July Update - Release in Paperback!

So, in the afterglow of my book's arrival in print, it is time for me to resume my usual writing activities. For those of you who don't know, I studiously try to complete at least one short story for freelance every writing day (that is five days a week), namely: Chicken Soup for the Soul, Good Old Days, Reminisce and True Renditions and I'm looking for others. I have too many psuedomyns to list but some stories will be in my 'real' name.  

For my 'day job' over at InD'Tale Emagazine. I need to read/review at least one chapter of a novel pretty much every day to complete my assignments. This is easy with some books, but feels like have teeth pulled with others. (You are welcome to slip over there, sign-up for a free subscription and find out what I've recently read and what I thought of it.) I'm not overly good at sharing partial reviews here.

And--the biggy that takes first position on my list of priorities, work in my WIP.

(Currently operating under the title of Love's Duplicity.) This is my baby--and he, yes he, is gorgeous! Therefore I am taking more time with him (Okay, I'm in love with Trevor and you'll have to pick up the book when it is published to find out why. Let's just say I make him suffer a lot because I'm so fond of him. Why not? He handles it, maybe not beautifully, but he comes to the last page knowing who he is, where he has been, and where he is going.) How many of us can say that?

Oh! And did I mention the continued promotion of Dark Days of Promise? You can help me with that one by sharing a link to this blog  or this link for Facebook on all your pages. Thanks in advance!

Bittersweet Secret

I recently submitted this short to Reminisce Magazine under the psuedonym of June Bridger. Please watch for it 

Bittersweet Secret

I swallow my last morsel of chocolate, the bitter biting my parched throat awakening a precious memory of my childhood. Southeastern Idaho in the mid 1960's. Dad drove a turquoise blue pick-up everyday to feed the cattle. The exceptions were when the cattle were out on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) range for the summer. Summer in this case was just late enough in the spring that all the cows had calved and the snow had given way to tender shoots of grass.

On one of many spring days that Dad didn't take the pick-up out to work, I learned that being a small child left to her own devises could be very rewarding. The first time I stood tall enough to open the pick-up door and climb in was for purely innocent reasons--to play driving. Yep, we had an old car sitting in the driveway but its tires were missing. Thus the pick-up looked to much more inviting. It, after all, could really drive down the road.

Being a child of 3 or 4-years of age, I firmly gripped the steering wheel and happily "pretended" to drive and bounce down the road. I timed the trip to the distant corner, played with the blinker, making it click several times, and turned the corner. That's when I discovered the brown bag sitting on the seat beside me. A brown bag with "IGA" lettering.

Of course I knew that spelled grocery store and wondered why would Dad leave a grocery bag in the truck? Hum. Did he buy something that he forgot to take into the house? (Visualize me sitting a little taller with indignant righteousness-- even if I didn't know those words at the time, I knew the correct posture to adopt the appropriate attitude.)

I opened the bag and what do you think I found? No, my dad wasn't a drinker so it wasn't liquor. I found the biggest hunk of chocolate in the world. (Okay, my limited world.) It wasn't melting, the temps were still cool. But it was open… I slithered down in the seat, making myself invisible should Mom glance out the windows looking for me. Carefully unwrapping one end, (You may want to imagine "careful" for a pre-school-er) I sniffed, I licked and yeah, I bit. Problem with that first bite was that it wasn't big enough. I stretched my jaw wide and sank my teeth into the chocolate expecting it to break off as easily at the first nibble had.

Was I surprised! I have no recollection of how long it took me to whittle away at that hunk of chocolate to hide my teeth marks. Do you have any idea the skill it takes to etch a smooth line with your front teeth? Let it suffice to say that I never found a hunk of chocolate in Dad's truck again, at least not milk chocolate. I did find on occasion a hunk of white chocolate-- the real stuff that gives me a headache so I leave it alone. I've also found Spanish peanuts--I think I finished off most of the bag. And cookies…my favorite, and apparently Dad's too were Keebler's striped chocolate.

As a kid I thought I was so clever at hiding my thievery. Now I just smile knowing Dad kept my secret. He generally took the pick-up in the morning, bringing it home at lunch and often left it in the driveway in the afternoon. Of course I had to time it right, eat lunch with Dad, take a nap and steal treats before the older kids got home from school. Dad never spanked me for eating his goodies, nor did he say anything to me about it. But I know now--he knew and he helped his baby girl keep her Bittersweet Secret.

