Happy 2013 Everyone!

As I reflect back on 2012, I remember all the things that have happened. The good, the bad and the ugly. This year was by far better than 2011 and for that I am very thankful.

I spent this year with my nose in books and my fingers clicking away on a keyboard typing a book. I have spent this year growing as a person and even turned 30 in there somewhere. If you would have asked me a year ago where I saw myself on New Year's Eve 2012-2013 I would have said sitting around watching T.V. or playing World of Warcraft, which by all accounts is VERY UNEXCITING!

In May I embarked on a book that would lead me to be introduced to the wonderful world of the Indie and Self-Published Authors and their wonderful stories. If you have paid any attention to my blog, you know that I have made a habit out of reading and sharing my favorites with you all. Lately the list has grown stale as I embark on my own writing adventure.

Tonight I will keep my New Year's Wishes short as I am on a self-imposed deadline to have draft two off to my fabulous editor Sione Aeschliman. (On a side note, as a new author, who is unrepresented, I have found great comfort in having Sione at my side. She is there to read my emails when I am babbling like an idiot, or stuck on an idea or even to provide unbiased feedback on my MS. Without her, I probably would have given up on the whole institution of writing.) If you are an Author, just getting started on your own dream of writing, then I recommend seeking out an editor. I personally recommend Sione because her and I work very well together but editors are there to support you and to help guide you, not redirect your entire dream, so if you are seeking an editor, shop around and take advantage of their free services, such as a sample edit. Getting that Sample Edit means you can see what this person is thinking and or feels and see if your two visions come together. If they do and you feel comfortable with that person, discuss what options you may have available because you never know, it could make that project that much better.

Okay, so with that being said, I am off to Write and to Edit.

I hope 2013 brings you all your dreams, fantasies and even realities that you are seeking and that you have a Wonderful and Safe New Year!

Many Hugs, Kisses, and Wishes.

*Zoey*

Want a New Year's Eve Treat? A sexy excerpt perhaps?

*Please note, this excerpt is subject to change and contains language and sexual content not suitable for anyone under the age of 18*

Her breathing spiked. I could feel her heart pounding waiting against my hands, wanting me to continue. I continued the path my hands were making. Slowly I made my way up to her shoulders, her neck, her cheeks. Cupping her face. I bent down and brought my lips to hers. Pulling her against me. I wanted her close to my body, as close as was humanly possible. She kissed me back, urgent and excited. I could hardly breathe. She was literally taking my breath away. Just then, I felt her hands on my hips. Searching for,.. ah she found it, the hem of my shirt. She started to lift it up as I continued kissing her, but stepped back. I was nearly a full foot taller than she was, so I was trying to help her remove my shirt. She continued to pull upward until she met the resistance of my arms. I smiled against her lips. “Did you want to take off my shirt?” 

She giggled, but her giggle was hot and heavy, panting. “Yes” she breathed. I pulled back, raised up my arms and off went my shirt. She immediately dropped it to the floor and took a half step back to take in the full view of the dragon on my chest. Then she realized that my nipples were actually pierced with studs that were hard to see last night. Her hands met my shoulders, bringing them down my pecks, she found my nipples with her thumbs and rubbed lightly. Ah, my God, that...Jesus. “Ah!” I grabbed at her hips. Pulled her close. Her nipples pressed against my stomach, hard as a diamonds. My cock twitched, involuntary. God I want her. I want her so bad. But I need to stop this. I can’t....

Reading in 2013!

Ah! The time has come to have a little fun.. How about $100.00 worth of fun?

That's right, It is contest time again. Are you excited? I am.

As we approach 2013 I have decided that it is time to get some more readers going out there and to do that I've decided to give away some books, or a kindle, or a nook, or whatever you see fit to purchase from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Winners will be chosen via Random.org on or around January 5th, 2013 and announced via this blog.

How to Enter? Well see below, it only involved Blogger, Facebook and Twitter.

Following this blog will earn you 10 points. (that's 10 entries)

Following me on Twitter will earn you 10 points.

Following me on Facebook will earn you 10 points.

Tweeting about this giveaway will earn you 5 points. (Can be done daily.)

Creating a Facebook status, or sharing my status updates will earn you 5 points. (Can be done daily)

*In order to earn points, you must stop by the blog daily and enter your Tweets and Facebook status in order to earn that days points.*

I think that about covers it... Right? Okay, Lets ROLL!!!

*HugS*

Zoey a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Next Big Thing...

The lovely ladies over at Deadly Ever After (www.deadlyeverafter.com) invited me to join The Next Big Thing Blog Hop, so here I am. Make sure you stop by their blog and check out their next big thing and their fabulous Holiday Horror Days, going on now.

Are you ready? Yes? No? Well tough cause here we go. 

What is the working title of your book? Well right now it stands at Love Burning, or maybe even Love is Burning, or who knows, by the time its published it could be something completely different. 

On a side note, I am working on a little short story that started with my girls over on Deadly Ever After, maybe you can find it? But I am not talking about that today. 

Where did the idea come from for the book? Love Burning is one of those stories that has been rattling my brain for years. I finally decided, after discovering the world of self-published books, that it was time to finally get the story out of my brain and on to paper, or text, or word. Well you get the idea. 

