Pirates on the internet sea BEWARE!

My books have started to show up in a few internet web stores with links back to Amazon.  That in itself is wonderfully amazing ... but there are some sites who are abusing Amazon and their products by selecting products that are totally UNRELATED to their site for the sole purpose of HIJACKING their google ranking. 

I've worked tirelessly to craft and promote my books and I will not idly stand by while their rankings are HIJACKED!  It's time to scrape a few barnacles from the hull Missy; we're going to war!

Convergence

Convergence is where two things come together at the same time.  I believe that good and bad things happen simultaneously for a reason.  Sometimes it's to temper the good with the bad and other times it's so we can cope with things beyond our control. 

My entire life has been about convergence and this mystical dance that God has laid out before me sometimes gets me tangled up in the tiniest details.  If there is a God, HE is definately a SHE!  Because no man would take the time to play such games.     

Just Saying!

Preview of a Chapter

Captain Red Aye was carried into the city as Kyle cautiously zipped ahead of Meridian soldiers on his wild sting ray.  He slid off the wing and landed on red bedrock looking around for his brothers.  An opaque shield lowered over Aquatica as a Meridian clad in battle armor darted desperately toward them.  “Mi Novia!” He shouted.  “Mi Novia!”  He cut through the water, whipping his tail back and forth.  Desperation consumed him as he stretched out his arms.  “Bebe’s detachment didn’t return,” he panted.  “She’s trapped on the other side!” he exclaimed, morphing as he fell to his knees.  His heavy heart beat frantically in his chest. 

Kyle turned on his heel at hearing the gut wrenching news that the second detachment of Aqua Defenders was still trapped on the other side of the shields.  He tried to look through the opaque dome but it was like looking through scratched glass.  He raised both of his hands and pressed on the shield, then watched metallic ripples expanding outward as it flexed.  Purple lightning zinged off the ceiling and illuminated the dark water surrounding him.  Kyle stepped back from the shields and looked down at his glowing hands.  A blue glow radiated from his palms and extended all the way to his fingertips.  He had just escaped from certain death on the back of a golden sting ray, and though it had seemed like an eternity, it had been just a matter of minutes.  The unique glow meant he was connected in some magical way to the creatures of the deep and their life force.  Just as he had been with the stinging nettle that had wrapped itself around his arm on his first mission with Feng.  Delphina, the oracle, had told him it meant he had Neptunium in his blood, and incredibly he was a descendant from the royal bloodline.

An eerie creaking noise surrounded them as the water shuttered.  It felt like an earthquake as war torn Tangled Tower started to settle.  The tower of wrecked ships that had seemed to defy gravity had a huge hole blasted in it.  Lights flickered on and off from the port holes of the high rise.  Tangled Tower appeared to be living quarters for many of the Meridians.  Children’s faces were pressed against circular windows curiously peering out unaware of the danger that lingered.  Wood splintered into a thousand tiny pieces and shot through the water as the building started to collapse. 

Bebe’s friend looked up in terror as the shadow of the building fell across his broad shoulders.  A young boy with sandy brown hair rushed in trying to help the Meridian to his feet.  The twisted building smashed through the water, crumbling all around them.  Instinctively, Kyle threw up his hand in an effort to protect himself and Bebe’s hapless boyfriend.  Blinding white light with streaks of blue shot from his palm and held the building at bay.  Wounded Meridians cried out as the wreckage hung suspended above the boy. 

Another beam of light lassoed the building from the other side and steadied it as Kyle fell back, drained from the use of his newfound magical powers.  Kevin and Triston ran over to the commotion and were stunned to find Kyle lying in the rubble next to the Meridian.  Kevin rushed to Kyle’s side dusting off debris.  “Kyle!  Please be okay!”  Kevin held his breath looking down at his little brother who lay limply on the seafloor.  Kyle’s chest rose and fell.  Kevin took a ragged breath.  “Aaahhh,” he sighed.  Tears of relief welled up in his grey eyes.  “Thank you for saving my brother,” Kevin choked. 

“I didn’t save him.  He saved me,” Bebe’s astonished boyfriend looked down at the pint sized hero at his side.  He was much younger than he had first realized.   

