Catalyst, a Work Space and a Giveaway

I’m delighted today to welcome author Kristin Smith to Thoughts in Progress as she makes a stop on her Xpresso Book Tour Blitz for her recently release, CATALYST, the first installment in her Deception Game series.

As part of the tour, Kristin is joining us to share an excerpt from her book and a look inside her writing space. In addition, you can enter to win a Clean Teen Publishing Mystery Box (Intl winner would get eBook prizes). Please see the end of the post for more details.

◊Catalyst

◊by Kristin Smith

◊ Series: The Deception Game, Book #1

◊Published by: Clean Teen Publishing

◊Publication date: November 21^st, 2016

◊Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

Too pretty.
Too smart.
Too perfect.

In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose the characteristics of their children like ordering off a drive-thru menu, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As a normal girl surrounded by genetically modified teenagers, all of her imperfections are on display. But after the death of her father, everything she’s ever known and loved changes in an instant.

With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.

In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.

Catalyst is a thrilling adventure of danger, romance, intrigue, and deception.

CATALYST can be found at the following sites:

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

EXCERPT:

“You need to learn a little hand-to-hand combat.” Trey puts his fists up by his face. “Always protect your soft spots—your face being numero uno.” He glances at my bandaged arm. “You right-handed?”

It’s after breakfast and we’re in the training facility, a large, gym-type room with thick mats, punching bags, weights, and a long wall of mirrors. The smell of sweat and stinky feet assault my nose as I stand across from him on the pile of black mats used to create a “ring”. We have the gym to ourselves. Most likely because everyone else is too smart to work out right after a meal.

I nod and flex my right hand, the one that’s not bandaged.

“You should be fine, then. I’ll take it easy on you.” He grins. “Go ahead—hit me.”

I take a step back and shake my head. “I’m not gonna hit you.”

He moves forward to decrease the distance between us. “I said, hit me.”

I raise my arms as if I’m about to fight him, but all I can think is how much he’s done to help me. How can I punch the man who saved me from the government facility, removed my tracker, and is willing to help rescue my mother?

When he realizes I won’t fight, he lowers his hands. “Remember, Sienna, these men don’t care that you’re a girl. They don’t care how old you are. If given the opportunity, they will hurt you.” His eyes harden. “Now hit me.”

I punch him as hard as I can, and he’s not expecting it. The force of the blow to his face knocks him backward, and my hand throbs from the impact. He looks stunned, especially when a trickle of blood makes its way out of his nose. But then he grins.

Wiping his nose on his shirt, he motions with his hands for me to come closer. “Nicely done. Now, hit me again.”

Surely, he must be crazy. I’m about to walk away, but his words echo in my mind. If given the opportunity, they will hurt you. I can’t give them that opportunity.

Now Kristin joins us to share an inside look at her writing space. Welcome, Kristin.

My writing space has evolved over time, much to the relief of my back and wrists. I used to write here:

But now I write here:

I'm a sucker for all things girly, sparkly, and pretty, so when I was designing my space, I knew I wanted it to reflect who I am and what I'm about. I love inspirational quotes and sayings and since this writing thing has always been a dream of mine, I figured focusing on the "dream" aspect would be a good thing. Plus, the arrow decor is a hot item right now, and I'm a big fan! Obviously.

You can't have a writing space without a sturdy desk and a comfy chair, and I think I found the best for my budget.

And a writing desk isn't complete without a little chocolate pick-me-up for those long writing sessions.

And a writing session isn't complete without a cup of herbal tea or hot chocolate for those chilly winter days.

My Make it Happen board keeps me focused on what I need to get done that week and reminds me of my daily goals.

Oh, and can't forget about the perfectly placed copies of my book that inspire me every time I sit down to write. Hello, beauties!

Well, that's my writing space in a nutshell. Where do you like to write, or read a book?

Kristin, thanks for sharing that look at your writing space. It’s inspiring. I love the glass ball fixture hanging beside the desk (in the second and fourth photos). I’m guessing it’s some type of light.

Author Kristin Smith

Now for those who aren’t familiar with Kristin, here’s some background on her.

Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home).

Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys.

To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her website and connect with her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

This is a blitz-wide giveaway for a Clean Teen Publishing Mystery Box (Intl winner would get eBook prizes). To enter the giveaway just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient.

