I’m So Excited

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Amanda Jayde


No I don’t have a new book coming out – but I should be done with book 3 (again) by the end of June with a look towards submitting (again) in July.

I’m really enjoying my Dragon speech to text although it sometimes gets confused which makes for HILARIOUS editing sessions where I have to correct things that are so soooo wrong.

Next up is a new series and some old stuff that I will rework and independently publish and put out either free or for $.99.  I hope to have all that either done or close to it by the end of the year. Soooooooooo ….

What I am excited about is something I’ve been wanting to do for YEARS.  I am getting my DNA checked by Ancestry.com to see what I am made up of.  LOL

A good friend of mine (Hi Izzy) has done this just recently and was amazed by what the results show.  Me, being of Puerto Rican descent, I always knew that I was probably a mixture of African, Spanish and Indian.  But I would be interested to see if that’s all there was LOL.

I’ve ordered my kit today so hopefully by the end of next week I will have it and send it back.  I will definitely keep everyone updated as too what my make up is.  LOL.

Until Next Time,

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Checking In

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Amanda Jayde

I suppose I do these posts all the time, I disappear for a bit then come back so you know I’m not in a ditch somewhere.

I wish I could say I’ve been writing, but the truth is well I’ve been suffering from a severe case of my-story-suckseeitis …. at least I think it does.  I am not unused to this particular malady, it usually hits me around mid-book where I start doubting where it’s going or if it’s boring etc. etc. I think with this book it has hit a bit harder because this is my second go round with this story.  I mean I’ve written it and I liked it, but the publisher thought there was too much going on so I had to restructure and rewrite.  Now I am doubting everything.

It didn’t help that my work situation has recently changed and I can’t say that I’m happy about it, but I have a job and I won’t complain about that – but of course that factors in to things as well.

However, I think there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.  I’m trying new things to get the muse off her ass and back into my head to pick this up and turn it out.  You see, I’ve taken what I’ve already written and added to it – so it’s not a complete revamp, but a little addition some moving around and of course a bit of rewriting.  I think once I’m done with the additional chapters the rest should be pretty easy (Famous last words).

Part of my jumpstart includes writing longhand – it’s something I used to do a while ago and I like it because it forces me not to concentrate on page or word count and just focus on getting the words down.  Of course the downside to writing longhand is having then to type it all in again.  For the most part I didn’t mind it, I would self edit as I went, but oftentimes I found it tedious because I was wasting time on stuff I’ve already written when I could be using the time to write new stuff.

I thought about using a recorder and dictating the story to myself, you know one of those little handheld digital recorders, but (and here comes a weird confession) – these are the same recorders used on those ghost hunting shows and I convinced myself that I would hear ghostly voices on the recording … yup I love horror movies soooo much I convinced myself I might be living in one and the last thing I want is confirmation by hearing anything other than my own voice back.  I suppose this is where I am supposed to admit that my house was built in 2006 and there has only been 1 other tenant in the house besides myself and I have never had a supernatural experience in my house – yet I am convinced I might so why try it.  I’ll now wait while you finish either laughing or feeling badly for the nutcase I am.

Done?  Good.

So that still leaves me with the whole transcribing thing again, but then I remembered a commercial I had seen which usually plays non-stop around Christmas selling a program for your computer that types what you dictate.  A friend and fellow author has this program and she loves it (Hi Wendy!!).  So I thought about giving it a try, of course it sells for $75 and I thought it was a bit pricy so I went to eBay LOL.  I found  it for a price that I could afford and so now I am the proud owner of Dragon Naturally Speaking  nuance-dragon-naturallyspeaking-12-basicsdictation software.  I’m hoping it will make the transition easier – of course it has to be formatted first and that consists of sitting in front of your computer and speaking into the headset.  I’ve been told the more you use it the better it is.

So now I think I have all the tools I need to push ahead.  I promise to keep going!

Until Next Time,
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New (Old) Story

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Amanda Jayde

Well it’s been a while and if you’ve gone to the main page of the site you might have noticed a new cover there.

I’m not sure why I hadn’t posted it before, the book came out in 2012 (apparently) and the story itself was written YEARS before that.  I think it’s maybe because I wasn’t told the book was happening, I had given up hope that it would ever see the light of day.  This story was written as part of a contest, and the “winners”, 12 in all, were told that there was a possibility we would be in a book.