Protection provided by the Water Dragon

I was born in the year of the Rabbit, which means I am usually very flightly.  Quick on my feet and apt to run away from conflict.  Yep, that's me to a T.  But this year, the Water Dragon is providing protection to give everything I got in chasing my dreams!  Wow!  How appropriate that the Water Dragon offers his protection to a nautical author who also happens to be an Aquarius. 

The stars are in line for some magic!  :-) 

And why not magic ?  Afterall, the sun rises and set without any strings!

!Celebration!

I have some joyous news to announce.  This week I just passed the $100 mark earned from my books on Amazon :-P 

It has been a slow process for me.  I've been at this since late Oct. 2011.  I hope that in this new year my books will be fruitful. 

May all your dreams come true! 

Delivery

My husband and I delivered the pictures of all the semi~finalists to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, today.  The area had the same small town charm that we enjoy near our rural home.  Unfortunately, the brutal cold and drizzly rain prevented us from spending as much time as we'd have liked.  We will definitely have to go back to view all the wonderful interactive exhibits on the museum grounds.   

I'm happy to report that the pictures are in good hands.

Snowball Effect

I am a big believer in the snowball effect.  Both in good situations and in bad.  One thing leads to another and builds until a tiny snowflake is a force to be reckoned with. 

A couple of years ago, I was listening to a report on Warren Buffett on NPR (national public radio).  It was incredibly fascinating.  I was amazed at how an impoverished young boy grew up to be one of America's wealthiest men.  His is an interesting story of entrepreneurialism at its best.

Have you started your snowball?   

Update

My website has been updated with the information on the semi ~ finalists for the Chesapeake Bay Revival Coloring Contest.  I'll be taking the pictures to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum next weekend, Jan. 21st, for display. 

I have also updated my book covers and book content ... again.  I've updated every page of my website.  And have even started the process of creating my own publishing company, nothing big, just something for me to use while publishing my own work.

Where's that gigantic cup of coffee I've been dreaming of ?

Contest Deadline ~ Chesapeake Bay Revival

The Chesapeake Bay Revival Coloring Contest deadline was January 15th.  The contest is officially closed to any further submissions.  Now comes the really tough part of selecting the winners. 

I will be selecting the semi ~ finalists and then passing the pictures along to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum for display.  Museum staff, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and the Chesapeake Conservation Corp will be determining the 1 final winner. 

Each semi ~ finalist will receive a copy of my first book, Salty Summer, along with a No Fail Sail Wear t-shirt, and a goodie bag from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. 

The 1 final winner will win a $500 gift card to Toys R Us and their present school will win $1,000 towards conservation education. 

Idea Factory

Believe it or not my old tattered dictionary is an idea factory.  When I am looking for something fresh and new that's where I go ... to my dictionary.  With just about everything having already been done before ~ it's tough to come up with something new and original.  So instead of looking at what everyone else is writing, I just peruse my dictionary for unique words and then think about them.  Can I use it?  Is it too played?  Wow, I never knew that!  These are all thoughts I had the last time I took a stroll through the land of forgotten words.

Dagon, the name of Neptune's son came from the dictionary, so did gribbles {okay they are wood boring crustaceans that become carnivorous crustaceans in my story}, Neptunium, my version of the royal blood line ... I know that ichor is supposed to be the blood of the gods, but if I were to ask my kids which word means being related to King Neptune ... hands down it would be Neptunium Blood not ichor, unicorn narwals {so I embellished a little by adding unicorn to creature's name} but narwals are real sea animals that are a cross between a whale and a seal, with a spotted pelt and a spiral tusk ... the boys and Mystisette will be riding these in book 2 of Aquatica, Beneath the Blade.

I could actually see J.K. Rowlings flipping through the dictionary to create the Quiddich games when I was looking through the B section with bludgers, beaters and such ... I wonder if that's how she came up with the idea.  Don't know really, just thought I'd share.

