TAINTED LAUNCH CONTEST!!

Hey, y'all! October is here and so is TAINTED!! In celebration of Alex's story hitting shelves around the world, I'm running an international giveaway contest. Up for grabs:

1.) Signed copies of both BROKEN and TAINTED! Keep 'em for yourself, or spread the broken, twisted, angsty love!
AND signed copies of Jessica Souders RENEGADE and REVELATINONS!!
AND a signed Temptaion of Angels, and signed ARC of This wicked Game from Michelle Zink!!!

2.) A custom designed zombie deer 'sock monkey' stuffie made by Sockamajigs! Those who've read BROKEN will recognize the inspiration for this undead cutie.

3.) Winner's choice of $25 gift card to Amazon or The Book Depository

4.) Signed swag

Whew!

So... Rules? 

1. Contest runs until October 31st

2. Enter and spread the word!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BROKEN & TAINTED OPTIONED FOR TV!

That's been me. Not the green part, but the flailing and the Yay-ing! This has been a little while in the making, and I think my heart stopped at every turn. So, basically, I've been walking around undead from excitement!

Well, the news is out now, so here's the post from Publishers Marketplace:

Television rights: A.E. Rought's BROKEN, pitched as a reimagining of the Frankenstein story in which a grieving girl falls in love with a boy not wholly himself, optioned for adaptation as an hour-long dramatic television series, by ABC Family with Junction Entertainment, by Nate Matteson at Gotham Group, on behalf of Gina Panettieri at Talcott Notch Literary Services

What it all means:

Thanks to my Gotham Group rep Nate Matteson, Juntion Entertainment (the folks behind the film National Treasure and shows like Jericho *dies*), are working with a writer on adapting the world and characters of BROKEN into a possible television series for ABC Family.

Maybe y'all are wondering what exactly an 'option' is. Goodness knows I did. I'm totally a fish out of water when it comes to this stuff. Basically, an option means for the length of time in the contracts, the network has the sole rights to work with the story/characters/world I created and see if they can adapt it into something they feel would fit with their programming and audience.

An option isn't a garauntee a TV series (or other screen adaptation) will actually happen. Few books get optioned, fewer yet get put to pilot or see screen time.

So, basically this option does not mean my dark, romantic, angstastic world of BROKEN and TAINTED is for sure going to be a TV series, but this is an amazing start on the right path!! And definitely more than I ever dreamed would happen when I started outlining BROKEN.

TAINTED COVER REVEAL!!

That's right, y'all! I can finally talk about this. 

BROKEN has a sequel!!

The title is 

TAINTED

It's darker, faster-paced, gritty, gruesome, a little steamy and told from Alex's point-of-view!

Isn't it GORGEOUS?? *swoon* I am a lucky, lucky girl. Artist Steven Wood knocked it out of the park on this one! The hanuting colors, the devastation surrounding them, Alex carrying Emma... *pets the pretty*

What's TAINTED about, you ask? Well, I'm glad you did! Here's the summary:

Alex Franks believes the madness is behind them. With Ascension Labs under his direction and the forces threatening Emma’s life overcome, they have a chance at a normal life, and keeping his secrets safely buried.

But a shadow rises from Alex’s past, and she wants him back. Criminally brilliant, Hailey Westmore will stop at nothing to claim the boy she was meant to be with.

Without warning, Emma Gentry finds she cannot trust anything. Not her mind, her memory, not even herself. Tragic events and unexpected deaths stalk Alex and Emma, testing them in ways they would never imagine, and may not survive.

Alex carries a new secret, and a horrifying guilt that Hailey uses to her advantage. Emma’s life and sanity in the balance, and Alex may have created a monster…

And because I'm cheeky like that, I'm giving y'all a little unedited snippet:

Relief floods me when Emma’s gaze finds mine. She makes everything bad melt away. 

“Hey,” I manage, my voice husky even to my ears.

“Hi,” she purrs in a sleepy voice.

Holding her suspended, I whisper, “Com’ere.”

“What?” She fakes a shocked, scandalized expression. She’ll kiss me regardless, I can read it in the way she clings to me, the hint of a smile in her eyes. “Here in the sanctuary?”

“No place better.” She is my sanctuary.

Emma eases her cast along my jaw, weaves her fingers in my hair. Her breath tastes like sleep and mint gum the second before someone’s parent whacks me on the shoulder.

“This is a church,” the chaperone almost hisses.