Thanks for stopping by today during Kristin’s visit. Remember what Kristin asked, do you have a favorite place you write or read?

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Author Kelle Z. Riley … Her ‘Baby’s’ Out of the Nest

It’s a pleasure today to welcome author Kelle Z. Riley to Thoughts in Progress to talk about her ‘baby’ going off to college. Her ‘baby’ is her debut cozy mystery, THE CUPCAKE CAPER, the first installment in her Undercover Cat Series.

New York Times Bestselling Author, Denise Swanson (Scumble River and Devereaux’s Dime store mysteries), has this to say about Kelle’s book:

          “Kelle Z. Riley’s appealing new mystery series has it all—a plot full of twists and turns, a super smart sleuth, and a smidgen of romance. Cupcake baking scientist Dr. Bree Watson has both a sense of humor and a gift for solving puzzles. This likeable heroine will lure the reader in with her intelligence and capture them with her charm.”

In addition to appealing to traditional cozy mystery readers, the book will also appeal to those who enjoy TV shows such as the “CSI” Franchise, Bones, Burn Notice, Scorpion, and The Big Bang Theory.

Science is about solving puzzles. Why should solving a murder be any different?

Dr. Bree Watson (aka Gabriella Catherine Mayfield-Watson) is comfortable solving chemistry problems. She isn’t comfortable finding her boss dead and being a suspect in his poisoning. Now she’s juggling:

●     A sexy marketing manager—who may, or may not—be a contract killer.

●     A handsome lead detective whose interest goes beyond the case.

●     The dead man’s cranky cat.

●     A goose-chasing dog in hot water with an animal rights group.

●     The search for the perfect cupcake recipe.

●     And, of course, someone who wants her out of the picture.

          And she thought getting a Ph.D. was hard.

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Kelle as she joins us to talk about her ‘baby’ leaving the nest. Welcome, Kelle.

I’m delighted to be here at “Thoughts in Progress” today.

My debut romantic mystery is going out into the big, bad world today, and I have to admit, I feel a bit like a proud mom watching her eldest going off to college. Getting ready to launch this book has been a labor of love—one that has consumed vast amounts of what I used to call “free time.” Did I give it enough love and attention while I had the chance? Will the typo that a reviewer found on page xxx mark me as an amateur? What if no one likes the cover? Will my baby be forced to sit in a dark corner of the internet with no friends? And will it get good grades from the reviewers?

As if that wasn’t enough, there’s book 2 of the series to worry about. She’s waiting in the wings. Like a high school junior getting ready to take the SAT and ACT, there’s lots of prep work to do on this baby. She needs a cover that is as fun as the one her older sister, The Cupcake Caper, has. And she needs a fun name — book 2 is fine for now, but really who wants to go out into the world known as book 2?

Then, of course, there is that toddler of a book — number 3 in the series — that, as of today, is just an opening chapter and a rough draft with promise? Like a baby needing feedings, naps and diaper changes, book 3 is going to take a lot of sleepless nights before she’s ready to go into the world.

 I’d better stop before the analogy gets too far out of hand. But I must admit when I started writing I didn’t imagine the juggling it would take to get a series of books ready. Mommy needs a celebratory glass of wine before she goes back to work. . .

All of the work aside, writing this book has been one of the most fun challenges I could have ever imagined. For starters, writing a mystery can be very cathartic. While plotting The Cupcake Caper, I spent brainstorming time thinking about all of the characteristics of the world’s most evil boss. I took bits and pieces from just about every boss I’ve ever reported to (present company excluded if you’re reading this Mr. G.) and amplified them until I came up with the character of Buckminster Davis. Since I had a few evil characteristics left over, I worked those into the killer. It felt great to slay two demons in one book!

Since I plan for more books in the series, I look at everyday annoyances (airport TSA agents, telemarketers and the slow person in line in front of me at the checkout) in a different light. Each becomes fodder for the victim and/or killer in upcoming novels. Don’t be surprised if you find the owner of a poorly run rental car agency in a future book!

Making my sleuth a chemist in the book was a big risk. I wanted to do it partly because I see so many books, movies and TV shows getting it wrong. But once I created Dr. Bree Watson, I put myself in a difficult position. I needed the science bits in the story to be “real” enough to entertain my science colleagues, but accessible enough for the rest of my readers. After a host of beta readers—both scientists and “regular” people, I think I’ve gotten the balance about right.