Dictionary + Imagination = Idea Factory ;-P

Perfectionism, OCD, and the Obsessed Author

I wonder how most perfectionists cope in an imperfect world, with an imperfect self.  Is OCD just another name for perfectionists?  I don't really know the answer to these questions.  I am an imperfect perfectionist.  There was a time before I had children that I had a place for everything and everything in its place.  4 kids, 6 cats, 2 dogs and 1 husband later, I have had to let go of the idea of a neat and tidy anything and just focus on how NOT to go crazy.  

But now that I am writing again, I have a compulsive routine.  Get up, check kindle stats, check my 3 email accounts {yes, I have 3 accounts...long story}, check website...is it still up and running or did the internet fairy snatch it in the middle of the night, check blog stats ... and so on.  Re-read what I wrote the night before, is it good enough, is it complete, does it need tweeking?  All of these things I do BEFORE I ever move forward.  And I do all of them BEFORE I do anything else.  Sometimes I even annoy myself! 

With all the extra care I take, you'd be surprised at all the mistakes I make.  Oodles and oodles of them, which of course feeds the need to be compulsive and starts the cycle all over again!  Alas, maybe one day it will have all been worth it.  

Marinating

Marinating?  Yes, marinating.  My story of Aquatica has been marinating on my brain.  It takes a while to get all the kinks worked out.  I pulled my story off of promotion early so I could have extra time to refine different aspects of the storyline.  It will go back on promotion this weekend, Jan. 13, 14 & 16, to coincide with school being closed for the holiday.  I have added a Dear Reader letter and a P.S. at the end of the book asking for reader feedback.   

Since I am not the Mozart author type, I was wondering "just exactly what type of author am I?"  I think I am the 90% hard work and 10% talent, LOVABLE kind of author.  But I could bias ...

Chesapeake Bay Revival Coloring Contest

I am working on the Chesapeake Bay Revival Coloring Contest.  As the deadline nears, I find myself increasingly busier with each passing day.  I am so excited reviewing all the wonderful pictures submitted by talented young artists from several states. 

After I select the semi-finalists, I will pass the torch to the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Chesapeake Conservation Corp and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum ... they will have the incredibly difficult job of selecting the 1 WINNER.  One lucky child will win a $500 gift certificate to Toys R Us AND their school will win $1,000 towards conservation education!

Editing! Editing! and you guessed it more Editing!

Have you ever written something you were so sure was perfect?  Only to go back the next day and say "Why did I write that?"  or "Why didn't I catch that?" 

Yeah well, that's what happened to me last night around 9:30 PM, trying to review my story once again before it went on promotion.  I had a panic attack realizing a couple of errors and decided to stream line my story to Aquatica even more by taking out a whole chapter {the Christmas scene} and refine it so that Kyle received his adventure pack on his birthday.  So to compensate, I added the rest of the last chapter ... the battle scene.   

Then I thought, ok it's as ready as it'll be ... only to discover this morning that I still had a couple of mistakes in the manuscript.  I think there comes a point when an author actually becomes blind to his own mistakes because we know the story so well that even when we come upon a mistake we just hear the story in our head. 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!  All of this, the entire writing process frustrates Kevin, my oldest, because he imagines that all the great writers of the world sit down and whip out a masterpiece with never, ever changing a word.  I don't really see that happening ... of course I could be wrong there could be a 'Mozart' type author out there.  But it's definately not me!   

Picture Perfect

Right now 25 schools have opted to enter the 'Chesapeake Bay Revival Coloring Contest'! More than 300 beautiful pictures have been received from children all across the watershed. With just 11 days left before the contest deadline, I know some young artists are anxious to find out who the 'semi-finalists' are.


A complete listing of 'semi-finalists' and their pictures will be posted on my website at www.nauticalmilebooks.com by January 25th!


Great Job!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  My horoscope was especially positive this morning.  I am in the midst of real change {hopefully for the better} and I have the ability to make my dreams come true!  I should copy that thing and put a sticky note on my computer with those wonderful words. 

Isn't it amazing the power that a few words can have on you?  I'm so happy because I want to believe every one of those lovely words. 

I quietly rang in the new year with my eyes closed.  But I am up bright and early to celebrate 2012 with a BANG!  Secret Spring, Book 4 in the Nautical Mile Series is free from now until January 3rd! 

May all your dreams come true in 2012!