C.L. Moyer

Is that the time?

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 10:51:00 +0000

It's 3:33 a.m.
I can't even remember the last time I noticed it being 3:33 a.m., but I'm up late for good reason. smile emoticon

Revisions. Drowning Summer is going to be my best novel yet. What I've learned since publishing Stolen Spring three years ago (and my other novels LOL) is a LOT and it's being poured into Drowning Summer during this final run-through of revisionary strokes of love. *snark*

I love a complete story, a well-rounded story. I love full character arcs, stories populated with main characters, side characters, recurring characters, and even pets as characters. Location as character, the coffee shop that becomes a haven for the reader as well as the characters in the novel.

Coffee. hmm.... Might need some of that tomorrow.

The real reason I'm up working so late is simply because I can be. My husband is out fighting fires, so he's working his ass off in Central Oregon, my youngest is at a sleepover, and my oldest is upstairs asleep. I don't have to get up for anything tomorrow, so I can sleep in, and so I worked.

The fantastic news is I've started plotting book 3 -- Fall of the Cove -- and it's going to be even more fulfilling than Drowning Summer. The twists and turns I have dreamed up just since I started the plot journal for that novel have freaked me out more than once, and so my journal is getting fat with beautiful notes, and I've already started on my card file of scenes to write. That book is falling into place nicely. I'm very excited. heart emoticon

My goal is to write, polish, and publish Fall of the Cove in record time -- record time for me. smile emoticon

And now? Bed! After I feed the cats.

Moving to Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 08:14:00 +0000

We did it. We moved back to Vacation.

Valentine's Day was the day we shoved everything we own into a moving truck and headed back to the Oregon Coast. Now our bedroom has an amazing view of the Columbia River and we fall asleep (and wake up) to the distant barking of sea lions and foghorns.

Our house is 95 years old, has four floors, a dumbwaiter, laundry chute, and a spooky basement. (Say it with me... ***spoooooooky baaasemennnnt***) But someone at some point added a bathroom to the first floor and sort of wrecked the kitchen. So we'll be working on that, as well as sprucing up the kids' rooms, and then I have an OFFICE. It needs paint too. :-)

And I'm sort of in love with my living room light:

So now we're unpacking and unpacking and unpacking and unpacking.... but eventually it will resemble a house and then I will be back to work full time.

Much love from the Goondocks!

THREE-DAY BOOK SALE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 18:10:00 +0000

Head on over to my Amazon page starting today for a three-day sale on all of my books!

DROWNING SUMMER will be out soon, and I'm getting SUPER excited! So excited that the very atmosphere responded yesterday and my little town of Longview, Washington had a TORNADO!!! Dropped right down in the middle of town and screwed up all kind of roofs, planters, windows, trucks, trees, and sent a Dumpster straight down the road! O_O

It was totally crazeballs!!

So go buy some books for autumn -- our rains have come back (and then some) and so I have declared it READING SEASON.

Cleaning house. Streamlining my time.

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 17:47:00 +0000

On reinstating this blog...

I was doing some routine checking-up-on-things this weekend because I'm gathering my tools around me to start promoting my books again (took a break, moved, blah), when I discovered that this blog is getting thousands of hits a month -- from where, I'm not sure -- but that's groovy. Visits are awesome!

So I got in here and did a major revamping, brought in my *blue tones* I love so much, and so we have a new, pretty blog to read! Then I went to my website and was horribly disappointed because I no longer liked how IT looked, which meant I had to spend hours working on THAT to get it as shiny as THIS blog.

This is why writers sometimes have no time to write. LMAO!

I have a few more things to update, but this is a go. Welcome to my personal blog.

On this blog I'll include things other than my writing life. Like, how I've lost 10.4 pounds since August 1st using OMNI. I can bend over again and not feel like I'm going to pass out. (YEAH!) I'm learning to control the old portions, because that is my major problem. That and SNACKING. OMFG the SNACKING. I've been on OMNI since August 5th, though, so that's 8-whatever pounds since starting OMNI. It doesn't matter, because I can already see a change in my body, which is SUPERFREAKINGAWESOME.

Also, we thought this entire year (nearly... since March-ish) that we would be moving. Again. We just moved into the Cozy Cottage in February, but then there was a bump in the job market in my husband's field and several jobs had opened up. He applied, but for various reasons those jobs went to someone else, and that's fine. But this was after months and months of imagining moving to another state, several states, wishing we had more money in savings, hoping that if he did get another position they would help us with the actual move, checking out school districts so our kids wouldn't be left high and dry, checking out the housing markets to see if we could afford anything in the first place, and really really really wishing a job would open up in New Zealand or Scotland so we can finally get the frak out of here.

BUT ---- no. We're staying here. So now we are looking here and getting more and more bummed each day by the lack of houses available here that suit our needs, but we're kind of sick of the neighborhood the Cozy Cottage is in too. It will work out, but I don't feel *settled* and I hate that at age 47 I don't feel *settled*. Then I yell at myself because there are millions of people in the world who would love to live in this very house despite the annoying neighborhood it sits in, because their lives are so much worse.

So... I have decided to stop looking at the houses for sale on Zillow, I will trust in the Universe that the right place will be there when it's the right time to move, and it will be great. I don't have bombs dropping outside our windows, our fridge and freezer(s) are jam-packed with food, the kids are healthy, so everything's fine!

We'll still be moving, but I need to back-burner it. There. It's back-burnered.

Now. Facebook. Facebook has become a huge time suck. Good grief. I need to curtail my time on that platform, because I'm not getting anything done because of it.

