Interview on Karina Fabian's Blog

Karina Fabian interviews me on her blog today featuring Ultimate Duty.

http://fabianspace.blogspot.com/2011/02/ultimate-duty-by-marva-dasef.html

March Madness Meets Spring Fling

EVERY EBOOK ON SALE FOR ONLY 99 CENTS!

For the month of March, I am celebrating the return of crocuses (croci?), daffodils, and struggling tulips by putting all of my ebooks on sale.

I've got multiple editions of some books. I keep thinking to remove the extras, but Amazon keeps the product page up and says "Not available." That's NOT a good message, so all editions remain available even though they are redundant.

To scan my entire list you can visit my Amazon Author Page.*

Or you can go to my Amazon Affiliate Store and buy from there (gets me a couple cents more that way).

Here are all the direct links to the 99 cents specials. As you can see, I previously believed I had to have a matching ebook for each print edition. Obviously, you don't need a large print ebook since the font is adjustable. Oh, well. Live and learn.

Eagle Quest: Kids adventure.

First Duty: YA SciFi

Mixed Bag (Note: Fish Story is sold separately, but is also the first story in this anthology): Stories in just about every genre except boring and erotica.

Quest for the Simurgh: Kids middle-eastern fantasy.
Quest for the Simurgh: Large Print Edition

Tales of a Texas Boy: Humorous nostalgia set in West Texas in the 30s.
Tales of a Texas Boy: Large Print Edition

The Tales of Abu Nuwas: Kids middle-eastern fantasy told a la 1001 Arabian Nights.


* Ultimate Duty (Adult Science Fiction) is not on sale because I don't control the price; the publisher does. I hope that you'll consider buying that book too.

Another Word or Two

I'd like to mention my new anthology, "Mixed Bag," once again with a little more info on what's in the book. I hope you'll enjoy my variety pack of stories.

First off, I need to stress that every single story in this little book was published somewhere. Most often in an on-line ezine, but also in print too. So these stories were approved by an editor or publisher as worthy of publication. It also means that most were edited by a professional editor for publication.

Leave a comment to receive a free ebook in your choice of formats. Remember, I'll have to be able to find you!

Here are the stories I've included:

Fish Story - Science Fiction: The colonists arrive at their new home planet on a one-way trip. They find the flora compatible and they can even grow crops from earth stock. However, not a single animal exists on the planet, and their own embryonic animals don't survive. When a boy discovers a big fish in the river, followed by a whole bunch more big fish, the colonists rejoice. But there's a hitch in their new-found treasure trove of protein.

The Vision - Parnormal: Charlie's job as a stage mind reader takes a strange turn when he gets his first, REAL vision, and it scares the daylights out of him. As the unwanted visions continue, he begins to believe he's going mad.

The Country Faire - Horror: The narrator volunteers to run a booth at the annual Country Faire, a huge counter-culture event. When she wakes in the middle of the night to use the porta-potty, she steps into a real nightmare.

If Your Could See Her - Romance: Big Mac believes he'll never find love. After all, who could love a hugely overweight, stay-at-home movie buff? Maybe the lady next door?

Cursed Valley - Fantasy: Lord Tain rules the valley by day in his natural centaur form. At night, he becomes a werewolf. The entire magical population is cursed with dual natures. One day a wizard arrives claiming he can solve the problem. Should Lord Tain listen to the man?

Big Bessie's Place - Humor: The joint's a jumpin' at Big Bessie's place. The customers are having a great time, but there's a line that Bessie's drawn on what's acceptable behavior. What happens when her own employees step over that line?

The Hunter - Horror: Stalking and killing prostitutes is the hunter's game. Easy to find and nobody cares if they die, he gets away with his murderous reign. One dark night, his prey is not so easy to take down.

A Visit to Potter's Field - Fantasy/Humor: Griselda would really like it if people would quit disturbing her grave. After all, an ancient gypsy deserves a few centuries of peace and quiet.