Here’s a fun fact. When I was writing and researching the book a chemistry colleague asked me if I thought the victim might be able to taste poison in something he or she ate or drank. Working with my baker husband—who helped me with the recipes in the book—I whipped up a series of treats for my lab mates. Some of the treats had extra table salt in them (to substitute for poison) and others did not. I’m pleased to say everyone ate all of the treats—and lived to tell the tale. Of course, when I explained what I was testing, they also declared they’d never eat anything from my kitchen again!

What’s next? Look for book 2 in the series (as yet untitled) to come out in the spring of 2017. The romance heats up when Dr. Watson finds herself in unexpectedly intimate situations with the new men in her life. And sparks fly as they each try to prove they are the best man for her. Don’t expect her to make any choices soon, though, because she’s having too much fun solving new mysteries and enjoying her adventures.

Here’s where you can get copies of The Cupcake Caper:

Click Here to Buy the E-Book 

Click Here to Buy the Print Book 

Click Here for Multiple Copy Discounts 

You can click on the following link to read a free sample chapter: http://pxrgjl.bookhip.com/ 

Kelle, thanks for joining us today and sharing this awareness into the juggling a writer must do when launching a book and working on the next installment in the series. It does sound a lot like taking care of several children of varying ages.

Here’s the book trailer for THE CUPCAKE CAPER for your viewing pleasure.

Now for those who aren’t familiar with Kelle, here’s a bit of background on her.

Author Kelle Z. Riley

Kelle Z. Riley, writer, speaker, global traveler, Ph.D. chemist and safety/martial arts expert has been featured in public forums that range from local newspapers to national television.

In addition to her works of fiction, a personal story was included in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer's and Other Dementias." Her other publications include a romantic suspense (Dangerous Affairs), multiple short stories, a self-published memoire in honor of her father, and the newly released “Cupcake Caper” (Undercover Cat Series) which features a scientist-turned-sleuth.

A former Golden Heart Finalist, Kelle resides in Chattanooga, TN. She is the past program chair and popular speaker for the Chattanooga Writer's Guild, a member of Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers’ of America and various local chapters. When not writing, she can be found pursuing passions such as being a self-defense instructor, a Master Gardener Intern and a full-time chemist with numerous professional publications and U. S. patents.

For more on Kelle and her writing, visit her website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. Here are some additional sites where you catch up with Kelle:

Kelle Z. Riley Readers Group

Books are Magic (on YouTube)

Welcome to Kelle’s World (on YouTube)

Sign up for Kelle’s Newsletter

Reading for Treasure

Thanks for dropping by today during Kelle’s visit. Isn’t that a cute cover? If you’re a writer, what does the juggling process feel like to you?

Bible Journaling Kit {+ Giveaway}

◊ Bible Journaling Kit by Ellie Claire

◊ Genre: Christian Books, Self Help, Christian Living

◊ Publisher: Ellie Claire (October 18, 2016)

◊ Language: English

◊ ISBN-10: 1633261425

◊ ISBN-13: 978-1633261426

Hashtags: #BibleJournalingKit and #FlyBy

SYNOPSIS:

 Personalize your Journal or Bible!

Create a work of art on the pages of your favorite Bible. Draw, color, or journal your thoughts, dreams, and prayers. Kit includes 8 colored pencil twists that never need sharpening, 1 archival quality journaling pen, 4 sheets of inspirational word stickers, 4 sheets of alphabet stickers, 24 tab stickers to mark special passages, and a ruled page protector mat with die cut edge for tracing lines.

Kit also includes a Philippians 4:3 Whatever Is Lovely inspired pouch that has an adjustable strap to fit most Bibles -- perfectly sized to store your pencils, pens, and tabs!

If you’ve ever wished you could mark a passage or just jot down a note about something that touched you, Ellie Claire has put the perfect items together in their BIBLE JOURNALING KIT. With the coloring and journaling craze hot right now, this is a great way to personalize one’s Bible.

It’s super easy to mark a passage or chapter in your Bible with one of the 24 colorful tab markers. They are simple to affix to a page and some even have cute sayings such as “Blessing” or “favorite.” To help inspire you there are four sheets of phrases and symbols that can be stuck on pages or used on cards and letters. The phrases include such as “Hope With All Your Heart,” “Think on These Things,” and “Capture This Moment” among others. There are also four sheets of alphabet stickers to use.

