FMFB- Get It While It's Hot!

I raise my cup of coffee to you on this blissful Friday Morning Follower’s Boffee. Fall is well on its way in the Paris suburbs and I’m absolutely loving the chilly mornings, Indian summer-y skies and turning leaves. Autumn has always been, without a doubt, my favorite season. 

For those of you who are new to bloffee- all you have to do to participate is 1. Comment. 2. Tell us what you’re bringing to this morning’s potluck brunch. (I’m ordering some virtual pumpkin spice lattés in honor of the autumn season:) 3. Look for someone in the comments section you don’t know and check out their blog! Voila! A potential friend and follower connection has been made!

As for this week’s news: the ‘Gearing Up to Get an Agent’ blogfest (otherwise known as GUTGAA) is organizing crit partner/ beta reader connections this week. So if any of you have a draft you’d like to get some input on, here’s a great place to start!

Blogging buddy, freelance editor, and awesome author represented by Kate McKean of the Howard Morhaim Literary agency- Leigh T. Moore is releasing her debut novel THE TRUTH ABOUT FAKING through amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.  It’s a contemporary romance that sounds right up my alley and I can’t wait to read it! See more here. 

As for me, I’m finding that pregnancy and writing don’t always go hand in hand. My usual afternoon writing time keeps getting interrupted when I fall into a mid-day coma which may or may not consist of moderate snoring. My poor keyboard is covered in dried crumbs, drool, and sticky liquids from the constant snacking (and the ‘m’ key still won’t work right). My favorite yoga pants are getting tight in the midsection. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are no long just ‘meals’, but ‘experiences’-worthy of a thousand words or more describing just how good everything tastes and sometimes, when sitting down to write, I zone out- reliving the wonderfulness that was lunch…which inevitably leads to more snacking and not-so-much writing. *sigh*

How are all of you lovelies this morning? What, more than anything else, keeps you from your usual writing time? (social media? work? other books? scumptilicious snacks?) Any big plans for this weekend?

FMFB- WriteOnCon

Good morning Friday bloggers and welcome to our weekly Bloffee Get-Together, where we make new friends, discuss this week’s blogosphere news and make each other hungry:)

All you have to do to participate is 1. Comment  2. Tell us what you’ve brought for breakfast. (This morning I’m serving up pancakes and sausage with loads of syrup.) 3. Find someone in the comments section you don’t recognize and check out their blog. Voila! A potential friend and follower connection has been made!

This week a lot of fellow bloggers and writers are getting ready for this year’s WriteOnCon. – A free online writer’s conference. It’s a great alternative those of us that can’t make it to the biggest annual conferences around the globe and features fantastic agents, editors and authors.  The open forums have already forced me to get my butt in gear and write a query letter for my current wip, not to mention renew my writerly motivation to finish this damn draft. I was feeling a definite lack of inspiration these last few weeks but those of you who posted on Wednesday’s post helped me overcome the hump! Don’t know what I’d do without you guys!

What are you guys currently working on? Anybody else joining WriteOnCon?

FMFB: How Much Does the Self-Pub Revolution Really Influences the Big Six?

After five weeks away from the blogosphere, there’s nothing I need more than a good ol’ fashioned Friday Morning Follower’s Bloffee. Today our virtual breakfast potluck is taking place at the gorgeous bed and breakfast I stayed in my last week of vacation. The old farm house is seated back off a scenic route in a quiet corner of Connecticut, surrounded by gardens and forests. It was seriously a perfect place for a little writerly getaway. (Not that I got any writing done whatsoever.)



So, for any newbies - all you have to do to participate in bloffee is:

1. Comment. 2. Tell us what you’ve brought for breakfast. ( I'll be serving up some virtual texas omelettes. It's what I'm in the mood for:)  3. Find someone in the comments section you don’t recognize and check out their blog. Voila! An instant friend and potential follower connection has been made.