This was the story that started me on my journey to becoming a published author.  So I was just excited to have been picked.  But, as the years passed I gave up ever seeing this particular story in public so imagine my surprise when I found this book by accident.  I was happy to finally see it, but also a bit upset that no one felt the need to contact me to tell me it was coming out, I mean I would have promo’d it at cons and here on the site.  Ah well, I’m promoting it now.

The premise of this particular collection is a day in the life of a Bordella that caters to women.  The collection is broken up into 2 books spanning 12 hours each.  I am in book 1.

There was a second story written for the series that featured ex-military men.  I didn’t sign that story away, and in my humble opinion this second one is even better than this one, maybe I will release it on my own sometime in the future.

Well that’s all for now.  I am still working on my rewrite of book 3 I hope to have it done and resubmitted really soon.

Until Next Time,
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Cover Reveal – Dawning of Light by Tami Lund

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Amanda Jayde

Please welcome Author Tami Lund to my blog – Tami’s got a brand new book coming out that is sure to please all paranormal romance readers.  Check it out!

BOOK AND AUTHOR INFO:

Dawning of Light by Tami Lund
(Lightbearer Book 2)
Publication date: December 15th, 2014
Genres: Paranormal Romance

DAWNING OF LIGHT BLURB:

Finnegan Hennigan meets his match in spunky Cecilia Druthers, a woman he can barely Dawning of Light Coverstand. Cecelia’s opinion of Finn? He’s an oaf and a killjoy. But, opposites can’t resist each other in Dawning of Light by Tami Lund. You’ll love Book 2 of Tami’s hot fantasy series, Lightbearer, a saga about lightbearers and the shifters who hate to love them.

The Lightbearers are a group of magical beings who have lived for five hundred years hidden away in their warded and protected coterie. Now that the princess of the Lightbearers is mated to a shifter, their peaceful lives have been turned upside down.

In this second installment of the Lightbearer Series, shifter Finnegan Hennigan is doing his damnedest to keep lightbearer Cecilia Druthers out of trouble. His job is made all the more difficult by the fact that Cecilia doesn’t want to stay out of trouble.

Despite their mutual annoyance, sparks ignite between this odd couple. As it becomes increasingly more apparent that someone is out to get Cecilia, the flares of attraction become impossible to resist, and soon, Cecilia and Finn tumble into, well, a closet together. And then the bed. And if Finn wants to keep her there, he’s going to need to keep her alive.

Which means figuring out who the hell keeps trying to kill her.

Content Notes: Hot, Non-sexual Violence, Fantasy, Fairies, Paranormal, Shifters, Suspense

GOODREADS:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5169798.Tami_Lund

AUTHOR BIO

Tami LundTami Lund likes to live, love, and laugh, and does her best to ensure the characters in her books do the same. After they’ve overcome a few seemingly insurmountable obstacles first, of course.

Tami is multi-published, both self and with a few publishers, including Crimson Romance, Liquid Silver Books, and Soul Mates Publishing. Chances are, there is a new book coming out soon. Be sure to stalk her on social media, so you know when.

And most important, if you enjoyed one of Tami’s books, please let other readers know by leaving a review on the site from which you bought it, or on Goodreads. Otherwise, how will they know which book to read next?

AUTHOR LINKS:

W: http://tamilund.com/
T: https://twitter.com/@TamiLundAuthor
F: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTamiLund
G: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=&query=tami+lund

GIVEAWAY:

The author is hosting a giveaway for some eBooks of Into the Light (Lightbearer Book 1) and an Amazon gift card to celebrate the reveal.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tami Lund is hosting a book release party on Facebook with author takeovers, contests and prizes, and swag, and would love for you to come!

Join the party!! https://www.facebook.com/events/317271781806501

PRE-ORDER RELEASE SPECIAL:

Pre-order Dawning of Light and email Tami the receipt to be entered to win!
Pre-Order Here: http://amzn.to/1rlBxRc

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Frankenstein!

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Amanda Jayde

I know I still owe a LootCrate post and a post (or two) about my trip home to NYC – but I’ve been writing and that’s why I haven’t had the time to do it, but I will ….

However, now that Halloween is upon us, I thought I’d give a review of a play I saw last night.  Now, let me preface this by saying said play is like three years old and was filmed in London and shown (FINALLY) in a theater by me.  I don’t regret moving to Florida, I really don’t, but what I DO miss about NY (besides the friends I left behind) is theater – I LOVE live theater and I could always find someone to go with to see anything.  So I was distressed several months ago when it was announced that Tom Hiddleston’s version of Coriolanus was going to be put in movie theaters in the USA but not in any theater by me – I began saying I moved to the armpit of culture.