Because I need to be writing. W-R-I-T-I-N-G not P-L-A-Y-I-N-G online. Even reading articles takes a ton of time every day. Reading about writing? Reading about wanting to write? Reading about marketing books I have yet to write? What the hell is the point of that? So... that is being pushed to a back burner as well.

Cleaning house. Streamlining my time.

I hope you'll all stay for the ride.

SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY WINNER!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 16:45:00 +0000

I am just so excited to announce my September Giveaway Winner!

It is .... JENNIFER ANNE!!! I met Jenn Anne through a mutual friend through Facebook a few weeks ago and she is so sweet and hilarious, and not only did she read SIX DATES WITH JENNA, she actually, REALLY loved it!! So I couldn't have been more happy to find out the #8 that the Random.org gave me this morning corresponded to her name on my list of members of my mailing list! Congratulations to Jenn Anne!!!

What's next in my world ----

The three-day September giveaway for Six Dates with Jenna was really fun and successful! It was exciting to see my book being downloaded all across America, and in India, Denmark, the U.K., France, and everywhere else. I am glad some readers really love it, and for the few it didn't groove with, I hope they can find something else I've written to enjoy. One thing you learn rather quickly in this business is that every book is not for every reader. But you never know until you crack it open and see what's inside. So thanks to ALL of my readers. My job is to keep writing, so that is what I'm focusing on. :-)

I will be sending out my first newsletter this week, and my goal is to make is newsy and fun, and I will be trying different things over the next few months to see what "flavor" works best for my particular newsletter. I've been sort of a newsletter whore lately, trolling around and taking notes on other newsletters that I've signed up for, so hopefully I will be able to entertain and not bore anyone!

I'm also looking forward to my October Giveaway, because a lot can be done with autumn, Halloween, etc. My youngest daughter, who is 8, loves both candy and the color orange, so this is sort of her season, and she's excited to help me work on it. My 10yo says I should send coffee, and that's always a good idea.

Coffee is always a good idea. Always.

This week I am working on proofing Falling to Pieces, a Between the Numbers short for the amazing Denise Grover Swank, a novella that fills a rather tear-filled gap in her Rose Gardner Mystery series between books Thirty and a Half Excuses and Thirty-one and a Half Regrets, which has not yet been released.

Also on my docket this week is my own Finding Mallory revision, which is going really well. Nothing like taking a sweet romance and kicking up the drama, tension, and heat! Mallory and Reed are such great people to hang out with, I'm lucky to have such good co-workers. I should have this ready for early readers and my editor in the next few weeks.

Have a great week!
And keep reading!
Cynthia

(Here's a taste of Halloween for you -- I made this Jack-O-Lantern Cake three years ago... but how cute is that!?!?!?)

SIX DATES WITH JENNA free for three, plus giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 05:20:00 +0000

I'm so excited to announce two things: starting September 18th, SIX DATES WITH JENNA will be available free on the Kindle through the 20th!! So head over to Amazon and download your copy... it's a perfect read for the autumn -- warm fires, tea, and homemade bread (Jenna's mom is a GREAT COOK... we should all be so lucky to be able to hang out in her kitchen!).
.

Dovetailing with Jenna's Free Kindle Days is my September Giveaway: Jenna's bracelet! Jenna loves charm bracelets, and this one is special for many reasons -- each charm means something to her, but I don't want to spoil all of the surprises yet. At the end of the month I'll give a list of the charms, but don't worry -- I have the supplies for at least two more bracelets. I envision more bracelet giveaways in the future!

Also, I am being featured today over at Marilyn's blog, which is super-swell, as far as I'm concerned!! I love her -- she has such great taste in Nordic gods, and no, I'm NOT talking Thor! I'm talking this guy:

....because that is how we roll, fellow Asgardians....

So now you know what Marilyn and I will be doing on November 9th.... talking non-stop about Thor 2 and how freaking fantastic it was!

But until then, keep reading.... and if you need something to read, I have just thing. And if you read all of my books and need something else to read, here are three other authors you can check out: Denise Grover Swank, Heidi Joy Tretheway, and Trish Leigh, as well as Lyla Payne. (Okay, so four. Sue me.)

Finding Jenna is super-easy.... On Amazon, just click this link HERE, or if you'd like to check out my website, you get get there HERE. We're all about the ease of the client over here at Winged Cat Creations. Yep.... ease of the client and coffee. Because with lots and lots of coffee and lots of lots of typing, you get to make things like this:

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 07:10:00 +0000

SO MANY GOOD ANSWERS for my July Giveaway Contest!!! The question was what celebrity would YOU like to be stranded with for a week in a remote mountain cabin? The overall celebrity choice was George Clooney, BUT ---- there were so many other great answers, like.....
*drumroll, please*.................................

David Tennant, Hugh Jackman, Steve Jobs, Hillary Clinton, Selena Gomez, Taylor Lautner, Carrie Underwood AND Faith Hill, Scarlett Johanson, Sting, Mr. Rogers, Sam Waterson, Nathan Fillion, Sarah Silverman (you would never be bored there! haha), couple of votes for Will Ferrell, Denzel Washington (always a good choice), Michelle Ryan, one person was torn between expanding his mind with Stephen Hawking... and Megan Fox (LOL!), Adam Sandler, Demi Lovato, Javier Bardem --- and someone else picked Daniel Craig.... (loved that movie!), and JON SNOW!! for a fictional choice... right along with Hawkeye Pierce.

And so many others!!!!

My choice?? Wow -- hmmm..... let... me... think.....