Extraordinary Rendition - Literary Realism: Ahmed minds his own business, that of running his small restaurant and dreaming of the time he has enough money to marry. But his peaceful life is threatened when he's mistaken for somebody else.

Jonathan Swift Finds Nemo - Alternate History: After completing his famous Gulliver's Travels, Mr. Swift is restless, wanting another idea for a new book. Walking down to the docks, he meets the exotic Captan De Nemours and the even stranger vessel named Nautilus.

A Grab Bag of Drabbles - Humor: A drabble is a short story complete in exactly 100 words. Some of these drabbles were published here and there, but I don't remember which ones. So, I threw them all in since I get a chuckle everytime I read them.

Book's Gotta Cover!

Missing, Assumed Dead is no longer naked. The talented Suzannah Safi created a cool cover for the murder mystery. Now, just waiting and some more editing until the book comes out. And you WILL buy it!

*Note: That is an axe, not a bucket. Just tweaking my good buddy who saw a smaller, grainier version.

Back Cover Blurb:

When Kameron McBride receives notice she’s the last living relative of a missing man she’s never even heard of, the last thing she wants to do is head to some half-baked Oregon town to settle his affairs. But since she’s the only one available, she does grudgingly agrees.


En route, she and her rental car run afoul of a couple of hillbillies and their pickup in an accident that doesn’t seem . . . accidental. Especially when they keep showing up wherever she goes. Lucky for her, gorgeous Deputy Mitch Caldwell lends her a hand, among other things. Her suspicions increase when she meets the probate Judge, and he tries just a little too hard to buy the dead man’s worthless property.

Working on a hunch and trying to avoid the Judge’s henchmen, Kam probes deeper into the town’s secrets and finds almost no one she can trust. With Mitch’s help, she peels away the layers of prejudice, suicide, murder, and insanity. But someone in town doesn’t like her poking around, and when they show their intentions by shooting her through the police chief’s office window, the stakes are raised. Kam must find out what really happened to her dead relative before someone in this backward little town sends her to join him.

And she thought Oregon was going to be boring.

Cate Masters' Indie Shorts

*** I'm always thrilled to have the wonderful Cate Masters visit my blog. She's got an open invitation for sure.

No, it’s not my new underwear, lol. I took a huge leap recently and put out some short stories on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CateMasters

They’re more literary in nature. Three were previously published, two in web zines that have disappeared or lost the links. Out of fondness for these stories, I didn’t want them to disappear too, so have made them available, either for free, or for 99 cents.

A publisher reverted the rights for Reflections to me. A crystal ball and mirror linking the Underworld to this world cause trouble for the heroine during her Halloween party, but luckily, an angelic hero is handy to rescue her from the demon. Halloween’s one of my favorite holidays, and I love incorporating its legends into stories.

Imprints incorporates a real reporter’s triumph in liberating a wrongly convicted man, but also his (fictional) struggle to maintain his own dysfunctional life. For many years, I was the membership director of the state newspaper association. I heard plenty of real-life stories from reporters, many stranger than fiction. Containing speculative fiction elements, Imprints is a different sort of read than straight literary, which makes it more interesting. My niece, Meg Eubank, took the wonderful photo on the cover.

Hotline to Hell’s another fun short chronicling the rising star of a writer. When he answers a newspaper ad, he doesn’t expect to face the devil. A gorgeous, female Satan offering the standard soul for fame deal. So tempting, he signs the contract. But can he have it all, and his soul too? You’ll have to read it to find out!

I made Trick of the Light a freebie, for now at least. The story’s a metaphor for a woman mired in her life. Written as a speculative short, it features a mannequin who falls in love with a businessman who passes her window every day. She desperately wants to be real so she can meet him. My niece also took the amazing photo of the mannequins, and I’m grateful to her for letting me use both shots.

I’m also grateful to you, Marva, for allowing me to talk about these stories, so dear to my heart. I hope your readers will love them as much as I do.

You can find lots of goodies about my books on my blog – click on the link for Books: http://catemasters.blogspot.com/ to find blurbs, excerpts, reviews, trailers, and other fun stuff.