Yes, and I am giving thanks.

For imagery relating to the story, you can check out TAINTED's Pinterest board.

You can check it out on the web (and even preorder!) 

TAINTED on Goodreads

TAINTED on Amazon 

TAINTED on Barnes and Noble  

TAINTED COVER REVEAL CONTEST

(And there's still more news to come about the BROKEN world that I can't share yet!!! *whistles innocently*)

Long time, no post

I have truly been sucking at blogging these past few months. In my defense, I wrote ALL THE WORDS since mid-January.One complete novel that's due to release with Strange Chemsitry on October 1st, and a related short story, too. And lately, there have been developments behind the scenes I can't talk about that are eating up all my smarts.

However, I have started a new story toy I'm very excited about! It's incredibly sci-fi, which is a big departure from the dark paranormal I've been writing lately. I don't have anything concrete enough to even tease y'all about it. Well, I do have a picture I can share, and the growing Pinterest board.

Pretty, right? Here's the Pinterest board. NEW TOY I'm hoping to have it drafted by the end of summer. Whee!

TWITTER CONTEST

I'm running a Twitter contest for the next 24 hours, until 6pm EST. It's super simple to enter to win a signed copy of my YA novel BROKEN!

RULES:

• You have to follow me on Twitter. http://twitter.com/aerought
• Will ship internationally
• RT this tweet from me: 

WIN BROKEN: I want to read BROKEN by @AERought! RT for a chance to win a signed copy #Brokenheartsneedlovetoo

Pretty easy! You can ener as often as you want, but you have to RT the tweet from me so I can track it. 

BLOG TOUR so far

BROKEN is coming out so soon my head is spinning. Did you know there's a blog tour going on right now? Yup. I'm all over the place. :-P

At the Manga Maniac Cafe is one of the toughest interviews I've ever done.

Over on BookAngel Booktopia is a guest post I enjoyed writing about music and BROKEN with embedded videos. Emma has a great review of BROKEN up, too.


And on More Than Just Magic is an inerview with a fun lightning round of questions.

The Reader Girls blog has a review.
 The lovely Book Breifs blog has guest post full of quirky facts even I didn't know about BROKEN until I was in the midst of writing it.

And on Popcorn Reads I found a giveaway and review of BROKEN with quotes from the book, and calling it a "mashup of Pet Semetery, Frankesntein, and Romeo and Juliet" (which I kinda adore!). The giveaway is open until Friday the 28th!

Teaser Tuesday: BROKEN's opening pages!

Well, not really... I'm not teasing you today. You can download the opening pages of BROKEN!!

Open publication - Free publishing - More a.e.rought

Hope you enjoy them!

BROKEN TRAILER: The making of...

Fellow Strange Chemistry author Christian Schoon asked on Twitter about the production/process of the trailer above, so I figured I would give a "Making of" post a whirl.

From the start, I had a really strong idea of what I wanted the trailer for BROKEN to look like with the mix of video clips and stills. The one thing that fell by the wayside, or hit this director's cutting room floor, was the idea of recording narration. Once I saw the monochrome setting on our camera, I decided the pictures and the music could tell the story without narration. That lead to riffing on a black-and-white silent movie--and I love the end product.

It all started with the music, and I turned to Kenneth Zink, Michelle Zink's son for that. He does the music for Michelle's trailers, so I knew I had to contact him. Kenneth read Broken, and composed the piece anchoring the entire trailer. It's hanuting, lyrical, moody in the best manner possible, and above all, romantic and unique. (Can you tell I really love the music??)


The pictures from the first photoshoot ended up near the end of this trailer, mingled with a few pics from the last day of shooting, from 1:02 on. Brenda took the pictures. The first day was just Skyler in her white dress in the cemetery. Skyler played Emma, emmulating the separation between  Alex and Emma due to revelations.

 

The second day we managed to coordinate a shoot was the first day Troy was with us, but my photographer was sick. I admit it, I panicked. My friend Candice said to suck it up and take a crapton of photos, something was bound to be good. We used a rather unconventonal location for our "school" pictures. Let's just say no parent wants to get a call from this place, and no teen wants to end up locked in the backseat of a car and headed in this direction. Skyler and Troy were great sports and we totally took the place over! The pictures from 0:20 on to 1:01 were taken this day, by me.