***** TOM HIDDLESTON *****

would be my first choice, I suppose.... then David Tennant. *ahem*

AND SO... WITHOUT FURTHER ADO....

The winner of the $50 gift card from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble is:

~*~*~ ABBY POWELL ~*~*~

I will be contacting her by email so I can get her gift card into the mail! Thanks so much to EVERYONE for playing with me on my first-ever giveaway!

And stay tuned -- I will be announcing my August Contest this weekend!

ENTER TODAY AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 04:47:00 +0000

To celebrate the release of SIX DATES WITH JENNA, I am holding a gift certificate giveaway... $50 to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble to one lucky winner who will be chosen at random on July 31! So get your entry in... what celebrity would YOU like to be stuck with in a secluded cabin for a week?

Stay tuned and I'll announce the winner on August 1st! Good luck!!

Release day for SIX DATES WITH JENNA is coming!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 21:10:00 +0000

SIX DATES WITH JENNA is sitting with about twenty readers and editors right now... and the comments are already coming in. Yeah!! Great suggestions, and everyone's catching typos, which is always amazing to me. How is it possible to look at something for weeks and weeks and still have typos?

I am shooting for a June 30 release date, which means I've started working on formatting and interior art, which is always fun, especially when you find yourself in the middle of a True Blood marathon on HBO online, because I can watch that while messing about in Photoshop!

SIX DATES does not have any vampires... or werewolves... no paranormal elements at all except one.

TWU WUV

Stay tuned for an upcoming contest where I will be giving away charm bracelets that match the one Jenna is wearing in the novel on a very special occasion, as well as copies of the book hot off the presses, and whatever else I can think of between now and then.

I am just so glad summer is coming. Is the pool open YET?

Keep reading!!!
(I was planning on reading the Game of Thrones books this summer, but after last night's episode, OHMYGAWD! I don't think I can!!!! *crying*)
Cynthia

SIX DATES WITH JENNA update and SHARING

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:01:00 +0000

I've passed the 80,000-word mark on SIX DATES WITH JENNA, so tonight I took a break and tweaked the cover I started playing with this week. I like how this cover is coming and I'll most likely continue to mess with it until I am ready to publish, because I am one crazy cat! LOL
Or maybe that's crazy cat lady... hmm...

This book is writing itself at this point. If I sit in front of the computer in the morning, I consistently pound out at least 2,500 words if not more, and then I still have the rest of my day to do errands, chores, pick the kids up from school, blah blah blah. Or get some more written. And this is excellent news for me because it's a great feeling to just sit down and write. It isn't fun when the novel is being stubborn and doesn't want to be dragged out onto the page.

Today was kind of a wacky, productive day with a life lesson on the side. After I wrote 2,500 words this morning, I paid the rent (important) and the car payment (also key to our lives) and then I got my hair cut. After so many years of not being able to do a simple thing like that, it still amazes me to know I can walk into a salon and have someone cut my hair and know we can still buy groceries. That's real. It was that bad back then. Not only did I get my hair cut today, but I took the kids to get their hair cut after school, and they look amazing! (Gymnastics and hair to your waist don't exactly mesh well.)

Because we received my husband's bonus a few weeks ago, instead of buying another $100 worth of minutes for my TracFone, I am now the owner of a semi-smart phone (LOL) and a $35/mo. plan. That's as high as I am willing to go for a cell phone bill! And even that feels like, "OMGIAMWASTINGMONEY!" So we will see how this goes. :-)

Also in the Bonus Plan was a new Kindle Paperwhite for my husband. He wanted one at Christmas, so this is only a little late. :-)

When I went out to the van to get the dried mangoes for the kids to snack on while the clerk wrestled with setting up my new phone service, I passed an incredibly sad-looking young man wearing a ginormous backpack. He was just standing there, no sign or anything, but I instinctively tightened my grip on my purse. This is the screwed-up world we live in. I pass closer to him and all he says is, "Can you spare some change?" I hesitate, but then say no and keep walking to the van. Later, when we were all done with the phone nonsense, I dug out the $20 bill I'd picked up at the grocery store earlier and slipped it in my pocket. When we walked by the boy again, I handed it to him and looked him in the eye and said, "This is for you. I hope your luck changes." He thanked me, looked at the bill in his hand and then choked up and said, "Thank you! Bless you!"

But I wish I could do more. I wish it hadn't already been past 7 and pitch black outside, or that I wasn't with my two little girls, because I wanted to know what his story was. Was he traveling by choice? Or by circumstance? Was he completely homeless or had he run away from a bad situation? How old was he? Where was he from? Does he have skills? Does he just need a break? A job?
All of these things, I just have no idea.

The look on his face reminded me of the teenage boy we met at the mall a few weeks ago at the cookie shop. He'd been sitting with a bunch of his friends at the table in front of the store's counter and so we reached the sales person at the same time. He asked how much a cookie was and she said for a debit card you had to spend more than $5. He got a sad look on his face and thanked her anyway and started to sit down with his equally tall teen-age friends, who all had cookies. I said, "What do you want? I have cash." He looked at me like I was joking and then said no, no... you don't have to... And I said, "Don't be silly. I'm buying my kids cookies, so you can just pretend I'm your mom."

He laughed and hugged me and said, "Thanks, Mom! That's so sweet!" He was all smiles from the time he got his cookie and my girls got theirs and even as we left... he waved as we walked out the door. It was just a cookie, but it made a difference. He won't forget that feeling he experienced when a stranger stepped out of their lives to care for him, and he'll pass it on.