In searching for theaters for Coriolanus, I found out that Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller performed Frankenstein to rave reviews and that also was shown in theaters (again nowhere near me).  I sighed, closed the webpage and assuaged my depression by watching Sherlock and Thor (one and two and Avengers LOL).  So imagine my surprise when last week one of my best friends said she saw Frankenstein – in HAWAII … I asked if it was good and she said yes and again I railed at the fact that I lived in the armpit of culture.

On a lark I decided to check the National Theater Live’s website and punched in my zipcode.  Well, Surprise, Surprise up popped TWO airings of Frankenstein in my neck of the woods!  (one airing is Cumberbatch as the monster and Miller as the doctor and the second airing has them reversed).  To say I was excited was an understatement.

So off I went (alone) to the movie theater to watch this movie/play.  It was interesting to see how they put it together – it was filmed before a live audience, we got to view backstage photos and video of their rehersals prior to the show starting.  The story is an original one based loosely on Mary Shelly’s original version.  It opens with the creature being born – literally as he escapes from a huge “womb” on stage, for about 15 to 20 minutes the audience in the theater both onscreen and in the movie house was silent as we watched him learn to control his body and eventually stand and bask in the glory around him.

The play dealt with several issues, from the God-complex of the creator, to beauty issues, acceptance of differences and even love and its many different facets.  When it was over I sat there just taking it all in, it was an amazing production and I can only imagine what it must have been like to see it live.  I have decided that I will probably go to see the second airing with the roles reversed because I would like to see what Jonny Lee Miller does with his version of the creature.

So maybe now I can say I don’t live in the armpit anymore, maybe just the crook of the elbow …. I won’t be satisfied until I can see Coriolanus on the big screen :).  I can’t recommend this play enough, if you have the chance to see it, go!

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

Until Next Time!
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October Ipsy Glam Bag – Beauty Candy

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Amanda Jayde

Hello All,

Before I begin I just want to say that I am literally two days back from my mini-vacation to NYC – and I will be posting about that soon (I still need to unpack LOL and download my pictures).  However, upon coming back, I found this month’s Ipsy bag in my mailbox WOOHOO!

So for October I thought maybe Ipsy would send out Holloween type makeup but I was wrong.  The bag is a really nice greenish – teal type quilted bag and I received 5 items in it this month.

So here is the bag: It is about 7 inches long by 4.75 inches high and it zips agross the front instead of the top.
Bag

Now I know you all want to know what I got ….
Loot

From Left to Right:

Purifying Exfolient from Épicé International
A unique exfoliant which removes excess dirt and dead skin cells all while activating collagen production and hydrating your skin. This moisture rich formula utilizes mild, non-irritating and anti-bacterial cleansers with micro-fine polyspheres which enhances skin texture and clarity for a clean, fresh appearance. The Épicé Purifying Exfoliant is also great to use on the entire body and after just a few uses, you will begin to see improvement in the look and feel of your skin.

Mango Mandarin Nourishing & Soothing Hand Cream from Figs & ROUGE
Smells DIVINE.  Like the feel of it, will see how well it holds up.

Figs & Rouge Shea Butter Enriched Limited Edition Hand Creams are deliciously fragrant & indulgent. These delectable creams soften, nourish & thoroughly pamper hands throughout the day, quickly absorbing to provide super-soft skin. Apply Figs & Rouge Hand Cream onto your hands and massage into skin throughout the day as needed.

Shimmer Eye Shadow in Reluctance by Mica Beauty Cosmetics
This is like a Army Green color, not sure how I feel about it but I will try it.

MicaBeauty® Mineral Eye Shadows’ glamorous shimmers will give you the look you always wanted. MicaBeauty® Mineral Makeup is extremely gentle, free of preservatives, chemicals, dyes, talc, oils, and other fillers. With this unique formula, your Eye Shadows will look ultra-smooth and stay put for hours without creasing or pulling the delicate eye area.

Guilty Pleasure Lip Gloss by Starlooks.
It’s a very pretty Dusty Rose Color.  A little thick when I tried to swatch it, but hopefully it’s a long lasting gloss.  I like that it’s a light color, a nice change from the deep red gloss I received last month.

Starlooks Lip Glosses are created with a truly moisturizing, luxury, non-sticky formula. This neutral-rose, yet glamorous shade provides the perfect glisten for any lip look and complements any skin tone! Can be worn alone or in combination with other Starlooks lip products for a truly customizable finish.