Thanks again, Marva!

Mixed Bag

As I recently mentioned to a friend, I think I have a compulsion to self-publish. Partly because I can't let my writing go to waste and partly because I'm impatient.

However, I've got a good excuse for this one. This book is a collection of my short stories that were published either on-line or in print. Now that they're reprints, I figured I might as well toss them all into one pot and put it out for anybody who might be interested.

Not all of my previously published stories are included. For example, a couple of my science fiction stories evolved into a couple of novels. Since those books are still for sale, then the stories from which they sprang are still under contract of sorts. Also, seven stories from Tales of a Texas Boy were published various places, but they're all in the book, so I didn't include them either.

The print book is in the works, but lightning fast Amazon and Barnes & Noble already have the ebooks for sale.

Mixed Bag on Kindle

Mixed Bag on B&N Epub

Smashwords has been a little snitty lately about approving my e-books for distribution. I'll probably put this book up on Smashwords with coupons for free copies. If SW can be snitty, so can I.

Those people with the secret decoder ring (my direct email address) can write me a note if you'd like a free ebook.

See what I mean about Amazon being lightning fast? I will be changing the cover as soon as they let me back into the files.

New E-Story Now Out

Actually, this is an old story, but now in ebook format at Kindle, B&N, and Smashwords. Since I just uploaded, the links are necessarily working yet. But here's what I've got so far:

Fish Story on Kindle. Hey, they've already got a link for it! Only 99 cents.

Fish Story on Smashwords. Of course, I've got a secret code to get a free copy for those of you who have the decoder ring (that is, you have my direct email address).

Fish Story on Barnes and Noble.

The colonists on a new planet find they can't eat the native plants or animals. They find an edible fish, and it just might save them. But the new fish might be more than they can bite off and chew.



Previously published in The Fifth Di... on-line ezine and in Wondrous Web Worlds #7 from Sam's Dot Publishing.

Interviewed on A Work In Progress Blog

Up and coming writer, James Conway, just started blogging. He invited me to promo my latest Middle-grade fantasy on his blog. I appreciate his support!

Read the interview at A Work In Progress.

Latest Book Release - The Tales of Abu Nuwas

Abu Nuwas sits in the bazaar telling stories to the passersby he can tempt to pay. When Najda, a poor girl, offers him a packet of spice for a story, Abu Nuwas launches into a tale about a girl named Setara and her genie. As did Scheherazade, he leaves the girl hanging in the middle of each yarn to keep her coming back for more. While relating the fantastical accounts, Abu Nuwas learns more of the spice girl's life, then finds a way to save her from a forced marriage and find a better life.

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGKf-yOGkXk

Excerpt:

Setara slumped to the cave floor. What, she wondered, could these superstitious tribesmen think was a mountain demon? Cloistered she may be, but she was well educated and did not believe in demons. These were old men’s tales to frighten children. It made no difference, really. Dead was dead, whether by a demon’s talons or a mountain cat’s fangs.

She smacked her head against the rock wall and realized she had dozed off. How stupid of me. I’m waiting here for something to eat me and I take a nap! She edged toward the entrance, kicking herself mentally. Why hadn’t she simply tried to push the bushes aside and get out?

She found the answer in the inch-long thorns on the shrubs, tied down so she couldn’t move them. When she had pushed on them with her tied hands, she got a gash for her effort. Now, the mountain cats would smell blood, and it would be all over.

Backing away from the thorns, she pushed her body into the wall. At least she could face the lions when they came.

A loud crash, followed by a slither of loose gravel sounded no more than twenty feet from where she crouched. Setara pressed herself harder into the cave wall, closed her eyes tight and clenched her teeth.

Her eyes and mouth popped open simultaneously at what she heard next.

“Why can’t they clean up these blasted caves?” a deep voice rumbled.