It's SO FREAKING EASY to share with each other. It's such an easy lesson to remember and practice every day. SHARE!!! We're all in this together!

Much love,
Cynthia

FEBRUARY????

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:49:00 +0000

February is zooming past and it's nearly March. 2013?!?!?!

A lot has happened in the world since I last posted on here, but that's fine. No one comes here for world news, and the last thing I want to do is talk about how fucked up our planet is right now anyway with its hate and guns and flooding. Suffice it to say, I am choosing to focus on the positive things in this world.... the beauty, the kindness, the coffee, the chocolate....

SIX DATES WITH JENNA is coming along nicely. I am finding that when I write now I can easily put out between 2,000 and 3,000 in a sitting. I took last week off to try and get our paperwork for the house organized (I failed), and I had a few weeks of endless cake-making and birthday parties to deal with, so things were a little kerflooey there for a bit, but JENNA is approaching 75,000 words and I'm just now pulling into the final act of three. Jenna and Logan are still dealing with a LOT of crap, so it will be nice to finish their story up so I can stop stressing over their lives, poor kids. :-)

Now if I can kick this stupid sinus cold to the curb, that would be fantastic.

My latest findings on Netflix are Warehouse 13, Roswell and Kyle XY. I am definitely in a paranormal mood right now, which is interesting, because SIX DATES WITH JENNA has no paranormal elements in it at all. I find when I watch TV shows now, though, in addition to studying the characters created, I pay close attention to the dialog and the pacing of the show. All of that relates to writing, too.

In our home lives, the kids both made the Extreme Team at school. Here they are in their new uniforms, and so we have been having tons of practices... but now the shows have begun! The Extreme Team is a performing acrobatic team where the kids ride unicycles, juggle (scarves, balls, rings and cones), double-dutch jump rope, tumbling, and a bit of dance and comedy. I've been working on getting their website up and running, and you can take a peek at that here (Beacon Hill Extreme Team), just know there's no content yet --- working on that this week.

It never ends!!

Emily Rose and Mary Pearl
Extreme Team, Let's Go!!

NaNoWriMo WINNER!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:42:00 +0000

I spanked it!!! National Novel Writing Month was no match for me, and I kicked it into gear in the second half of the month when I moved from Drowning Summer to Six Dates with Jenna. I decided along the way that I have no set plan anymore -- I will write what I want to write when I open my laptop and that has really re-energized me and my outlook on this whole writing thing. So... here is my little award:

Woop!!

And in other news, Christmas is coming......

We've been busy around Chez Moyer, getting the Treehouse ready for the most exciting season of the year (for so many reasons). We celebrate love and family and count our blessings, taking the time to remember how precious life truly is. And what better way to do that than cover a faux tree with zillions of lights and all of my favorite ornaments?

I have so many ornaments from over the years... some contribute to the overall theme of red-and-gold, but the rest all have meaning... and many came from my mother's house six years ago when she passed. We still miss her.

Have a great December.... from our house to yours! Keep writing and reading but remember to share five cookies for every one you eat.
Peace
Cynthia

NaNoWriMo, here we go!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 04:50:00 +0000

It's true! I signed up for NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, here at the eleventh hour.... why? Because I realized that I am at around the 31,000-word mark for DROWNING SUMMER and so I need another 50,000 words anyway!
So why NOT?
You can find me with this handle: "WCCMoyer"

My official profile photo I slapped on Facebook for the month:

So I will now have a target dogging me around all day, plus all of the new friends I've already made in the Facebook NaNoWriMo group I'm in, PLUS if you finish the challenge YOU GET STUFF, and who doesn't like STUFF??? I like STUFF!

I have just a little over two hours before my challenge begins... starting to get a little excited....
:-)
Hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween out there. It stopped raining here for a good 30 minutes so my baby bats could scoop up some of the good stuff in the Fancy Neighborhood. Good times!!

Have a great November!!
Peace,
Cynthia

Re-vamping cover art, new biz cards, and writing!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:55:00 +0000

Since my free weekend this month, I've been going over what I learned from that experience coupled with my sales after the freebie weekend, and one of the goals I made for myself was to re-vamp the cover of STOLEN SPRING as well as the book's description.

While the freebie weekend went great and I gave away around 2500 copies of this novel, the sales following the freebie weekend told me I was not hitting my target audience. I believe the cover implies a dark story, when there is plenty of humor and a wonderful town full of crazy, colorful characters. That is not coming through. The book's description also doesn't reflect this. So basically (because I drafted a business plan which forced me to consider the books from all angles), my excellent reviewers seem to be talking about a different story. Woops! LOL

So... back to the drawing board...
This is the original (current) cover:

This is the one I drafted this morning:

I will be working with this and bugging my friends on Facebook about what they think, and then make a final decision soon. I have always wanted the four books in the series to "match," so I will have to give some thought to the other three books before publishing this cover. But this is the beautiful thing about self-publishing... I can change anything -- and keep changiong it until it's right.

In other biz news, I have a new biz bank account, and my biz has a debit card, AND I am waiting for my biz cards to come:

So all in all, it's been a great two weeks.

I am deep into DROWNING SUMMER, and am nearly at the half-way mark. Elliot Lake CRACKS ME UP, so it will be nice to get this book out the door so I can get on to books 3: FALL OF THE COVE.