 (this picture edited out for time)

All four of us were together for the third day of shooting, Skyler and Troy, me and Brenda. We made a stop at a church (but opted not to use those photos later), then went out to the cemetery. Brenda shot both video segments that day, and took some of the pictures that appear after 1:02.

Many of the pictures we took were pretty, some were blurry, or the lighting wasn't quite right. And some...some were just silly.

We went through and picked the best of the pictures, then I organized them in the order I wanted and  turned it all over to DarkAshe Graphics for the finish work. She put up with my nuerotic pestering about the filter, and last minute this and thats. I think she worked some real magick taking all my pieces and parts and making one beautiful, elegant trailer.

CAMERA: Canon PowerShot elph 500 hs, in the monochrome setting.
SOFTWARE: Final Cut Express and Adobe After Affects, and the 8mm filter to mimic an old black-and-white silent movie.

Memefied: The Next Big Thing

Well, copy edits and my son getting ready to leave for the Army kicked my blogging habits right in the butt. A couple weeks ago, Strange Chemistry sister and fellow Gotham Group girl Gwenda Bond tagged me with The Next Big Thing meme. Then sweet Ingrid Jonach asked if she could tag me, too. I'm a sucker for my pub sisters...

According to Gwenda, it's up to the taggee whether they want to talk about their current book, their next one, or what they're working on now. Seeing as my next Strange Chemistry book is being kept underwraps right now, and with intereting developments thanks to my gotham Group rep, I'm not sure where my writing will be past that, so I'll yap about BROKEN.


What is the working title of your book?
BROKEN. Here's something hardly anyone knows, though... The very first working title was NEVER MINE. Looking back, I can't see it as anything but BROKEN.

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I felt it first. A deep, bittersweet, pretty ache like a real living thing in me without a name. I needed to name it, give it dimensions enough to claw it out and put it in text. After a long phone call with my beta Lexie, we figured out the types of characters and the kind of story to tell (or re-tell) to squeeze out the most heartache. If there was a defining moment, it was that phone call and Lexie saying she would cry. I LIVE for making readers see and feel something.

What genre does your book fall under?
Paranormal romance? Sci-fi? Horror? It's definitely a blend.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
This is a hard one! I would like to see more 'unknown' actors who don't have past roles pigeon-holing them into certain charter-types, who can carry off Emma and Alex. She's sad and still funny, broken but strong. And Alex...that poor boy. He's tortured and romantic and gallant and as broken as Emma. But unknown actors like that are hard to find pictures of aren't they? *sigh* A quick search of the Interwebs and I found Chloe Grace Moretz, and her picture looks like a great Emma.

Maybe Hunter Parrish for Alex? Something about Hunter says he could play a complicated, tortured hero like Alex...

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
This is from Gooreads, and the very one pitched to my editot Amanda in the first place:
Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Around five months. The majority of the writing happened in the last four.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Ack. :-( I totally suck rocks at this. I mean, really I do. It has some horror elements like Anna Dressed in Blood, maybe? I know BROKEN's being compared to Twilight by reviewers. (Which was NEVER my intention, and at times kinda chaps my bum)

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Lexie. It's up there in the first Q/A.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Real West Michigan locations. Cover-to-cover spooky atmosphere. Young love and young hearts twisted until they break. A deer. A creepy raccoon... At a moment like this I would like to quote New York Times bestselling author Amy Plum, who said: Death, kissing, and a smoking hot mystery boy. What more could you ask for?

Next up: a YALITCHT pal, Justina Ireland whose Greek mythology based book Vengeance Bound will be out next year. My Oasis sister, Jessie Harrell, whose Cupid and Psyche riff DESTINED is available now, and Nikki Katz, another Oasis sister, and also Jessie's co-author on a YA project I'm dying to read.

MICHELLE ZINK BLURBS BROKEN!!

That's right, y'all. Another SQUEE worthy event in this crazy rollercoaster of my little writer life.  Michelle Zink, author of the captivating Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy and her latest novel, A Temptation of Angels (covered pictured to the left) has graciously given BROKEN a blurb! *dances*

If y'all don't know who Michelle is... Why not?! Seriously missing out, people. Go check out her books. Follow her on Twitter. I lifted this from the bio page on her website:

Michelle Zink lives in New York with her four children. Prophecy of the Sisters was her first novel, and was chosen as one of Booklist's Top Ten Debut Novels of 2009 and as one of the Chicago Public Library's Best Books for Young Readers. It has also been listed on the New York Public Library's Stuff for the Teen Age and the Lone Star Reading List.

