And tomorrow, to celebrate, I’m offering my short story, A Mother’s Day,  celebrating mothers and sons, free on Amazon.com! It’s a short story – but it will probably take you more than 30 seconds to read it! Writing novels and short stories, and hearing from readers that they enjoyed them, is my dream coming true.

Are your dreams coming true? I hope so!

I’ve got a lot to do, I explain, when my lists and piles get out of control. Today, though, a cautionary lesson on too many to-dos. As I was at my desk writing, somehow, one of those lists fell to the floor and was promptly chewed up by my puppy. Not kidding. The dog ate my to-do list!
Ok, but that didn’t really have to do with the business side of the writing business. Right now, I’m trying to get organized for the release of my next novel, called All The Difference. I’m excited about its due date in March, but boy do I have a lot to do.
And, I have a lot of different lists of action items: Contact bloggers. Reviewers. Create marketing pieces. Eghads. So today, I’m consolidating lists. Trying to piece together the one Tucker tore apart and get organized.

That’s part of the business of being an author. So, even though it’s the part I am really not so good at, I’m going to try to get organized today. Wish me luck!

Besides writing, what are your other passions/hobbies? I’m an avid television and movie watcher. I have several shows I watch on a regular weekly basis, plus “General Hospital.” I don’t go to the theatre that often, but I love to watch new DVD or PPV releases. I also love to read.

What is your favorite season? Spring. The weather is warming up, the trees and flowers are beginning to grow back, and everything seems to have a beautiful, fresh start.

If you could live anyplace on earth, where would it be? Hawaii. I love the beach and the ocean. I would love to live right there on it every day of the year. I also like the idea of the climate: not cold, but not overly hot either, from my understanding. And it just looks beautiful!

Tell us about your writing: I’ve been writing since I was a kid. I loved writing papers for school, and making up stories. I even designed a magazine when I was in high school because I felt the ones available weren’t right for me. Writing became serious for me in college when I decided to make it my career. Now, it’s what I do every day, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. There are days when I feel I need a break from it, but I would never give it up. I don’t have a set schedule like I hear most writers do. I’m disabled, and can tire easily. I write when I feel like it, and up to it, as often as I can. Sometimes it will be daily. Other times, just a few days a week.

Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write? Not usually. Sometimes I’ll put some on in the background. I like Adult Contemporary, or what I used to call Pop: Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel, etc.

Tell us about your book: My first book is The Chosen. It’s the first in a series. I combined ideas from different areas, but mostly from a role-playing game I played with my family. I used our characters and created a world for them, and my own personalities and quests for them. I used ideas I had from other fantasy books and movies I’ve enjoyed over the years, and just made the book my own.

What is it about? A young dwarf named Halli who learns she’s a Holy Paladin with the power to heal. She is told that she’ll be joining a group of warriors called The Chosen on a quest to defeat an evil-doer who is set on destroying their world. Halli and the rest of The Chosen must stop him and save their world.

 Your other work: The second book in The Chosen series has just gone under contract. I’m currently working on the edits, and am very excited to have the second one coming out this year! I’m working on the first draft of the third book, and I have a concept in mind for the fourth.

Where can readers connect with you?

My Website: http://www.andisrealm.webs.com/

My Blog: http://andisrealm.webs.com/apps/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Andrea.Buginsky.Author https://www.facebook.com/andrea.buginsky

Twitter: @andreabuginsky

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4515588.Andrea_Buginsky

Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/117234398007434496419/posts

WoMen’s Literary Café: http://womensliterarycafe.com/content/pull-chair-andrea-buginsky

Where can we buy your books?

Solstice Publishing: http://www.solsticepublishing.com/products/The-Chosen-%252d%252d%252d-PDF-EBOOK.html

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Chosen-ebook/dp/B004GEAH0O/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325389257&sr=1-1

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/33450

Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b117198/?si=0

Ebookwise: http://www.ebookwise.com/ebooks/b117198/?si=43

Thank you for having me, Kaira! I enjoyed visiting with you and your followers today.

