just check their SITE and see if it’s there!). If you’re interested in seeing how I organize my writing via spreadsheets, come check it out. And if you’re not interested, come say hi. ESPECIALLY if there aren’t any comments. Because I just don’t know what’s more depressing than not getting any comments. Do you agree?

Blogger buddy (and Lyrical sister) Sandra Cox of Sandra’s Blog has nominated me for a Liebster Award. Now, I don’t normally play along, but I needed something to blog about (besides my guest post).

Here’s the lowdown on the award (in blue): The Liebster Award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers. The goal of this grand gesture is to help find blogs which are worthy of a bigger following... sort of like finding diamonds scattered amongst tiny grains of sparkling, white, distant sands. You imagine they are there but you have to look hard enough to pick up their beauty and inspiration against the decadence of a jealous sun. (Gee… does that even sound like me? I mean, besides the having less than 200 followers part?)

In German, Liebster means kindest, beloved, valued and welcome.

The rules for accepting this award are as follows:

• List 11 random facts about myself.
• Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated me.
• Nominate 11 other blogs who have less than 200 followers and let them know they have been nominated.
• Post 11 new questions for those bloggers to answer (If they wish to accept the award, it’s completely optional).

I’m not playing the complete game since I refuse to nominate other bloggers. That’s just too much darn work for me and you all know how lazy I am. Besides, I don’t think I know 11 blogs that have less than 200 followers. And if I do, they haven’t blogged in a good, long time! But I can do the first and second (of which Sandra only gave me six questions, so she cheated, too).

Eleven random facts about me, that maybe I haven’t mentioned before:

1. I’m a name-dropper.
2. I went to high school (and graduated in the same class) as Meg Gardiner. In fact, we lived only a couple of blocks away from each other (even though we weren’t friends at school, our sisters were). And if you don’t know who she is, that means you didn’t read last Wednesday’s POST. L
3. I’m a character in Brett Battles’ book, “The Silenced.” Yeah, I’m a dead character, but a character is a character, and I was mentioned SEVERAL times!
4. I hate filling out forms.
5. I hate pickles. Especially the pickle juice. Keep them away from my sandwiches!
6. I love Diet Dr. Pepper with Cherry.
7. I joined the Army instead of the Air Force because I weighed too much for the Air Force.
8. I hate walking barefoot.
9. I love wearing bright yellow.
10. I hate wearing bright yellow OUTSIDE. It just seems to call to every flying bug out there!
11. I’m so glad this list is over. J

Here are the six questions Sandra gave to me:

1. If you were an animal what would you be? I AM an animal, aren’t I? Hmmm… Other than human? A guess a cat. A big cat. Like a panther, maybe.
2. What's your favorite genre? Paranormal romance
3. When reading, do you prefer paper or a hand held device? Paper! Although, isn’t paper ALSO a hand held device? Hmmm…
4. What's your favorite vacation spot? A cruise
5. What's your favorite charity? I guess Disabled Vets. They keep sending me a calendar, so I keep sending them money.
6. If given the choice, where would you live? Wait, I’m always given a choice, aren’t I? And I chose Dayton, Ohio. But if money didn’t matter? Santa Barbara, California!!!

Yeah, I can’t even answer questions easily, can I? Maybe I should have put THAT down as a random fact. Haha! J

So… Did you check out the guest post? What did you think?

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Spiffying up the Place

My hubby and I have been living in our house for over 17 years now. Seventeen years!!! When we had this house built, our kids were still in high school (actually, our daughter wasn't even there yet). Man, I really feel old.

Four years ago we replaced the carpeting in the living room and the vinyl in the dining room with wood flooring. My hubby and our friend did all the work, and it was hard work, too.

Well, now we’re going to replace the carpeting in the family room with the same wood floor. My husband is getting smarter and has decided to pay someone to install it. Figured it wasn’t worth the wear and tear of his body.

We’re in the process of moving all the furniture out of the family room so we can start removing the carpet (since we decided we could do THAT much). We have a LOT of stuff in the family room: bookcases of DVDs, books lying around (basically part of my TBR pile), and general junk. Yeah, junk (we’ll see if that gets returned!). And most of this stuff is dusty (hmmm… maybe I should dust more often? Nah…).