I'm sending love to those affected by Sandy. We watched in horror as the photos and videos came across our news over the past 24 hours. I hope everyone stays safe and warm until help can arrive.
Peace,
Cynthia

MY FREE eBOOKs, Business Plan, and Loki...Oh, MY!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 22:56:00 +0000

I am just overwhelmed with the number of my books that have been downloaded since early Friday morning. As of this writing, it's hovering around the 2,000-mark for both books, with my adult mystery bringing in the most interest from readers. I know other people have had *way* more downloads than that when they had free weekends, but this is giving me a great picture of where my current books fit into the market and where I need focus future promotions, as well as future genres I may be writing in. As an author, I will always only write what I want to, but at the same time, if more romance in a book is what more people want to read, then I'll dig into my jar of magic writing dust and find more kisses.

<3 br="br" nbsp="nbsp">*inserting heart emoticons here, except Blogger won't do that like Facebook does now*

So. My books, STOLEN SPRING and THE MISFORTUNE OF THE EMERALD THIEF, are still free and will be free for download from Amazon until midnight, Sunday night, West Coast time. I think. I am fuzzy on the time, because I know for a fact they did not drop to $0 at midnight Thursday night for Friday's sale day, because I stayed up to watch it happen. LOL

But Amazon is on West Coast time, so midnight should be the magical hour when all of the $0 price tags disappear. I have links to my novels from this blog, or you can visit my poor, lonely website at www.CynthiaLMoyer.com (the poor thing -- I love it death and think it's gorgeous, but it's not linked in with anything, so most of my traffic is here on this blog. hmmmm......)

Aaaaand.... all of the observations and stats I've collected over the past few weeks and from this weekend are going into my BUSINESS PLAN I'm writing next week. A business plan? For a writer? But I just sit around in my sweats all day making shit up! What's the big deal?

My friend, Denise Grover Swank, wrote three excellent guest posts on writing a business plan on THE WRITER'S GUIDE TO E-PUBLISHING blog. You can read Denise's explanation and see examples from her own business plan at the following links:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

It's so clear and understandable, that I've decided to get this part of my business done as well. I have put together a Brain Book where I can keep all kinds of handwritten notes and reports and future ideas, and I have cleaned up the files on my computer so it's easier to find everything whether I'm coming from Photoshop or trying to post something on my Author Facebook Page (you can find that HERE), and I have even set up a Zazzle store and will continue to put things in there, items related to my writing, but also photography and anything else I think is cool, because I think a lot of things are cool. Doctor Who is cool. Loki is cool. I love the paisley pattern and nature. Nature is cool. I have some really cool photos piling up from all over the Pacific Northwest and China, and I can totally see them on mousepads, t-shirts, mugs.

Totally fun.

As my Free Book Weekend grinds to a halt tomorrow, I will back in the writing saddle again, because the only way to sell books is to get them finished and up in my Amazon store. But, diving back into my manuscript will be very easy, because I have a really awesome writing coach who keeps me in line:

See?

Loki knows.
LOKI KNOWS!!!!!!

Download my TWO novels FREE!!! THIS WEEKEND!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:07:00 +0000

(I'm reposting this for one reason -- I forgot to put *FREE* in the title this morning! WUT?)

Starting TODAY, Friday, October 12th, through Sunday, October 14th, my TWO novels are free to download exclusively at Amazon!!

The quick route would be my Amazon page: www.amazon.com/author/cynthialmoyer

STOLEN SPRING is my adult mystery, the first in my Elliot Lake Mystery series starring reporter Elliot Lake. It's set on the Oregon Coast, and everything is very low-key in Elliot's life until one of the grandmas from town is found dead and her grandson is kidnapped. Soon the other first-born grandsons of the local coffee club start disappearing one by one and Elliot knows time is running out for this story to have a happy ending.

Elliot is SO MUCH FUN to write -- he's funny and sarcastic and caring and gorgeous and has crazy parents and a mysterious past.... please go check him out!

The sequel to STOLEN SPRING will be out by the end of the year: DROWNING SUMMER.

THE MISFORTUNE OF THE EMERALD THIEF is my middle-grade adventure set in modern-day Seattle and starring the awesome bubbliciously magical kids, Denim the Bubble Ranger and his sister Ravenna the Time Bender, as the newest Keepers of the Emerald Cave. The entire Pacific Northwest is depending on them!

This novel was a blast to write! I love the magical bubbles and the time bending and the interaction of the River family and all of the characters they meet along the way. I even totally love my bad guy, Ladarius. Please enjoy, and be sure to tell your friends!

The sequel to EMERALD THIEF will be out in the spring: THE CURSE OF THE PAISLEY CLAN.

You can read more about these two novels on my website, www.CynthiaLMoyer.com or just go right to my Amazon page and download them now!

And I'd like to thank all of my Triberr Tribes for helping to spread the word!!!!

My one Adult Thing today -- what's yours?

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:13:00 +0000

I decided a few weeks ago that in order to tackle all of the B.S. of life, I would do one Adult Thing a Day. I don't mean laundry, dishes, or writing. I don't mean treating photos -- unless treating photos is something I have to do for someone else by some specific date. That's when it becomes an Adult Thing.

I mean making the doctor appointment, going to the dentist, calling to have the car looked at, actually taking the car in. I mean that stack of paperwork that sits there and sits there -- never really that urgent, always kind of a pain in the ass as it stares at you, and you just go on ignoring it.... THAT STUFF.

I discovered that if I say, "Okay. Do one Adult Thing. Choose something off that stack," I grab the one form I need to return to our insurance company, finally fill it out, and prepare it to be mailed. (It doesn't count unless I actually mail it, though!) By just saying, "I'll do one Adult Thing and then go back to my normal chaotic life," it feels like I knocked a brick off that pile of crap in the corner of my desk, and it's a good feeling!! I also discovered that *sometimes* after I do one Adult Thing, I just go ahead and do another! Then I know it's truly a magical day.