---

 [s1]Submitted to Reminisce 6/18/14

The End, My Friend (Prelude to the Apocalypse) Review

Tony and Evo Pernicano must leave their home to survive the general meltdown of society in a future world gone awry.http://indtale.com/reviews/suspense-thriller/end-my-friend-prelude-apocalypse for a full review.

Mantras for my Birthday

While working on my Trilogy (yes, it will be available soon), I realized that one character uses a mantra to help another. It got me thinking about the "mantas" that I subconsciously chat to myself throughout the day. I'm sure you use them to. The question is: Are our 'self-mantras' a disability or a strength? I spent most of my walk (the part I managed before my walking buddy arrived) considering my mantras. I was stunned at the loathing reflected in one or two. What? you say, Shaunna loathes herself? Well, I'd like to say, "not so!" But…the evidence was clear and lest I derail my positivity, which I am trying to 'grow', I'll not share those negative mantras because they are along the lines of what most of us do every time we look in a mirror and don't like what we see.

Time for positives here and I will do so by sharing some of my 'new' mantras which you are welcome to copy and use.

Looking in the mirror, I say out loud with conviction (Don't laugh, this may be harder for you than you think, I know the first time it took me awhile,) "I honestly and completely love who I am now."

I can't take the credit for that one, a friend shared it from her hypnotherapy class, noting that a few of the attendees really struggled with doing this with a hand held mirror passed around the room. One was even in tears as she passed the mirror more than twice.

Therefore, I am creating my own mantras and as part of my self esteem, I share them here.

I am beautiful.

I feel creative today.

I feel happy, healthy, and strong.

And--

                I feel comfortable in my skin.

                I feel full of energy.

                I feel in control of my body.

                I feel my belly melting away.

I kiss my belly fat good bye.

Maybe sharing these will help another. Such is my Birthday wish.

Arizona Dreamin'

Proof that I do leave the house.

I must admit to not getting to know all four of these young men, but those I spent time with are sweethearts! Please feel free to visit my Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/shaunna.s.gonzales  for more photos. Sorry, no more of the guys, they are available for photo ops for book cover art. If you want a photo I suggest visiting https://www.facebook.com/groups/520294174735963/

UPDATE!!!

This fresh in from Amazon...Dark Days of Promise is available in paperback for a limited time at $9.49!!!!!! Great news and if you miss the sale, you can still snag a copy in the coming days. Last check at Amazon had price dropped to $8.99 for a short time!

Make Things Happen

Things do happen unexpectedly like the email I include here. But seriously, we've got to be proactive. Let me encourage you, especially if you are an author considering self-publishing... Learn from my mistakes. Decide NOW whether or not you are going the self-pub route. I have waffled on that decision for the better part of a year. Why? Because one of the big four was interested in the second book. Notice I said "interested" and "second book". I didn't have a contract or even the promise of a contract and it certainly didn't include the other two books.

Okay, so I'm one to think about things too long or jump without thinking--no middle of the road here in this animal chick. (I must think possitive.) That said, I really need to follow the links in the email that I'm sharing and jump BEFORE I squibble with my cover art, ISBNs, graphics, trailers, etc. Why? So I don't put needless energy where I don't need to. Think: Writers Conference at Home (at my own leisure, I might add.) Why isn't it just surfing the web and looking for articles? The $$$ and yes, I believe it will be worth it after attending #?? conferences already this year and walking away with useless info or repeated info, or a mess of networking that might fizzle. And for me that means -- between my polishing of Book Three, the Freelance writing I am currently doing, and the book reviews. Have I mentioned I'm a full time mom? So here, let me share the email which I'm invited to share. Enjoy and i hope the links work.

Hi Shaunna,

Today I was interviewed by a journalist for a story in a big magazine who is writing an article about self-publishing. A former Self-Pub Boot Camp student told her about me - thank you Susan! - and we had a very long talk. The journalist didn't know very much about self-publishing but she sure does now! I wonder how she's going to distill the information I gave her into a one-page article.

"What do self-publishers need to know most?" she asked.

"BUY YOUR OWN ISBN NUMBERS!" I replied, without hesitation. Oh no, did I shout? Maybe.

Buy a set of 10 for $250. You may not need 10, but one costs $150 and you need at least three: one for PDF (print), one for MOBI (Kindle) and one for EPUB (all other ebooks). You might also need one for your audio book and another for your multimedia edition.

The point is that with your own ISBN you can change services as you wish. Don't trap your book with a single service.

