Celebrating the Release of FEARLESS with More Giveaways!

First, I want to thank everyone who has taken part in this giveaway week by entering the contests and helping to promote them. You make this possible. Really.

One of the characters in FEARLESS, Louisa, is a child with a very special gift. If you’ve been reading my books you may have noticed I’m on a kick with including children in my stories. This is for a couple reasons. One, I enjoy writing children. They provide a unique canvas for creating very colorful, interesting characters. And two, the innocence of a child offers the perfect contrast for evil. Louisa’s character is rich with both of these aspects.

Now, down to business. The winners of yesterday’s giveaway are . . .

MIRROR IMAGE: Ann Carawan
THE LAST HUNT: Whitney Woodmansee
REARVIEW: Gary Hough
A THOUSAND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS: Reggie Greanleaf
FEARLESS: Tom Farr
FEARLESS: Anna Urquhart
FEARLESS: Patrick Cox

Whew! Congratulations to all the winners.

Okay, more giveaways on the way. Today, I’d like you to go to my Facebook fan page and “LIKE” it. Then leave a comment below this post stating you did so. If you’ve already liked it, that counts. Just leave a comment saying you’ve liked it already. That simple.

You may win a copy of FEARLESS (I’m giving away 2 copies), MIRROR IMAGE, THE LAST HUNT, or DARKNESS FOLLOWS.

Please share this giveaway with your friends and followers via all your favorite social media sites. If we get to 1,000 likes on the Facebook page I’ll throw in another copy of FEARLESS and increase your chances to win!

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Read Darkness Follows at a Great Price!

I noticed this morning that Amazon is running a sale on my novel, Darkness Follows. $6.86 for the paperback; $6.52 for Kindle.

I don’t do this much and should probably do it more, but folks, this is a steal. I can’t get it much cheaper than that with my steep author discount.

Darkness Follows was a finalist for the 2011 Inspy Awards and has gotten great reviews. The Christian Manifesto gave it 5/5 stars and said, “Darkness Follows is truly a fantastic story with a gripping plot and haunting undertones.”

And Title Trakk said it was “…a complex, compelling story that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and gripped my emotions as I read each page.”

If you’ve never read one of my books, Darkness Follows is a good one to start with. If you have read any of my books and enjoyed them, you’ll love Darkness Follows.

And really, at this price, it’s a steal.

Darkness Follows Release Day!!!

Today is the official release day for Darkness Follows.

Today it will show up on store shelves everywhere, there will be long lines outside bookstores, people fighting for copies, clerks scrambling to take care of eager readers. I’ll be on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Oprah.

Don’t I wish.

Seriously, though, the book is available wherever books are sold, even select Walmarts. Check it out.

Darkness Follows is my fourth book, which releases two months after the birth of my fourth daughter, and the story is all about the love between a little girl and her daddy. How’s that for irony?

Also, head over to my Facebook author page and see who the winners of the big giveaway are. And there’s a little something extra there for my readers for reaching our goal of 300 “Likes” by the end of April. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

So celebrate with me today, I’ll be doing a happy dance on and off all day so if you live in my area and happen to see some strange guy doing a jig in the street, it’s probably me. And please, help me spread the word via Facebook and Twitter.

Moving on to Other Things

Over the past month I’ve been chronicling my journey through colon cancer and have found it both therapeutic and exhausting. Reliving the ordeal has affected me in a variety of ways. For one, it’s brought back the fears, the anxieties, the uncertainties, but in other ways it’s reminded me of God’s faithfulness, of all He’s brought us through.

Anway, all that to say . . . I need to take a break from it. Last Thursday I saw the oncologist for my six-month check-up and he said everything looks beautiful. After three years of clean tests and healthy reports, he feels comfortable saying I’m out of the woods. Words I needed to hear.

So I’ll move on to talking about other things, like the many blessings God has showered upon us these last three years. Blessings I never saw coming, blessings more than we ever thought or desired.

Someday I’ll get back to chronicling my journey, I know I will because I’d love to compile all my reflections into a book, even if it’s just for family and any friends who may be interested. Even if it’s just for my kids. May it serve as one of those memorial stones the Hebrews used to mark to remind them always, generation after generation, of God’s faithfulness and blessings.

