Sheila's Guests and Reviews

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...

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,...

The Flower Child blog tour is visiting Jezebel Jorge's blog today with thanks and a post on identity. Who am I? And why am I asking myself "Who am I?" Go over to http://www.jezebeljorge.com/2011/10/identity-by-sheila-deeth.html and find out.   Jezebel's new book, Headlocks and Hexes , is coming soon from Gypsy Shadow Publishing --the same publishers as my beloved Flower Child--and here's a blurb to whet your appetite for this fascinating mix of women with magical strength and men with physical... A love spell turns lethal when Rowan falls for professional wrestler, Dylan Dalton. Once she’s immersed in his world of scripted violence, endless drama, and constant temptations of life on the road, Rowan learns the identity of her birth father. Chaos ensues when she finally meets the man responsible for raping her 15-year-old birth mother. Guided by the ghost of her grandmother, Rowan sets out to avenge her bir...

Two excerpts from Flower Child are posted on Minnette Meador's World Weaver blog today at http://minnettemeador.blogspot.com/2011/10/welcome-to-sheila-deeth.html. You'll find that Minnette's a wonderful world-weaver if you click on her books page while you're  there: http://minnettemeador.blogspot.com/p/books-by-minnette.html , and her worlds span a wealth of places and times. Roman Britain comes to life in The Centurion and the Queen , The Edge of Honor , and the newly released Gladiator Prince . There's epic fantasy in Starsight I and II (with a prequel and sequel promised), and a Ghost of a Chance (released in June) offers sensuously amusing and scary urban fantasy. With the Bell Stalker coming soon as well, Minnette's seriously busy and I'm thrilled she took time out to fit my blog tour into her schedule! You'll be thrilled too if you read all the excerpts and blurbs on her site. Hope to see you over there!

I hope you're having a wonderful Sunday. I'm running around in real and cyber-space in many different directions with The Flower Child Blog Tour today. My Goodreads Q&A continues at http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/678175-q-and-a-with-author-sheila-deeth . Join the conversation and ask your questions there. Meanwhile Wordstock continues in downtown Portland--I'll be manning my own small table from 3 till 5 after spending yesterday afternoon enjoying the ambiance and listening to speakers. If you're near the Convention Center, drop in and say Hi. And... My cyber-self is visiting Glenda Bixler at http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2011/10/welcome-to-flower-child-blog-tour.html , where I explain what I mean by calling myself a Mongrel Christian Mathematician. If that's not enough, you can get an advance look at tomorrow's blog-tour stop and the chance to read an excerpt from Flower Child on Minnette Meador's wonderful World-...

Today I'm on Goodreads, answering questions about my background, my writing and whatever else anyone chooses to ask. I'd love to meet you there. http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/678175 Meanwhile, in the real world, I'm heading off to Wordstock in Portland, looking forward to some great talks by great writers, and hoping to pick up some good books at the same time. Tomorrow I'll even be manning my own two feet of stall-space on the Willamette Writers' stall, so, if you live near Portland, why not come and see me and my books. Then you can ask those goodreads questions in person. See you in real or cyber-space... and have a great weekend!

The Flower Child Blog Tour will stop at CMash loves to read today, at http://cmashlovestoread.blogspot.com/2011/10/guest-author-sheila-deeth.html . Thank you so much for inviting me CMash! Readers will even have a chance to win a pdf copy of Flower Child on her site at http://cmashlovestoread.blogspot.com/2011/10/international-ebook-giveaway-entry-page.html , so go on over there and see what it's all about! CMash runs a beautiful blog with book reviews, giveaways, guest authors, challenges and more. I shall certainly be visiting there more often now I've met her, and I'm really grateful to have her support in my first ever blog tour. Meanwhile, here are links to some of my more recent book reviews, with coffee recommendations of course: Legend Unborn, the Key of Souls, book1 , by David G. Welsh: A fantasy with fearsome monsters, English accents and well-placed humor, book 1 introduces a host of characters taking their separate journeys and leaves the reader eager to...

Pat Bertram interviews Megan from Flower Child on her blog today http://patbertram.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/megan-hero-of-flower-child-by-sheila-deeth/ with another excerpt from Flower Child posted on http://dragonmyfeet.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/flower-child-by-sheila-deeth-excerpt-2/ . I'll hope to see you (in both places), and don't forget to leave your own interview questions too--though I'm sure you'll find the ones Pat asks are delightfully searching and satisfying. Afterwards, why not visit the Second Wind Publishing site to find out more about Pat's books: Light Bringer : Becka Johnson, mysteriously abandoned as a child has come home to Colorado in search of her identity. Meanwhile Philip Hansen is being chased by strangers. A relationship grows, as does a field of glorious flowers. Daughter am I : Mary Stuart inherits her grandparents farm--all well and good except if they've only just died, why did Mary's father tell her they were dead...

Pat Bertram's interviewing me today on http://patbertram.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/sheila-deeth-author-of-flower-child/ and asks some really interesting questions. If you've not been following Pat's author interviews, you really ought to look at some previous posts (after reading my answers of course, and leaving lots of questions and comments for me). Or you can click on her Index of Interviews at http://patbertram.wordpress.com/index-of-interviews/ to find a list. And tomorrow, Pat's interviewing Megan, the main character of Flower Child! All that, plus excerpts from Flower Child on Dragon my Feet http://dragonmyfeet.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/flower-child-by-sheila-deeth-excerpt-1/ (I love the name of that blog). What more could you, or I, want. Pat Bertram is the author of Light Bringer , Daughter Am I , More Deaths Than One , and A Spark of Heavenly Fire , all available from Second Wind Publishing all thoroughly enjoyable, character-driven, genre-bending ...

