Sheila's Guests and Reviews

It's the end of the month. The Flower Child Blog Tour is almost done, and Ruthi Cox is celebrating my book with a wonderful review on her blog, http://ruthireads.blogspot.com/2011/10/flower-child-by-author-sheila-deeth.html . Thank you for reading, Ruthi--especially thank you for reading an ebook--and thank you for such a lovely touching review. While you're on Ruthi's blog, don't forget to look at some of her lovely poetic creations http://www.cafepress.com/abitosunshine and check out her amazing Squidoo lenses http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/Ruthi Ruth Cox believes "a bit o' sunshine can always be found peekin' out o' the clouds."   I've certainly enjoyed the sunshine of everyone's encouragement during this blog tour. Thank you for following and supporting me, and I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Still to come: YES! THERE's MORE! Anjuelle Floyd will interview me on Wednes day, ...

Yes, really. This is where it all began, with a cup of tea and a wonderful author treating me as if my writing really mattered... Visit Jane Kirpatrick's very appropriately named Words of Encouragement blog at http://janeswordsofencouragement.blogspot.com/2011/10/blog-hop-with-sheila-deeth-author-of.html to find out more. I love Jane Kirkpatrick's books (see my review of The Daughter's Walk ). I love Jane's talks (see my report on her visit to Willamette Writers ). I love the way she lifts people up--historical people whose stories she tells, and contemporary people who she leads so gently into stories. I love how her novels take well-researched history and bring it to meaningful life, with women empowered and genuine lessons learned. And I love my favorite quote from her talk-- History tells us what happened and when, but stories tell us why. At the end of the Willamette Writers talk, back in 2008, Jane Kirkpatrick encouraged aspiring authors in her audience to...

Today my Flower Child blog tour stops at Anne Petzer's blog, celebrating the end of Anne's first blog month with a post about "my first book." Of course, my first problem was working out which book to write about. Does that pile of paper, hand-written in multi-colored biro and tied up with string in a cardboard box count? Go to http://annehpetzer.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/introducing-shelia-deeth/ and find out. While you're there, you might want to read some of Anne's other posts--especially if you like cats. (These links are for you Mum! I hope they work.) http://annehpetzer.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/welcome/ http://annehpetzer.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/feline-fancy/ http://annehpetzer.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/zvonek-pet-status/ Anne Petzer is the author of the Zvonek 8 series, Cat on Thin Ice, Cat Among the Pigeons, Mau-ow, Return of the Rats, and The Miracle of the Carp , available in two volumes from Gypsy Shadow: http://www.gypsysha...

Flower Child's blog tour visits Kimberly Brock's blog today. Kimberly's review of Flower Child brought tears to my eyes--thank you Kimberly! She's interviewed me too, and her interview questions certainly made me think: http://kimberlybrockblog.com/2011/10/28/the-needs-of-other-souls-sheila-deeth-interview/ Later today (6pm PT), I hope to meet you for a live chat on Gather.com. I don't have the direct link yet, but I'll post it as soon as I get it. The chat is advertized here: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474980420916 Kimberly Brock is the author of The River Witch , a women’s fiction novel to be released by Bell Bridge Books in late May 2012. She also writes contemporary gothic novels with elements of romance, suspense and historical adventure. Her first publication, a short story in Summer in Mossy Creek , is part of an anthology published in mass market by Berkley Books.  She has published in parenting magazines and wo...

Okay, it's nearly Halloween. But this isn't a scary ghost story, and neither is Flower Child. I'm visiting Tracey Pacelli's Little Red Writer blog today with a post on paranormal experiences. I hope you'll like it--I promise, not a single fright in sight. Click the link to find the post at http://traceypacelli.com/?p=651 . While you're clicking links, you might like to check out Gail Lewis's insightful review of Flower Child on http://summitbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/10/flower-child-by-sheila-deeth_26.htm and Anjuelle Floyd's interview with me at http://www.anjuellefloyd.com/2011/10/26/author-interview-shelia-deeth/  Tracey Pacelli's latest Young Adult novel, Time Warped has just come out from Gypsy Shadow (in print and ebook form) and looks like a truly intriguing tale: Here's the blurb...   In her bible-thumping town, Lanie Landry is a teen misfit without a cause. After a tragic accident that kills her adopted mother...

