My Favorite Gadgets!

I posted this article back in March of 2011, and since I've been out of sync with the blog gods, I needed to refresh my noggin. So I decided to republish this to keep up on top and for your viewing pleasure.

I've been slammed with pure inspiration to host a BLOG HOP! This is going to be an absolute no brainer and tons of FuN! I plan to keep the linkie to this hop up indefinitely so you can refer to it and watch it grow with the COOLEST authors around. Sounds exciting, right? YES!

It's going to give writers, published and non, a chance to share their passion in a single tagline. "An author tagline is a saying that embodies your writing subject, why you write, and what you want your stories to achieve.-> sorta like a slogan," says Virginia Lori Jennings on my FaceBook Timeline.

My favorite author tagline is Ali Cross's: stories that transcend the ordinary.

Wow, isn't that just great? :)

I will blog about how to gather your thoughts on what your books stand for, how they apply to your upcoming tagline for the Author Tagline BlogHop, and how to come up with one. I will do my best to share my ideas on I came up with mine, I, by no means, am a guru on this. Just little ole me.

Happy Weekend!


So onto the Old Blog Post:

I've decided to share with you my secret gadgets that I feel help improve my blog. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone!

Are you ready for the revealing? ;)

Link Within <== the "You might also like" tool at the bottom of my every post with the trio of pictures from previous postings.


Blog Buttons <==Clarissa Draper reveals how to create those nifty bloggie buttons with the html codes at the bottom scrolly window. So COOL!


Site Meter <==a way to spy on how (and where and how long) many fans are stalking ya! It's cool, and best of all, free!

Random.org <==want to break out from drawing names from the old hat routine? Just go here! 

Simply-linked <==want to provide blank spaces for your bloggie palz to enter blogfests, hops or other party things? Easier than Mr. Linky. Promise.


The Blog Guidebook <==Whoa! A saver if you're trying to figure out how to soup up your blog! :)

Your turn! What secret gadgets do you have hidden in your blog?

Lost and Found later

Taking a year off from blogging and my other social networks because of pregnancy has really hurt me as an author. I had great online presence. I had worked hard for it. Sad to say that I feel forgotten. I know, I'm such a wimp. *sniff*

I need to start from the ground up again--but my publisher said that my loyal fans will never forget me no matter how much time lapses. That's comforting to hear. But on the meantime ... I hope to get back to where I left off before life became so insanely crazy and getting back to where I was before with a crazy insane life is challenging.

Wish me luck!

Square One

Life has been really crazy since Babykins was born. Finding time to write is scarce, but I have a stash of books previous that I've submitted to a publisher and they *love* my work, so you will be seeing those SOON!

I miss my blogging buddies and the fun I had when I blogged. It is barely enough that I can keep up with Facebook (updating in single sentences and hitting enter is so much easier than composing here as well as feeding my blog!).

As a writer, I feel that I've slipped ten steps back from the start of my career. I haven't really been connecting with my fans as much as I'd like, especially during my pregnancy.

Darkspell was published with a small publisher who restructured her company and I lost all confidence in myself as an author. Sad, isn't it? But I haven't lost confidence as a WRITER! I like to reminisce upon the good old days when all I had to worry about was writing, but then again, a new world has been blessed upon me as a published writer because I've met *so* many wonderful people and gained many great skills (public speaking for starters).

I will try to blog and visit your blogs when time allows--I also want to change the look and feel of my blog, this one is much too dark for me now. I'm sorry for neglecting my blogdom world!

How do you climb back on the horse after a huge separation?

Baby's Breath, YA fiction

Hi, my name is Jessica and I am 16. I had sex with Joshua. I never thought I'd end up pregnant and now I am terrified. I've heard of babies found in dumpsters. I am better than that. I will make sure someone finds him first before the cold does.


I was inspired by Project Cuddle to write this book.They work hard around the clock saving unwanted babies. Through their efforts, they have saved 730 babies the past 16 years! It takes about $2,500 for them to save one baby ...

My author royalties will go straight to supporting their remarkable cause.

While many parents want their kids to read books without sex, I purposely threw it in. Let's face it, sex among teens is fairly common--more common than we'd like. A book about the harsh consequences of sex is likely to impact readers than one regarding abstinence.

Baby's Breath shares with us a girl's traumatic experience of an unexpected pregnancy, and how she deals with her turmoil of hiding it.

Learn more about Project Cuddle:
www.ProjectCuddle.com

Read first chapter here!

Writing Life after Babykins

I love baby toes!

Roughly nine months ago, I decided to take a break from writing. My little one was born recently. Cute and healthy! My writing projects have taken a backseat for a bit, it has been difficult setting time aside for them.

I did manage to update my website with a handful of books coming soon! I created the covers for them (below). Can you see my daughter and her friend in Hidden? It was fun taking it! As for RockStar and Eros, those took me about 3 house a piece. Kursed was also accepted by PDMI Publishing--the cover which I created a few weeks ago took me over 12 hours as I had documented it for prosperity's sake! I will reveal that soon!

PDMI has also hired me as their in-house illustrator! Yay! So excited. Also wondering how I'll manage to keep up with a new baby ...

My current project is to finish my YA inspirational, Baby's Breath (I plan to use my baby and teengirl as covermodels!)--about a young girl who finds herself  unexpectedly pregnant. She hides her growing belly and becomes terrified as desperation blinds her. My love for babies has spurred me to write this and it is my intention for my royalties to assist Project Cuddle in their goal for rescuing unwanted babies. I'm really excited about this and hope to find time to write this in between baby and hyper kids at home before the upcoming school year arrives!

What are your projects? I'd love to hear how you accommodate your love of writing!