Monday, March 9, 2015

The Real Elizabeth Seckman!

I'm so happy to have the marrrvelous Elizabeth Seckman here today. Her son interviewed her and if you have kids, you know how direct and to the point they can be. We all know Elizabeth because of the awesome romances she writes. She has a new one out, by the way.  You can check it out below. But there is no doubt about what's important to Elizabeth...


My son, Cole, interviewed me (his darling sweet mother) for a class he was taking and here's what he came up with...

I was born in Barberton, Ohio...a city south of Cleveland. Moved to Middlebourne (a tiny town without a redlight or a crosswalk) when I was a few weeks old...hence the nickname...Grit...my parents shamefully turned a Buckeye into a Grit.

School years...I practiced basketball...did one year of track in order to stalk their father...found him offensive and berated him for the next three years, then asked him to prom...on to college...went on scholarship, worked as a cashier, a waitress, did some catering (fancy waitressing in heels and a skirt), then went to work as an resident advisor...graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Went to work. Did case management then family preservation for at risk youth...had four kids then quit to raise them.

"Soooo, you ever feel like once you had us, you sort of became, well, just a mom?" Cole asked.

Short answer. YES.

BUT....Nothing in this world compares to being a mom. Raising my kids hasn't been an afterthought. It's not something I've done on my way to something else. If I die tomorrow and I've done nothing more than raise good kids, then I die successful.

"Soooo, if I start using drugs, you're a failure?"

Short answer. NO.

I don't exppect my kids to be perfect. I expect they'll have their share of screw ups.

But as a mom, I will be right there to hold their hands...or put a foot in their butts. I'll do whatever it takes to move them from childhood to adulthood with as few scars and as many advantages as possible.

Cause I am a mom...that's what I do.



The Blurb:

Jo Leigh Harper comes from a long line of trouble-making, white trash stock.
Tanner Coulter comes from a longer line of wealth-creating, blue blood stock.
Jo graduated college top of her class, moving toward a future full of possibilities.
Tanner dropped out of college, trading a law degree for drinking games and one night stands.

A family crisis throws the rich party boy and the poor genius girl together. The attraction is immediate, though neither one is a heart-in-the-sand-drawing believer in true love. But as the summer sun heats up along the shores of the Outer Banks, so does the connection between them. Maybe, just maybe, they can win at love by defying reason.

 
Author Bio:

Elizabeth is a multi-published author of books for people who are believers in happily-ever- after, true love, and stories with a bit of fun and twists with their plots. The mother of four young men, she tackles laundry daily and is the keeper of the kitchen. She lives along the shores of the Ohio River in West Virginia, but dreams daily of the beach. 


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Wednesday, March 4, 2015

IWSG: Book Building

 
 
The first Wednesday of the month is Insecure Writer's Support Group Day, where writers confess their writing fears and woes. If you want to sign up, go HERE. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts, Chemist Ken, Suzanne Sapseed, and Shannon Lawrence!


Things are going well for me so far this year. I haven't gotten a lot of actual writing done, but I read Save the Cat by Blake Snyder, and WOW! I love what he has to say and how he organizes his work. As someone who appreciates organization and writes outlines before I can begin to write a book, his book was an eye opener. And not only organization, but a system to insure that each scene has emotion and conflict.

It's a slow process and I've found myself getting anxious that I'm not getting any actual writing done. Then I reminded myself that I don't need to be in a hurry. The only deadlines are in my head. That a good story takes a lot of planning in order to work, at least for a plotter like me. Now pantzers are another story...

The truth is, I'm enjoying this process of basically "book building" immensely (even though it's for screenwriting, it's an excellent tool for a novelist). By the time I through planning, I figure the story will be in place and the only thing left to do will be the actual writing.

I'll let you know how it's goes.

How's your writing life going?

Monday, March 2, 2015

Magick is in the Air! Where Will It Lead?



I loved Alligators Overhead and can't wait to dig into this one!
 
Check it out...
 
 
 
 



There's nothing’s more dangerous than a wizard-in-training. And Pete Riley, has just proven it. He's worked a bad time spell--a very bad time spell.

No YouTube, no smoothies, no Manga. Not ever again. Not unless Pete figures out how to reverse his spell and free Weasel and him from Victorian England. 

He has until the next full moon. Only a few days.

Tick. Tock.




Here’s how the story starts, and it only gets worse.


One minute the clock was tick-tocking on the mantel and the next it was a smoldering mess.

“No,”􏰁Harriet shouted. Then she braced one hand on her desk and covered her eyes with the other.

Pete froze, not blinking, not breathing, but waiting to see if Harriet would point one of her long, bony fingers at him and turn him into a turnip or something slimy.



SEQUEL TO ALLIGATORS OVERHEAD
To celebrate the launch of The Great Time Lock Disaster I'm giving 20 eBooks away. Hope you'll jump in to the copter and go for a ride!


Usually, C. Lee takes on modern issues that today's teens face in their daily lives. Her first young adult novel, Sliding on the Edge, which dealt with cutting and suicide was published in 2009. Her second, titled The Princess of Las Pulgas, dealing with a family who loses everything and must rebuild their lives came out in 2010. Double Negative (2014) was her third young adult novel. Researching it turned her into a literacy advocate. Her fourth YA, Sudden Secrets came out in December 2014. 



When she really want to have FUN, she writes middle grade books. Alligators Overhead and The Great Time Lock Disaster are now available.