I was rooting around in my desk and found another item I meant to add to my Holiday Hop Giveaway!
This Bee Queen notecard came in one of the goodie boxes I received in a swap years ago. Like the true paper-hoarder that I am, I squirreled it away – but now it can be yours!
The print is by artist Rachel Baum. I don’t see these prints in her Etsy shop anymore, but she does have some awesome abstract art.
Anyway, this will be added to the Like Flies to Honey Prize Pack. There are still 4 days left to enter the contest, so GET ON IT!
The holidays are the perfect time to get into the giving spirit. And a host of authors are getting together for the Holiday Hop!
Similar to the Coffin Hop, which I took part in during October, and the 12 Days of Creepfest which I am taking part in now (go enter! You could win!), I am also throwing my hat into the ring for the Holiday Hop!
The cool thing about these hops is discovering new authors who are passionate about their craft and want to share their stories with you. Plus – you can get free stuff. Win-win!
From December 15 to 25, visit the blogs of over 60(!!!) authors who are holding contests for items including gift cards, jewelry, trinkets, candles and ONE SWEET GRAND PRIZE!
A KINDLE FIRE!
Yeah, you heard me! Every blog you visit will have at least one winner, and many sites are even offering a winner each day! Once the hop has ended, our Holiday Hop Hostess Cheryl Bradshaw, will take all the names of the winners from each of the blog sites and draw a name for the fantastic grand prize, the Kindle Fire.
WHAT CAN YOU WIN FROM ME?
I’ve put together a sweet little prize pack for the winner of my Holiday Hop!
The winner will receive the following Like Flies To Honey Prize Pack:
Hey! If you already follow me on Twitter or Facebook, just leave a comment or click “I did it!” in the Rafflecopter form so your entries will be tallied!
Ghosts, ghouls and goblins aren’t just for Halloween anymore.
For those of you who like a little darkness in your holiday celebration, get ready for the 12 Days of Creepfest!
From December 13 to 24, you can visit a community of author blogs who pen tales that tempt and terrify!
Whether you have a penchant for horror, dark fantasy, dark YA or a creepy combination of the above, you will discover how awesome all the different facets of the dark lit genre can be!
WHAT CAN YOU WIN
Each blog host is offering a different prize. From free books, ebooks, trinkets and other tokens, you can get yourself some sweet swag just in time for the holidays.
FROM ME!
I’ve decided to offer up a starring role in one of my short stories!
The winner of my Creepfest Contest will win the chance to completely customize a character who will appear in an upcoming story I write.
I will send you a full questionnaire (believe me, I’ve got lots!) for you to fill out with all the characteristics, quirks and craziness you desire!
I love a challenge, and I think this is a fun way for me to stretch my writing muscles, while also immortalizing your very own creation in one of my dark & creepy tales.
HOW TO WIN
So, do you want to be a literary superstar (and possibly be offed in some dreadfully delightful way)? Sign up below to take part in my Creepfest Contest! Or post in the comments section that you want to be entered!
You can earn bonus entries by following me on Twitter, on Facebook and tweeting about my contest (don’t forget to put @maryrajotte in your tweet!). Use the Rafflecopter form below or comment and let me know which tasks you completed.
If you already follow me on these sites, just click the “I did this!” button in the Rafflecopter form or comment below for your free entries.
PLUS! I am hosting another contest over on BloodyBookish.com to win a set of 3 chapbooks by one of my favorite authors, Ian Rogers. Go, enter THAT contest (but hurry! That contest ends Dec. 19. Come on – who wouldn’t want to win these amazing chapbooks!), then come back here and let me know you did so for another entry into my contest.
So, it looks like I’ve been MIA for a while, huh? Dude. Cut me some slack. I had a book to write.
My NaNoWriMo project currently stands at just over 56,000 words, but the story isn’t done yet. I knew a few days into November that 50,000 words weren’t going to be enough to tell this story, and while I usually collapse into a pile of exhaustion once Dec. 1 rolls around, I’ve decided to keep working on the book instead of putting it on hold until January.
I’ve done that twice before and I have 2 unfinished NaNo WIPs to show for it. Plus, I’m in the groove now of writing every day so why stop a good thing?
It seems to have rubbed off on my other projects too because I have my whole of 2012 mapped out (loosely, mind you).
Normally, I just keep one large master file of story ideas and when I see a call for submissions or get the urge to work on something new, I troll my file for one that sparks my interest. Next year, I am going to try something different.
One night when I needed a NaNo break, I went through my file and earmarked all the stories I was most interested in working on. I’ve also been keeping a list of all the places I want to sub stories to in 2012. Plus there is the question of the above-mentioned NaNo WIPs, a series of shorts I want to self-publish and some odds & ends I have brewing on the backburner.
So, I made a list of all of these ideas, deadlines, and markets, and now I know what I will be working on next year. At my current tally, there are 14 short stories, 3 novels, 2 novellas, 8 stories for a collection, and a non-fiction book. Doable, right?
Blame it on this post which is all common sense and some of it I already do, and couple that with my intention to double my output of stories in 2012, and let’s just say I’ve got one full writing schedule which I am absolutely thrilled about!
So, how am I going to do it all you ask? Is it even possible? Uh…I don’t know. But what fun would it be if the plan wasn’t slightly insane?!
A few of the markets have solid deadlines, but some have open-ended reading periods, so I’ve got a bit of a schedule to keep. Other than that, I’m going to take part in the monthly Write1Sub1 to keep myself on track. That should keep my short stories covered. But the novels? The collection? The novellas? Um…I’m sure I’ll find time to do it all, right? RIGHT?!
Looks like it’s going to be a word-filled 2012! If anyone wants to send me a care package, I like flavored coffee, Reese’s Pieces, Moonstone rings, argyle socks and snazzy journals.
So, I know it’s a bit early, but what are your writing goals for the new year? Care to go insane with me and write until all your pens run dry?
P.S. Did I mention I am going to overhaul my website too? That’s an entirely different can of worms…
So, I’ve hit my stride, thankfully. Remember my outline? I spent a lot of time on it, but never finished it, i.e. I got a lot down for the beginning of the story, I know pretty much how it is going to end, but my scene cards for the middle are kind of sparse.
I was a bit scared that I wasn’t going to have enough to fill an entire novel. Now that I’m actually writing, I think I won’t have a problem with that!
I plotted about 34 scenes. I am 8 scenes in and my word count is already at almost 19K. I’ve also added in a few extra scenes that I didn’t think of, and I’m making many, many notes of things I still need to figure out/research/explain.
Just goes to show you no matter how much of a plotter/planner you are (or aren’t), the story takes on a life of it’s own once you start getting words down.
Here’s to my lofty goal of hitting 30K by the end of the weekend! Luckily, I got a recommendation for some new writing music so hopefully, that will help!
I was rooting around in my desk and found another item I meant to add to my Holiday Hop Giveaway!
Mary’s eerie tales inspire in readers the urge to double-check the deepest, darkest closets, to peer anxiously under the creakiest of beds, and to always sleep with the lights on.
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