I’ll be glad when it’s all done. By then I’ll be packing for my trip to Atlanta and Dragon*Con. At least, my husband HOPES it will all be finished BEFORE I leave.

But laying down a hardwood floor is not the only project in the books. All the trim outside hasn’t been painted since we moved in and the deck in the back needs cleaned and stained (which we DID do once, but man, what a mess we made). Because we’re basically lazy people (and maybe a little incompetent), we’re also hiring someone to do all that work. We found someone, too, but I have no idea when they’ll get to us. The rainy weather kind of put them behind schedule, but it’s been dry for the past week, so maybe they’re getting all caught up. I look forward to seeing the place get spiffyed up. And if I remember, I’ll take before and after pics.

Eventually, we’ll replace the upstairs carpeting, but I’m thinking the couch (in the family room) will be replaced first. My hubby kind of broke his end of it, although he seems fine with sitting there. I suggested we each get a huge chair instead of another couch and he likes the idea. And with the new flooring (and a new area rug), we’ll probably want something that looks better (newer).

Hey, in case any of you are interested, this Friday I’ll be a guest poster on Romance University. I’m writing about how to organize your writing using spreadsheets. Not sure if it’s useful for anyone (I’m anal when it comes to spreadsheets), but I was asked to post something. Pretty neat, huh? That I was ASKED. Anyway, I’ll post the link on Friday (when I get it).

By the way, I did end up going to the Englewood Festival on Saturday and Boy Scout Troop 268 was still there, still selling their grilled corn on the cob, and it was still a buck an ear! The hubby and I each had two ears and man, were they gooooooooood!

So… Got any plans for the week? I expect to finish revisions of Blind Temptation AND the line edits for Ghostly Liaison. Fun, fun, fun! (And I mean it, too! J).

Happy Monday!

Stacy

 

I Guest-Posted and E-Reader Dissatisfaction

Hey! I’m a nut! Okay, maybe you already know that, but this time I’m a nut over at Cd Brennan’s blog. Every Sunday she features a different author on her “Sundae With Nuts” and I happen to be the author featured yesterday. So if you’re curious (and you are, aren’t you?), click HERE and check out my answers to her questions. Am I nutty or what?

Yesterday was Easter (duh!). It was supposed to be a fairly relaxing day. I thought I would get some editing done and finish the anthology I was reading before the kids came over for dinner and games. Well I guess I can wish in one hand and get you-know-what in the other.

I pulled out my Nook and noticed the screen had faded. Now, I turn that sucker off after I use it, so I knew it wasn’t the battery. I turned it on and everything seemed fine until a message popped up saying it was reformatting (or something to that affect) and to NOT turn off the Nook. After waiting 10 minutes (the 10 minutes it would have taken me to finish the darn anthology!!!), the reformatting finished but reset EVERYTHING! It was like having a brand new Nook. All my freebie books were gone. All my shelves were gone. All my settings were GONE!

This is why I hate e-readers. I wouldn’t have had this problem with paper books. Well, I would if a tornado came through the house or an earthquake struck, but the odds of either of those happening are waaaay less than my Nook reformatting.

At least I had my freebie books on my computer, so they weren’t totally gone. But going through my books and figuring out which ones I’d already read….what a pain! I can’t remember that crap. That’s why I created the shelves!! That’s why I have separate shelves for my paper books. Ones that hold books to be read and several that hold the books I have read (and they’re in different rooms, too!).

Okay. Rant over (until the next time, that is--haha!).

Other than that unfortunate incident, my Easter was pretty good. I got a nice message from someone who won a copy of MSV. She’s very excited about reading it. Now I am, too! Amazing what can please me, huh?

Easter dinner was nice. I actually cooked! Shocking, I know.

Gotta work like crazy this week to get my pre-edits finished for Ghostly Liaison, so it’s probably a good thing my daughter hasn’t finished reading J.R. Ward’s book yet. I’m not ready to read it!!

So…did you spend the holiday with family? Do anything fun? We sat around and played board games. I actually won one game. Yay!

Have a great Monday!!

Stacy

 

Wednesday Reads and a Birthday Wish

Got this posted later than normal because I went to see the new Captain America Movie last night (which is good, by the way), and completely forgot what day it was (or should I say, what day TODAY was). It happens, right?

Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday. My youngest. And she’s turning 29! I think I’ll make her 29 for a while, that way I won’t feel so old. J She’s the reason I’m published, because without her encouragement, I’m not so sure I would have attempted it. Also, she’s the one who introduced “Twilight” to me, which basically got me started on wanting to write--and write about vampires.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!!!

Love you bunches!!!

Now, on to what I read during the week:

Apr 3: “Dexter’s Final Cut,” by Jeff Lindsay, a horror novel. Blurb from cover: It all starts with Hollywood. A major new police drama is set to be filmed in Miami--and blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan is told he will be shadowed by Robert Chase, the brooding heart-throb actor who will star as…a Miami blood spatter analyst. Life may imitate art, but Dexter is none too pleased by having someone scrutinize his job and his life…or be anywhere near his dark hobby. The mood around the production turns suddenly serious when the body of a brutally murdered woman is found in a dumpster in the heart of the city. As police investigate and the Hollywood crew is aflutter with the excitement of a “real” crime, Dexter gets a particularly sinister feeling about this killer, and what the act may signify. Meanwhile, a curious thing happens: Dexter is spending time with his new Hollywood counterparts--observing the ease with which they fake the most basic human emotions--and he realizes he may have finally found His People. He also gets closer to Jackie Forrest, the sexy star who is cast as the tough detective (and who is tailing his sister, Detective Deborah), and soon he’s tempted by the luxury of the five-star life…and possibly by Jackie herself. Dexter is suddenly on a personal journey that leads toward the dark question of who he really is…and, more alarmingly, on a course that will alter his life forever. My husband didn’t care for the book. I found it to be typical Dexter stuff, although I think he’s been getting a little sloppy (or maybe just dumb) in the last few books (which I think was my husband’s complaint). But is this the last book? Hmmm… Just like the television series (but nothing LIKE the television series, if you know what I mean), it doesn’t have to be. Surprising twists and the book held my interest. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

If you didn’t see my post yesterday, here’s the URL for the guest post I’m doing at Suzanne Johnson’s blog: http://suzannejohnsonauthor.com/2014/04/vampires-and-romance-with-stacy-mckitrick-and-win-a-book.html I believe there’s still a chance to win a copy of my book.

Happy reading!

Stacy

 

Guest Post URL!

I'm guest posting at Suzanne Johnson's blog about Vampires and Romance. Here's the URL: http://suzannejohnsonauthor.com/2014/04/vampires-and-romance-with-stacy-mckitrick-and-win-a-book.html

Comment, and you might win a copy of My Sunny Vampire! And then you can come back here and tell me what you REALLY think of my post. I wasn't too lame, was I?

Stacy

Weekend Recap and the Week Ahead

Four days, four Dragons games! We had tickets for Thursday through Sunday. I’ve never been to four games in a row, it was quite an experience. Especially sitting in temps that rivaled a football game in November! Ah, but we still stuck it out and the Dragons split the series with West Michigan Whitecaps.

Even with all those games, I managed to get some editing done AND critique a short story for a friend. Am I good or what? Hmmm...maybe the what. Haha! J

I’m hosting the Sizzle and Sass page on Facebook this week. Sometimes I wonder what the hell I’m doing there. I’m mostly just winging it. Can you tell? J Stop by if you get a chance.

Tomorrow I have a guest spot on Susannah Sandlin’s/SuzanneJohnson’s Preternatural Blog. I love her Penton Vampire series and jumped at the chance to do a guest spot when she asked for volunteers (we both belong with the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal on-line chapter of RWA). Man, if I can interest some of her fans in my vampire book that would be awesome!! I’ll be sure to post something tomorrow once I get the URL. One lucky commenter will win a copy of My Sunny Vampire.

So…did you have a nice weekend?

Stacy

 

Awesome News--I'm Happy Dancing

Valentine’s Day ended up being an AWESOME day for me.

No, I didn’t get any flowers or candy. My husband did bring home some cookies for me, and we went out to dinner, but that’s not the awesome news (mainly because he usually brings me goodies home if someone brought goodies into work and we always go out for dinner on Friday).

The awesome thing that happened? Finding My Sunny Vampire on Amazon for sale in the Kindle format! Then I found it on Kobo. Yes! It’s back! (Links are located on the sidebar, for those looking for them.)

Let the happy dancing commence!

So while I didn’t have an official release day, it’s so nice to see my book out there again. I’ll be happier when it’s everywhere (like, B&N), and in print, but I’m sure it won’t be long now.