Suddenly, a torch flared, and Setara could see the source of the voice. An eight-foot tall figure loomed in the light. A turbaned head nearly touched the now visible cave roof. Setara gaped at the man. Or was it a man? While his features were man-like, the three-inch fangs, sharp talons, and beastly snout belied his humanity. Dressed in the old style, with ballooning trousers tied at the ankles, a brocaded vest opened to reveal a broad, hairless chest.

The creature held up the torch, which Setara could now see was a flame jetting from his upraised index finger. The monster glanced around until his gaze rested on Setara.

“Ah, a bargain made, goods delivered.” A deep voice chuckled sounding like the beat of a drum. Huh huh huh. “Good evening, my dear. Please, come out into the light. Nothing to be afraid of, I assure you.”

Despite his words, she did not feel reassured. She could only whimper as she continued to try to melt into the stone wall. This was the demon! How could such a thing be? Demons and ogres were only legends and fairy tales, yet here one stood before her. In the flesh, so to speak.

The demon grinned, a most disconcerting grin, exposing his fangs to their full length. “Come, come, my little lady, don’t be afraid. I’m not an ogre, you know.” The beast’s fangs and nose shrank back to a more normal size.

“You . . . you’re a demon,” Setara barely whispered.

“A what? Oh, good heavens, what kind of nonsense have they been filling your head with? I most certainly am not a demon. Why, the very idea! Any fool can see that I’m a genie. You know, a djinn.”

“If you’re a djinn, where is your lamp?” Setara managed to ask.

“Lamp? Oh, that was just Aladdin’s genie, Shairan. Most of us don’t hang around in lamps. Old Shairan was tricked into that one. Evil as the devil, but not too bright, I’m afraid.”

Buy the book to read the rest!

Animated Gif Tryout

Just checking out using an animated GIF for a signature line. Kind of small, but not too bad.

Guest Post by Lorrie Struiff

Hello folks,

I’m blackmailing Marva to post this on her site, and she has to take it whether she likes it or not. So there!

I want to thank Marva for being such a good friend, for the encouragement, and especially the help she has given me.

Now, you may ask, what help? Other than being a great crit partner, she realizes I am a complete computer klutz. Yep, that’s me. The klutziest of all klutzes.
(Marva: Not true! What Lorrie knows, she's got down pat. We can't know everything.)

She has helped me with many computer problems, helped me post on sites, and without her, my recently released short stories would never be out there.
(Marva: Aw, thanks.)

I think I nag the poor woman to distraction. Marva lives in Oregon and I live in Pennsylvania--thank goodness. If we lived next door to each other, I’m sure she would have smacked me upside the head a few times—and the smacks would be well deserved.
(Marva: LOL! Maybe a shaking, but never a smack!)

When I’m confused, don’t understand the geek language of dropping down this box, mark off this, shut off so and so, and it takes me five hours to figure out directions, or never figure out the directions, Marva is right in there saving my sanity and nerves. Of course, I don’t think I’m doing much for hers.
(Marva: Don't worry. I'm already wacko.)

So, other than Marva being a great writer—I’ve read all her releases and you should too—I do want to publicly thank her on her blog. Oh great guru, I bow to your knowledge. I wish I had it.
(Marva: I paid Lorrie to say that.)

So in appreciation, Marva, I am sending you by Fed-Ex a PROZAC LICK (like a deer lick) to hang near your computer so that when you start pulling your hair out over Super Klutz annoying you with endless questions, take a few licks.
(Marva: WOO HOO!)

Please don’t make me use that self-annihilation object you sent me by courier.
(Kidding, folks.)
(Marva: No she's not.)

Sincerely, Marva, I can’t thank you enough for being such a wonderful, gracious person as well as a great friend.
(Marva: Deviously setting you up for reading my WIP forty-nine times. Mwuhahaha!)

Now stop blushing. Take my thanks like the brave woman you are. No rebuttals permitted. Remember, I’m blackmailing you. You have to post this or else.
(Marva: Will do. But I retain the right to rebut.)

Listed below are three tales for you short story lovers out there. Yep, if it weren’t for you-know-who, they would still be in my computer.

