Halloween, All Hallows Eve, Samhain

Welcome to the Still Moments Halloween Blog Hop.

You may call October 31st Halloween, but others call it Samhain. (sow-en)

Samhain is one of the "high holy days" for Pagans and Wiccans. It is a day to celebrate the Harvest and to honor ancestors. It is a day when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is at its thinnest. It is also the Witches New Year.

The Catholic Church, in its push to defeat the "Pagans" and bring Christianity to the world decided in the 8th century (C.E.) to make November 1st All Saints Day. A day to celebrate the dead Saints and to eradicate the Pagan celebration which was already being celebrated on that day. It was originally named All Hallows, to show it was to honor the holy ones who were gone. They hoped to replace the Pagan celebration with a celebration the church sanctioned. (They did this with many Pagan holidays: Christmas was to replace the Yule celebration, Easter in exchange for Beltane.) This was a practice the Church had learned from Rome. Whenever the Empire conquered a new land, they adopted the Gods of that country into their pantheon.

Christianity was successful at establishing roots and becoming the religion of the masses, but it was never successful at eradicating Samhain. People still carved out frightening faces on gourds to frighten away evil spirits, they still wore masks to keep the spirits from recognizing them.

Nowadays, we dress our children in costumes, cute or frightening, depending on the age and taste of the child, and take them door-to-door for our friends and neighbors to fill a pillowcase with candy. It is the children's harvest.

Enjoy the fruits of autumn, but beware passing grave yards on All Hallows. Remember, it is the night the spirits walk around, looking for their loved ones.

There is a Barnes & Noble gift certificate waiting for a lucky person. Be sure to leave your comments along with your email address in the comment box.

http://www.stillmomentspublishing.com/2012/10/halloween-blog-hop.html

Plus! Still Moments is holding a contest for all blog hoppers. (Details are listed below) 

Please be sure to visit all the participating blogs, to increase your chance to win. Each blog is unique. Some have fun flash fiction, personal stories, one of the blogs even has Halloween music. 

October 22, 2012 
Terri Rochenski -http://www.terrirochenski.blogspot.com/ 
Jennifer Eaton - http://www.jennifermeaton.com/ 
Ceri Hebert - http://cerihebert.wordpress.com/ 

October 23, 2012 
Liv Rancourt - http://www.livrancourt.com 
Denise Moncrief - http://denisemoncrief.blogspot.com/ 
Dani-Lyn Alexander -http://www.danilynalexander.com/blog.html 

October 24, 2012 
Mackenzie Crowne - http://mackenziecrowne.com/ 
Maggie Devine - http://maggiedevine.blogspot.com/ 
Liberty Blake - http://libertysspells.blogspot.com/ 

October 25, 2012 
Darlene Henderson - http://dandwh.wordpress.com/ 
Em Epe - http://www.emeperomances.blogspot.com/ 
Clara Waibel - http://www.pomadness.blogspot.com/

Still Moments is giving away three grand prizes.  Just leave a comment below and you'll be entered into a drawing for a beautiful handmade piece of jewelry and one of the books published by Still Moments.  Three lucky winners will be selected from ALL the comments left on ALL the blogs in the hop. Please be sure to leave your email address in your comment below, so we will know how to contact you if you win!

Housekeeping

As anyone in my family will tell you, housekeeping is not my thing. I heartily subscribe to everything else comes first. I hate cleaning!

I have a friend who told me that when she gets stuck in her writing she does the dishes. It gives her time to work out tangled plots. When I do the dishes I don't work out plot tangles or character glitches. I don't see my character's face in a mound of soap bubbles or dried on marinara sauce. All I see is dirty dishes and how gross it is to stick your hands in with all the old food particles, germs, and bacteria. I worry about how all the   anti-bacterial detergents are leading to super bacteria. If I see anything in those darn bubbles it is a giant bacteria cell flying around in a red cape. Unfortunately, the bacteria cell does not have the face of Henry Cavill.

Are you wondering what washing dishes has to do with writing? 

Writing is a job. Even if you have a contract with a major publisher, you are still a self-employed person. The only incentive you have to finish your project is the hope of receiving a paycheck when you are done. If you are under contract and your editor likes what you have done, you will receive that paycheck. However, if you are trolling the Writer's Marketplace looking for a friendly home for your baby, you are not guaranteed a check. You must search out a home for it and hope it will be adopted by a kindly editor that will give you an advance. If you end up with a smaller company, there may not be any advance in the near future, you will have to hope for good royalties.

