Author: rebekahllewis

And. I. Am. Exhausted!

After spending a long weekend with family in Florida, I picked up one of my friends from the Jacksonville airport and headed to Daytona for Coastal Magic Convention. While I was not a Featured Author and attended as a reader, mostly, I did participate in the charity book signing (more about that shortly). Jennifer Morris, Tina, and everyone else involved in running this con were some of the nicest people I have ever met. They were warm and welcoming and answered questions and directed you where you needed to go. I would definitely return to this one again if I can. I had such a great time.

We arrived about a quarter to 3PM Thursday afternoon. Valet parking was a life saver as I was rushing to meet the deadline dropping off my gift basket and some Mercury Rising bookmarks, along with swag from Pippa Jay and Philip Hoy that was to go in the gift bags. When I dropped off my stuff, we checked in and headed up to our room on the eighth floor of the Hilton and walked into discover we had a fabulous beach view. My merpeople called to me to join them, but it was a little too cold and windy to swim (and I forgot my bathing suit or I totally would have anyway). But we still meandered around the beach that afternoon to see what was around and then headed to the hotel bar to kick off our weekend.

Registration went quick and painlessly. Swag bags with books and loot and our paperwork was handed to us, and off we went to do our own thing for dinner. The events that night were for bloggers, so instead of heading down to the game room set up for attendees, we chillaxed in our room watching Netflix and got a decent night’s sleep.

Friday came around and the con was in full swing. We missed the first set of panels in favor of breakfast in the little coffee shop and then headed in for one of the panels before the lunch break. After we had nourished our bodies with food and adult beverages (it was vacation!) we headed back and caught a couple more panels. After dinner we ended up lying in bed and not budging until morning. Lol But I will say the panel where Lexi Blake, Christopher Rice, Larissa Ione, and Carrie Anne Ryan played naughty Pictionary and charades was amaaaaaaaaaaazing. Christopher Rice learned what figging was and his face was priceless. And Lexi Blake acted out the title for Taken by the T-Rex.

Saturday came before we were ready. While on Friday we woke up on our own ready for the day, the alarm was an unwelcome intruder to our beauty sleep. At lease for mine.  My friend Jenn was up already and on facebook when I lifted my head from my pillows. The only bad thing that occurred by lunch was I knocked my phone off the bench outside and the screen cracked. It still worked at least, but I am going to have to repair or replace it soonish.

We were better about making panels on Saturday than on Friday. We hit four of them before going up to get ready for the book signing. At lunch we realized we were literally the only people who forgot to sign up to sit with an author at the meal. We ended up crashing with Paige Tyler and Coreene Callahan for lunch and had an excellent time.

We did, however, miss the last panel of the day, Flash Fiction, and I heard that it was really entertaining. *sigh* Alas, I had to hide from people to get my courage up to face the signing. Those of you who know me personally  know I have a bit of social anxiety issues and am an introvert, so not knowing how crowded it would be and mentally preparing myself to socialize took a Pepsi, a slice of lemon cake, motivational speeches from Jenn, and a deep breath.

The signing was in the same room we had had lunch, only the tables circled around the room leaving the middle completely open to the public. I was seated at a table with Evelyn Lederman and we hit it off right away. Turns out her cover artist is Fiona Jayde, so it opened the conversation right up as we gushed over Fiona’s awesomeness. The crowd wasn’t as big as I had expected it to be, but we sold a decent number of books. And I fangirled at Larissa Ione at the end to get my picture with her. Later that evening, there was a party and Jenn I mingled and people watched while others danced and carried on. Good times!

Sunday morning, the raffle winners for the gift basket were called. A really nice lady named Donna Antonio won my basket and 4 other raffles! Luck was on her side! Congratulations, Donna!

Jenn and I caught one final panel before making a last minute decision to drive to Downtown Disney in Orlando for the remainder of our last day. We walked around, laughed, had food and snacks, and then returned to the hotel by around 10pm. This morning we headed back to Jacksonville so she could fly home and I drove the rest of the way to Savannah. I am currently trying to unpack, figure out what needs to be done so I can get back into the habit of working again since I have had 9 days off from work of any kind.

Melancton’s book is currently with Beta readers. Based on their notes, I should have a final revision before I can submit it to my editor. Cross your fingers. I am trying to decide which WIP I want to tackle while Satyr from the Shadows is in the Revision/Submission/Editing stage. 😉

On Valentine’s Day, I will be taking over a facebook event, For the Love of the Written Word, at 1PM EST (10am PST). Expect some giveaways and fun.

 

Thank you again to Jennifer Morris and everyone else who helped CMC run so smoothly. It was a blast! Thank you for allowing me to participate in the signing with the big kids!

 

Hi Everyone!

Just a reminder I will be attending Coastal Magic Convention in Daytona Feb 5-8. I am going to be a guest rather than a featured author, but I am participating in the book signing on Saturday the 7th. It is free to the public, so whether you are a guest or in the area, please stop by and see me and a ton of awesome authors! Hope to see you there!

Details on the Con:

http://coastalmagicconvention.com

The rough draft of Satyr from the Shadows is COMPLETE.

Falls over. Twitches. Dies a little.

