Where did my motivation go?

Hey - I am sooooo tired I want to take a nap, but I already slept ten hours the night before. I've walked for fresh air, but unfortunately all I need to do today is at the computer. Marketing (yuck) radio interview questionaires - cool - galley's - coolyuck. I can't concentrate on the book because my eyes are so tired. Normally I am the one with the annoying pom poms rallying the team to cross the finish line. Today? I just want a cup of hot tea and a nap. I did a funny blog this morning over at www.babesinbookland.com on swearing - cussing. And now I guess I will go back to my book. I'm only on page fifty of two hundred - wish me luck, lol

Traci

home again

Hi!!
I am home. 11 days seems like a year.
I am unpacked. I've caught up on bills, cleaning the house and groceries. I sent in my finished book and my proposal for a new series. I am still waiting to hear from my other editor, but I can't make her go any faster, so I am trying not to think about it. I gave the dogs a bath, mopped the floors, and I'm half way through the mound of laundry that nobody but me can do - or at least that's the subliminal message my family is sending me.
I have my other book up to edit. My goal is to have it to my agent by friday. Please, please please it will wow the editor and I will have a sale in this really super uber crappy market.

The Florida Romance Writers cruise kicked butt. We had so much going on, and the people are amazing. Aleka totally earned her tiara. Greg came with me and he had fun - he is the best when it comes to doing his thing and being a part of what is going on. He went rock climbing on the ship - we have pictures that if I can figure out how to post I will. If not you can find him on facebook or myspace, I know he's got them there. The booksigning was great, and my workshop went very well. Shining in a Shrinking Market.
But I came home feeling very very depressed about the writing market. Yeah, the economy sucks bad. Agents can't sell, which means writers can't sell. I have a friend who was talking retirement and it breaks my heart.
Something has to change, but I don't have the answers. Just work, polish, and submit. There's nothing too magical about that. It's hard work without a guaranteed pay off.

Plotting was amazing! I have two books plotted - just in case my publisher wants them. Be prepared. Kind of like being a boyscout...
with sex scenes, lol.

have a great day
Traci

Chance to Win

www.bookroast.blogspot.com

Hi all - come visit me over at Book Roast - where you can have a chance to win a free signed book by moi, and banter some witty dialogue back and forth. Or not so witty, depending on the caffiene intake....

I am feeling VERY fabulous - I finished my book before deadline and before the trip tomorrow so all is good. I'm looking forward to the cruise, and doing my workshop - shining in a shrinking market.
I've got prizes, I've got cool shoes, the world is my oyster I will gladly post the hand out on this sight after the workshop is over and if you want to take advantage of some serious goal setting, then we can do that to. As I said, I give cool prizes, lol

Where did January go?

New Year, New Blog

Happy 2009 everybody! Today I am celebrating writing over 10,000 words - that's right - forty one pages in Microsoft word. My brain is mush and I am ready to fall into bed and watch Tru TV to numb the pain in my wrists.

Just kidding about the last part, although by tomorrow they should be screaming. Maybe advil tonight? I don't want to think about anything other than reaching my deadline. Feb 1 this baby is due - I've plotted it, thought about it, studied for it and crammed more information on Boadicea (Boudica) and early Briton than I can stand. Go ahead and ask me - I can tell you fighting styles (ditch and dyke) or weapons (spear and sword) and method of transportation (foot, chariot or horse) I can name Goddesses (Andraste, Bridget or Epona) and discuss the housing of pre roman invasion farmers. Yes, they farmed. They lived in round houses with thatched roofs. They loved - just like we did, and that is always the heart of a romance. We can have the plot, but it is no good without the characters - if the characters grab your heart, a loyal reader will follow them through fire. I hope Ela and Os grab at people's hearts like that - they sure have my attention, woo hoooooo.

I am also getting ready for a writer's cruise January 22nd - FRW is conducting their first ever ship conference, and it should be fabulous. I am looking forward to giving my workshop - Shining in a Shrinking Market, and meeting with old friends as well as making new ones.