There's a lovely review of Flower Child on Summit Book Reviews today: http://summitbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/10/flower-child-by-sheila-deeth_26.html , plus a 100-word excerpt on Ruth Cox's blog  http://ruthireads.blogspot.com/2011/10/wow-100-words-for-flower-child.html . Thank you Gail and Ruthi! Meanwhile I'm putting Divide by Zero on a diet before sending the manuscript to my editor at Stonegarden. The novel comes out next July and already has a gorgeous cover from Peter Joseph Swanson (click on the link to see Peter's excellent books and book covers! I'm totally amazed that he's done a cover for me!) A friend asked what diet I was feeding my novel on, so here goes: First I re-read the manuscript, looking for obvious duplication: "She put the cup down, laying it gently on the table" becomes "She placed the cup gently on the table." (4 words removed.) Then I used my word processor to find every " And ". ...

Thank you so much to Fran Lewis for posting reviews of Flower Child around the internet today. The Flower Child Blog Tour is visiting Facebook today, where Fran has given Flower Child five special angels! http://www.facebook.com/notes/fran-lewis/five-special-angels-for-author-sheila-deeth-and-flower-child/10150363171754647 . I hope you'll go over there and see. (If you can't get to facebook, trye http://www.amazon.com/review/R2MB50ZQSKKSUO/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B005PGMT4O&nodeID=&tag=&linkCode= to read the review on Amazon.) Fran Lewis is a prolific book reviewer at Hot Drink, Fireplace, Reviews that Sizzle ( gabina49.webs.com ). She's also the author of, amongst others, the Bertha books-- My name is Bertha , and Bertha Speaks Out --hopeful stories for all children living with differences that so easily make them victims; and of Memories are Precious , and Because we Care , based on her experiences as caregiver to someone with A...

Christine Amsden, author of the Immortality Virus ( reviewed here on gather ), read Flower Child recently and has posted a book review and interview with me on her blog, http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/?p=1108 . Thank you so much for making me so welcome Christine. It was nice talking to you. Meanwhile, I've been reading another Christine Amsden book, A Touch of Fate --see below for book reviews. (Just for reference, I loved it!) So... please visit Christine's blog, and come back later today for book reviews on mine. This week's book reviews (with links to longer reviews on gather, and coffee recommendations for readers)... Starting, of course, with Christine Amsden's Touch of Fate ; a novel that combines mystery, detective work, lives gone wrong and lives beginning to go write, plus intriguing touches of faith and fate, this one's a really pleasing and satisfying read. Enjoy with a 3-star well-balanced, full-flavored coffee. Heading further into ...

Author Mary Russel is interviewing Angela from Flower Child today at http://maryrussel.blogspot.com/2011/10/interview-with-angela-from-sheila.html . Meanwhile, Mary's dear friend and character, Flickertail, has kindly agreed to let me interview him here. Flickertail stars in some wonderful children's stories filled with mystery, whimsy and word-play--don't forget to look for excerpts on Mary's blog. And, in case you're wondering, Flickertail's a llama. So, hello Flickertail --you've got to tell us, how did you get your name? I have a white tail, while the rest of me is mostly a reddish brown. When I run, my tail flicks and it’s the most outstanding part of me. And your friend Paint? Where did Paint's name come from? She’s a Painted Horse. Where did Paint come from? How did you meet? Paint lives in Texas. We met online through Mary, my owner and Norma, Paint’s owner. They had established an internet friendship on Gather....