Thank you all for trekking along with me as I relived the journey, for all your kind remarks and words of encouragement. You blessed me then and you bless me still.

I’m excited about my next book, Darkness Follows, releasing in less than a month (May 3). I finally caved and wrote a love story . . . but it’s a love story unlike any you’ve read before. And to welcome that book in there will be lots of new and exciting things happening so stay tuned here and to my Facebook stuff. I’ll also have a new Facebook fanpage up and running in the next few days so stay tuned for that and lots of great giveaways and events.

Quick Update

Hello all . . . whew it’s  been a while since I’ve posted anything. I do have a reason for this. I’ve been busy, busy finishing up Darkness Follows. During the second and subsequent drafts I like to stay focused on the story to maintain the flow and remember details. That means all other writing (i.e. blogging) must be put on hold.

And here’ s the good news: Darkness Follows is done! And a whole month and a half ahead of deadline! I’ll give it a few weeks to simmer on the back burner then go over it one more time right before sending it off to the editor by September 1. The release date is still May, 2011 so watch for it.

For those who want to know what the story is about . . . it’s a love story, plain and simple. You’ll have to wait for the rest.

In the meantime, I’m going to begin work on my next book, tentatively titled Midnight is My Time. I don’t have a release date on this one yet but my deadline is January 1 so I better get cracking!

I also have another project I’ll begin working on in the next few weeks but can’t say anything about that one yet. When the time comes you’ll get the full story . . .

Now, can I ask a huge favor of you? If you’ve read Darlington Woods would you mind going on Amazon and posting a quick review? Nothing long-winded or eloquent, just a few words saying what you thought of the story. It may seem like something little, something “the other person” can do, but each review really does help. Please?

Living in Two Worlds

I’m at a stage in the writing process when things start to get hairy. Darlington Woods releases in a month and a half so I’m ramping up the marketing, scheduling book signings, doing interviews, contacting blogs and media outlets (or at least I should be).

In the meantime, things are moving right along with the writing of Darkness Follows (which releases May, 2011).  I’m up to 23,000 words and the story is developing quite nicely.

The problem is this, I only have so much time in a day to devote to writing and writing stuff. Something has to give.

Now here’s how I’ll manage all this without going as nutty as a three-legged squirrel. If you’re a writer you’ll know what I mean when I say this, and if you’re not a writer you may still be interested in knowing how a writer’s mind works. Inspiration comes in fits and starts (I imagine it’s the same for any art form). At times the words flow like warm honey, smooth and swift, and the story unfolds like an old friend stopping by for a visit and cup of tea (I don’t drink coffee). Inspiration overflows and I can’t stop, don’t want to stop, my fingers from dancing out a tale of suspense and creepiness. It’s during those times I’ll focus on Darkness Follows and take advantage of the freedom that inspiration brings.

But then there are those times when that spring of creativity dries up and the words cease to surface. It’s like my right brain needs a good dose of Senekot. It’s during those times that I won’t force the issue (I may hurt myself) but rather let things ride and focus on marketing stuff for Darlington Woods.

This whole process is like living in two worlds. There’s the business side of things in which Darlington Woods now resides and then there’s the creative side of things where Darkness Follows lurks. For now, I’ll split my time and hope my personality doesn’t follow suit.

Beginning a New Adventure

Last week I jumped headlong into my new manuscript, Darkness Follows, due to release May of 2011. Boy, that seems like a long way off. But it’s not. My deadline is September 1 and that will come sooner than expected, I can be sure of that.

A couple weeks ago I wrote a post on finding my writing groove. Well, I can say that for now I’m firmly embedded in that groove. The words are flowing, the story unfolding. I’m getting to know my characters and finding them to be interesting, scarred people. And even a little scary.

For now, I’m just getting the words down. My goal is to have the first draft finished by mid-July then have a month and a half to refinish and polish to a comfortable sheen.

And while I’m writing I’m reading one of my favorite authors for inspiration and rhythm.

And that’s how I do it . . . in a nutshell.