So far 2009 has been busy, filled with hard work, friends, and quite a few laughs. Okay - we watched Pineapple Express. Freaking hysterical!

I will post after the cruise, with pictures!

Something Wiccan This Way Comes recieved five angels from Fallen Angels reviews - one of many great reviews this second book in the Rhiannon Godfrey series has garnered. If you have a chance go to www.samhainpublishing.com and look up Traci Hall for both of my Young Adult parnormal stories.

Thanks for stopping by!

Free download Wiccan Wonderland by Traci Hall

http://www.thesamhellion.com/ebooks/hall_wiccanwonderland.pdf

Happy Holidays to all of you internet savvy people out there cruisin' the blogging world. Samhain Publishing is giving away free reads this December for some extra holiday cheer. Something Wiccan This Way Comes was just released as an ebook (you can go to samhainpublishing.com) and Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways will be available at amazon.com - barnesandnoble.com and yes, even target.com, lolol. Of course you can always walk into a bookstore and ask for it too.

We have a sad tree this year - it had a huge open hole in the branches. We stuffed it with stuffed animals, turned it to the wall, and called it good. My husband is already planning on taking it down the day after Christmas.
Christmas is meant to be snowy, and filled with family and friends. I come from the Pacific Northwest, you know? We all worried about tempermental tropical weather when we moved to Florida! But hurricanes seem like a cake walk compared to what the people there are going through right now. 30 inches of snow - that is practically 3 feet. In less than a week!

No matter where you spend your holidays, I hope that you are safe and warm and with people you love,

Traci

Ho de ho de ho ho ho

We had the best Thanksgiving - we had bunco, mashed potato mermaids and lots of turkey!

I am singing christmas tunes and writing and partying and booksigning :) I am so happy to be here at this exact spot in my life. Yes, I want my agent to sell Guardians of the Underground by Christmas this year - and yes, I want to make money selling books - but other than that? I am content to work hard and put my time in.

Sunday we had a booksigning at Starbucks - and let me tell you, my friends rock. Dev, Faith, Sheryl, Becky, Nancy - thank you for being you! My wonderful manager/hubby made sure we were set up just right, the Starbucks crew had lemon loaf and coffee out and new friends came by too. Sold almost 25 books, so it gets thumbs up from me.

Today I spoke at Murder on the Beach in Delray - the ladies were terrific, Joanne and John had the store looking hot, and it was a 29 book day. Saturday is the FRW/MWA Christmas Party and then that afternoon Cindy Thompson and I are doing a booksinging at Waldenbooks in Miami.

On the just plain fun side, Brighton and I went shopping together this afternoon and we had a blast in Bath Works. We both ended up smelling like a combination of spice, tree and frosted cranberry. Ayyyy.

Destini is supposed to be home early enough tonight that we might play yahtzee and listen to oldies. We'll see. I am on deadline for my Feb 1st book - I am on page 25 of 400 pages needed so I probably should be writing. sigh.

Christmas is tight this year. It is for everybody...we are doing one 'big' gift for each of the kids and maybe some jammies and their stocking, of course - they would riot if there wasn't a stocking! I can't think of anything that I want other than a SALE and a CONTRACT. oh, and world peace. Want to know what I'm really looking forward to? The night when we decorate the tree, eat homemade popcorn and watch Holiday Inn and White Christmas and Scrooged.

what do you look forward to? what traditions have you managed to hang on to?

Traci

something wiccan this way comes

Hi!!! It is release day for Something Wiccan This Way Comes!! I am really excited - I love the Rhiannon series and I want everyone else to love it too. See - all this time writing and publishing (more time writing than publishing!) and I still am full of neurotic tendencies.
Gotta love this gig!The first Rhiannon book will be available in print at your local bookstore on December 28! Gooooo, Rhiannon!
Something Wiccan This Way Comes by Traci HallGenre: Young AdultISBN: 978-1-60504-241-1Length: NovelPrice: 5.50 Get it Now for 4.95Cover art by Scott CarpenterWhat's a girl to do when trouble finds her at every turn?