Money is a pleasant bonus, but it should not be your primary motivator. Unless you had oral sex with a sitting President, the chances are your advance, or even your royalties, won't be enough to buy a car or put a down payment on a house. You must write for the same reasons you pick up those nasty dishes and scrub them clean. It needs to be done. 

You write because there is a story inside you that is fighting to come out. There will be days when it is fighting with you and not coming out, but if those voices decide to take a vacation, you must find a way to work around them until they return.

Writing is a job. A job you have to work at. Even if the weather is so nice you want to spend everyday at the beach, or the snow is powder fine and you want to swoop down the slopes. Any job you work at will expect you to maintain a schedule. If you take a leave of absence or go on sabbatical, you must realize that things change while you are gone, your skills get rusty, others may have taken your place.

Don't treat your writing like a hobby, something you can pick up and put down for months at a time. Treat it like a sink full of dirty dishes. If you want nourishment, you must get your hands dirty. 

Your writing should nourish your soul as much as the food on your plate nourishes your body. It is the fuel that will keep you going through rejections and advances.

Carolyn Sullivan has written a daily horoscope just for writers. The horoscope can guide you through the rocky shoals and help you keep your Muse attentive. She has given me permission to post the horoscope for the next three days. The following is from Wisdom for Writers: Autumn 2012.

Monday, October 22:

This evening the sun enters Scorpio.

If your hero and heroine have been in conflict, no matter what genre you write, now is the time to write their love scene. You all need the relief.

Tuesday, October 23:

Others are going to oppose your plans. This is your story, tell it your way. Friends and critique partners mean well, but they don’t have the whole picture. They have only seen the parts of your story you have shared with them. You are the master of the universe (your story), and only you can decide what fits and what doesn’t.

Wednesday, October 24:

Business conflicts are brewing around you. It could be something as simple as a critique partner who doesn’t like your story or as complicated as your editor or agent not liking your story. Not all is lost however. You are about to undergo a rapid series of changes. These changes may have you feeling as if you’re wallowing round in muck. You must regain control and keep it.

Available at:

NOOK:  http://bit.ly/VIslaX

Kindle:  http://amzn.to/Vt7BYu

Kobo:  http://bit.ly/Vt85O5

Sony:  http://bit.ly/XIs2Oy

Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/RU4bq1

Carolyn also has a daily horoscope for everyone. It is a unique horoscope that is based on plants, not planets.

Available at:

Nook:  http://bit.ly/RdpDYd

Kindle:  http://amzn.to/Rg7qKs

Sony:  http://bit.ly/Rg74Ua

Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/Sfaie6

Penny Watson

Today I am pleased to welcome Penny Watson to the Spell Room. Penny, in your honor we are having our beverages in mustache cups. I know how you love hairy men. 

Penny Watson is an author of quirky fiction, reviewer of romance novels, and lover of dachshunds, plants, and beards. (Not necessarily in that order).

She lives outside of Boston with one fly-fishing crazed husband, two lively Filipino kids, and a wiener dog.

1. You wear many different hats, which one is your favorite?

I do wear a lot of different hats. Visors. Babushkas. A winter hat that makes me look like Adrian from the original Rocky movie. And of course my gorgeous tiara.

As far as my professional hats, I love them all! Writing my stories is a kick, reviewing novels is fun, and I love chatting about promotion and social media to writers’ groups. It’s all good!

2. A little Bulldog told me you like hairy men. How long have you had this obsession and how did it start?

I blame my hairy men obsession on Pa Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie (the book, not the TV show). Remember him? He had a big, bushy beard. In fact, the first time I watched the television show with Michael Landon, I yelled “Oh no! Why doesn’t Pa have a beard?” Hee hee. That seriously peeved me off.

3. Does Marcus Anderson, your Lumberjack In Love, wear boxers or briefs?

He wears boxer briefs. There’s a fun scene in the book where Ami discovers this fine fact. :^)

4. What do you find sexy about flannel shirts?

Flannel is soft, warm, cuddly and snuggly. Just like a big hairy, muscular teddy bear of a lumberjack.

Lumberjack + Flannel Shirt = Heaven On Earth!

(If the flannel shirt is plaid, then it’s even better)

5. We make a lot of concoctions in the Spell Room and you are notorious for creating special libations. Did you bring a special little drinky poo for moi? 