All have been previously published in various anthologies.

(Marva: Folks, I've read all three and Lorrie's wit and skill shows up nicely. Great way to sample Lorrie's work.)

Blurb one—Paso Doble

Lisa needs to win the gold medal to garner prestige for her dance studio. She lures Eduardo, a sizzling hot Latino dancer visiting from Miami, to be her partner in the contest. Will Lisa’s plan work?

Adult rating.  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/41324




Blurb two--Splat!

Winnie tries skydiving with her husband for their anniversary. Bad, bad idea! She learns about the halfway plateau, a busy place. Her accidental revenge is sweet. Come along for her humorous adventure.
G rating  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/40999

Blurb three—A Bloody Valentine

A historical fiction short story about one of the bloodiest Valentine Days in American History.
G rating  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/40361

Trailer Update

I updated the book trailer for "The Tales of Abu Nuwas." Here tis. Of course, the book can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and some other places.

Only $1.99 at Amazon:

In Honor of the New Hawaii 5-0

In honor of the return of Hawaii 5-0, with a far sexier cast than the original.

Guest poster Rick Kirkam (Sensei J. Richard Kirkam) provided this Hawaiian legend for the Myths and Legends series. Thanks, Rick!

Maui was a demigod in Hawaiian folklore. His father was a god and his mother human. Maui had three brothers though not much is mentioned about them as individuals. Though Maui was a trickster he was also always trying to help humankind.....

Maui went to his father and came back with a fishing hook. He told his brothers to take the canoe and paddle out to sea. They went out so far they became nervous and wanted to turn back. Maui told them to continue to paddle. When it seemed they would never stop Maui finally had them halt.

He took a fishing pole and line, attaching the magic hook to it he's gotten from his father. It was the longest fishing line Maui's brothers had ever seen. Maui threw the hook into the sea and told his brothers to begin paddle and not to turn around.

Paddling was hard on the brothers and they could hear Maui grunting as though he'd caught a huge fish. Finally one of the brothers couldn't fight his curiosity any longer. He turned to see what his brother had caught on the fishing pole. The line went slack and broke.

Maui scolded his brothers. Telling them he wanted to raise a continent and all he pulled up were these islands.

About the Author
Sensei J. Richard Kirkham is an in home tutor for poor grads, behavioral problems, self-defense and computers in Honolulu Hawaii. Recently he updated a backup program he wrote based on the needs of his very basic computer students to preserve their precious digital photos and important work files. Please support his efforts by visiting his web page http://inhometutoringhi.com/DontLoseIt/ and even subscribing to his free study and computer tips

You may post this article in its entirety including the About The Author Section

New Review for Ultimate Duty

Jessica Subject reviews Ultimate Duty on her blog, now healed thanks to her wizard cousin.

Check out Jessica's Review Here.

Upcoming Featured Writers

Over the next month or two, I've scheduled some fantastic guests to my blog. Of course, I'll knock on virtual doors when they drop in, but I wanted to give a heads-up in advance. Also, consider this an invitation to your authors to be my guest.

3/7 Ginger Simpson. Author of several novels from MuseItUp Publishing, you can follow Ginger at her fabulous Dishin' It blog.

3/23 Jo Ramsey. I don't know much about Jo yet. Her book "Cutting Cords," a YA paranormal, is getting the book tour treatment through Goddess Fish Promotions. I look forward to receiving Jo's information soon.

4/15 A.R. (Amber) Norris. Author of the soon to be released "Duty and Devotion," a science fiction romance from Desert Breeze Publishing. You can follow Amber at her delightful Scifi Adventures blog.

Short Stories in Smashwords

Smashwords is an excellent venue to publish your short stories in ebook format. My friend, Lorrie Struiff, writes wonderful short stories, and most have been published in ezines or even print. She decided to give the stories another home by publishing at Smashwords.

Her first venture into epubbing her reprints is A Bloody Valentine, a short story for only 99 cents.