Not only is Michelle an acclaimed, talented author who has inspired a legion of loyal fans, she is an amazing person, dedicated to giving back to the writing community. I have been blessed with getting to know her since I started writing in the YA world. Like with Amy Plum, knowing Michelle was reading BROKEN had me on pins and needles. Will she like it? Will she hate it? What will she think? The torture! Now, another of my favorite authors (and people in the world!), have blurbed BROKEN.

"Broken is a devastatingly haunting love story where nothing is as it seems - and your heart is not your own."

Thank you, Michelle, from the bottom of my joy-filled heart. You are a light in this world. <3 br="br">

TEASER TUESDAY: BROKEN snippet

I know, I know. It's been a couple weeks since I posted a teaser. Go ahead and waggle a finger at me. *hangs head.* *pokes toe in rug*

I've posted a few teasers of BROKEN, from sassy to sweet. There were ones all over on the cover reveal day.

Of all the teasers I've ferreted out of that book, I think this maybe be my favorite. This is the moment Emma realizes something isn't quite right with Alex. And we know from the summary there is a lot that isn't right with him, with them, and what I do to them.

BROKEN TEASER:

“Sorry man,” Josh raises both hands and steps back. “Just making small talk.”

Alex tips his head slightly, then turns from the curly red-head. Josh puffs his chest, and and clenches his jaw. A vein stands out on his forehead. The building tension must be obvious to Alex, too. He slowly faces back to the redhead and asks, “What?” in that knowing, try-and-push-me tone.

“Nothing,” Josh almost spits, then adds, “See you later Emma,” before walking away.

Alex watches him until he disappears around the hall corner, then turns back to his locker. He exudes mystery where he stands, drawing female gazes like an electromagnet. Brown hair obscures his face while he bends over his lock.

He opens his locker, shuffles stuff, deposits paperwork on the top shelf, and then shuts it while I still struggle to liberate my door from the steel grip of the locking mechanism.

“Want help?” he asks, a spark of amusement in his voice.

“Sure.” I flick him a grateful glance, then look at my hands and rattle off my combination. Simple hope morphs to shock as he spins the numbers, pushing in with each one, then nudges the door with his hip.

The locker pops open.

My jaw drops.

In the two years I’ve had the same locker, only Daniel worked that damn lock as easily as Alex.

Poetry for poetry's sake

MOONLIGHT

Your soft whispers

are the waves’ voice

spraying on the rocks.

The sparkle in your eyes

is silver moonlight

on the sea.

Your chest

to which I press my cheek,

is summer sand-

and

your love

is found on the salty breeze.

Far gone…

We kissed goodbye,

but never touched,

I reached out a hand

and grasped only mist.

Cross post: Thursday writing prompt

OMG After last week, and the sudden rash of edits I've brought on myself, I'm feeling pretty tapped out. Do you ever get like that? You know our brain is there, because your body is functioning, you're thinking about stuff, but no matter how much poking, prodding, or pleading it doesn't brings about anything useful.

This happened right in the middle of me deciding Screw it, I'm going to write what I want. I had one of those moments at the inception of BROKEN. I was having it again, and it was glorious! I had files open for research, for character names, quotes I liked... *sigh*

Then reality came crashing in. And then I got up this morning and realized today's my day on the Oasis. So... with my brain kinda scrambled, I'm taking the coward's way out and giving y'all a writing prompt, and my take on it.

 

If y'all want to play, please play nicely. Constructive comments to help each other out!

My take:

Dust whisks up with each hesitant step. Dry, raspy whispers drift through the room, loosed by paint peeling from the ceiling. Even with the pitted walls, broken furniture and window panes, it's beautiful. Memories hidden in my blood rise, images of this place in its height of glamor. My heart clenches, fingers drift down to feel the silk of the gown I am not wearing in this life. The moments are so similar--except for decades in between. Then, and now, I wait for Aidan to appear.

He did. I know he will. Hunters never fail. 

God. I never thought, at the beginning of the school year, that I would end up here, so many memories unlocked, with Aidan chasing me, trying to save me from the inevitable.

I thread on creaking floors past the toppled piano, to the hole in the plaster, led by the knowing that sings in my soul. Anticipation rushes through me, a heady mix with the adrenaline of the chase, of knowing Aidan is bound by oath and by blood to stop me, or end my life. The small hole in my jeans rips when I bend down, and red falls to muddy the dust. The box is here, as I knew it would be, the rosewood gleaming through a fine silty layer.