So, any particular posts that stuck with you this week? I was pleasantly surprised, after Wednesday's post, to see this post by Nathan Bransford, where he declares the gatekeepers to publishing have been replaced by ‘influencers’.  While I agree with this in some respects, I’m not sure this development holds a ton of weight when it comes to traditional publishing. Sure, maybe trends will be set by indie-published books (Like Fifty Shades) that will have traditional houses following suit, but, as far as I can see, it hasn’t really changed the way the big six acquire material on a large scale, has it? I mean, I assume they’re following trends and keeping their eyes open, but everything I’ve read and heard in the last few months leads me to believe the power-houses are still operating pretty much the same. What do you guys think?


Hope you all have a great weekend!


*CQG*

FMFB- I'll See You On the Other Side!

Good Morning everybody and welcome to this week's Friday Morning Follower’s Bloffee! Looks like summer has finally arrived! The weather in France is glorious and I've been seeing loads of comments about the heat in various parts of the U.S. the last few days. I hope the sunny days last throughout the next five weeks!

So, for any newbies - all you have to do to participate in bloffee is:

1. Comment. 2. Tell us what you’ve brought for breakfast. ( I'll be serving up some virtual pancakes with maple syrup)  3. Find someone in the comments section you don’t recognize and check out their blog. Voila! An instant friend and potential follower connection has been made.

My blogposts over the next few weeks will probably be sporadic and all over the place since, well, I’m going to be all over the place.

We arrive in New York. My parents are picking us up and whisking us away to Richmond, Virginia where we’ll stay with one of my favorite aunts for a couple days before finishing the trip down to South Carolina.

Three weeks in SC before we travel back up the coast, staying with my sister in North Carolina for a few days, again in Virginia and then ten days in good ol’ Connecticut (where I grew up).

Lots of traveling and long car trips (but I honestly miss that. It feels like summer.) In France, it only takes about six-eight hours to cross the country by car, going the long way. This has kind of shrunk the French’s perception of space and time. Basically, if anything is over 30 minutes away, the French say it’s in ‘China’ and won’t travel there without some prodding.

As much as I love the East Coast, someday I dream of visiting other states like California, Colorado, and Louisiana. Or Quebec City! In any case, I can’t wait to see the U S of A again. I hope you guys have a fantastic weekend! Next time I write, it will be from the other side of the ocean!

Is there a state you’ve always dreamt of visiting but never got around to it? Any big summer plans?  

FMFB- What's Up With the Zombies?

Good Morning everybody and welcome to another Friday Morning Follower’s Bloffee! The weather in the parisian suburbs has been pure nastiness this week (grey, cold and rainy), but it's probably appropriate for today's FMFB debate.

For any newbies - all you have to do to participate in bloffee is:

1. Comment. 2. Tell us what you’ve brought for breakfast. ( I'll be serving up some virtual pancakes with maple syrup)  3. Find someone in the comments section you don’t recognize and check out their blog. Voila! An instant friend and potential follower connection has been made.

Today’s debate: What’s up with zombies?

I have yet to watch ‘The Walking Dead’ but I’ve heard it’s a great show. Truth is, I’m not a big fan of zombies. They gross me out. And the idea of a person and their loved ones at constant risk of being eaten by zombies kind of stresses me out more than anything else. That said, I have noticed an increase in all things ‘zombie’ and ‘zombie apocalypse’ in the last six months or so.

Now, from where I’m sitting, the fascination with zombies must be different from the fascination with witches, vampires, werewolves or other creatures of mystique. Zombies are mindless decaying corpses who feed off people’s brains and infect them. (again. Yuck.)

There is nothing sexy about zombies.

Which leads me to the conclusion that the excitement at the idea of zombies running amuck must stem from what regular people become in the case of a zombie apocalypse.  Suddenly we are the beautiful, skilled creatures of heightened intelligence with the need to kill or be killed. Only the ingenuous, quick, or lucky will survive.

Or maybe I’m wrong. So, if you’re privy to the zombie phenomenon, please fill me in- What’s up with the zombies?

Hope you all have a great weekend!

*CQG*

FMFB- Debating the Act of 'Querying'

Good Morning everybody and welcome to another Friday Morning Follower’s Bloffee! This week was filled with some fun and fantastic book launches. Congratulations to Elana Johnson, Hart Johnson and Elizabeth Craig on their new releases!