A Rhiannon Godfrey story.Being different is nothing new for Rhiannon Godfrey. Neither is hiding who she really is to all but a select few. So far she's managed to walk that line, but now someone is spreading rumors that the Godfreys' New Age store is really a front for witchcraft, complete with cauldrons and eyes of newt.The whole town is turning against them--even Rhee's boyfriend is suspicious. Then there's her ex-crush Matthew, who just showed up uninvited on her doorstep carrying a single suitcase--and a heavy secret.Rhiannon tries to be good, she really does. But it's hard when trouble pounces at every turn, and her unsuccessful spells seem to prove that science is the only path to enlightenment.Hiding her gifts and running from confrontation is easier than standing up for what she believes in. But this time, there's more at stake. And the possibility she may have to find the inner strength to banish one friend in order to save another.http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/shop/product.da/something-wiccan-this-way-comes

shoes

Hello and Happy Monday - the Altamonte Springs booksigning was really really fun. I bought the best new shoes and they turned out to be Lucky - I sold all the books they gave me to sell, and had a great time, too.

My husband (a patient, long-suffering man who understands that his wife has quite a few screws loose) said that nobody would even notice my feet - he wanted to know WHY I couldn't wear my flip flops!!! Well, as we walked out of the store and down the mall, we heard all kinds of women go "great shoes" and one woman walked into a wall trying to get a better look.

I so won that round.

Greg and I have been having a blast going to local booksignings. It seems that we are both working so hard that the three hours each way driving somewhere is a chance to catch up on what is going on in each other's world. If anybody wants to come and meet my driver, lol, or maybe pick up a book signed by moi, then come and see us November 15th at the Miami Bookfair. Or December 7th at Starbucks. I'll be giving out my 2009 schedule soon!! I hope everyone had a great Samhain, Halloween, or All Saints Day. Say a blessing or prayer for Loren.

One year, and the loss is still great.

xoxoxoxo

Traci

ps - if you'd like, head over to www.tracihall.com Greg has re-designed by very boring website. I'd love to hear your feedback

contest over at myspace....

Hi everyone!
It has been a whirlwind of a few weeks - but I am hangin' in. What else is there? lol. This is Halloween week - my favorite week of the year! Scary movies, skulls, ghosts, and goblins abound. Tonight I watched one of the cheesiest movies ever - Frogs - from forty years ago, staring Sam Elliot and Joan Van Ark.
I know.
It was worse than you can imagine! And yet fascinating...filmed in Florida, the frogs were actually toads the size of dinner plates and Sam Elliot had brown hair. Joan needed a decent meal because her knees were the biggest part of her entire body, and in the end, the frogs took over the swamp and ate the old man who had been polluting the water.
I am one happy camper :) We watched Dead and Breakfast, and The Omen. We ate Halloween candy and drank hot chai tea. Yum. Almost as yummy as a young, buff Sam Elliot, lolololol.

Hey -tomorrow I am posting over at enchanting reviews - www.myspace.com/enchantingya and I am giving away book marks and a book or two - come chat with me!

Traci

back from San Fran, and booksignings and - well, I'm back

With the help of copious amounts of SLEEP I am finally recovered enough from the past two months to post pictures of San Francisco. And the WEAM (erotica museum in Miami) field trip - and - well, that's all for now.

First off, I had the BEST time in San Francisco. But a few days before that, I had a really great time in Orlando at the booksigning with Linnea Sinclair, Dara Edmondson, and Catherine Kean - talk about wonderful ladies! Professional writers who were more than kind about sharing their expertise - and lunch was fun!

I actually had a lady who bought my book email me to tell me that after the first chapters, she was hooked - yeah!! But those first few chapters were dicey, lol.