The bloodiest Valentine Day. A historical fictional story of a day Americans will never forget.

Note: One commenter will receive a free PDF of this story.

Interview - Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz

FREE STORY FOR ONE OF OUR COMMENTERS! BE SURE TO LEAVE A NOTE.

Today's guest is Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz. She has a newly released book of related short stories titled "A Past and A Future" from Sam's Dot Publishing. This blogger also had a couple of books published through SDP, so I know they're a terrific bunch of writers and editors. SDP has several on-line and print ezines in the SF/F/H genres.

First, Penny's bio:
Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz has published more than 100 articles, 75 stories, two e-books, a chapbook, and her stories have been included in two anthologies. She writes for both adults and children. Her fiction has appeared in numerous genre and children’s publications and non-fiction work has appeared in a variety of writing, parenting, and young adult print magazines and on line publications.  She edits for three small independent publishers. See below for her website and book links.

Tell me a little about your book.

My collection of stories, A Past and a Future, is published by Sam’s Dot Publishing. I’ve always enjoyed fantasy and soft science fiction. Eight of the sixteen stories included in the selection are fantasy, and the other eight are soft science fiction.

A PAST AND A FUTURE – stories in the collection:

FLIGHT OF THE ROC – Girl collides with a roc as she struggles to find her magic powers

BLURRED VENGEANCE – Vain and aggressive, Temur ignores the warnings as he seeks vengeance for his father’s death

WHO WILL HEAL THE HEALER – How can a young sorceress save her mentor when the powers of darkness threaten?

ASHLEY OF ASHLAND – Will the plain, younger brother win the heart of the fair princess or be executed as a traitor?

THE WATCHER – Her vision causes her to become a betrayer of all she holds dear. Can she be saved?

ENCHANTRESS – Merlin knows the one he loves will be his downfall, but can he win in the end?

DRAKONI – Torn from her modern day world and thrust into a world of dragons, evil magicians, and handsome elves, will Farah succeed or die trying?

HESHE- Forced to hide as a young man, will the young noble woman tell her benefactor who she is, or will her pursuers capture her and take her back into slavery.

THE BABY MAKERS – In a world where cloning is possible, will Reese be able to save his illegal newborn child from a government determined to make her a non-citizen?

3-D PICTURES – The government thinks he is crazy and sends him to a shrink. What will Avery do when the elves appear in the 3-D picture in the waiting room? Go or allow himself to be “cured?”

SCREEN SAVER – The program arrives as a demo. Will it be Clancy’s ticket to survival or a rip-off which brings him to destruction?

ISOLATION- The world as we know it is gone. The rich are isolated from the dying poor. Will Caryn and Rader make the right decision when they search for freedom?

LOVE IN A DIFFERENT HUE – What would you do if a blue-skinned robot wanted to protect and love you? Chiri isn’t sure until he takes her in his arms.

DOWN SO LOW, THE GROUND LOOKS LIKE UP – Sylvan drinks herself into oblivion to compensate for her psi talents. Can Deveneaux save her from her demons, or will he lock her up for propositioning an officer of the law?

REBELS WITH A CAUSE – Shayleena is tired of living her life through holovision. She wants a real life with real people. Will she find it as a volunteer for juvenile offenders, or will she be mugged and left to die?

CLOCKWORKS – John lives in Structured. His ancestors came from a country where time means nothing. What will he do when he tries to trace his roots and finds his structured life is now in chaos?

What gave you the idea for this particular story?

I’ve always enjoyed writing short stories. While some writers find them more difficult, I find them easier than writing a novel. I like the challenge of fitting a complete story within a limited number of words. I’ve written a number of these over the years and decided it would be fun to put them together into a collection.

Are you a full-time writer or part-time, and how do you organize your writing time?

I split my time between writing my own stories and editing for two small publishers. I sometimes find I spend more time working on other people’s writing than my own, but that’s okay. When a story idea strikes me, that’s the time I write. I tend to write in bursts, which is why I enjoy writing short stories more than novels.