Thanks for being with us, Andrea! Keep writing!

It’s always good to acknowledge the tough times, as well as the good in your life. Be sure to ask for help if you need it, count your blessings everyday and take time to notice the little things.

May your 2012 be the best year yet!

I met Geraldine through the WoMen’s Literary Cafe and have enjoyed the warmth of virtual friendship ever since! If you haven’t heard of her yet, here’s your chance to meet this wonderful author! Tell us about your novel, Chocolicious. 

It’s a book about love, loss and a mother’s sacrifice. I was craving a rich-filled,  three-layered chocolate cupcake when a vision of a woman in distress flashed  through my mind. As the story began to unfold, I knew that chocolate had to
play a significant role to the novel.  It took me three months to finish my
first draft, another month to write down notes and complete my second
draft.  I sent it to my editor to edit, then it took me another month to
do some rewrites and finalize her edits.  The whole process took six
months.

Tell us about your other work: My first book, Love Letters, is a Romance
novel about second chances. I just finished my third novel, The Assignment,
which is about love, betrayal and forgiveness. My editor is editing the book
now and I hope to release it by early next year.

Where can readers connect with you? 

On Facebook, Twitter or my website at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Geraldine-Solons-Author-Page/181823348524179

@GeraldineSolon

www.geraldinesolon.com

Click here to watch the video! Enter the contest today!

So take a listen (try not to make fun of me looking in the wrong place) and remember to keep putting the Real You in everything you do!

So excited to welcome Bonnie to my blog! Aside from a last name almost as hard to spell as mine (Sturdivant Rouda), we have so much in common!  Welcome Bonnie!

It’s such a pleasure to be here, Kaira. Thank you for inviting me to the Real You
blog!

Besides writing, what are your
other passions/hobbies? My passions include animals (especially cats), spending time with close friends and family, romantic comedies, spiritual books (especially those dealing with life after death), classic movies, Italian food, fine wine, politics, bike riding, and long walks in pretty places.

If you could live anyplace on
earth, where would it be? Why? I’d love to live in Tuscany (as you may guess by my descriptions in Wedlocked) because it has great wine, delicious food, friendly,
fascinating people, and it is one of the most exquisite places on earth. Now
all I need to do is learn Italian!

How long have you been writing? I’ve been writing since grade school. I loved when we were given creative writing assignments. While lots of kids moaned about them, I was secretly thrilled, as writing came naturally to me. In high school and college, English was my best subject. When I graduated, I started writing screenplays while working other
jobs. It wasn’t until I was thirty that I finally got published in a national
magazine and felt comfortable calling myself “a writer.” After a few more
articles I got my first day job writing for a small newspaper in Phoenix, and then a bigger one in Los Angeles. I also found lots of freelance work in the entertainment industry,( ie. writing scripts for children’s videos, adapting screenplays into children’s books.) Later, I did lots of copywriting and public relationships before landing my dream job as senior writer/copy chief at Book-of-the-Month Club. What could be better than reading good books and writing about them? I can only think of one thing: writing my own books! I
finally did and it was published in June 2011. A second is on its way.

Is there some place special you like to be when you write? There are a few different places in my home that I like to write depending on my mood. I have a small office with a roll-top desk which I suppose is the most ergonomically correct place to write. However, for a change of pace I’ll set myself up on the couch in the downstairs den, and on nasty, cold days I love to write from bed.

Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write? Much as I love music, I can’t play it while I’m writing. I find that the lyrics get in the way of creating word flow and dialogue. Hmmm…maybe I should try some classical though. (Me, too, Bonnie!!)

Tell us about Wedlocked: My book is a romantic comedy called Wedlocked: A
Novel. It is a stand alone book, although interestingly, an awful lot of
people have been asking me for a sequel.

Where did the idea come from? The book is based on my first brief, unfortunate marriage, so not surprisingly the protagonist is very much like me. Readers are often shocked to learn that some of the most bizarre, over-the-top scenes in the book are actually true.