H2Glo Highlighter in Champagne by Doll 10
I thought it was a powder, but it’s a cream.  Nice lightness to it.  I’m not someone who usually does a lot of contouring, but I’m willing to play around with it.

Doll 10’s H2Glo Highlighter features a lightweight cream formula that glides on easily and blends beautifully to help you achieve a truly dewy complexion. Add a dose to your cheeks, brows, décolleté, or wherever impulse strikes, for a healthy hint of highlighting sheen.

Fortified with skin-boosting ingredients, and natural pearl essence, this unique, non-drying formula imparts a natural-looking luster that won’t settle into fine lines and wrinkles.

Well that’s all for this month’s bag.  A nice haul once again.

Until Next Time,
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Blog Challenge

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Amanda Jayde

Hello allllll!

I know I’ve been gone a long while but I’ve been a busy bee plus I was sick (nothing serious) but I’m better now – well betterish.

Sooooo today I am here because I’ve been tagged to do a blog hop thingy 🙂 I am also linking to a couple of others who are doing it as well :).  I hope you enjoy!

1) What are you working on?

Well currently I am working on rewriting the 3rd book in my Dark Wolf Series.  After some feedbsck from my publisher, I decided to go in a totally different direction than I originally planned so I have to completely rework it.  As a result, I think it’s going to be a much stronger book.  I am also outlining a new series (Witches) and plotting a third (Historical) as well as trying to come up with another short for a new anthology!

2) How does your work differ from others of its genre?

My series has a basis in history as well as fantasy.  It is based on not only the historical stories of the Benandanti, but also all the folk stories of the areas where my clans are located.  There is a ton of stories to take from and make your own.  It’s amazing to see how many different cultures have shapeshifter legends.

3) Why Do you Write What You Write?

I like to write what I like to read.  If it’s interesting to me then I hope that it is interesting to others out there.

4)How Does Your Process Work?

I wish I had a process, I think if I had one I’d definitely be more proficient LOL.  Mostly though it begins with a what if, from there I try to flesh out the idea.  Then I usually like to do research, I LOVE research, you find out the most fascinating things when you sit down and do random searches.  Most of the research I do never finds its way into the story, but I like having it because it effects my writing.  Research not only consists of location, or time or whatever, it also includes finding the right inspiration for characters & finding music to write to.  This then all goes into my “bible”.  A hard copy of various things that I can refer back to.  Each of my manuscripts has had a bible, and I also have one for the series as a whole.  The last thing I do is a loose outline of the story, something just to keep me on track, never does the outline correspond to the finished story – my muse tends to go off on tangents and never stays on target.

So there you have it.  If you’re interested in what others are doing here are a few of my friends.

Ray Dean

Ray Dean was born and raised in Hawaii where she spent many a quiet hour reading and writing stories. Performing in theater and working backstage lead her into the delights of Living History, creating her own worlds through writing seemed the next logical step. Historical settings are her first love, but there is something heady about twisting the threads of time into little knots and creating new timelines to explore. There are endless possibilities that she is just beginning to discover.

www.raydean.net

Sheila Clover English

Writing has always been a dream for Sheila. She’s written plays, journal articles, news articles, copy, scripts, short stories and books. Living that dream is a passion she follows daily as a script writer, an author and news reporter.

www.readersentertainment.com/blog/category/blog/
www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/booktrailers?fref=nf

Lysa Demorest:

I’m a rural Texas girl who wishes to be on the beach in Florida with my co-author, Tamara McHatton, or in an ideal misty-all-day Scotland. I am currently in the last few classes of my bachelor’s degree in English Literature and have to fight with my Tabby cat, Dara, for control of my laptop in order to write. When I’m not nose deep in textbooks or in my own little worlds, then I’m editing for Desert Breeze Publishing and deciding what I want to do with my English Lit degree. (Suggestions are welcome unless it’s teaching! I’ll teach if it means online classes that I can do while I’m in my comfortable PJs. It’s all about comfort.)

My first book with Tamara is military fiction, historical, with a sequel on the way. Next on my plate, with many files saved in the works in progress, is delving into my literary love of science fiction.

A fan of lists, my current to-do includes working on making my blog more active, make the muse sit down to write the start of my stories, and drink more tea.

www.facebook.com/AuthorLysaD
www.demorest.wordpress.com

 

 

 

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September LootCrate – Galactic

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Amanda Jayde

Hello again,

Today’s blog is going to feature my LootCrate box for September.  LootCrate is a company that specializes in all things Geek related – just my sort of thing.  I like comics and comic based movies and TV shows, I also like to play video games (though I am FAAAAAR from what most would consider a “gamer”).  I’m also very much into Sci-Fi and Fantasy so this seemed like a good thing to try out.

