A Giveaway Starts Today

Writing friend and fellow blogger Savannah Hendricks reached out to me recently with the idea of hosting a book giveaway on her blog, The Seashells of Life.  Up for grabs is a signed copy of wildflowers, and commenters have until Thursday June 6 to enter to win.  

Ms. Hendricks also decided to toss a few interview questions my way, and I happily provided answers to her thoughtful inquiries. We chatted about YA books, art, the environment and Indie publishing in short and simple terms.  Click here to check it out.

Thank you, Savannah, for including me in your blog, and good luck to all who enter the giveaway!

And in other news:

Moore, Oklahomans (and others in the mid and south sections of the U.S.) are still recovering from the damage from the recent tornado and storm activity.  If you're looking for a way to help, this Writes blog post finishes with a list of resources.

Also, please remember that in the fall the fRead Project will be working with book clubs who would like to receive wildflowers as a free read and then be profiled on the blog. If you belong to a book club with three to ten members aged thirteen or older (or know an interested group), please feel free to contact me anytime this summer to chat about this opportunity.

giving ideas for moore

In the Midwest, tornadoes become a common side effect of spring and summer.  When the ingredients are all there, the clouds fold in on themselves, a backwards undulation of smooth deep grays tinged with a yellowness, which is all that's left of the earlier sunshine.  One of the tricks of this weather occurrence, though, is the way it can leave parts of the sky open and free.  Still, the gray-yellow cast overhead seems to block any other light, and a weird sensation of waiting takes over.  The trees wait.  The birds wait. And even if the wind is whipping, the world seems to stand still.

People located in tornado country can often identify the shelf clouds bumbling around at the front of the storm, but behind that are those inwards sloping clouds, and having those in sight sends us to basements, safe rooms, cellars, or bathtubs.  In my youth, some neighbors watched from their front porches while others joined us in our basement because they lacked a secure space.  We had board games, books, a few decks of cards.  A radio, snacks, flashlights, and candles.  And though prepared, the sirens' wailing hum jangled our nerves.  On a few occasions, we hauled ourselves up and down those stairs multiple times in one day, directed by the wax and wane of the sirens.  But for us, rain, wind, hail, and lightening were the only ones to show up for this performance.  And in all my days, I never witnessed a winding, twisting funnel cloud drop it's tail-end on our streets.  I wish the people of Moore, Oklahoma could say the same.

When I wrote my novel wildflowers, Hurricane Katrina was fresh on my mind.  In writing the book, I did a lot of research on natural ecological events, some weather related, some happening because the earth is a planet...made of planetary elements...elements no human can control.  Over the years, I've come to believe that changes are happening regardless of the reasons why, and it only makes sense that if the debate ended, we'd have more time, energy, and resources to take action.  How we each decide to take action is personal, but in the end, being good to other humans is part of equation.  During this time of regrowth for Moore, Oklahomans, please consider researching ways to give that fit your time, energy, and resources, and keep in mind all the players.  First responders, children, schools, small business owners, as wells as families.  Every little bit counts, and as we know from past disasters, now more than ever, they need a shoulder to lean on.

Giving Links:

Red Cross

NBC's How to Help List

A Free Way to Help Plaza Towers Elementary

Relief Requests from the City of Moore

The City of Moore Recovers

The fRead Project hosts a Free Reads Weekend

In honor of the Graduating Classes of 2013,

Wildflowers is free on Kindle 

today and tomorrow.

Congratulations Grads!

We're only inches away from summer.  Here's what's doing around the Writes blog and studio:

Posts for the Writes blog will continue into the summer, though in vacation style.  At some point in the near future, I'll do a post on marketing Indie books, sharing my experiences to date.  My main focus for the summer, though, will be to finish two new novels currently in revision stage.  One of these novels is titled Roll, and is due for Indie release in late Fall of this year.  The other novel will be submitted in the traditional process.  

As for the fRead Project, giveaways and philanthropy efforts are always ongoing, and I'll share the latest here.  In the fall, the fRead Project will be looking to work with book clubs who would like to receive wildflowers as a free read and then be profiled on the blog. If you belong to a book club with three to ten members aged thirteen or older (or know an interested group), please feel free to contact me anytime this summer to chat about this opportunity.