  In another exciting intersecting blog tour, author Stephanie Campbell is hosting me (and my new book, Flower Child) on her blog today, while I host Stephanie and her YA novel Poachers over here. So please read on and learn about the joys and mysteries of modern writing from Stephanie, then wander over to Stephanie's blog for my post on how I got here from there, or there from here, or something in between... And don't forget to leave comments. We'll be watching each other's blogs all day to reply to any questions you ask.  http://writersos.blogspot.com/2011/10/guest-blogger-sheila-deeth.html Over to you Stephanie… This generation is definitely different than any of the past. It has long since been the days of typewriters, handwritten letters, and onion skin manuscripts. Many believe that the technological advancements are leading to a decline in literacy as more gaming devices, cell phones, and music players are being introdu...

I'm a guest of Cheryl Snell over on Shiva's Arms today, at http://shivasarms.blogspot.com/2011/09/flower-child-by-sheila-deeth.html , telling how music helped me craft Flower Child, despite the fact that I never listen to music while writing. Cheryl's posting a review of Flower Child on her Scattered Light blog too, http://snellsisters.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-of-sheila-deeths-flower-child.html . I hope you'll take time to visit both places and enjoy the wonderful arts of the Snell sisters. Cheryl Snell is the author of Shiva's Arms , Rescuing Ranu , and Variations on a Theme with Harmonica , amongst other, all books that I've read, reviewed and enjoyed. Shiva's Arms : a wonderful cross-cultural window and a thoroughly enjoyable read, with bonus recipes at the end for a taste of India. Rescuing Ranu : A beautiful blending of culture, symbol and plot, conveying the passion of mathematics just as surely as that of love. Variations on a Theme wit...

Jenna-Lynne Duncan is very generously hosting my blog tour today at: http://www.jenna-lynne.com/1/post/2011/10/guest-post-sheila-deeth.html . If you head over there you'll find an excerpt from my new release, Flower Child, plus some information about the memories that went into writing it. Meanwhile I’m pleased to host Jenna's tour here with an excerpt from from Jenna-Lynne’s new book, Hurricane (find my review here .) Jenna-Lynne has researched some interesting facts about a house in New Orleans for her story, so read on… then leave your questions for her in the comments. ' When I woke, Hayden hovered over me. I was outside, lying on the hard gravel of an unpaved country road.   “What purpose does this serve?” Luke spit as he leaned against the front of the truck.  “Quiet. She just needs some fresh air.” Hayden was kneeling down beside me, his body so close I could feel the sweet heat of his breath as he spoke. I didn’t want to move, but I couldn’t ign...

I'm over on Aubrie Dionne's blog today http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com/2011/10/guest-post-by-gsp-author-sheila-deeth.html so I hope you'll click on the link and visit me. If you've ever wondered whether it's worth your while joining a local writers' group, well, I give you my answer there, and my thanks to Cedar Mill Writers' Mill! Aubrie is the author of Paradise 21 , a fascinating sci-fi, future-history, with space ships, aliens, complex emotions and a more than capable heroine--see my review here . But it was her Seasons of Fantasy short stories that introduced me to Aubrie, and also to Gypsy Shadow publishing. Since this blog tour celebrates Gypsy Shadow's releasing my third ebook, Flower Child, I owe Aubrie a very big thankyou too! ...AND Aubrie, a veteran of previous blog tours, encouraged me to go on this tour! An all-around good writer, good friend, and valued colleague on this strange path to publication.

With thanks to all those wonderful friends who've offered their support, their help, their advice, and even their blogs as Flower Child begins my first ever blog-tour... Here's a list of all the places I'll be visiting. I've put a nice sparkly banner at the top of the page too, so readers can get back to this list anytime with just one click. I'll update, fix errors, and add addresses as things change, but, so far, I think it's okay. And again, thank you all! These are all great blogs to visit anyday--why not check them out now? I'll post links and reminders all through October so you can visit them again and meet me there. Flower Child : just been released by Gypsy Shadow Publishing: Find it on Amazon! Find it on Smashwords ! Or follow my October Flower Child blog tour to learn more: 1. Aubrie Dionne: with thanks to a local writers' group. http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com/2011/10/guest-post-by-gsp-author-sheila-deeth.html 2. Jenna-Lynne ...

My husband's on his way back from a trip to England, so when Minnette Meador--an author who has three books coming out this summer(!)--presented me with my surprise "grand prize" for following her online during the release of A Ghost of a Chance (paranormal romantic comedy, set in Portland, and released in June 2011) the timing seemed just perfect. I could welcome him home with a glass of Oregon wine, served in beautiful Portland and Oregon glasses, by the light of flickering tea-lights. I could serve something small, hot from the oven, with my new Portland rose-garden oven-mitt--something with blueberry and lemon preserve perhaps, and Oregon chocolate afterwards. I could even take a nice relaxing bath to get me in the mood... Ah, but then I checked the flight status and found they'd cancelled his flight. So instead I stayed up half the night waiting for husband to wake up in England so I could give him the news. Since my husband had no access to the internet and ...