All you have to do to participate in bloffee is:

1. Comment. 2. Tell us what you’ve brought for breakfast. (In reality I just had coffee and a lowfat yogurt. But in my virtual world I can have greasy eggs and bacon and real-buttered toast. So that's what I'm bringing.:)  3. Find someone in the comments section you don’t recognize and check out their blog. Voila! An instant friend and potential follower connection has been made.


Today I'm having bloffee over at Misha Gericke's My First Book where I (hopefully) reveal how to stay in the query trenches when it's 'Just Not Happening' (Yeah. I know plenty about that.) Writing the post got me thinking. --Where do you think the act of querying agents stands now a'days?
Different opinions I've picked up on in the last few months:
a. It's a necessary step and can teach a writer a lot of valuable lessons and traits for the future. Time well spent.
b. In today's market, it's unecessary and without interest. Just self publish already!
c. A useful process but it's no good to stagnate in there forever. Keep writing books. Keep querying. And if it doesn't happen, then look into other avenues. 
d. If a traditional agent doesn't pick you up, then you're probably not good enough.
e. If a traditional agent doesn't pick you up, it's because the system is flawed. Just self-publish already!


Do you think querying agents is still necessary and/or useful? Do you think authors lose patience easier/faster/too fast/not fast enough with querying in today's climate?


Hope you all have a great weekend!


*CQG*

FMFB- Debating the 'Indie' Label

Good Morning everybody and welcome to Friday Morning Follower’s Bloffee! The coffee is hot (or iced, depending on where you live). The weather in France is a blissful and sunny 27° Celsius. (I’m too lazy to see what this is in Fahrenheit, but I’m sure one of my smart commenters will clue me in:)

All you have to do to participate in bloffee is:

1. Comment. 2. Tell us what you’ve brought for breakfast. (Today I’m in the mood for eggs-over-easy, fresh baguette and some juicy grapes)  3. Find someone in the comments section you don’t recognize and check out their blog. Voila! An instant friend and potential follower connection has been made.

SO, like I usually do on these fair Friday brunches – I’ve chosen a topic from one of the various blogs I visited this week that has me thinking.

I came across an agent blog that asked self-published authors to stop using the term ‘indie’. Truth is, before reading the request, I’d never thought much about it.

 I’ve heard ‘indie’ used for both small press and self-published books in the past.  But the recent trend, as I’ve seen it, is that the term is being used more and more to describe self-published authors. This doesn’t really bother me one way or another but I was wondering how other authors (whether unpublished, traditional published or self published) felt about it?

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

*CQG*

Friday Morning Follower's Bloffee - Discussing New Releases

Hello, and Welcome to Friday Morning Follower’s Bloffee. If you’re new here, here’s what it’s all about:

Participating is easy! All you have to do is:

1- Comment!  

2-Tell us what you’ve brought for breakfast! (Today I’m in the mood for blueberry waffles with syrup) 

3. Click on someone in the comments section you don’t know and Voila! –  A potential friend and follower connection has been made!

Now that I have you all here, seated around my huge coffee table (since this is virtual reality and I can make my sitting room as big as I want) – Have any of you picked up any of this week’s new releases from blogosphere authors?

‘The Breakaway’ By Michelle Davidson Argyle When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, it takes her parents two days to realize she's missing. Escape isn't high on her list of priorities when all she has to return to is an abusive boyfriend and parents who never paid much attention to her. For the first time in her life she's part of a family-even if it is a family of criminals. But she's still a captive. In a desperate attempt to regain some control in her life, Naomi embarks on a dangerous plan to make one of her kidnappers think she's falling in love with him. The plan works too well, and when faced with the chance to escape, Naomi isn't sure she wants to take it. 

‘A Spy Like Me’ By Laura Pauling:

Stripping your date down to his underwear has never been so dangerous.
Seventeen-year-old Savvy Bent expects magic on her first date with Malcolm - in Paris! Except over a picnic of sparkling cider and strawberry tarts, a sniper shoots at them. From the top of the Eiffel Tower to the depths of the catacombs, Savvy must sneak, deceive, and spy to save her family and friends and figure out whether Malcolm is one of the bad guys before she completely falls for him. 