So. San Francisco. Another Sin City (why are those my favorite kind???) and so much fun. I didn't get to see enough of my friends, but I did network and do everything I had on my agenda. Because as much fun as I had, this was still a business trip!

Most of my meetings revolved around food. Or drink. Or the smoking section, and I don't even smoke. And if I did smoke, and I lived in San Fran, where it was a nippy 52 degrees, I'd freaking quit all over again.

I loved Annabelle's - Kathleen Pickering and I had a wonderful dinner there, after a serendipitous meet and greet at a speak easy, lol, (thanks to Toni Andrews!) and the next day I had a great lunch with Cherry Adair, Heather Graham. Alex Sokolof, Rosemary from Australia!! And another fabulous lady, Joanne, from Australia - and a funny woman from Texas.

I gave my very first alone workshop to strangers - and it was FABULOUS, lol. Despite everything going wrong, it turned out wonderfully right. My room mate extraordinaire, Mary Stella, helped bail me out by ironing my pants. AND I got to meet my super cute editor, Lindsey from Samhain. AND I danced, and met new friends as well as cemented old friendships AND I went to about five workshops - okay! Hubby just came home and he wants to go out to dinner! So a few quick pics, and I'll do more later -I have gossip! Industry news! Blackmail worthy photos, lololol

thanks for reading,

Traci

Traci, Linnea, Dara and Catherine in Orlando!

Hi all!! Anybody in the Orlando area??? Come and visit us at the Millenia Mall -4200 Conroy Road, Orlando 32839. Easy to find - right off I-4. Store phone: (407) 345-2282.
I will have chocolate, in addition to books! These ladies are incredible authors and I'm thrilled to be signing my first book with them - come check us out, in between 1 and 3!

Hope to see you there!

Traci

kiss me, slap me - the world of publishing

My friend Rhonda calls the ups and downs of publishing "Kiss me, slap me" - which is true. I am not normally one to go for violent relationships, and yet here I am, stuck in an abusive one!
And there is no way I'm walking away.
Insights thanks to copious amounts of white zinfandel, and sort of meditating (zoning while watching Raymond reruns) have led me to believe that I am, on a very passive-aggressive level, no quitter.
Which basically means that even though my career path looks like a derailed roller coaster, I'm in til the end of the ride.
I've always written. I had a plan. After winning a People's Choice Award in 1996 (count em - twelve - TWELVE - years ago) I knew that writing would be so overwhelming that I wouldn't be able to put my all into raising my kids. Writing went on the back burner, and I took classes and wrote short stories, but basically put kids and family first.
Until 2001, when my kids could feed themselves without burning the house down, and my fab hubby told me "it was time" - stop whining about writing, and to get to it. He threatened me with duct tape.
So, blah blah blah, I wrote, and wrote, and scored well in the Golden Heart - 2 out of 3 scores, anyway. The third score knocked me out of the running. Whatever. I found a critique group, became active in my local RWA chapter (FRW rocks!) and blazed my way through conference after conference and agent and editor appointments galore.
I sold one book in 2005, sold more in 2006, only to close a line in 2006 and have all of my books returned to me. I've had two bad agents, one book with an editor I love for a year, and a great support group.
In between closing other lines, I've sold six books in the past year - one ebook YA - one print historical romance that is ON the shelves!! I threw myself into advertising and marketing and got a job to pay for it all - cause writing doesn't. Not yet. I set up booksignings, did panels and promoted the hell out of myself.
I got Books A Million to let me sign - and the day before all of my friends and family were coming to support me at my local Jupiter Chasewood Plaza location - the lovely Linda calls to say that my books are MIA.
It's a glitch, she tells me, which means ***T Happens.
Yes, I have books on the shelves - just not at Books A Million, lol. We are going to reschedule, but in the meantime, I have to call all my friends, family and places I'd advertised to tell them "Don't Come".
More than one person commented on the fact that my writing career seemed to have more than the average bumps in the road.
And did I cry? No. Did I want to curl into a ball and pout? No.
My answer is that for all the really crappy lows - and there have been many - I will get some terrific highs. I don't know if that is why I stick around. Maybe I just don't know better? I have a feeling that it's because being a writer is who I am. Telling stories is what I do. And even though I cannot stand roller coasters, I'm trying to enjoy the ride.