The Flower Child blog tour is stopping at Mary Russel's blog today http://maryrussel.blogspot.com/2011/10/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html . answering a question on what genres I write in. I hope you'll wander over there and learn where Flower Child fits in. Meanwhile Elizabeth, from Mary Russel's novel Rudolph, A child's love story, has agreed to join me here for an interview. I hope you'll enjoy meeting her as much as I have. How old are you Elizabeth? I'd be 63 now if Mary hadn't killed me off in my late 40s . Can you tell my readers what you look like--what you see when you look in a mirror? In my mirror, a fat, gray haired woman. In my mind, I see a woman who has discovered that I am a survivor, a woman who has seen enough of life to be able to feel for others. Do you have lots of friends? No, I have a few very close friends. What do people say about you--to your face? My closest friend says I am talented and she admi...

Have you ever told someone you’re a “wannabe writer,” or worse, that you don’t really have a job? Friends would say to me, “You write, so you’re a writer,” but it never seemed that simple when it came to answering the question, “What do you do?”  Find out how I answered this and the follow-up question, what's your story about? on Sutton Fox's blog today where Flower Child makes its next tour stop http://suttonfox.blogspot.com/2011/10/flower-child.html .  Sutton Fox's Christmas Holly is a 2012 EPIC awards finalist (congratulations Sutton!), and her latest Christmas book has just come out from Gypsy Shadow, so if you're looking for an intriguing seasonal romance, you might want to look it up. Here's a blurb to pique your interest: Glory Dawson needs to catch a break. Thanks to the economic downturn, she’s lost her job, her home, and her child. Just when things can’t seem to get worse, they get weird. A crazy grandmother, muggers, heirlooms, and armor. Armo...

Have you ever wondered how Flower Child got such a lovely cover, or how books get their covers in general? I've written a post about my Gypsy Shadow book covers for Paula Mitchell; you'll find it on the Community Book Stop today at http://communitybookstop.blogspot.com/2011/10/guest-post-sheila-deeth.html . There's a review of Flower Child too at http://communitybookstop.blogspot.com/2011/10/flower-child-by-sheila-deeth-review.html , and lots of other good books highlighted there, so don't forget to take a tour. Hope to see you there. Meanwhile, I've been reading and editing. The edits are going pretty well I think--I've searched for "and" and "but" throughout my novel, tidied a few "that"s and "...ing"s, and cut the word-count by two thousand. It feels like an achievement.  Tomorrow I'll start the hunt for "was" "so" "meanwhile" "then" and other much overused words....

Lyn Hywela has kindly invited me to her blog today. If you go to http://hywelalyn.blogspot.com/2011/10/flower-child-by-sheila-deeth.html you'll find my post on how memories inspired the writing of Flower Child. You'll also find the author who indirectly led me to  Gypsy Shadow Publishing. I was a beginning writer, dreaming of being published, slowly collecting that drawer-full of rejections, and wondering if I'd ever make it. I'd scarcely even heard of ebooks and had no intention of writing one. But I'd learned somewhere that to make it, these days, you need an internet presence. I started a blog and visited other blogs, leaving occasional comments, and slowly making friends. Finding my comment on Lyn's blog won me an ebook was a very nice surprise, especially since the ebook was a wonderful fantasy by Aubrie Dionne. After reading the ebook I visited the publisher's website where I found an intriguing competition... and the rest is history, with my most...

Author Dawn Colclasure is hosting my Flower Child Blog Tour today with a post on the parallel joys of math and writing http://dawncolclasureblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/mathematical-writer-guest-blog-post-by.html . Meanwhile I'm delighted to host Dawn here in yet another intersecting blog tour. About the author:  Dawn Colclasure is a writer who lives in Oregon. Her articles, essays, poems and short stories have appeared in several newspapers, anthologies, magazines and E-zines. She is the author of seven books, among them BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL: How We Survive as Writing Parents ; 365 TIPS FOR WRITERS: Inspiration, Writing Prompts and Beat The Block Tips to Turbo Charge Your Creativity ; Love is Like a Rainbow: Poems of Love and Devotion and the children’s book The Yellow Rose . She is co-author of the book Totally Scared: The Complete Book on Haunted Houses . Her dark fantasy novel, Shadow of Samhain , is due out in Winter 2011. Her Web site is at http://dmcwriter.tripod.c...