I ache to have that life back, to be what I once was. It only takes opening that box, and using the vial inside.

A crash echoes through the theater, and Aidan's presence races my nerves.

It's now or never. So why am I hesitating?

BROKEN ARC contests & TEASER TUESDAY

I don't think I will ever tire of posting that picture. *sigh* It's just so PERFECT. Trust me, when y'all read it, you will get to a certain point and TOTALLY GET IT ^_^

But, this is more of an update post than a 'Lookit me I have a pretty' post. With the cover revel last week, some mighty fine bloggers launched contests to win ARCs of BROKEN. Are you interested? Want your mitts on a hot-off-the-press copy before most everyone else? Here's a list of the lovely bloggers hosting:

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
WRITING FROM THE TUB
MY BOOK JOURNEY
CHAPTER BY CHAPTER
I LIKE THESE BOOKS
POISONED RATIONALITY
MOONLIGHT BOOK REVIEWS

But hurry some of them end soon!

And because this is fast becoming a semi regular feature on the blog, here's our TEASER TUESDAY snippet frm BROKEN:

The drab gray walls are even more morose with Alex walking away from them. I don’t look at my parents as I follow him to the front door. When he pauses, the rest of the house could fall away into black, the world with it. Alex fills my vision, the resigned expression from dealing with my uptight mother melting into the expression just after the amazement I see every morning. One part tender, one part joy, all of it mine. He laces his fingers in mine, and pulls me closer. Then closer still. Kissing distance. With a motion of his chin he tucks my head to his shoulder and slides both arms around me.

I melt into him, breathing in the warmth of his skin. I can taste the smell of leather and Alex on my tongue. If he kissed me now, I wouldn’t mind. One arm loosens, then he slides his hand up my sleeve, across my shoulder to my chin. With gentle pressure, Alex guides my face toward his.

The look on his face is more intimate than any kiss.

“Have sweet dreams tonight, Emma.”

New post on Old Things

Edits are done with BROKEN, at least the first round. I'm hesitant to jump into my SecretBook until I know what's going on with further edits. The voices are so different, and I don't want to muddle things, so I opened up my favorite YA and started reading yesterday.

Is it sad to admit I got sucked in? I mean, I wrote it, I know what happens. The tension is high from the start, pace is a tight. It's a darker, more vicious world than BROKEN. To compare the two is like comparing apples to oranges. Sucked. Back. In. *sigh*

Chapter One

I bounce my gaze from the red Xs on my calendar, to the scuff mark on my white bedroom door, to the person walking along the shoreline outside. No amount of shuffling around my room puts me ahead of the pain I’ve been trying to outrun. My walls swim, the wood floor rocks. For one brief second I think about yelling for my dad, but I know there’s no help coming from him. He says this misery is all in my head. Well, I wish someone would tell the beast trying to claw its way out of me that it’s just a figment of my imagination.

My knuckles whiten in my grip on the window sill. Sick gurgles rise from my stomach, tight and rolling, threatening to throw back the burger and fries from dinner.

Outside, moonlight halos a guy standing on the beach, face tipped to my window like he can smell my agony. His eyes are feverish bright and boring into me. Go AWAY! I want to scream, but nothing’s coming through my locked jaws. I glare across the yards of beach sand, willing him to leave, but his eyes only open wider and he hunches suddenly like he’s hurting too.

Freak, I think and drop the mini-blinds.

Heat slashes across my body, burning under my skin and ripping free visions of being peeled from the inside. Muscle spasms tug on joints feeling like puzzle pieces in the wrong places. I suck in a rattling breath and stare in horror as my fingers convulse and curl. The lunar misery drives me to my knees, and I sink as the floor pitches and sways in my vision.

This pain eclipses what I’ve suffered before. Unbearable, like bombs going off in my chest and skull.

Daddy, I cry silently, Daddy help!

Somewhere downstairs Dad jacks the TV volume to drown out my moans.

Nerves on fire, every breath searing my lungs, I claw at my curtains for fresh air and snag the cord on the blinds. They rocket up into the housing, then rip from the window and clatter to the floor. My vision tunnels to the source of my personal hell. Hanging fat and full in the autumn night sky outside my window, the moon watches me slide toward a black out. Just before I lose consciousness a wolf’s howl shatters the night.