I signed up via a friend of mine for $20 a month this way if I didn’t like it or want to stop I wasn’t locked in to anything.

Sooooo I didn’t take a picture of the box, but I will next month.  Actually I opened the box at my parent’s home while my 10 year old nephew was there so he actually got to the box before me and tore it up LOL.

Here is everything I received in this month’s box:

10649711_10154588825135207_233545760708602861_n

Sorry it’s a bit blurry.
So first on hand was a pack of pop rocks which my lovely nephew stole and proceeded to eat. Which is why it’s open.  There is a stuffed Tribble from Star Trek, which I have to admit, I thought was pretty cute.  On top of the Tribble is a Mal Funko mini figure, loved Firefly so that’s also a fun little thing to have.  In the background is an Alien action figure and I believe it’s exclusive to LootCrate so that’s a nice little keeper.  Behind Mal is an online giveaway, a set of Halo comics.  Just behind that is the LootCrate Magazine and below that is a magnet of an old school star wars game (woot) and finally a wad of Firefly Cash.  What I didn’t put into the picture is the miniposter that came in the box and that is of Han Solo frozen in carbonite.

All in all a great first crate, and I just received an email stating that October’s crate is themed …….. FEAR!  Cannot wait to see what’s in THAT crate.  Until then, if you’re interested in subscribing to LootCrate you can use this link here.

 

Until Next Time,
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*The opinions posted are my own and I get zero compensation for these posts*

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Since I seem to be on a make-up trip ….

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Amanda Jayde

I have to let you know about an amazing product I have had the good luck to try.  It’s from a company call Younique.

Younique is … well unique in that they are an all natural makeup company.  So if you’re into that, and who isn’t really?  Then this is the company for you.  They sell all types of things that you can only get online.

My cousin began selling a couple of months ago and I was fortunate enough to host an online party for her, the best thing about this company is that there’s no home visit to throw a party, it’s all done online via a secure website and everything you order gets sent to your home.  As the hostess of the party I was able to receive a complimentary set of the 3D fiber lashes.

Now who doesn’t like to have long, full, luxurious lashes?  I know I do and I was blessed with pretty long lashes to begin with LOL.

So, I received my case, yes I said case –US-1017-00 the fiber lash kit comes in a hard sided case which is about the size of a case you’d put your eyeglasses in.

Isn’t is cute?

As you can see there are two tubes inside.  One tube is a transplanting gel that gets your lashes ready for tube 2 the actual fibers.  It’s really neat, but a little odd to see a fuzzy stick at first.

The directions say to use your regular mascara then the gel and then the fibers then set it with the gel.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how much fuller my lashes were with just one coat of each.  You can double up the fibers by alternating gel and fibers.

So if you’re interested in checking out the company or the 3D Fiber Lashes.  Click here.

Until Next Time,
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*The opinions posted are my own and I get zero compensation*

 

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September Ipsy Glam Bag – Street Style

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Amanda Jayde

Okay so here’s the first installment of my sharing my Ipsy Glam Bag with you.

This month’s theme was Street Style.  Now when I heard that I have to say I was a little weary, I mean I am so far away from street style it’s not even funny.  I’m much more conservative when it comes to make-up, but hey I was waiting to see what I’d get.  I was not disappointed.

20140926_150147So here is a picture of this month’s glam bag – it’s studded, very street LOL.  And it’s a pretty decent sized bag which I love.  And I really like the steel gray color of it.

All in all great first impression.

 

20140926_150252Now here is the bag with all its goodies.  Inside I found a NYX eyeshadow in Chandelier (Now I’m singing Sia – go ahead click the link I’ll wait until you listen too), Pacifica eyeliner in Fringe (which is like a brown color).  This I may use as a lip liner, brow liner.  Caiylin tinted lip gloss in Love Affair – rich red color, really nice.  Briogeo Don’t Dispair, Repair! Deep conditioning mask for my hair (woot!) It’s a small container which I’m hoping will cover my mass of hair at least once LOL.  And finally …. from Crownbrush.com, a crease/shadow brush for eyeshadow.  The bristles on this are incredibly soft.

So there you have it.  If you’re interested in subscribing to Ipsy, it’s only $10 a month and you can use my link to join. Click here.

 

Until Next Time!
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*The opinions posted are my own and I get zero compensation for these posts*

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