Saturday, November 30, 2013

Just a reminder

I'd like to remind you that tomorrow between 9am and 9pm EST Goddess Fish Promotions is hosting a virtual party with gifts and more.
I have upped the ante and am having an additional gift card giveaway.  Not only am I giving away a $25 Amazon gift card, but I have an additional three $15 gift cards to Barnes and Noble.

Please visit Goddess Fish's blog and sign up for my giveaway and for the other giveaways from the authors of Books to Go Now.

I wish you luck!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Sunday Goddess Fish Party

Hello, my loyal peeps.
I have some exciting news.  Goddess Fish Promotions is hosting a party and you are invited.  Among the honored guests will be myself and other authors from Books to Go Now.  This is a great opportunity to find your next favorite author.  That is if you have any more room in your heart and hard drives.

Some authors will be giving away fabulous prizes.  I will be giving away a $25 gift card to Amazon. All you have to do is show up.  Please join us on Sunday December 10th.


Sunday, November 24, 2013

Stuffed with Thanks

Hello, and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Today starts the end of my blogstop tour of the character descriptions for Angel's Code.  For the next three days you can read about Angel on Lorrie Struiff's blog.  Click Here to read it.

If you have missed any of the other characters you can read about Danny Here and Oliver Here
Of course you can always read about the inspiration of my first book on a previous post below.

Thank you for all the people who have hosted me this month, and thanks to all who have joined in and checked it all out.

Monday, November 18, 2013

All Over the Character Oliver

Today will be part three of my guest blog series/character studies.

Please visit Amber Daulton's blog here, to read about the enigmatic character Oliver.

Need to catch up?

Check out my previous blog about the inspiration for the Angel's Code story and also find out more about Danny here.

Monday, November 11, 2013

The Reluctant Veteran

I have to admit something horrible.
I hate Veteran's Day.  But not for the reasons you may think.
I am a reluctant Veteran.  I cringe when people thank me for my service, because frankly, I don't think I deserve their gratitude.
Really.
I didn't do anything spectacular in the Navy.  I was never in a conflict, my life wasn't in any danger, the only things I sacrificed was my innocence, a few thousand brain cells, and maybe caused some liver damage.  I did nothing more than a flirty co-ed on spring break.  I spent half of my Naval career in southern Spain for crying out loud.  On the beach.  Or in a bar.
I don't regret serving in the military.  I learned discipline, honor, and loyalty.  I made great friends, had extraordinary experiences, and got to see a lot of places not many people would have the opportunity to do.
But I really don't deserve to be honored.  I have friends who deserve it more.  I have family who have served and are still serving.  People who have actually deployed to war zones, come back and sign up to go again.  I sat in a tiny room by myself, then when my four years were up, I skiddaddled out of there, never even tempted to reenlist.
I don't take advantage of my veteran's benefits.  There are those who need it more than I do.  I am healthy, I can pay for my own medical needs.  I did not loose a limb nor do I suffer from PTSD.  Those that do need care more than I.  And they need better care, not to fall through the cracks of governmental loop holes and rhetoric.


So in honor of all the REAL veterans out there, to Micki, Lisa, Mike, Christine, Jason, Darby, Jeff, Keith, and all those who I served with and support.  Happy Veteran's Day.  YOU deserve it.  I am proud to call you friends and family EVERYDAY.

The Inspiration

In a half lit room in a sparse flat in SoHo, lines of code, video feed, and still photographs flashed on a bank of large computer screens.  The Fallen Angel kept a watchful eye on all of them and waited.  At quarter to six in the morning, one monitor raised an alarm.
  “Finally,” Fallen Angel said with a smirk.  “Let the games begin.”
-Excerpt from Angel's Code





Angel’s Code is an exciting romp through the seedy world of cyber crime.  Based in London, the story revolves around Danny Murray and his introduction into the hacker lifestyle.
Danny is a young, bored web design student at Birkbeck College, who dreams of becoming more than just an IT guy.  He wants to make a mark on the world, and releases a prank virus, attracting the attention of internationally renown hacker, “The Fallen Angel.”
Angel agrees to teach the young Danny the ways of the hacker, but his online skills are not the ones in need of refining.
        The only setback Danny has is his older brother, Oliver Murray, who has just been promoted head inspector of the cyber crime division for London’s Metropolitan Police.  Oliver feels it is his main duty to keep Danny away from the mysterious, and dangerous Angel.
However, when the tables are turned and Oliver is the one in need of rescuing, will the skills Danny learned from Angel be enough to save his brother from Cyber Terrorist Ahmed Eid?