BROKEN's COVER REVEAL

Isn't it gorgeous??

This is almost perfectly ripped right from a scene in the book. Emma, her dress, the cemetery... I know it wasn't planned that way, but it couldn't be more perfect. It's like the artist  Steven Wood reached into my brain and plucked it out for y'all to see. Eerie, and beautiful! And look at that title!! I friggin love how the artist worked into the cemetery gate! LOVE IT *happy sigh*

And the blurb by Trinity? *dies of the happy*

"Hauntingly beautiful, achingly romantic, and edge-of-your-seat scary..." 

TRINITY FAEGEN, 

author of The Memphisto Covenant Series

There's tons going on today, too.

On top of the cover reveal, we're revealing the first chapter! That's right. I've been teasing y'all with little snippets. Well, today you can read the entire first chapter in a fun and interactive way. Interested in reading?? Start at Trinity Faegen's BLOG, and follow the links!

Interested in possibly getting your hands on a ARC when they're available? There's a chance to win one at these different review blogs!
Down the Rabbit Hole
Moonlight Reviews
Writing from the Tub
Daisy Chain Book Reviews
My Book Journey
YA Reading Group @ Bluewater Waterstone's
Chapter by Chapter
I Like these Books
Poisoned Rationality

Many, many huge thanks go to my editor, Strange Chemistry and Angry Robot, Steven Wood, and all the blogs participating in the reveal today. I'm honored and blessed and humbled by their show of support.

You can add BROKEN to your Goodreads lists HERE
You can preorder BROKEN on Amazon HERE
You can also preorder BROKEN on Barnes and Noble HERE

TEASER TUESDAY: BROKEN "Villainous things"

Well, I am in edits, and having fun remembering the tingly chemistry between Alex and Emma. Scenes pop up and I think, "Aww, I remember this one!" Seeing as I just hit this little tidbit, one of my favorites, I figured I would share it with y'all...

“You’re not,” I stress, “required to open my locker for me, y’know.”

He pauses, cold light hitting the planes of his face. “You’re right. I’m not. But I feel like I should be.”

“Helping a damsel in distress?” I tease.

“Don’t talk like that!” His smile turns devilish, and he winks. “It makes me think about your dress and…” he leans whisper-close and says in a husky voice, “villainous things.”

TEASER TUESDAY: BROKEN lunchroom snippet

Credit for the photo

 Seeing as I'm editing, and just hit this scene, I thought it would be fun to share. This gives you a good feeling for Emma and her friends at Shelley High...

Unedited excerpt from BROKEN:

“Wassup, Em?” asks Bree’s friend Jason Weller, pretty in a not-interesting way, and normally the leading male role in any Shelley High theater production. “You going to the dance this weekend? I hear Bree has some kickass costumes picked out for you guys.”

“I don’t know.” I turn it around on him. “What’s she dressing you as?”

“Oh…” His smile is perfectly practiced when he feigns interest in buffing his nails on his sleeve. “We have a theme this year. It will be ah-mazing.”

With Jason, everything good is “ah-mazing.” And for a straight guy, he has damn good taste. Well, not in girlfriends. When it comes to girls, his taste is somewhere between airhead and bitch. But I don’t judge...

TEASER TUESDAY: BROKEN but sassy

Emma's heart might be broken in the beginning, her soul may have been gouged by loss, but it didn't affect her whit or her sharp tongue when a snappy comeback is in order...

Unedited excerpt from BROKEN releasing in January from Strange Chemistry:

Catching sight of Bree, all in blues and pinks, I hustle to cross the street. Brakes squeal, and Josh Mason lays on the horn when his crappy Z-28 nearly sideswipes me. He shoves his head out the window and yells something less than nice about me being in my “proper spot on the curb.” Breaths are sucked in up and down the block, and all eyes turn toward me. With a half-smirk, I rail him with a comeback about his car and his orifices. Slinging insults is better than wasting my coffee on his windshield.

MANIC MONDAY

Holy crap! Our son's graduation, our anniversary, three grad parties, and our daughter's birthday all since the last week of May. *whew* I've never made that many trifles in my life O_O
In the midst of the life craziness, we finally settled on my net book for Strange Chemistry. I'm not at liberty to say what it is yet, but that picture up there does have some elements of the concept behind it...
I know, I know... Teaser.
Yes... Yes I am.