The Flower Child blog tour is visiting Erin O'Riordan's blog today with a post on angels at http://erinoriordan.blogspot.com/2011/10/flower-child-guest-post-by-sheila-deeth.html . Erin's the author of some wonderfully intriguing and sensual fantasies. The first of her stories I read was the beautiful Butterfly Boy in an anthology called Wonder ( Wonder reviewed on gather.com here )--if you look at the cover you'll see why it's singularly appropriate that my post on Erin's blog should be about angels. But Erin's stories can be very down-to-earth too; I've just finished and reviewed her novel Eminent Domain , written with her husband and co- author Tit Elingtin--a fascinating novel that combines sweet romance with abject dejection, hopeful construction with unfettered despair, and beauty with miserable evil in the tale of an eager young couple driven to distraction by the law. ( Eminent Domain is reviewed on gather.com here .) I hope you're havin...

We're intersecting blog tours again--this time Flower Child's tour and Catherine Cavendish's Say a Little Prayer. I'm delighted to introduce a fellow Gypsy Shadow author today--Catherine Cavendish, author of the wonderfully musical, whimsical and intriguing tale, Say a Little Prayer (read my review here ). While Catherine interviews me on http://www.catherinecavendish.com/2011/10/flower-child-interview-with-sheila.html I get to ask her some questions of my own, but first, let me introduce her book: Say A Little Prayer – the blurb: Every night, Jane Furnival prays for the souls of the dead celebrities she most admires. Somewhere, in a parallel dimension, those she prays for must gather and it’s an odd assortment of stars – from Jim Morrison, John Lennon and Marilyn Monroe to Agatha Christie who’s still writing plotlines in her notebook. But can they help her resolve the biggest crisis in her life? Her formidable, long-dead Aunt Margaret decides if anyone can,...

Aaron Paul Lazar interviews me today on Murder by 4: http://murderby4.blogspot.com/2011/10/interview-with-author-sheila-deeth.html . It's a great interview with some wonderful questions--a pleasure for me to answer them, and very thought-provoking too. I could hardly believe he'd found out so much about me before conducting the interview--a true friend, and a great interviewer. Aaron Paul Lazar is also the author of three very fine mystery series and I'm slowly collecting his books. The Gus LeGarde mysteries feature a classical music professor, grandfather, gardener, chef, and nature lover, called Gus LeGarde, who plays Chopin etudes to feed his soul and might be described as a “Renaissance man caught in the 21st century.” With an amazing cast of family and friends, LeGarde lives, loves, and solves mysteries in a world so convincingly drawn you'll think you've been from the Genesee Valley to Paris and beyond at his side. Sam Moore is a recently reti...

M.J.A. Ware is the author of the super teen-safe, boy-friendly, zombie tale, Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb--reviewed recently here. He's interviewing me on his blog http://themissingword.blogspot.com/2011/10/sheila-deeths-flower-child-blog-tour.html today, and in return, I'm interviewing him. Yes folks--it's intersecting blog tours again. And SZJMB really is a very fun book, with genuine teenage characters, coming-of-age type angst, movie-style thrills, and great humor--think Shaun of the Dead for kids (I loved Shaun of the Dead!). About the author:   M.J.A. Ware, known as M.J. to his friends, lives in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains with his wife and two daughters.    He wrote Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb because he felt there was a need for a zombie book with a broader appeal than just hard-core horror fans. A book that would not only appeal to both adults and teens, but would be teen safe. When not writing about aliens, monsters and gho...