My Adult Thing today -- organize ALL of my computer files. Now, you're thinking, "How could they be THAT bad, Cynthia?"

Well, let me tell ya the short story --- I have a "writing" folder on Dropbox which has all my writing in it, plus some art that needs to move because it takes up too much room since the files are so big, then I have shared folders between my laptop and my desktop, and so I have more folders in there that have more writing in them, and a LOT of art. Plus downloaded photos, clip art, etc., and then regular stuff for everyone in the family. And half of our photos. The other half of our photos and the rest of our files sits on the main computer's hard drive, including MORE folders of photos, and more downloaded photos. This entire mess is backed up with Carbonite, and it's to the point where I feel sorry for Carbonite.

So.... when I am in Photoshop, and I think, "I need that photo of that thing I pulled off of whatever last summer...." -- do you think I know where to even START looking for it?
NO!!!!!!!!!! GAH!
I have THREE places to look for art for my novels, THREE places to look for anything I have ever designed for anyone else, folders inside of folders inside of folders.... it's a FREAKING MESS.

ahem
I'll be getting to work now. :-)

Two Novels Released and a Free Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 13:03:00 +0000

My Amazon page is getting fat! -- keep reading to find out when my two first novels are having their free weekend!

The Misfortune of the Emerald Thief is my latest release, and I just love this book so much, I can't wait for others to find their way to it, too!

It is the first book in the Keepers of the Emerald Cave series and follows the bubblicious adventures of Denim the Bubble Ranger and Ravenna the Time Bender, two modern-day kiddo superheroes who have been born for a very special purpose -- to protect the secret of the Emerald Cave!

A middle-grade magical bubblicious adventure, this book is perfect for any reader who loves the action and adventure, the magic and humor of -- YES -- the Harry Potter series or the Percy Jackson series.

It is chock full of magic bubbles, bending time, family, fun, and magical creatures!

You can read more about it HERE on my website.

The Emerald Thief has joined my debut novel, Stolen Spring, which is the first book in the Elliot Lake Mysteries.

Elliot Lake is a local reporter for a tiny weekly paper on the Oregon Coast. He's trying desperately to have a normal life -- barbecues, dating, beer, avoiding his overbearing parents as much as possible -- but life has decided to interrupt all of that, as life will often do.

First, one of the local grandmas is found dead, and then the first-born grandsons of the Alder Bay coffee club start disappearing one by one. And on top of that, he meets a beautiful little hippie chick who seems to know a little too much about the boys' disappearance. Can he trust her? Is she crazy?

He hopes not. Because she smells just so darn good....

FREE WEEKEND --- BOTH of my novels will be FREE to download to the Kindle (or you Kindle app on your other reading device) for three days in OCTOBER --- from Friday through Sunday, OCTOBER 12-14. Think of it as a nice way to kick off the fall reading season! (You will need to have something to read later in the month when you're rifling through all of your kids' Halloween candy, AM I RIGHT?)

FREE WEEKEND --- OCTOBER 12-14

So mark your calendars, but I'll be shouting about it on Twitter and Facebook and everywhere else I can before then. Have a great week!

My girlies on the beach in Manzanita, Oregon.

Mama and Mary Pearl.

Mama and Emily Rose.

Sunset on the Oregon Coast FTW!

Misfortune of the Emerald Thief release announced

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:22:00 +0000

THE MISFORTUNE OF THE EMERALD THIEF is the first bubblicious tale in my Keepers of the Emerald Cave Series starring the River Family of Seattle -- led by 14-year-old Denim the Bubble Ranger and his 11-year-old sister, Ravenna the Time Bender.

Emerald Thief will be available as an ebook first, and then a print version will be available by the end of September, if not sooner. I'm excited because this is another cast of characters I just love to death, and I can't wait for them to be out there so everyone else can meet them, too!

Here's my bubbly blurb to tell you all about it!!

For 14-year-old Denim River, the problem is not that the magic in his family is real. He knows that the guys can make bubbles any size, shape, scent, or color, and the girls can bend time and phase themselves from place to place… blah, blah, blah.

But become Seattle’s next Bubble Ranger? Run the family’s magic store with his Grandpa Naveen? OMG--why? So the whole world will know he descended from clowns? No, thanks!
But when another bubble-maker, the mysterious long-haired Ladarius, unexpectedly shows up at one of G-Naveen’s magic shows and steals the emerald he just blew out of his favorite bubble pipe, Denim discovers there’s more to life than entertaining squealing tourists.The baton has been passed.

He finds out he and his sister, Ravenna, are the next KEEPERS OF THE EMERALD CAVE, defenders of the secret, glittery green energy source the people of the Pacific Northwest are unaware of, but depend on every day, and Denim’s new powers are tested right away.

In the Cascade Mountains just east of Seattle, the water levels of the highest alpine lakes are dropping and threatening the Tarn, the beautiful, watery creatures who call the lakes their home. Using abandoned tunnels built by the Delve, Denim and his family, along with members of a secret mountain faction of the Weald, must find out where the water is going and if someone is behind it, before another life is lost.

Lesson Learned: Keep Track of Your Crap!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 01:26:00 +0000

I am so exhausted I just want to crash on the couch and watch Loki, I mean Thor... but that's not going to happen because it's dinnertime and people need to be fed, but...

Today the girls and I went out and did errands -- we were running around ALL afternoon, and after we were done at Target and checking out, I was like, "WHERE'S MY DEBIT CARD?"