     Wedlocked is the funny, engaging story of Rebecca Ross, a thirty-six-year-old struggling actress who lets years of disappointment and heartache catapult her into a disastrous marriage and onto a honeymoon from hell. There are also some compelling, underlying themes, including: pursuing dreams, mother-daughter strife, finding love, and finding
oneself.

Your other work: I have two books coming out in 2012. The first is another romantic comedy, although I’m not ready to release the title of it yet. The second is a humor book
inspired by all the laws of attraction books on the market. It’s called The Fine Art of Delusional Thinking.

Where can readers connect with you?

I would love to hear from readers! You can contact me here:

Website:
http://www.BonnieTrachtenberg.com

Blog: http://www.BonnieTrachtenberg.com/Bonnies-Blog

Facebook:
http://www.Facebook.com/BonnieTrachtenberg and http://www.Facebook.com/Wedlocked

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/writebrainedny

Where can we buy your books?

Amazon: http://ning.it/qC1y2V

Barnes
and Noble: http://ning.it/pPRGvC

Ebook is
on sale now for only 99cents!

Tell us a bit about yourself: Besides writing, what are your other passions/hobbies?  I love to read and enjoy going to the movies. I love anything that will allow me to escape the “real world” just for a little while.

Describe yourself in one word:  Resilient

What is your favorite season? Spring. It represents a times of renewal and shedding of old things.

Tell us about your writing:  I have been writing for a little over three years.  It
started out as a hobby and I believe because of my love of reading it naturally
evolved into a passion for writing. I usually write when the mood strikes so it can be
anytime and for any length of time. Sometimes I will get an idea for a scene I
have to hammer out and be at my computer for hours and other times it may just
be some dialogue or plot points I need to jot down and I’m up and done.

I don’t really have a “special” place to write. Right now my laptop is dead but when it wasn’t I would power it up and wherever I was that’s where I would write. Now I’m forced to stay in my office at my desktop. I feel like a prisoner at times but I do get a lot more work done! I can’t write without my music and the television on.
LOL! Complete silence drives me nuts. I need both sides of my brain occupied
when I’m writing or I can’t concentrate on what I’m doing. I know that sounds
weird but I’ve always been like that. Even in school and college when I would
study I always had something going on in the background.

Tell us about your book: The title is BETWEEN FRIENDS. It is a stand alone book. I
played around with it being a part of a series but it took on a life of its
own. It definitely does well as a stand alone. I do see these characters,
however, showing up again at some point.

I have always loved law enforcement and I wanted to do a
story that showed the side that most don’t get to see, the side that is
revealed when the gun and badge are put away for the evening. The idea to
follow these three friends through grade school to college, subsequently having
the main character Trip Spencer become a DEA agent and Lincoln Briscoe an
Atlanta Police officer was a way of adding tension to the plot of the romantic
side of the story. People do crazy things for love including putting their
careers at stake. Lincoln and Trip have been at odds since college and the
animosity between DEA taking over and APD case, HIS APD case added great
tension and was extremely fun to write.

It took me a total of about eight months to write the
book’s first draft and another 3-4 for edits. I did a lot of research with the
DEA agency and Atlanta Police Department here in Atlanta because I wanted this
to ring as true to form as possible.

What is it about? A huge multi-million dollar drug bust brings D.E.A. agent ORLANDO “TRIP” SPENCER back to his hometown after being gone for several years and he’s not the only one unhappy about the return home. IDALIS ARRINGTON and Trip have been best friends since they were little. Nothing or nobody could come between them growing up,
that’s until she meets Lincoln in college. With Trip back in Atlanta Idalis’
perfect world starts to get messy a little messy and she finds herself praying
that his visit is a short one until a family tragedy pushes the two closer
together. But the question is can she hold it together or will the sound of the
skeletons in her own closet drown out what she’s convinced herself has been the
truth all these years? LINCOLN  BRISCOE is a Lieutenant with the Atlanta Police Department and knows he has a lot at stake with his girlfriend’s best friend  back in town but he refuses to let anyone, especially agent Spencer, jeopardize the life he’s worked so hard to build with Idalis.

