No Interview Tuesday

Only the second week of my new goals, and already I have to change things. Because the featured author this week is also doing a simultaneous June Blog Tour for her new book, her interview won't appear until Friday.

In the meantime, pick up a good book to read...or maybe even the dictionary and find a new word to use today. *g*

Or if you're really desperate, you can learn about fan fiction. :) No? Yeah, I didn't think you would.

But if you have a burning need to comment on my blog, feel free to share what you did for Memorial Day weekend. Me? I slept in, piddled around my office for a bit, spent time with my dog who had just celebrated his 14th birthday on Sunday (98 years old!) and enjoyed pizza and a movie with my family who gathered in the evening. The men in the family had gone out to play golf that day and had been given a free lunch afterward, so our plans for grilling were replaced with the dinner and a movie idea.

Rumor Has It with Jennifer Anniston and Kevin Costner and Ledo's Pizza. If you haven't had Ledo's, you haven't had pizza. :) So, what did *you* do?

Winners Announced!

Ok, so I missed Sunday and it's now Monday. But a holiday weekend and things got a bit hectic. And now, I'm here with the great news! The winners of the drawings from the past 2 author spotlights are:

Widow's Club
Margo Carmichael

Oregon Escort
Rhonda Gibson

Recommended Blog of the Week!

Tomorrow, I'll be announcing the winners of TWO contests from the past 2 author spotlight features. Thanks for your patience and your participation.

Tonight though, I'm going to spotlight my favorite blog this week:

Forensics and Faith

This is the blog of the crazy redhead, Brandilyn Collins. *g* She writes best-selling crime thrillers for the Christian market. And this week she began a 10-part series on character empathy. Fantastic stuff from the woman who brought us "Getting Into Character."

An excerpt:

Now, writers and readers know that character empathy doesn’t happen all at once. It should grow with each chapter. That’s human nature—we connect with people as we get to know them better and appreciate how they handle struggles in life. But readers need enough connection with the character in that first chapter of his/her appearance so they’ll want to read on....I thought of 10 approaches for character empathy that immediately came to mind. No doubt it’s not a complete list. Neither are these 10 approaches islands unto themselves. If you can mix two of them, or three or four—all the better. And we're not talking about paragraphs of copy. Sometimes a couple lines here and there, scattered among action, will do the trick.

Stop by and have a look!

Do you like Romance Fiction?

Well, have *I* got a deal for you! Heartsong Presents, one of the top publishers of inspirational romance (yes, this means no gratuitous love scenes) is having an anthology blowout sale!

Anthologies are 4 stories/books in one usually by 4 different authors but sometimes all by the same author, with all stories centered around a main theme and the stories weaving together in other ways. Great for quick reads and to enjoy a little break from the pressures of life.

Thirty of their titles are on sale for the low price of just $4 each. That's 3 for $12! Since they retail at $9.95, this is quite a bargain.

There are 3 ways to order:

1. If you are a current book club member, you will receive a flyer in your next shipment of books.
2. Click here to go the web site and browse through the titles, then download and fill out the order form for mailing.
3. Call 1-740-922-7280 to place a credit card order by telephone.

As their tagline says: Fall in love with a story. :)

It's Contest Time!

It might be nearing 11pm here, but it's still Thursday according to my clock, so I'm within the parameters to continue meeting my new goals. :) I suppose I should've prepared this for posting last night, and I'll remember that for next week. Anyway, without further ado, here are some other blogs and web sites running CONTESTS and FREE GIVEAWAYS. Check them out:

DeeAnne Gist - Author
Camy's Loft
A Christian Writer's World

That's it for this week, but I'll have more next week. And don't forget to stop back on Saturday for my "recommended blog of the week." Thanks for visiting.