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

When I was just a child (Don’t most writers say this?), I entertained myself by writing stories, illustrating them, and binding them between shirt cardboard, tied with a ribbon. In high school, I convinced my English teacher to let me write a novel instead of doing my English homework. It was fun, but the novel was never completed. I continued to enjoy writing and pretty much always knew someday I’d be published.

What do you hope readers will take from your writing?

I read to escape, and I hope my readers will do the same thing. I am not into deep thought-provoking stories. I write to entertain myself, and I would like my readers to be entertained as well.

Which genres do you write, which do you prefer, and why?

I write in a lot of different areas. My middle grade novels are both paranormal mysteries. My adult fiction tends to be fantasy or science fiction, although I also dabble in romance. I like to write about relationships, and all my stories have some kind of relationship going whether it’s overt or covert.

What is the toughest part about being a writer and how do you get past it?

The toughest thing for me is marketing. I’m an introvert in a lot of ways and going out and “tooting my own horn,” is difficult for me. Internet marketing is a lot easier as it’s all done through the written word as opposed to a book signing where I have to meet and greet prospective readers. Unfortunately, marketing has to be done, or books aren’t sold. I’ve gotten better at approaching people to host me on their blogs, like you’ve done for me, and knocking on book store doors and asking to be a guest.

What about your book makes it special?

I think this is special because it is a collection of short stories. It is not a themed collection, but a little of something for everyone. There are eight fantasy stories and eight soft science fiction stories, yet each one is about a relationship and connecting with people in some way or another.

What is your marketing plan?

I have approached a number of bloggers, like yourself, who feature other authors on their blogs. I am appearing for the next couple of weeks talking about myself and my book. I have been writing tweets on Twitter and posting on Facebook. I will also be making announcements on various forums to which I belong. Finally, I plan to approach my three local bookstores to see if they will either host me for a book signing, or at least carry my book.

Where can people learn more about you and your work?

I have my web page and a blog where I feature other writers, occasional reviews, and writing tips. I am also on Facebook, Twitter, Jacketflap, Amazon, and a few other sites.

http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.yolasite.com/

http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/

What are your current books out right now, and what are the books coming up for release?

Most of the work is written as Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz, with the exception of my middle grade novels and picture books, which are written as Penny Lockwood.

A Past and A Future (short story collection) is now available
http://www.genremall.com/anthologiesr.htm#pastfuture

Ghost for Rent – writing as Penny Lockwood (middle grade novel) is now available (also on Amazon)
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b8656/?si=0

Dragon Sight (YA illustrated chapbook) is now available
http://www.genremall.com/fictionr.htm#dragonsight

Love Delivery, (contemporary romance) coming August, 2011
and
Lady in Waiting, (historical romance) coming November, 2011
https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2

All the following are written as Penny Lockwood:

Funny Dog, (picture book) coming May, 2012
Ghost for Lunch, (MG novel) coming September, 2013
Many Colored Coats, (picture book) coming October, 2014
Boo's Bad Day, (picture book) coming June, 2015
http://4RVpublishingllc.com/Childrens_Books.html

Any tips for new writers hoping to write in the genre of your book?

Read, read, read. Always read both current and classic authors in the genre you wish to write. You don’t want to copy their work, but you do want to read with an open mind to see what they have done to make their stories work. I also encourage everyone not to give up after a rejection. What one editor may not like, another will love. You won’t get published by leaving the story sitting on your hard drive or in your file.

Thanks for having me as a guest today.


Penny's books on Amazon:




as editor

Preditor/Editor Poll Finals

I squeaked into a 9th place spot in the Science Fiction/Fantasy novel category for "Ultimate Duty." Woo hoo! Thank you to all of you who voted for me.

In the rest of the categories, I came up short, but still not too bad considering.

Childrens Novel
11 Quest for the Simurgh
11 Eagle Quest

YA Novel
12 First Duty
15 Eagle Quest

SF/F Short Story
14 Poor Little Rich Girl (Lorelei Signal)

See the full list of finalists here.