Your other work: My first book THE LIES THAT BIND is also available on Amazon.com as well. I am currently working on my next romantic crime suspense novel but I don’t have a title for that one yet.

Readers can find me all over the internet. I am on  Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/D.L.Sparks and on  Twitter @dlsparks and my website at www.dlsparks.com. My books are available everywhere online.

What is your favorite
season? Why?

I love all of the seasons! I love Spring because it’s the
true beginning of the year for me. Flowers are blooming and I get the itch in
my fingers to play I the dirt and garden. I love Summer because it’s so warm
and friendly. There are fruits and vegetables straight from the garden that are
superb and I can write outside again. I love Fall because I feel all snuggly
and cuddly. It’s the time when I see my family the most. With four sisters and
two brothers that’s no mean feat. I love Winter because that’s when I do a lot
of soul searching and goal setting. I feel even more inclined to be giving and
creative in how I do so.

If you could live
anyplace on earth, where would it be? Why?

I would like to live under the ocean near a fissure in the
Earth’s crust where the water is warm. I love the story 10,000 Leagues Under
the Sea by Jules Verne. I would love to live amongst all the sea life that has
remained undiscovered to this day.

 Tell us about your
writing:

I have been seriously writing since February 2011. Writing
found me when I was too sick to work. I have now let it become my occupation. I
write when I feel inspired. If I write just for the sake of upping my word
count I find I usually end up deleting what I wrote.  When it’s warm I love to go to area parks and write. The outdoors are a constant inspiration to me. It’s cold now so I
usually brew a wonderful pot of tea and dance my fingers across the keyboard.

Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write?

It depends on what I’m writing about. With Eternal Beginning I wrote it in a
journal at area parks that were mostly deserted save a few children and
mothers/care takers. When I wrote First Snow I constantly listened to Christmas music to make sure the right mood was set. I find now that I prefer no background music most of the time because it’s easy for my curious mind to get distracted and neglect the task at hand.

Tell us about your book:

I’ve always liked homey, small-town stories. Maybe it’s
because I lived in one until I was eight years old. I read a series by Robin Gunn when I was in my early twenties and thought to myself I can do that. So, I have taken my experiences with love (with some artistic license) and plopped them right down in the middle of Willow Reed. First Snow took me about 1 month to agonize over and 3 months to complete. It’s about Nell. She’s so confident that she wants a family, but she hasn’t met the right man. When Hasan enters her life bells and whistles go off. Then, right before Christmas, Hasan tells Nell that he doesn’t want children. What will Nell do?

I have published Eternal Beginning this past June and will be releasing a companion workbook within the next couple of months. I donated a children’s story to Equipe http://equipeglobal.org/ that will be
released this Spring called, Fluffy.
I will also be releasing the next book in the Willow Reed series, Spring Argyle.

I love connecting with readers! Here are a few ways we can
make that happen:

Facebook- http://on.fb.me/rod2p5

Twitter- http://bit.ly/otU535

Blog- http://bit.ly/o41IIO

Shelfari- http://www.shelfari.com/E_B_ChristineC

Goodreads- http://bit.ly/sg8nPX

Youtube-

http://bit.ly/s3e7eH

Where can we buy your books?

Eternal Beginning:

 Amazon http://amzn.to/pkBzEC

Barnes & Noble
http://bit.ly/sW8OHd

Signed copy http://bit.ly/o41IIO

First Snow:

Amazon http://amzn.to/v6GmaF

The handyman who has been helping me put my life together in our new home invited our family to his family’s Christmas party. How nice is that?

An author who I’ve been friends with on Facebook just sent me a message and invited me for coffee – she actually lives nearby!

These small acts of kindness mean so much, especially when you’re new to an area and starting a new life.

What can you do to reach out to someone today?