If you buy your own ISBNs you will not be sucked into purchasing a publishing package from one of the many services run by companies like the notoriously unscrupulous Author Solutions, because they do not allow you to apply you own ISBN number to a book they produce for you. Lesson: If you cannot apply your own ISBN, your book is essentially trapped with the company that owns it.

I also pointed the journalist to experts in my tribe... people who have founded companies based on their desire to help authors. I'm proud to say that many of these experts have participated in my Self-Pub Boot Camps, which are (in case you didn't know) are now online as a virtual program.

So that's my reminder to you, today. Please buy your own ISBNs from Bowker. It's the single most important action item for you to do in order to remain an independent author.

Please spread the word! Forward this email to your writer friends:
http://us4.forward-to-friend1.com/forward?u=dabcb9e533dcf9b66d2b0ebb1&id=d6be918179&e=93e175f383

Links:
Buy your ISBNs from Bowker here http://motosfo.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabcb9e533dcf9b66d2b0ebb1&id=44411bfe22&e=93e175f383
Indie Book School and Self-Pub Boot Camp http://motosfo.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabcb9e533dcf9b66d2b0ebb1&id=98d0e444bc&e=93e175f383

Thanks!
Carla
That's it! go explore but come back soon!

Missing Clayton Review

Five-year-old Clayton Kingsley is supposed to be experiencing his first day at school.  Things change when a stranger offers him a piece of chocolate, promising more in his vehicle parked a short distance away.

http://indtale.com/reviews/suspense-thriller

visit for a full review and other great reads reviews as well!

Life After Death Review

Maxine "Max" Logan is the epitome of snarky - in a positive light, if that is possible - in Ms. Saracino’s novel. This middle-aged divorcee is quite capable in her untalented way, facing the Grim Reaper and a few other bad characters in her role as a superhuman superhero "Retriever" in the Between.

http://indtale.com/reviews/paranormal-urban-fantasy

for full review.

Rocky Road Review

COMEDY:  Ancy (Nancy Ann) Robinson has her life under control and everything falling into place just like she wants it.  She has a gorgeous muscle-bound boyfriend who has just proposed (okay, so he's accident prone of late).

http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary for full review!

Love's Twist of Fate

Maggie Anderson's novella earned three stars with little or no sex.

The setting is well drawn, and could pass for any small town making it wonderfully more personable. Should the author ever expand this short it may prove a most engaging must read!

To catch this full review, visit http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/loves-twist-fate

Black Irish

 

Tricia Anderson's Suspense-Thriller earned three and a half stars with a generous amount of intamacy, Trust me girls, the 'bedroom door' doesn't shut on this one.

 

And yes, I think I fell for this guy.

 

Anderson quickly transports her protagonist, Abbey Wright, from a quiet setting in Iowa to the contrasting world of New York City with descriptive finesse. While Sloan is created to 'Wow' the reader with his alpha-male persona, his shortcomings make him human and believable.

 

Check out the full review at http://indtale.com/reviews/suspense-thriller/black-irish

Swept to Sea Review

Heather Mannings Inspirational does not have cover art available at this time. It earned three stars with little if any sexy scenes.

Ms. Manning has a knack for feminine characters who are well drawn and life-like... Manning does a beautiful job of describing unsettling scenes without being overly graphic, a task whose balance deserves praise.

For the full review, please visit http://indtale.com/reviews/inspirational/swept-sea

Wedding Gown Girl

This one earne three and a half stars with little if no sex and violence.
Kathy Bosman exercises that indispensable tool of the classic, "What if?” in this fun “Wedding Planner” type story... The location of Fish Hook Beach feels real with the frolicking dogs and Ms. Bosman uses the slightly different dialect to her advantage, showing the reader a place many will never have the chance to visit in person.
For the full review by Erin Murdock, visit http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/wedding-gown-girl

(Sorry, no cover art available.)

The Texas Cowboy Review

 

This contemporary Western earned three and a half stars with a few steamy spots.

 

 Lane does a good job of showing the contrast between the very affluent in Dallas to those considered less than, proving that first appearances can be deceiving and often misleading. She also does a nice job of steering clear of the intimate details while making the immoral actions necessary to the story quite clear with dialogue.