No time to stop!

These past few weeks have been insane, but since I'm fond of mild craziness, I'm adapting. I went to my first official in a book store booksigning with some terrific writers. We did a romance panel at Books and Books, which is a FABULOUS independent book store in Miami.

I have pictures of us all - here is the entire panel. Cynthia Thomason, Linda Conrad, me, Lyn Armstrong and Patrice Wilton. The next picture is of me and Patrice - who also signed her first book, Replacing Barney! We've been CP's for (gulp) over four years. Seeing Love's Magic behind the counter was impossibly cool

The people there were so helpful and it was a kick to sign books. We talked about romance, and how romance as a genre has evolved. Kristen Wallace was there, and Joanne Straatsma, but none of it could have come together without Isabel Barney!

We Florida Romance Writers are tackling the Erotica Museam in Miami next - come visit us, and hear our panel discuss S E X (what else would we talk about at an erotica museum??) lol

Event: FLORIDA ROMANCE WRITERS AT WORLD EROTIC ART MUSEUM in SOUTH BEACH -Museum Tour, Panel Discussion, Book signing: Authors Lyn Armstrong, Linda Conrad, Traci E Hall, Allison Chase/Lisa Manuel, Zelda Benjamin, Jianne Carlo and Mary Ricksen will be discussing sensuality in romance novels.Date: July 12, 2008 - 11 AM Location: 1205 Washington Ave - Miami Beach, FL 33139

Come visit us! We are a lot of fun - and I'll post more pictures - there should be some great ones!

crap...I keep forgetting to breathe

So. I knew on some level that my life was going to go from zero to sixty in a nano second, but quite honestly, I haven't even had time to realize that June is almost over. I've spent over a year waiting for JUNE to come and now - woooooooosh. Here comes July. Which is even more jam-packed with fun. Fun, with a sort of tongue in cheek eye-roll thing.
I've finished the non-fiction I was working on with Rhon, and I've just finished writing my workshop course for San Fran and the Beau Monde, and now I'm starting a research book on Nefertiti - because my next project is due by July 15th.

I'm working 20 hours a week at Starbucks and it's actually been good for me because I don't have time to think about me, my books, my career, my need for a runaway bestseller so that I can be rich, when I'm ringing up customers or making cappucinos. It's me and the milk steamer, baby, and that's it. I think writers (me, me, me!) can be very introverted, so getting out into the world is painful but important.

Yesterday I got my first peek at the cover for Beauty's Curse - and I swear to God I almost cried like a girl. It's beautiful...and it's mine. I am almost done with Pump Up Your Book Promotion. Dorothy is a brave and busy soul for taking this biz on, but she was wonderful to work with and I'll definitely sign on for another round, probably in December when Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways is out in print.

Thanks for checking in!!!

Traci

I have a booksigning date at BAM !

After many grumbled complaints, I have a real, honest to goodness signing date at my local Books A Million - yeah (imagine me doing cartwheels - without breaking my neck but really fast) and I'm so excited! After the 2-4 signing, we will go to McArthy's in Tequesta for more fun and merriment!! How can you go wrong with Irish Brogue Karioke? I can't do any accents, not even after a few coffee and bailey's, but I try Everyone is welcome to join us - I'll do more advertising closer to the day.

Pump Up Your Book Promotion has me as their Author of the Day (awwww) and I would love it very much if you (or anybody you can scare up) would come and visit me at http://pumpupyourbookpromotion.ning.com/group/authorday/forum/topic/show?id=2101272%3ATopic%3A1282
and ask me a question or two...otherwise I will be left twiddling my thumbs, and I don't have time to unknot them.