In honor of my LUMBERJACK IN LOVE book, here’s a recipe for JACK ME OFF (a cocktail). Hee hee!

JACK ME OFF

1 and ½ oz. Applejack brandy

½ oz. Midori melon liqueur

3 oz.7-Up or Sprite

Put brandy, melon liqueur and ice into a shaker and shake it up good, baby! Then strain into a glass and add the soda. You could serve it with small twigs as stirrers if you’d like. Enjoy!

Thanks so much, Liberty, for the fun interview!

Penny

Thank you for visiting the Spell Room, Penny. It's been fun.

Penny is graciously giving away a copy of her new book Lumberjack In Love. A wonderful book which will lift your spirits on a gray day and make you laugh. Just tell us who has the best beard you have ever seen. The contest is open until October 15th. 

http://amzn.to/SLsElz

http://amzn.to/PWuiwa

http://amzn.to/Rw2Ff9

http://www.pennywatsonbooks.com/newbooks.htm

Penny's 2 main links…

www.pennywatsonbooks.com

www.pennyromance.com

Mabon

Last Night was Mabon, the celebration of the Autumnal Equinox. From now on there is going to be more starlight than sunlight.

How do you intend to spend your dark hours? Reading? Television? Dancing? Sleeping?

The next big celebration is Samhain, Halloween, the night when the veil between the world of the living and realm of the spirits is at its thinnest. What are your plans?

Come see the spirits at play in my new story Spirit Board, due for release on NOOK, Kindle, and Smashwords on October 11th.

More details soon!

Meet Darlene

I'm scrambling to make a deadline and my dear friend Darlene Henderson has stepped forward with a blog for me. The sweet tea is ready and because the kids went apple picking today I have warm apple turnovers to go with it. Enjoy the refreshments and meet Darlene. 

Dog Day Afternoons

Since I've been writing, I think the question I've been asked the most is where do I get my ideas.  Rather than saying, the voices in my head of course, I tell them the ideas come from everywhere.  My story Always a Bride started with a billboard for a bridal fair.  My next story, Dog Day Afternoons wasn't quite so easy in coming to mind.  I'd long thought about writing a story about a heroine who meets her teen idol and they fall in love.  My publisher sent out a call for stories with dogs.  How oh how was I going to work a dog into the story I had.  My friend Jillian Chantal suggested an errant dog bringing them together.  One thing led to another and my story was born.  It was a fabulous story to write.  I was so in love with my hero it was like dating someone new.  Well that story was over and I was needing something new to write and had a few things started but not the right thing.  (See me really saying "I have ADD and am easily distracted and like new and shiny and don't finish things).  And the people from Dog Days kept hanging out in my head.  So where next?  Off to Scotland for the wedding.  So now I have a whole new former Scottish rock star to crush on while I write.  So where do I get my ideas?  From billboards, from friends, from the last story, from everywhere.  

http://amzn.to/TQV2E6

http://amzn.to/RNXr1R

~*~

Since I began serving refreshments, I've had several requests for the recipes. Here is the recipe I use for Apple Turnovers. I use Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Dough. (My pastry dough leaves a lot to be desired, like edibility for one thing.) However, if you are a good pastry baker, you may want to substitute your own dough.

Apple Turnovers


2 C peeled, finely-chopped apples
1/3 C natural sugar
2 TBSP flour (coconut flour if you have it)
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
Dash nutmeg 
Two cans refrigerated Pillsbury crescent rolls (They work much better than the store brand.)

Glaze:
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 to 3 tsp water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together first 5 ingredients; make sure apples are well-coated. Separate dough into 16 triangles. Spoon about 1 rounded TBSP of apple mixture into the center of each. Fold 3 corners of dough over the filling, and pinch together. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. Remove from pans to cool. Combine glaze ingredients and mix till smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls. 

If you don't want to glaze them, just shake some powdered sugar over the top or a cinnamon & sugar mix.

Observance of 9-11

Today was the eleventh anniversary of 9-11 and NBC aired an interview with a "reality star" rather than observing a moment of silence. A "reality star" that I've only heard of from reading the headlines on tabloids while standing in line at the grocery store. (My bad, because the only reality shows I watch are The Amazing Race, So You Think You Can Dance, and Project Runway, and I don't consider them "reality" shows.)

What is more real than the sights we were horrified to observe on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and whatever CBS called their morning show eleven years ago today?

Shame on NBC.