In my real job, I am afforded a massive amount of time out during winter and summer breaks. I wrote Angel’s Code last winter after being disappointed with television shows I like to watch and thriller novels that I like to read.  They just always came up short, or I figured out the mystery within the first five minutes.  (I’m looking at you Elementary!)  Fortunately, two shows engaged me, Sherlock and The Adventures of Merlin.  Both have great action, dialog, and humor.  Everything a snowbound Montana girl could ask for.  Most of all I was impressed by now-everywhere-actor Benedict Cumberbatch and probably-soon-to-break-actor Colin Morgan.  Their acting and timing were superb.  And they looked enough alike, I thought they could be related.
I began to stay up nights thinking about what I would like to watch with these two actors in it.  That is when I came up with the story of Angel’s Code.  A hacker, hacker wannabe, and his overprotective police brother.
Every night I would go to bed and make up the story, relishing in their similarities and differences.  Then I thought, no one is going to write this, it may as well be you.  So I started writing.  I had just recently finished a course with the Long Ridge Writer’s Group on short stories, could I really write a whole book? Things started falling in place for me.  I met Danica Winters, who taught me about character development and the hero’s journey.  She put me in contact with a critique group and a publisher.
It still doesn’t seem real.  I am still surprised when people come up to me and tell me how much they liked my book.  It’s all so surreal.
I have the second in the series, Angel’s Betrayal, done and am currently working on the third, Angel’s Fall.
I feel truly blessed that I was able to put out a good story, maybe one day my dreams will make it to the big screen.
If you are interested in knowing more about the characters of Angel's Code, look for the description of Danny on Janette Harjo's blog.  And on November 18th, you can find out more about Oliver on Amber Dalton's blog.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

It's a Marshmallow World

It's snowing in the Big Sky State, not much of it sticks to the ground, but enough of it to get me in a holiday frame of mind.  I think I was ready for a change of weather, though.  My garden has been cleared, my cold weathe gear taken out and dusted off.
Looking out of the window at work I see people still hesitant to adhere to the winter protocol.  Mostly college students, boldly trudging through the ice crusted leaves in their flip flops and short sleeves, hunched over as though they could hold on to their fast dissipating body heat like a quarterback about to get sacked.  Jack Frost is a linebacker out for blood.
I, on the other hand, look forward to colder weather.  The shish shish sound of fallen leaves when you shuffle through them, the particular smell of fall and wood burning stoves.  Drinking hot tea and cider.  When I unpack my winter clothes, I greet each sweater, long wooly sock, and scarf that comes out of the plastic bin.  I love to cozy up in a blanket and my dogs, put on some soft music, and watch the snow fall.  I start to think of the holiday treats I will make to share with friends and neighbors.  And of course, I start to plan my annual demented gingerbread house ( the past three years have been high security prison, strip club, and brothel).  
Now, come February, I will grow weary of the snow, and will be waxing poetic about the spring.  But that, my dear readers, will be another blog.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

I have a lot of Character!

Have you read Angel's Code and wanted to know more about the characters, what compelled me to write the story, and what's next?
Well, you're in luck!
For the next few weeks, I will be blogging and guest blogging on the in's and out's of Angel's Code.
Starting with Danny- the "main" character of the first book of the series.

If you would like to know more about Danny, please read my guest blog on Janette Harjo's blog.

I will continue the discussion next week on here on my own blog, then travel around the blogosphere sharing the secrets of my madness.

And if you haven't read the book yet, your in luck!  There are still plenty of copies at the following online retailers.  You don't even have to get out of your pajamas!

Amazon
Barnes and Noble

See you on the inter-webs!