To read my full review, visit http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/texas-cowboy

More Beginnings Review

Three thumbs for Iris Blobel and her novella, More Beginnings. I truly wish she had drawn it out more with descriptions of the area and deeper examination of her characters.
Blobel captures a feel for the Australian lifestyle in Hobart... in this Contemporary novel. Blobel's effort to cross readership lines of young adult and adult is very well done. 
For my full review, visit http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/more-beginnings-beginnings-2

Heart River Inn Review

I'm not a chocolate fanatic so cocoa bites and nibbles aren't my style and I think (personally) star rankings belong to a few other bloggers and professional review sites so how about we go with thumbs? I have awesome 'hitch-hiker' thumbs So I'm giving thumbs just as if they were stars ---as in 5 thumbs are fantastic, 1 thumb not so good and all the ones in between. Fingernails for halves-ies too!

So here we go with the ones linked to the full review in InD'Tales for the month of May.

 

Heart River Inn

Jocie McKade

This Contemporary Comedy earned probably my highest accolades in recent memory!

 No kidding 4 Thumbs up and a Fingernail too! Yes, you will laugh or at least chuckle. I know I did. My biggest complaint is the cover art, but hey I dare you to furnish the author with a picture that fits what she describes.

Visit http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/heart-river-inn for my complete review and while you're there, sign -up for a subscription. It's free!

A Taste for Killing Review

I'm not a chocolate fanatic so cocoa bites and nibbles aren't my style and I think (personally) star rankings belong to a few other bloggers and professional review sites so how about we go with thumbs? I have awesome 'hitch-hiker' thumbs So I'm giving thumbs just as if they were stars ---as in 5 thumbs are fantastic, 1 thumb not so good and all the ones in between. Fingernails for halves-ies too!

So here we go with the ones linked to the full reviews in InD'Tales for the month of May.

A Taste for Killing (Chasing the Taste)

H.K. Sterling

A steamy  4 Thumbs up read! Suspense/Thriller without the gory details in this novella. Read my full review at http://indtale.com/reviews/suspense-thriller/taste-killing-chasing-taste 

Bogota Blessings Review

I'm not a chocolate fanatic so cocoa bites and nibbles aren't my style and I think (personally) star rankings belong to a few other bloggers and professional review sites so how about we go with thumbs? I have awesome 'hitch-hiker' thumbs So I'm giving thumbs just as if they were stars ---as in 5 thumbs are fantastic, 1 thumb not so good and all the ones in between. Fingernails for halves-ies too!

So here we go with the ones linked to the full reviews in InD'Tales for the month of May.

Bogota' Blessings

E.A. West

4 Thumbs up with this clean read (which means very little if any skin.)

You can find my review for this Inspirational at http://indtale.com/reviews/inspirational/bogota-blessings

Enjoy it. I did!

What I've read/reviewed recently

I'm not a chocolate fanatic so cocoa bites and nibbles aren't my style and I think (personally) star rankings belong to a few other bloggers and professional review sites so how about we go with thumbs? I have awesome 'hitch-hiker' thumbs So I'm giving thumbs just as if they were stars ---as in 5 thumbs are fantastic, 1 thumb not so good and all the ones in between. Fingernails for halves-ies too!

So here we go with the ones linked to the full reviews in InD'Tales for the month of May.

Elsa (The Secret Heritage Series, Book One)

By Allison Bruning

I give it a 2 thumbs review and remind readers that the bedroom door on this one is NOT firmly shut in this historical.

You can find my full review at http://indtale.com/reviews/inspirational/elsa-secret-heritage-series-book-one

Screenwriting isn't as simple as writing a book, as if that is easy...

Mags LC:

Have you ever wanted an amazing book made into a movie? Check out Hollywood Screenwriter Aaron Notestine's great 3 part series in InD'tale magazine starting in this month's issue!
www.indtale.com

News Worthy Notes

For weeks, okay, maybe months, I've been silent here on my blog. (I do that when I have little of importance to say.)

News worthy note #1:  My son just got married! Yes, the colors are pink and black.

News worthy note #2: The whole family was together for the very first time. (Visit my Facebook timeline for tags.)

News worthy note #3:  I attended the American Night Writers Association (ANWA) Conference in February. Phoenix was a very welcome change of scenery, especially the sunshine. While there I pitched my current project - Duplicity of Love Trilogy, to Victoria Curran with Harlequin. She loved it and asked for the two novels I have completed. (Her Promise and In Her Hands) Her request is the reason I have tucked myself away as much as possible in my writing cave to work on the third in the trilogy, His Journey. It isn't completed yet, I'm working on it. But you see I have had reason to get sidetracked for a bit with this wedding.