On another networking front, I am now an official member of the Jupiter Tequesta Women's club, and I've been invited to do a signing in Orlando in September!!!
And my Starbucks boss is rooting for me to be able to have my books in the store...we shall see anyway, everything is hectic and crazy and wonderful!

Come visit me...and there's a chance you can win a free book!

Pump up your book - day 4!

Welcome to Day Four of Pump Up Your Book Promotion’s June Authors on Tour! Follow along as these talented authors travel the blogosphere all month long to talk about their books, their lives and their future projects. Leave a comment at their blog stops and you could win a FREE virtual book tour if you’re a published author with a recent release or a $25 Amazon gift certificate if you are not published. So, pick your favorites, follow their tours, and make sure you leave them a note to tell them you stopped by!Steven Baldwin and Karen Holgate, authors of the non-fiction current events book, From Crayons to Condoms: The Ugly Truth About America’s Public Schools, will be stopping off at The Writer’s Life! In Steven and Karen’s book, you’ll experience today’s public schools as never before, through the voices of parents, students and dedicated teachers left stranded in the system, the same voices that school administrators are determined to stifle.
Peter Bowerman, author of the book on self-publishing, The Well Fed Self Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living, will be stopping off at Amateur de Livre! Fun, irreverent, exhaustively detailed, double-award-winning, step-by-step, real-world blueprint for profitable self-publishing, and building a full-time income stream from one book.
James Burns, author of the financial how to book, The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth will be stopping off at Beyond the Books The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth is a virtual survivor’s manual for the investor informing them of what they face in the future that is new and unpredictable and how much investing is costing them with traditional investment vehicles. Forward-thinking financial planners will avail themselves of the technical information outlined in The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth, while the average investor will have a roadmap that guides them to financial success.
Mayra Calvani, author of the children’s book, Crash!, will be stopping off at Beverly McClure! The Writing Jungle Marcelo is thrilled when he gets a gold retriever puppy for his birthday, but now he faces one of the toughest jobs of his life, not only because owning a pet is a huge responsibility, but because he has to find the perfect name for it - and that’s hard!
Edythe Denkin, PhD., author of the self-help/relationship book, Relationship Magic, will be stopping off at Virtual Book Tour de Net! Relationships bring out unconscious behavior learned in childhood. Prince James and Princess Cinda take you into their lives and show you how you, too, can develop lasting love. Edythe’s book helps couples realize that long-term marital bliss does not “just happen” and that “happily ever after” is possible when couples learn to treat each other with respect, honor, and trust.
Traci E. Hall, author of the paranormal romance novel, Love’s Magic, will be stopping off at Paperback Writer! Celestia Montehue has inherited special healing powers from the maternal line of her family. It comes with a glitch. The year is 1192, witch hunting abounds in England and she can only marry for love or risk losing her gifts. Nicholas Le Blanc is a soul-sick Crusader who escapes from his captivity in Tripoli. He wants redemption and forgiveness from God for losing the sacred relic of Saint James the Apostle. And the other matter of murder, as well. Forced to marry and move to Falcon Keep, which is haunted by Nicholas’ mother, they must learn to love one another before their family’s curses doom them for eternity.