If it’s notes you want to take, the kit includes an archival quality journaling pen and eight colored pencils. The pencils don’t have to be sharpened, just twist them to advance the colored lead. The ruled page protector with die cut edges is a bonus.

The highlight of the kit is a pouch with an adjustable strap making it easy to fit on/around most Bibles. The pouch can hold all the journaling supplies and any other small items you may need like keys, license, or money.

This BIBLE JOURNALING KIT is handy and practical. It makes the perfect gift for someone who enjoys journaling and wants to have a creative way to capture thoughts in their Bible.

Bible Journaling Kit by Ellie Claire, Division of Worthy Publishing Group; @2016; ISBN: 978-1633261426

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this kit was sent to me by Propeller/FlyBy Promotions. However, receiving the complimentary kit did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

The Bible Journaling Kit can be found at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Books-A-Million, and Christian Book Distributors.

**Bonus: You have two opportunities to win a BIBLE JOURNALING KIT.

As part of this promotion, Worthy Inspired and Ellie Claire are hosting their own giveaway where you can win one of five (5) kits being given away. To enter that giveaway, click HERE. While there you can also download several free inspiring coloring pages.

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Propeller/FlyBy Promotions, I also have one Bible Journaling Kit by Ellie Claire to giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Monday, Nov. 28.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Giveaway.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends to make sure the notification email doesn’t end up there. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decided for whatever reason you don’t want to win (which is fine), once again PLEASE let me know.

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller/FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Thanks for stopping by today. Do you find yourself journaling more these days? Are you one that likes to doodle while they’re listening to something?

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Injustice of the Sioux Nation ...Research, Research, Research

I’m excited today to welcome a new-to-me author, Andrew Joyce, who has written a fascinating new book featuring a topic I feel very strongly about – the injustice to Native Americans.

Andrew’s recent release, YELLOW HAIR, contains numerous true events so he’s here today to talk about his research for this book. Join me in giving a warm welcome to Andrew as he takes us on his research journey. Welcome, Andrew.

My name is Andrew Joyce and I write books for a living. I would like to thank Mason for allowing me to be here today to promote my latest, Yellow Hair, which documents the injustices done to the Sioux Nation from their first treaty with the United States in 1805 through Wounded Knee in 1890. Every death, murder, battle, and outrage I write about actually took place. The historical figures that play a role in my fact-based tale of fiction were real people and I use their real names. Yellow Hair is an epic tale of adventure, family, love, and hate that spans most of the 19^th century.

Through no fault of his own, a young man is thrust into a new culture just at the time that culture is undergoing massive changes. It is losing its identity, its lands, and its dignity. He not only adapts, he perseveres and, over time, becomes a leader—and on occasion, the hand of vengeance against those who would destroy his adopted people.

Now that the commercial is out of the way, we can get down to what I really came here to talk about: the research that goes into writing a historical novel or an action/adventure novel that uses a historical event as a backdrop.

I want to say that I learned the hard way how important proper research is. But it wasn’t really that hard of a lesson. In my first book, which takes place in the last half of the 19^th century, I made two mistakes. I had the date of an event off by one year and I had my hero loading the wrong caliber cartridge into his Winchester rifle. I would have gone blissfully throughout life not knowing how I had erred if not for my astute fans. Both mistakes were quickly pointed out to me in reviews of the book. One guy said he would have given me five stars if not for the wrong caliber bullet mistake. I had to settle for only four stars. Lesson learned!

Before I get into telling you about the year-long research I did for Yellow Hair, I’d like to tell you how I researched my second and third books and describe what that research entailed.

My second book was a western and the protagonist was a woman. The research took about three months. I had to know everything from women’s undergarments of the late 19^th century to prison conditions for women in those days. (I sent my heroine to jail.) That kind of research was easy. Thank God for the internet. But then I had to do some real research. Molly (my protagonist) built up her cattle ranch to one of the largest in Montana, but she and her neighbors had nowhere to sell their beef. So Molly decided to drive her and her neighbors’ cattle to Abilene where she could get a good price. She put together the second largest herd on record (12,000 head) and took off for Abilene.

That’s when I had to really go to work. I wanted my readers to taste the dust on the trail. I wanted them to feel the cold water at a river crossing. I wanted them to know about the dangers of the trail, from rustlers to Indians to cattle stampedes.