Or he tries to snuff her out.

‘Ripper, My Love’ By Glynis Smy:

Growing up in late nineteenth century East London, Kitty Harper’s life is filled with danger and death – from her mother, her beloved neighbour and the working women of the streets. With her ever-watchful father and living surrogate family though, Kitty feels protected from harm. In fact, she feels so safe that while Whitechapel cowers under the cloud of a fearsome murderer, she strikes out on her own, moving into new premises to accommodate her sewing business. But danger is closer than she thinks. In truth, it has burrowed itself right into her heart in the form of a handsome yet troubled bachelor, threatening everything she holds dear. Will Kitty fall prey to lust – and death – herself, or can she find the strength inside to fight for her business, sanity and her future?
And who is the man terrifying the streets of East London?

‘Elemental’ – Emily White:

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should.
But she wants to.
For ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner on an interstellar starship. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers. Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories? Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who's destroyed?

‘Fabric’ – A book of poetry by Jessica Bell:

"Jessica Bell's FABRIC is a rich collection of poems that take the reader
on a deep tour of the psyche. Charting and moving across politics of language, Bell explores love, pain, failure and redemption from a variety of angles. Most of the poems sit at the fragile threshold of instinct and meaning, using symbol and sensation to get to the shock of denouement. This is a significant collection that bears multiple readings, each time yielding something fresh." ~Magdalena Ball, author of Black
Cow, Sleep Before Evening, and
Repulsion Thrust

I read ‘The Breakaway’ this past weekend and loved it and have ‘Spy Like Me’ loaded up on my kindle.  I’ve heard only great things about the other titles on this list and hope to get to them soon! How about you? Have you heard of/read any of this week’s releases?  What did you think?

Hope you all have a great weekend!

*CQG*

Bloffee on the Beach

So it’s been awhile since I had everybody over to my place for Friday Morning Follower’s Bloffee.  Since the weather in Paris has been oh so beautiful this week, I decided to change the setting for our usual location. (I needed to get away from French people wearing tights under their shorts, or sports shoes and business suits for their early morning jog.)

So today we’re having breakfast on the beach. 

All you have to do to participate in Friday Morning Bloffee is:

1.- Comment and let us know what you’re bringing for breakfast.  Today I’m having not one, but two cups of coffee and a couple butterscotch macarons;)

2. - Click on someone in the comments section you don’t know and check out their blog.  Voila! A potential friend and follower connection has been made!

So, this week has been full of ups and downs but I’m happy to report it ended on a high note with two full requests for the revised version of KISSING FOR COFFEE. (Up until this week it wasn't getting any nibbles and I was so discouraged.)  I know by now that this really isn’t much. But it does make me feel a little less like a big fat-failure-phony-pants so I’m enjoying the high while I can.

In the words of the great Sean Paul - 

Hold on to da dream, hold on.

Hold on now now.

Hold on and believe.

D’Oh  we already won,

We still hold on.

How was your week?  Any ups or downs to report?

National Crêpe Eating Day

It’s been awhile since I did a Friday Morning Follower’s Bloffee and since yesterday was national Crêpe-Eating day in France (Yes. They actually have a whole holiday devoted to the consumation of crêpes. They even give it a fancy name- the Chandeleur) I thought today would be a good day to start your usual blogging off with some good ol’ fashioned bloffee and crêpes. Banana-nutella is my personal favorite.

For any newbies- here’s the gist:

All you have to do to participate is 1.  Comment. 

2. Tell me what you’ve brought for morning bloffee.  (Today I’ve started out with a pot of coffee and crêpes, of course.) 

3. Click on someone you don’t know in the comments section and check out their blog!  Voila- a new friend and potential follower connection has been made!

I want to thank you all for your encouraging comments on Wednesday’s slightly dramatic, possibly hormone-induced post.  I have yet to ‘hit send’- I’m going through my manuscript one last time. (And let me just say, I’m SO glad I decided to do that. Hello typos. Where hast thou been hiding these last few months?)

Unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of time for visiting or commenting this week.  Tell me- what did you guys blog about this week?  Did I miss anything big?

Enjoy the spread and hot bloffee!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!