Linda Merlino, author of the literary fiction novel, Belly of the Whale, will be stopping off at The Story Behind the Book! Hudson Catalina has given up. Having lost both breasts to cancer, she is emotionally and physically exhausted, no longer willing to endure the nausea and crushing weakness that chemotherapy causes, until the wrecked-by-life young Buddy Baker arrives, bend on murder. A touching story of despair, abuse, murder and survival takes you on a journey through the darkest places of the human mind and spirit, and in the end, leads you back out of “the belly of the whale,” enriched by the experience.
Phyllis Zimbler Miller, author of the woman’s fiction novel, Mrs. Lieutenant, will be stopping off at Bookfoolery! In the spring of 1970 - right after the Kent State National Guard shootings and President Nixon’s two-month incursion into Cambodia - four newly married young women come together at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, when their husbands go on active duty as officers in the U.S. Army. Discover what happens as these women overcome their prejudices, reveal their darkest secrets, and are initiated into their new lives as army officers’ wives during the turbulent Vietnam War period.
Grace Reddick, author of the children’s book, Ashley’s Unforgettable Summer, will be stopping off at The Friendly Book Nook. Ashley was beginning to question herself. Had she made the right decision by bringing this chimpanzee home? Tina seemed to be three steps ahead of Ashley and her best friend Rylee. Tina was obviously out of control. Just how far would she go? Only time would tell.
LaConnie Taylor-Jones, author of the contemporary romance novel, When a Man Loves a Woman, will be stopping off at Amateur de Livre! What do you do when you are in love with someone who won’t give you the time of day? How do you convince her that she is really meant to spend the rest of her life with you when she avoids you at all costs? These are the questions that Alcee Jules (A.J.) Baptiste must answer. He knows that he wants to spend his life with Victoria Bennett, but she wants nothing to do with love and even less to do with him. It is going to take all the scheming this man can do just to keep her in the state when she threatens to move to Atlanta, Georgia.
Victoria Wells, author of the multicultural romance novel, A Special Summer will be stopping off at Pump Up Your Online Book Promotion! In love with the man of her dreams, Summer Jackson is living her life in sheer bliss…so she thought. Devastation rocks her world when handsome Nick Stiles walks out on her, leaving her to pick up the shattered pieces. Out of the blue, Nick resurfaces with intentions of reclaiming Summer as his woman. That is..until he is confronted with a betrayal that is so insurmountable he finds himself in a blind rage, hell-bent on revenge.
Karen White, author of the southern fiction novel, The Memory of Water, will be stopping off at Book Excerpts from Bestselling Authors! Set in the South Carolina low country, estranged sisters Diana and Marnie Maitland reunite to help heal Diana’s emotionally disturbed son and reveal the secrets surrounding the sailing accident ten years earlier that took their mother’s life.
Debbie Williamson, author of the self-help book, Stand, will be stopping off at The Book Connection! One courageous woman shatters the chains of abuse that bound her family for generations and dares to brave the crippling memories of sexual abuse; shatter the illusions of denial; reveal her family’s bitter legacy of violence; reach for healing and wholeness, and take her place on a path to forgiveness and peace.
Candis C. Coffee author of the literary fiction novel, Mariposa, will be stopping at The Dark Phantom! A spiritual, intellectual, brave young woman creates the life of her dreams, only to be deeply disappointed by its inability to sustain her. The theme is that of a spiritual quest - a young woman’s desire to feel the magic she believes exists in connections to nature, to people. Along the way, the story illuminates the perils of prejudice as well as the intimate, yet treacherous bond that exists between Angelo and Mexican people who live side by side near the border.
PUMP UP YOUR BOOK PROMOTION VIRTUAL BOOK TOURS
"We take books to the virtual level!"
www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com