Frantic searching of wallet, frantic searching of purse, frantic searching of back pockets, frantic quizzing the girls on where we were last, and then I AT LEAST remembered I had checks so I could pay for the stuff at Target.

Went to the customer service desk for a phone book to call the Chinese restaurant we had just had lunch at... but she didn't have my card. I asked a million times, "Are you SURE?"
Frantic-ness!!!

My life was on hold because I couldn't find this one stupid, slim piece of plastic!!! The girls were tired, I was tired, and I was like, "Well, let's go to the bank and cancel the card..." when Emily remembered the last place we were at was Payless Shoes!! (Which we call PayMore Shoes, but that's a different story.)

We drove back to the mall (right next to Target), and ran to the PayMore Shoes -- and she had it!!! WHEW

The thing that got me was PayMore Shoes wasn't On The List. I had been standing there in Target looking at The List of Errands and it wasn't there... we had popped in there to buy Emily new flats because we saw they were on sale! GAH!!

Okay. So that was fun. NOT. ROFL!!!

Camping at Crater Lake -- refill that well, people!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 07:58:00 +0000

We just got back home from a camping trip Crater Lake in SW Oregon -- and I am still covered in camp dirt, BUT ... I wanted to get the photos done, tonight, gosh darn it! So here we go...

Crater Lake is nothing short of amazing. The water is DEEP and PURE and AMAZINGLY BLUE. Every time I see it, I know it's going to be *this blue* but I never believe it until I'm standing there once again, above the blueness of it all.

This island is called Wizard Island, and you can pay for the tour of the lake, and the boat takes you all the way around the lake, and then out to Wizard Island. You can walk around on the island all day if you want, but you have to take the last boat back -- no camping on the island! :-)

My girlies, Mary Pearl and Emily Rose, on their first real camping trip. They were *very* excited!

The girls plus me and my husband, Charley, in the little viewing building -- it has interpretive displays in it in case you want to learn the actual facts about everything. We were just there to play and run around and smell the amazing fresh air -- it's impossible to describe the freshness of the air, really. It's crisp and cinnamon-y and just... perfect.

We couldn't remember what these are called, so we called them baby Truffula Trees.

Home Sweet Campsite

Learning the fine art of roasting marshmallows... I told them this is what we had before microwaves.

Breakfast was chilly -- we woke early, just after 5:30 a.m. and it was 35 degrees outside. HOLY MOLEY! So we ate breakfast with our gloves on and had seconds on hot chocolate. LOL

The Pinnacles -- lava came up through tubes in the soil thousands of years ago. The soil eroded away, leaving these formations behind. Amazing. Oh - and the tiny red dot among the trees? That's our pickup.

Mary Pearl got a new baby on this trip... meet "River St. Meadow" -- her new red fox.

Gorgeous waterfall surrounded by wildflowers... the reward for a VERY long walk!

The Phantom Ship -- on the opposite side of the lake from Wizard Island.

Home again, home again.... jiggety jig.

Last morning... a walk along the wildflower meadow trail... the girls reading the flower guide book.

We got there early enough to make a new friend. She had two fawns with her, too.
*bonus*

The monkey flower was still blooming, as was the bleeding heart and just a few others. But this late in August, most of the flowers have already bloomed. The flowering season is short 9,000 feet in the air, so they don't mess around!

Walking past lupine that was setting seed as fast as it can. There were several spots where tiny streams ran through the stepping stones of the path.

And that is all.... we were so exhausted, but so excited that the girls' first camping trip was so amazing! The weather was perfect, the bugs only bugged us for about 20 minutes on our second night when we were making dinner, not a cloud in the sky, we only forgot minor things, not major... truly a great trip.

AND...... I even re-plotted my YA out. I have such a solid outline for "Six Dates with Jenna" now that I may write that after I finish "Surfing Summer." Yeah! Exciting!!!

My proof copies of STOLEN SPRING are here!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:03:00 +0000

AND THEY ARE GORGEOUS!!!!

I am really happy with the overall look of the book -- the cover is beautiful, my chapter header graphics are perfect, the type looks excellent, I love the size of everything.... now I need to run through the book today to check for any corrections (I know of one so far, LOL) and then I okay it so CreateSpace can get the print version on Amazon!!!!

*HAPPY DAY!!*

Stolen Spring is published, ARC is on its way to ME!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 02:04:00 +0000

Sunday night I started the process on CreateSpace to bring STOLEN SPRING into a reality on PAPER. Yes, it's on the Kindle, but I want to hold it in my hot, little hands.

Monday was a LOT of proofreading and searching for those pesky widows and orphans once I downloaded my ms into the document that was sized perfectly for my final book.

Monday slid into Tuesday, and that was when the real fun started.

Page numbers. I was defeated by formatting page numbers in Word 2007.

I was all like

Three hours later, I was all like

I tossed out an emergency call onto Facebook, hoping someone would answer my plea. I was desperate. I knew whatever I was doing was basically right, but I was MISSING SOME KEY STEP. After looking through the Word Help menu, and online help, I had a flood of answers to my pathetic cry for help on Facebook, and then I was all like

But I was still having issues... something wasn't clicking into place... it was past midnight.... and then my most awesome friend Denise Grover Swank wrote, "Send it to me." I sent her a copy and she fixed the page numbers in the beginning, and sent it back. I messed with it for a bit longer, and after what seemed like another four days but was closer to an hour, I finally figured it out!!!