This is how I learned about all those things and more. First of all, I found old movies that were authentic in nature. I watched them to get a feel for the trail. Then I read books by great authors who had written about cattle drives to soak up even more of the atmosphere of a cattle drive. That was all well and good, but it still did not put me in the long days of breathing dust and being always fearful of a stampede.

That’s when I went looking for diaries written by real cowboys while they were on the trail. After that, I found obscure self-published books written by those cowboys. Then it was onto newspaper articles written at the time about large cattle drives. That’s how I had Molly herd the second largest cattle drive. I discovered that the largest was 15,000 head, driven from Texas to California in 1882.

My next book took place in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Here new elements were added such as wolves and the extreme weather as adversaries. Dogsledding was also involved. I have seen snow only three times in my life and I have never dogsledded. I knew even less about wolves. I had to learn about those things. I had no idea what it was like to travel across a wilderness on a dog sled at seventy degrees below zero. I also had to acquire knowledge about the dogs themselves, especially the lead dog. I learned about all that by doing the same things I did for my second book. The old diaries were the most helpful. As to the gold rush, there was plenty of material in the form of self-published books by some of the participants. Some were never even published, but I found copies of the manuscripts in the archives of universities and historical societies. Again, newspaper stories printed at the time were very useful. Concerning wolves . . . I read everything I could get my hands on about wolves—their habits, the pack hierarchy, the alpha male, and the different jobs or tasks the males and females have while hunting.

Now we come to Yellow Hair. As I mentioned above, the book is about the Sioux Nation from 1805 to 1890. I had to know both points of view, the white man’s and the Sioux’s. Getting to know the whites’ take on things was easy. There are many, many books (non-fiction) that were written at the time. I even found a book written by Custer detailing his strategy for wiping out the Sioux entirely. That was hard reading. And, again, there were universities and historical societies whose archives were a great help.

As to the Sioux’s point of view, there are a few books that were dictated to newspapermen years later by the Indians that took part in the various battles that I weave into my story. I found a lot of material from Native American participants of the Little Big Horn, written twenty to thirty years after the fact.

But I wanted to immerse myself in the Sioux culture and I wanted to give them dignity by using their language wherever possible. I also wanted to introduce them by their Sioux names. So, I had to learn the Lakota language. And that wasn’t easy. There is a consortium that will teach you, but they wanted only serious students. You have to know a smattering of the language before they will even deign to let you in. I had to take a test to prove that I knew some Lakota. I failed the first time and had to go back to my Lakota dictionary and do some more studying. I got in on my second try.

I’m running out of space, so I reckon I’ll wrap it up. I hope I’ve given you a little insight into the research process. It’s time-consuming and sometimes frustrating. But it is also a blast. Every new discovery is like finding the motherlode.

The three books I alluded to above are:

·        Redemption: The Further Adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer

·        Molly Lee

·        Resolution: Huck Finn’s Greatest Adventure      

I would like to thank Mason once again for having me over and you good folks for tuning in - Andrew Joyce.

Andrew, thank you for visiting with us today and sharing this wonderful insight into your research journey. As a reader, I can say research like this means a great deal when diving into a book. It really does make us (the reader) feel like we’re a part of the action.

YELLOW HAIR is available at the following sites: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Smashwords.

Now for those who aren’t familiar with Andrew, here’s a bit of background on him.

Author Andrew Joyce

Andrew Joyce left high school at seventeen to hitchhike throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. He wouldn’t return from his journey until decades later when he decided to become a writer.

Andrew has written five books, including a two-volume collection of one hundred and fifty short stories comprised of his hitching adventures called BEDTIME STORIES FOR GROWN-UPS (as yet unpublished), and his latest novel, YELLOW HAIR. He is the recipient of the 2013 Editor’s Choice Award for Best Western for his novel, REDEMPTION: THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HUCK FINN AND TOM SAWYER.

Andrew now lives aboard a boat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his dog, Danny, where he is busy working on his next book, tentatively entitled, MICK REILLY.

For more on Andrew and his writing, visit his website at www.andrewjoyce.com and connect with him on Facebook.

Thanks for dropping by today during Andrew’s visit. Do you enjoy books that are stepped in research such as this? Are you a fan of research? Do you enjoy doing research yourself?