This week's writerly news, smores, and smore < --- pun... ha ha

So... I have a lot to say this week. Considering I don't have much time and I know you guys don't want to read for ten years, I'm going to break it down as quickly as possible. (Because I care.) But first, a quick FYI... I have some kinda cool news at the end of this post. (*wink wink*) Okay, here goes:

1) Last week I totally forgot to share our neat-o, homemade fire pit that we made while on vacation. We didn't want to go down to the beach for smores (although we ended up doing just that the last two nights we were there, anyway), so we bought a clay pot and well, I'll let the pictures tell the story. :D*

 YUM!!!! And also...

Our first itty bitty bonfire AT Oceano.

*Note: wanting to go to bed but wary of leaving the charcoal burning away in the alley behind the home we rented, we poured a bottle of water over the charcoal. BAD IDEA! The amount of smoke was enough for someone suspect the worst and call the fire department! So make sure you let it go out on its own.


2) The other day I asked for help on Twitter and my Facebook page and BOY did ya'll come through! If you missed the six character names chosen from your suggestions, check it out HERE.


3) I'm excited to announce that I'm participating in I HEART YA 2014! Yay!

I'll be doing two separate features, one being a character interview (which is cool because I'll be doing a *different* character interview a few weeks later for the Open Thy Heart release blog tour)! The feature will be right around when By Sun and Candlelight comes out (August), so I'm excited. It's so awesome of Annabell and Bridget to do this for us authors!

4) I've officially joined the Goodreads Ask the Author feature. You can ask questions HERE. 

5) I'm looking for a few teen readers to interview. I have one more lined up (and one so busy, they can't participate right now, hence the lack of one this month), and then I'm going to need a few more peeps. If you're interested or know someone who is, email me at coffeelvnmom (at) gmail (dot) net!

6) Don't forget both the She's the Man #JLBgivesawayaDVD giveaway AND the Open Thy Heart cover reveal giveaway end SOON! 

7) Last, as you may or may not know, I try to give those subscribed to my Let Me Tell You A Story e-newsletter a heads-up on things before I announce them officially online. (It's only fair, you know?) In keeping with that idea, I've decided to share a rather long excerpt of By Sun and Candlelight with my pals via the Let Me Tell You A Story e-newsletter a few days before it's available to the public on August 15th. So... if you're itching to read a bit of Rowan's perspective, but aren't a subscriber yet, well, PLEASE let me tell you a story!!! (I only send out one to two emails a month, so no worries about spam or anything.) You can subscribe right over there ----- >


WHEW! I believe that was about 9 1/2 years! Coffee, anybody?


HAVE A BLESSED WEEKEND, and read SMORE books, my friends! ;D

Writerly News (and newsletter info!)

This week has been a whole lot of behind the scenes stuff. I'm late to post, so pardon me if it's a little messy (haven't had a whole cup of coffee yet):

One of many things up for grabs during #JLBBirthdayBash

News: The only *real* news this week that's um, new, I guess, is that I'm in the process of setting up my e-newsletter. This is a fun experience, but takes getting used to, as I'm learning how to work the system, and that always necessitates a bit of tinkering around. On the plus side, knowing I'm going to have a group of people whom I can send super top secret cool stuffs to is definitely fun. I will share more about that come next month when we do my big #JLBBirthdayBash, but for now, I'll just throw out there that if you *do* want to be on the e-newsletter list, click HERE to fill out the form!

Reading: I finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo, and Rose Under Fire (the companion novel to Code Name Verity--you can read my blathering review here. Be warned: I wrote it late at night when I was all emotional). And ohhhhh how Rose Under Fire broke my heart. (I searched for a few quotes to share but all of the ones I love give too much away. Sorry.) Whew. Now, on to... The Scorch Trials. Because, after looking all over Target and finding they *only* carry The Maze Runner (book 1) and then the third book (what the what?) The Death Cure, I finally found book two at the grocery store (you go, Mr. Dashner!).* 

WoW: In case you missed it, this week's Waiting On Wednesday post was Her Dark Curiosity. For those of you familiar with The Island of Dr. Moreau, it's kind of like a YA version of that. And the first one in the series left you hanging so BAD. It's one of those books I know I will inhale the moment it's available. (But wait. I do that with all of them. Sigh.)

Writing: Still working on Flora 2 (can't wait to figure out a title... getting close) and getting all of my notes together. Not sure if you saw it on my Instagram (not following? Want to connect? Click the Instagram icon over there at the top right!), but I tend to make notes all over the place on whatever I can find, and then transfer it all over later. Yep. That's how I write. Random sentences and ideas that make up the overall plot. Then I have to fill in the blanks. So here's a fun photo (which I'm sharing because I just loved how the sun was falling on my *ahem* messy desk)

So, that's about it! It's a little cooler here now (not sure how long it'll last) and boy is it nice! Here's hoping you all have a blessed weekend with great weather as well!

*You don't even want to know all the books I bought this week. It's insane. Also: I won one from Me, My Shelf & I (and/or the publisher): Infinityglass by Myra McEntire!!!!! Yayyyy I AM SO EXCITED and cannot wait for it to arrive!!!