Traditional versus Indie Publishing by Heather Peters

The tea is brewing and a fresh batch of blueberry muffins just came out of the oven. My good friend Heather Peters has just stepped into the Spell Room and wants to dish about her adventures in Indie Publishing. Pull a chair up to the table and have a cup while Heather shares. (The butter will melt right into the muffin.)

Traditional versus Indie Publishing

Heather Peters

I've been writing for nearly twenty years, as have most of you out there.  I began creating on my Commodore 64 (remember those dinosaurs?) in the late 80's, after devouring mostly historical romances.  After I began reading contemporary Harlequins, Silhouettes, etc., I knew I wanted to write my own love story with a HEA.

It took me nearly two years to finish my 60 thousand word contemporary novel. Now it was off to submit it to traditional publishers, mainly Harlequin. Of course, I was rejected, repeatedly. I became so discouraged that after a few years, I gave up and put my book on the shelf to gather dust, got myself a day job, and that was that.

Forward to 2006.  E-book publishing became so prevalent I couldn’t ignore the fact that my dust filled type written 210 page novel was languishing on my book shelf. I decided to clean it up and submit it as an e-book to a very reputable e-publisher. Success! They accepted it, and in 2010, Secret Dreams I signed a 7-year contract (a very bad decision on my part) and ignored my naiveté.  Hey, let's face it, I was assigned my own editor, received an awesome cover, and given a $100 advance. Happy did not describe my emotions at the time. I mistakenly thought that I was on my way to some big bucks.

Ah, no, not really.  To make a very long story short, my delusions of grandeur became reality shortly after. In nearly two years since the release of SD, I've never made back the $100 advance from this particular e-book pub, and although I have five other e-books out there, I've never been able to clear more than several dollars royalties on any of them.  After a few years and maybe enough royalties to buy myself a couple of 'treats', I've grown weary and very disillusioned by the traditional e-pubbing world. I haven't submitted to an e-publisher since 2010.

Forward again to June, 2012.  With rumors looming that the e-pub I submitted SD to was suffering from negative financial problems, I decided to write indie for the first time, and completed a two novella sports romance anthology, the first in a trilogy.

I had nothing to lose. So with the help of my critique partner and other friends, I learned how to download my book onto Amazon and Createspace, hired a cover artist, an editor and voila, I became an independent author!

I loved the fact that Amazon provided a bigger percentage of units sold and also, five free downloads within a 90-day span. My first free weekend, I received 3100 downloads and the week after that, I sold 82 books. I'm very proud of those numbers, and I am aiming to go even higher with each book I independently publish.

I've averaged sales of two books a day since June 30^th. No, not a flood of sales, but I have to tell authors out there:  every second since I published Playing for Keeps/Body Check has been fun, enjoyable and totally, entirely worth it.  The cost of editing and a cover artist was under $200, and I've nearly made that back in 8 weeks.

I no longer have to surrender my work to anyone but myself.  I don’t have to worry if the traditional e-pub is going to survive or thrive. I was never happy with the editing of Secret Dreams, because I believe my editor and I had completely different ideas about my characters, but I went along with it, which I regret to this day.

To date, I've sold 130 indie books in exactly 2 months, compared to selling under 100 books in two years among three different traditional e-book publishers (with virtually pennies in royalties).

Suffice to say, I'm having fun, and don’t have to worry about failing traditional e-pubs.  I love to  promote/cross promote/share my books with other wonderful authors out there, receive invaluable advice from friends on how to make indie pubbing a success, and  have joined wonderful groups/blogs where the members help get their books out there to the masses.

Indie publishing IS the future, and I'd like to add a post script regarding the traditional pub that published Secret Dreams, Surrender and Best  Laid Plans:  I have requested my rights back with multiple,  requests, to no avail.  Now, my work will be held hostage while I wait another five years to retain my rights.  Deciding to self publish has been the best decision I've ever made.    

            If anyone would like to contact me, and talk about indie publishing, I'd love to share thoughts.

Heatherpetersauthor@yahoo.com

My website:  www.heatherpetersauthor.vpweb.com

Facebook:  Heather Peters

Blog:  www.bodaciousbabesbookbuds.blogspot.com

Hi! It's Liberty, again. Heather was too shy to mention but Book 2 in her Sports Series is due to be released this fall. Here is a sneak preview of her new cover designed by  http://stanzalonedesign.weebly.com/book-covers.html
be sure to keep an eye out for it.