What genre does your book fall under? My book most definitely falls into the Romance Category.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? This is something that is a little harder for me to chose, although one of the mental pictures I have for Tristan (my hero) is Christian Bale. Just younger than he is today. Cami on the other hand is a bit harder. Her image is a bit 1920's to 1030's pin-up girl. Pale skinned, and pulls off dark red lipstick like no other. She is harder to cast because my mental image of her is hard to see in many actresses. 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? What happens when a woman with a past of neglect finds love for the first time?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Self-published, in e-book format.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About 4 months. I spent a lot of sleepless nights, believe me, it was well worth it. 

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Well, I hope that my story stands out as unique among all the wonderful books out there. Most of the books I know I read consist of the Billionaire Boyfriend...what happens when you have a Billionaire Girlfriend? O/o

Who or What inspired you to write this book? This is the hardest, yet easiest question to answer. I was inspired by E.L. James and self-publishing a story that has rocked the world. I was inspired by Jamie McGuire as I watched Beautiful Disaster go from a lowly self-published novel to being signed with Atria. Reading stories of struggles to write, struggles to publish, and all that inspires. Most of all the ones that kept me writing. Shoshanna Evers and Jennifer Probst are two beautiful ladies that kept me writing day in and day out. Just ask Shoshanna about writing dust or ask Jennifer about her wanting a copy of my MS when it is done. Believe me, nothing is more exciting and terrifying than that. :-)! 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? It's Hot, It's Steamy, and it becomes something more than you expect. At least that is my goal. :-)! 

I posted today, so that means that on December 26th you should see blog posts from the following Authors. The Next Big Thing Blog Hop has grown by leaps and bounds and believe me, I had a hard time finding these lovelies. So make sure to stop by their pages, check out their blogs, and most of all, check back next week for some insider scoops on some upcoming work. 

I am nominating the following Authors...

Marata Eros

Ashlee Alexander

Mari Wells  ** Mari also nominated me, so make sure you check her out!

Sione Aeschliman

Jeanie Grey 

I hope you all enjoyed my little interview and don't forget to stop by and visit these other blogs, who knows, you might find the Next Big Thing, or just a new book to read! 

*HugS*

Zoey

Where Have You Been?

Better yet, where have I been? 
Well, let me tell you....
I recently got in touch with the wonderful Sione Aeschliman for some much needed feedback on the Big Bad Manuscript I have been writing. Through her wonderful sample edit, I quickly realized that her and I were on the same page when it come to my story. Not to mention the fact that she challenged me to answer questions that I did not realize I needed to answer out loud when it came to my story. 
After spending an hour on Skype with her, I hired her assistance for some developmental editing of my Work In Progress. 
In speaking with her, I realized that while I absolutely adore my two beta readers/best friends and their opinions on what I have written, I needed to know what you, my audience, were going to feel reading my story without a bias opinion. Sione has been heaven sent and has really helped me to be increasingly more motivated to finish my story. So I have been lost in the world of editing a 400+ page manuscript. 

Because I know you are curious, here is a snippet of one of Sione's favorite lines from my story...

The following comes from a portion of the book where Cami (heroine) is coming to understand a bit of her lustful attraction to Tristan (hero). There is no conversation here, just simply Cami's brain at work. 

Yes ok I have been starring at his face and his eyes for years, feeling a connection with him that I cannot even begin to describe. A connection through pictures. Yup...its official, I have lost my marbles. All of them, there is not even a hint of a rattle in my brain right now.

When I wrote my MS I was concerned that the attraction that Cami felt for Tristan would be lost on people, so when Sione favorited this line I was jumping up and down for joy. 

So there you have it guys, a small little piece of what I have in the works at the moment. 

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Now, this is not the only thing I have been busy with. 

The Fabulous Undead Duo over at www.deadlyeverafter.com asked me a few weeks ago to submit a short story for their Holiday Horrordays Blog event. 

When I was asked to submit a story I was extremely hesitant because they were asking me for something that I have never written, or never envisioned myself writing. Horror, or as my end result so happened to be, Paranormal. 

If you have not been over to their site to check out my story, please do so and don't hesitate to leave a comment for me, or you can leave one here as well. 

On the note of Devilish Desire (click to read)... The beautiful Shoshanna Evers (@shoshannaevers) posted up a request for someone to do a writing sprint with her and I stepped up to the challenge (and yes she beat me, but no worries, I am far from a sore loser). I stepped up, wanting to write but unsure of what to write, so I opened up Devilish Desire and I started pounding away on the keys and low and behold Devilish Desire has stretched into about 3k words and I do believe it intends to grow bigger. 

I have shared the story with the Undead Duo and they are both very excited at what as been added and I broached the subject of featuring the story via their blog. Will keep you all posted as to what happens with that little project. If nothing else it is helping me break up my editing a bit. 

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Stay Tuned on Wednesday December 19th, 2012 as I will be posting my portion of "The Next Big Thing" Blog Event. I hope to see you all here on Wednesday. 

You might just get another excerpt from "Love Burning".

As always, I hope this post finds you all well, 

*HugS*

Zoey

As the Holidays....

Approach, I am growing increasingly busy for a multitude of reasons.. First of all being that, well it is the holidays, parties, gatherings, shopping and get togethers. In the midst of all the holiday related stuff, I wrote a short story that was featured today on www.deadlyeverafter.com.
Stop by and read it for yourself, I think it turned out pretty good and I am very excited to have shared my first piece of writing with the world. Thank you Julie and Kristen for pushing my boundaries and asking me to write for your blog. It was so much fun and I am looking into seeing about continuing that story or maybe even finding out if I can write a paranormal romance novel. Next project?

I just wanted to stop in and say Hi to everyone, it's been a few days.
I hope this post finds you well and that you enjoy the blog makeover.

*HugS*
Zoey