To celebrate my release, my friend Paula Millhouse is featuring me on her blog (link: http://wp.me/p2LqsK-gQ). You can always stop by and say hi so I look more popular than I am. Looks are everything, right??? J

Have a good Monday! I know I will.

Stacy

 

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Tomorrow I will be featured on Romancing the Genres as a debut author. Too bad my book isn’t out yet, though; the timing would have been perfect. Anyway, here is the link to their blog (in case you wish to visit *hint, hint*): http://romancingthegenres.blogspot.com/

Wednesday I mailed out a copy of My Sunny Vampire to my very first Goodreads Giveaway winner: Emma! Let’s all give her a hand (*clap, clap*). I’ve entered a lot of those giveaways and never won anything and I had over 900 people enter to win my book. When MSV is available as an e-book, I’ll probably do another giveaway on Goodreads. I gained THREE followers from that month-long contest and it only cost me a book. Now isn’t that something? I think so.

I’m taking a free tax class with the RWA University this week and realized something (or maybe it just became fortified): I’m so glad I’m not a teacher. I don’t know how teachers do it. I always thought of myself as a patient person, but maybe I’m not. Or my husband’s attitude has rubbed off on me, which is kind of funny when you consider that HE’S A TEACHER! Hmmm… Maybe that’s why he has that attitude.

And before you go all “you were an accountant and you have to take a freebie tax class?” on me, let me tell you… I was a cost accountant. Way different than a tax accountant. Besides, you can never learn too much about taxes, especially the kind that will get you a better return. I hate filing our taxes and if I wasn’t so cheap, I’d hire someone else to do it. But you know what? The part I hate the most is the part I’d still have to do if I hired someone else to do it. Well, that, and actually trying to decipher the tax codes (I think that’s why I need glasses!).

When I decided to make writing my business, that’s when I finally broke down and bought tax software (yes, I’m THAT cheap!!). At least it’s now considered a business deduction, because I would have never bought it otherwise.

Last night I finally watched “French Kiss.” I had never seen it before, which is kind of amazing since I like Meg Ryan. It was an okay movie, but probably not one I’ll watch again. I just didn’t get the chemistry between her and Kevin Kline. Or maybe it was the character Kevin Kline was playing. Whatever--they just didn’t have that spark. It’s the spark that will make me watch a movie over and over (you know, like Lucy and Jack have in “While You Were Sleeping.”)

Snow fog!!

I took this picture on January 10th. It had snowed the day before and then a warm front came through and caused all this fog. I thought it was pretty. I also hoped it was the last of the snow, but winter isn’t finished yet (it’s just getting started, right?). More snow fell yesterday and more snow is forecasted and of course I have a chapter meeting in Columbus tomorrow. I don’t go to those meetings very often (uhh, I’ve been to one, but only because they usually conflict with my Cincinnati chapter meetings), and I’m hoping the weather doesn’t keep me away. Oh what am I saying…It won’t. Not THAT much is expected to fall. Then again, the forecasters have been known to be wrong before.

So, what will make you want to watch a movie over and over?

 

Have a good weekend--and try to keep warm!

Stacy

 

Release Date Postponed *Sigh*

I kind of knew this might happen.

Today was supposed to be my e-release day for My Sunny Vampire, but with the changes at Lyrical Press, and the fact all books have now been pulled to be reformatted to show Kensington as the publisher, well… let’s just say that all takes time.

As soon as I find out my new release date, I’ll be sure to let you know. Just in case you’ve been waiting to purchase it!

In the meantime, my cover is one of many featured at Calisa Rhose’s blog today. She’s having a contest to see which featured author can generate the most comments. Once I get the link to the blog, I’ll post it HERE (http://calisarhose.com/2014/01/06/calisa-rhose-presents-uncover-monday-january/). If you could stop by and just say hi, I would sure appreciate it. It’d be cool if I could generate the most. I’m certainly going to try anyway!!

I don’t know about you, but I was highly disappointed in the football games yesterday. All this talk of snow and NOTHING! I love watching them play football in the snow. I hope the Super Bowl gets snowed on - lots! It will certainly make it more fun to watch, especially if there aren’t any teams I care about in it. All I have left to root for is the Colts. If they don't make it in, I couldn’t care less who wins.