My book is Really Truly Here!!! Love's Magic

Hey! Okay – wanna see me panic and run around in circles? Well – forget it, lol. I am going to go and pour a glass (a large glass, lol) of white zinfandel and then try and catch up with my life.
I’m supposed to be blogging on all of the nuances of being newly published. I wasn’t prepared for the OMG factor of Aunt K emailing me to tell me that Spokane only had one copy of Love’s Magic at the biggest Barnes and Noble in the valley, and that someone already bought it. Cool, that someone already bought it (mom???) and cool – agh – that my book is really and truly out in the world – but Not Cool that there was only one copy to begin with…so my Aunt K gathered her posse together and they are schooling the Spokane bookstores on the fact that I was raised in Spokane, making me a local author – and they would need to stock more than five copies

Thank Aunt K!!

And if you have the chance to pop on over to www.medallionpress.com you can find my audio blog interview, where I stutter a lot and sound like the only words I know are amazing and incredible and I think. I think excuse me while I get more wine…


Traci

ps - I am scheduled for blog interviews all over this month, so this site will be busy! today you can see me over at the book connection!! please leave posts and you have a chance to win a free book and some other fun stuff!!!

Birthdays and National Holidays

My birthday sometimes falls on Memorial Day. When I was little I always associated my birthday with the holiday weekend - is it any wonder I grew up feeling special? lol - seriously, I appreciate all of the men and women who serve our country - it is a hard job and I can only imagine how tough it truly is. Thanks, thanks and thanks :)

Back to my national holiday, er, birthday - I had a great time. My son graduated a few days before, so my mom, my mom in law and my dad in law, were all in town - a built in party already. By the time we had mimosas at the Crab House, we were on a roll! I was only sort of kidding about being special and the entire month of May is dedicated to moi and scary movies. We've seen Hatchet, the old classic Evil Dead, some new good ones and some that really stretched the B movie into the bottom of the alphabet. Thirty Days of Night, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake with Matthew M and Renee Z, Lost Boys, Fright Night, Dusk til Dawn - I adore cheesy horror movies - really really love them, lol!
Tonight we're watching Army of Darkness...life can be sweet :)

What this has to do with writing? Nothing at all - but good news is that Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways finaled in the 2008 Indie Book Awards - and Love's Magic got 4 out of 5 stars from Romantic Times :)

Love's Magic is available June 1st at a bookstore near you!

Thanks to all of the wonderful people in my life

Woo Hoo - Love's Magic in Print !!!

From this....

to this! Plotting and writing and staying on page count is all worth while now that my author copies have come, and I'm HOLDING MY BOOK IN MY HANDS :):)

I can't get over the rush of it. A dream that has come true. A goal accomplished - a faithful lunge toward my writing career!!!

All of the hard stuff is nothing compared to this. it's like childbirth - you don't remember the racking pain once you cuddle that baby in your arms.

I screamed, I cried - as you can see, I didn't bother with make-up :) My terrific husband brought me champagne and roses. This is his journey too. Thanks honey!

Thursday Writing Update

The idea of this blog was not to bore you snotless with aimless writing on nothing – the purpose is to motivate, share my experiences, and maybe amuse you for a second or two. In this business, if you don’t laugh, you die :)

I am NOT GOOD at patting myself on the back or leading a parade in my honor. But since this is the cool part about writing, the part where you can Google yourself and come up with all kinds of hits, lol, well, I will share.

Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways is collecting killer reviews – I will post the links. I’m really excited about this because this book, this SERIES, has endured a tough beginning. Thank you to everyone who bought the e-version, and thanks to those who posted a review. I think that the print version may be available sooner than February – I hope so, and all my body parts are crossed!
Something Wiccan This Way Comes will be available, in e-book format, in November.

Good news on the Love’s Magic front! My cover has been in the May and June editions of Romantic Times Magazine, and I was spotlighted for the online version – you can read the interview by clicking here: http://www.romantictimes.com/stage/authors_spotprev.php?id=397

In May I will be in Melbourne, on a panel with fellow e-authors, and Siren and Samhain Publishing – I’m nervous, because what do I KNOW??? Nothing. And if anybody asks me anything harder than ‘what’s your name?’ I’ll have to lie and pretend that I know stuff JJJ

In June I will be doing a radio blog post with Medallion Press – how is cool is that?? I will give more information as it comes in. I will also be doing an online workshop in June over at Romance Divas, and I will be doing various booksignings up and down the Florida coast in June and July before going to San Francisco for RWA.

Because the word is out about author’s doing their own promo, I’ve decided to sign on with Pump Up Your Book promotion – very reasonable. I’ll let you know how it works.

This is the part I have been waiting for, for sooooo long. I’m ready! Very, very ready to work even harder to keep the momentum going – this is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid – to have MY book in MY hands. To tell funny but sorta scary stories, with a happy ending.

And make money at it :)

Again, I will let you know how it goes…I took a job at Starbucks so that I can pay for promo until book money comes in – lol

Traci