Of course there is always the demand of my time to do the reading and reviews with InD'Tales e-magazine. You won't find my reviews here but you are welcome to follow this link https://plus.google.com/communities/102849317807537724903?gpsrc=gplp0&partnerid=gplp0#communities/102849317807537724903 to follow on Google or this link http://indtale.com  to subscribe and find out what I've been reading and what I think of each novel or novella.

I must admit that I am a bit hard on the authors and their books that I read, maybe even tougher than the other reviewers at InD'Tales (A tough call as we don't read/review the same books.)

So, there is a summary of what I've been up to. I wouldn't recommend you hold your breath until my next post, but then again, I tend to go in spurts so you might want to check back again soon.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The good news is that 'The Drive the Thrive,' which contains a short bibliography by yours truly is moving forward and closer to the publication date. For those of you watching and waiting for this one, please remember that all proceeds go to fighting cancer.

The bad news is that my baby, as in latest novel, 'Her Promise,' didn't get a date to the publishing ball in this first round of submissions.

More good news, the second book, 'In Her Hands' and companion to the afore mentioned book is back from the really mean check, fix or die reader/critique.

Now for the ugly news…'In Her Hands' just got a major hair cut that left her roughly 4000 words short of where she needs to be. Not all is bad as much of what was cut can be reattached elsewhere or reworked. With no deadlines and beta readers breathing hard on my heels, this will be done in a timely manner. When she (In Her Hands) is ready, she will go to beta readers. From there we polish her up until she shines and send her out to find a hot date to the publishing ball!

In the mean time, I'm going dancing…

Death holds more than Darkness.

Even death holds Dark Days of Promise…

Newly widowed Vicki Laramie is struggling to make ends meet. While her three children grapple with the death of their father, she must find a way to support her family and find a role model for her boys.

Excitement Brewing, Praying the Publisher is able to make the Deadline.

Exciting news!

Just got the word (okay, I got it late Wednesday night)--- The Drive to Thrive will be available Mid- February! That's right! I'm excited because it includes my biographical short. We will be signing copies at the ANWA Conference so if you want to be able to read what I might write on the anthology ask early before my writing become illegible to all (even me. Lol)

Post Script: My hubby and I are actively working to be able to fulfill the last scene of the anthology. (I Wanna Dance All Night, I wanna Dance All Night…)

Offering you a Taste of "His Journey"

Trevor adjusted his goggles and jumped. He might as well have hit sheer ice. The bone chilling water enveloped him, slicing through his flesh with numbing clarity. The painful cold caused every hair on his muscular body to stand on end and set his teeth to chattering. His breath effectively stolen by the freezing water, he managed to fight for the surface of the pool.  

He stared at his work crew in shock, unable to think of a single cuss word.

"Cold, ain't it hombre?" Rufus, the only Mexican on the crew asked. Rufus stood a mere five feet four inches tall with jet black hair that always seemed to stand in disarray. He held Trevor's towel in a wad of disheveled terry cloth. Trevor eyed the towel anxious to wrap it around himself.

He tried to glare at each of his three employees in turn. Was his face frozen solid? His eyes seemed the only organs in his body answering his instructions to move. No wonder they refused to inspect the pools. What had he been thinking? He'd been thinking of how to get a jump on the competition and show some much needed profit on the company's ledgers at the same time. The company wasn't in trouble, but Trevor lacked his father's head for business.

His father had discovered many years ago that Trevor had a propensity for designing beautiful pool areas. It was the part of the business Trevor did best. Since his father's untimely death he'd unwittingly strangled most of the life out of the company. He must find a way to prove to himself and others that he was more than his father's screw-up.

The outdoor temperature in the sun at this hour boasted 52 and rising. Not bad for a brisk walk, but not the overly warm triple digits this same pool area would boast in three months time. Problem was that people wanted to use their pools as soon as the temperatures hit the mid seventies and that meant inspecting and repairing the pools in cooler temperatures.

"Ready to get out Boss-man?" Brodie, the smart-alec on the crew crossed his arms over his chest. Not an easy feat for a guy with a chest circumference of fifty inches and arms to match.

Anxious to get out of this fix without losing face should have been Trevor's first concern, but survival preempted his leadership skills. Both far outweighed the business' needs at the moment. His gaze fell on Darin. At the tender age of eighteen, Darin was the youngest man on the crew and Brodie's "little" brother. He also had a tender side that Brodie often beat out of him whether physically or by shear intimidation of muscle and strength. Darin didn't let Trevor down this time.

Inspirational Thriller

Widow finds the perfect role model for her children in a returned soldier, but finds the lingering post-war issues he deals with might kill her.