At least I have hockey. Go Pens!!

So, did you get snow this weekend? How much?

Stacy

 

Another Convention, Another Guest Post

The RT Booklovers Convention (to be held May 14-18, 2014) opened up registration on Friday. Great, I thought. I’ll register on Tuesday, when I’m in the next month’s billing cycle of my credit card. Then RT Convention posted on Facebook that the E-book signing was maxed out. What? That’s what I wanted to be included in. So I left a comment to that posting (as did others) asking why I should even bother going and then promptly shut down my computer, since I was going out for the night (HS Football, and yes, our team won--Yay!).

On Saturday morning, I saw their reply to my statement, which didn’t really sway me. However, a friend also replied, and she did sway me. Seems I can sign up for the Indie book signing on consignment. Not for “My Sunny Vampire” (can I even do that? I’ll have to check), but with “Home for the Holidays.” Who knew? Not me! I can still promote my novel (and any other books I just MIGHT happen to have for sale at the time, such as BITE ME if I self-pub it), but that anthology is able to get me in the Giant Book Fair, which is the main reason I wanted to attend this convention.

So it’s official. I’m attending the 2014 RT Booklovers Convention, held in New Orleans, as a published author. Anyone else planning on going? If so, your goal is to hunt me down and say hi. You hear?

Today is my day to be featured on Lyrical Press’s blog! I’ll add the link as soon as I get it, though, so if it isn’t there yet, and you want to come over and say hi, it’ll show up later this morning.

Here are the most recent posts (if you want to see the older links, check Friday’s blog):

October 4: http://lyricalpress.com/2013/10/04/celebrate-paranormal-month-welcome-amy-lee-burgess-beneath-skin/
October 5: http://lyricalpress.com/2013/10/05/celebrate-paranormal-month-pamela-turners-death-sword/
October 6: http://lyricalpress.com/2013/10/06/celebrate-paranormal-month-author-bernadette-walsh/
October 7 (ME!!!): http://lyricalpress.com/2013/10/07/celebrate-paranormal-month-stacy-mckitrick-brings-sunny-vampire/

WRiTE CLUB update: Well, I was IN the quarterfinals, but didn’t get enough votes to get OUT of the quarterfinals and into the semis. Oh well… I have to admit, my second piece wasn’t quite a good as the first, but that’s what happens when you realize you need another 500 word piece and quickly! Haha! If you’re curious as to which writer I was, you’ll have to ask me in the comments.

I had a nice football weekend. Wayne HS Warriors won, OSU Buckeyes won, Cincinnati Bengals won, and the St. Louis Rams WON!!!! Yay!! Steelers were on a bye, so the Pittsburgh Penguins (hockey) won for them, right? Haha! Did your team win? Or are you oblivious to sports?

Stacy

 

I’m a Guest Poster and Other Exciting Tidbits

Today I’m featured at The Unpublished Writers’ Guide to Survival where I tell how I got to where I am, publishing-wise, that is. Which isn’t much, but hey, I’m still new. So come on over and say hello or boo or laugh at me and maybe you’ll find a new blog to follow. J Here’s the LINK.

I’ve got big news! I’ve mentioned before that I’m one of thirteen authors involved with a Facebook page, Sizzle and Sass. It’s been up and running for awhile now, pretty much available to any of us that want to post under the Sizzle and Sass name. Starting this week, one author will take over hostess duties each week for the next 13 weeks (my week is November 3-9). So what’s the big news? Starting tomorrow, Sizzle and Sass will be holding a sweepstakes.

 

My cover is on this - see? Far right. Yahoo!

 

One lucky follower will win a Kindle and a book from each of us. Now, my book isn’t available until January 6, but I will either send an ARC or gift a copy when it comes out. So…Like the page. Enter the sweepstakes. Spread the word. Here's the LINK.

Soon-to-be self-published author, Laura Stephenson asked if I would help get the word out regarding her Kickstarter project. I don’t how much my word will mean, I don’t even have 100 followers (that I know about, anyway). I’m lucky to get 75 hits a day (and who knows how many of those are my own - haha!). But hey, if putting the word out here helps her, then I’m all for it. So here’s the LINK to her blog, which has the link to her project (if you care to help her out).

 

That is all! Well, until Wednesday, that is. J

Happy Monday!

 

Stacy