And then I was all, I love Denise THIS MUCH

My page numbers were in Wednesday morning, my cover was done Wednesday night, and I clicked PUBLISH. The file goes to the CreateSpace busy bees to be reviewed, and they email you when the review is complete. I figured I had some time, so I got ready to be swamped with fans......

Ready for my close-up when Brad and Angelina show up to talk about starring in the movie version:

And now today, Thursday, I got the email that let me know STOLEN SPRING is through the review process and I was able to order REAL PAPER COPIES ALL GLOSSY COVERED AND EVERYTHING AND I WAS ALL LIKE -----------------------

And tonight there will be much celebrating as soon as the wee scrubblings are in bed, and the following items may or may not be consumed with much glee..........

And then I looked at the calendar and realized my preview copies will arrive ON THE SAME DAY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE FOR A FOUR-DAY CAMPING TRIP!!! NOOO!!!!!!!!

So to avoid Sad Face and More Crying, I am pulling the Mom Card and we're leaving the next day for camping so I can review my book and PUBLISH THAT SUCKER!!!!

I want to thank all my friends for riding along this journey with me, and I can't wait to meet more people through my writing. I am working on the second book now, and it's turning out pretty darn awesome.

Peace,

Cynthia

STOLEN SPRING is available on the KINDLE!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 18:59:00 +0000

It's here! I was so frazzled yesterday, I didn't get to my poor blog -- but now I'm here ready to update with links and everything.
:-)
Here is the link to my debut novel: STOLEN SPRING

My friends are all aflutter on Facebook, but now comes the fun job of getting the word out to people I don't know yet, and to help with that, my crack marketing team (my two daughters, Emily and Mary) and I have been brainstorming a list of awesome giveaways that have to do with the Oregon Coast or Elliot Lake, because he is the star of this little show I've created.

Things we're thinking of so far include -- a pound of chocolate from the Brigittine Monks at Mount Angel Abbey, Elliot Lake-inspired mugs with a pound of coffee from Oregon Coast Coffee, a gorgeous handmade hand-picked (by us) Oregon glass float (The previous link is to just an example of what the floats look like...I'm not sure where we will choose ours from yet. Each float is different, and so we will be looking for a blue-and-green swirly one to represent the ocean. Maybe I'll do the glass blowing myself!), something from the Tillamook Cheese Factor y for sure, just what, though, we're not sure... and we were also thinking of some kind of gorgeous painting or print celebrating the Oregon Coast. It's crawling with artists, so that will not be hard to find. It will only be hard to choose!

Gift certificates may also find their way into the fun... Converse, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and then we have a few things that will be a surprise if we can make them happen. This is so fun!

My plan is to have SURFING SUMMER, book 2 of The Elliot Lake Mystery series out by the end of the year, so I need to get crackin' on that. But first --- I am putting the finishing touches on the print version of STOLEN SPRING because I want to hold it in my own hot little hands, and then??? WRITING!!

And somewhere in there I need to polish my middle-grade adventure... THE MISFORTUNE OF THE EMERALD THIEF.

Have a wonderful summer! Ours has finally arrived, apparently. It's supposed to get *HOT* this weekend!
Keep reading,
Cynthia

STOLEN SPRING is going LIVE!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia L. Moyer) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 09:06:00 +0000

I am up SUPER late, but it's for a very good reason -- I wound my way through the Kindle Uploading Process tonight and now my first novel, STOLEN SPRING, is slicing and dicing its way onto Amazon! I can't believe sometime tomorrow I will have a REAL LINK to MY BOOK on Amazon!! I have *HUGE* butterflies in my stomach, especially since I found mistakes during the previewing part of the show tonight, but those were fixed, and I'm hoping they were isolated incidents. *good grief*

I love this story, I love my characters and the town of Alder Bay I created. I can't wait for Elliot Lake to get out there in the world so everyone can meet him -- he is the coolest guy you would ever want to hang around. He must be, because I've been carrying this story around for three years now.

But Elliot's story isn't over yet. I have three more books planned for this series, which means my job is not done. SURFING SUMMER is the second in this series, and I've committed to a release time of December 2012. OMG -- that's only four months away!

...better git crackin'!!!!!!!!!

Although, I do need to jump in and get STOLEN SPRING's print version going. I focused on the digital first, and will now figure out CreateSpace. Baby steps.

Here is the description for STOLEN SPRING:

Elliot Lake thinks he’s dropped out of life, chosen the slow path, but life is just getting ready to ride his ass. And what a ride it will be.

Welcome to spring on the Oregon Coast. The sky is blue, flowers are blooming, and the first-born grandsons of Alder Bay’s coffee club are disappearing one by one. Whether hiking with their family, visiting the zoo, or playing in their own front yard—nowhere is safe. And after ten years of reporting in Alder County, Elliot Lake has never seen a story like this one. Armed with only the intuition of the mysterious violet-eyed Sky Lark and the ramblings of the local mumbling man, Elliot knows the clock is ticking for this story to have a happy ending.

Reporter, introvert, part-time slob, fan of grilled salmon and good beer, Elliot Lake grew up in the affluent neighborhood of Seattle’s Madison Park with his domineering Chinese mother, passive Caucasian father, and spoiled-rotten sister Princess Maggie Morning Star. He left his position with The Seattle Times over a decade earlier and ran screaming for the Oregon Coast, where he spends his days (barely) working for the weekly Alder Bay Examiner and his nights avoiding commitments of any kind.

Or so he thinks.

The Elliot Lake Mysteries:

STOLEN SPRING (August 2012)

SURFING SUMMER (December 2012)

FALL OF THE COVE (July 2013)

WINTER OF REVEAL (December 2013)