It still has some work to be done. I am going to start the revision this weekend and hopefully will have it to my beta readers by February 1. After they tell me what works and what doesn’t I will do another revision and submit Melancton to my editor and cross everything that I can cross it is accepted. LOL

I am about to drink something alcoholic and pass out. (so attractive)

 

In other news, as a reminder, I will be signing books at Coastal Magic Con in Daytona in two weeks. For more information on that, and the signing (which is open to the public) the link is here: http://coastalmagicconvention.com/

Well, I had quite a surprise when I was checking my author central account on Amazon today. The Vanishing, is (I believe) the final one of the Wonderland Tales short stories to be narrated for Audible. The narrator is Sassy Salcedo (I did not choose the narrator).

The links for the audiobook can be found on this page. Enjoy!

 

and a little PS…Melancton is officially at the halfway mark. I am expecting the first draft to be about 10k short of my final submission goal (I always add a lot in revision), so in terms of the first draft I am over the halfway point now. 😉

Those of you who read the short story, “Midnight at the Satyr Inn” found in Ravaged: Volume 2 were introduced to four Arcadian satyrs running a B&B style-esque establishment in Savannah. The Aegean Inn returns! You got to see Vander again in Mercury Rising, but he’s baaaaaack along with Calix, Orestes, and Jacen in Satyr from the Shadows.

I’m so exited to be writing these characters again.  I can’t wait to share Melancton’s book with you. In the meantime, if you missed this story, Ravaged Vol 2 is on sale for 3.99 from anywhere eBooks are sold.

 

In case you missed it: Today I took over the 12 Days of Holiday Magic event on facebook. All my prize posts are open until midnight tonight, and winners will be posted tomorrow on the event page and on my facebook page. Thank you to Paige Matthews and Becca Sellers for inviting me to come out and play!

Herein are the 10 Stages of Reading a Really Good Book (not a crappy one though, because that involves a book throwing, and no books were harmed in the making of this post)

Note: Because it is almost 6 in the morning, I am too lazy to draw images, google images and credit them, or use stock. So the emotional stages of this post will be represented by my cat, Bagheera. Why? This is the Internet and the Internet loves cats. Seems legit, right?

1 – Joy

A new book! Hooray! Oh, glorious, triumphant, wondiferous day! The celestial choirs of angels have descended around you as you turn to the first page. New book smell? I love it. New eBook on my reader? So shiny. Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!

~*~

2 – Intrigue

The plot has gripped you; sometimes it takes longer in one book than another to do so, but once it does, you’re in it. You’re in it to win it. (especially if you have OCD about completing your Goodreads goal every year)

Don’t talk to me. Don’t look at me. Don’t even think my name–I’m reading!

~*~

3 – Comfort

You settle in for the long haul of the story now that the protagonists are on their journeys, the badasses are badassy, the smartasses are smartassy, and the antagonists are twirling mustachios and experimenting with finding the right balance of “mwas” and “hahahas.”

~*~

4 – Distress

WTF just happened!

~*~

5 – Distrust

Your comfort is shattered by plot twisty goodness, and you are prepared for the author’s next curve ball. You know it is coming at any moment. You’re snuggled in the blanket, biting your nails, the book about an inch from your face as you wait for it…

~*~

6 – Denial

You have been fooled into another false state of comfort. How could this happen. As soon as you think the hero was safe..nope. As soon as you thought a character was too important to die, they croaked all over the page, and it was messy. The conflict! It is conflicty!

~*~

7 – Anger

Why? Why! Whyyyyyy couldn’t it be minor character #23 ½ from subplot-B who got the squid alien tentacle punch to the face and drowned in poisonous cephalopod ink from Jupiter instead? Why!

The world is a horrible place. Just horrible. I’m calling in sick.

~*~

8 -Bargaining

Look, book. If you want me to finish reading you, then you have to do me a solid and perhaps let the good guys win for a while, okay? Villains are great and all, but you’re stressing me out. You do this for me, and I will put off all my responsibilities and devour you today, deal?

(It ultimately fails)

Oh, you…you know I can’t stop reading you. Please don’t let any musicians start playing “The Rains of Castamere” at a wedding.

~*~

9 – Depression

You notice you are running out of pages, and realize you are dangerously close to the end. OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. No. Just No. What will you do when it’s all over? How can you move to another literary realm of exquisite escapism and leave this one behind?

It’s. Not. Fair.

~*~

10 – Acceptance

Well, you finished the book. You are, at this point, either satisfied with the ending or an emotional wreck. But you realize it had to end at some point. That you can’t actually live in the book even if you wish it really, really hard. It is time to move on.

…After you read it all over again and then read the sequel.

~*~

P.S. If you don’t understand why the stages of grief make up the last half of reading a good book, you haven’t been reading the right books that stab you right in the soul, but in a good way. 😉

It’s no trick that the perfect Halloween treat is on sale now!

Mercury Rising is available in eBook format, links are on this page.

Meanwhile, I have followed through on my promise and have a silly post for you today. Is more difficult to be an Arcadian or Boeotian satyr? I purchased two sets of foam horns, one is a pair of Maleficent horns and are a bit more spirally than Boeotian horns, but for the sake of this post…they will do. I even grabbed my 5.5 inch wedges for the hoof effect. Yeah. I went all out. LOL

Can a satyr….brush their hair easily?

Arcadians have a bit more of a challenge, though Boeotians, it’s not that bad. I am beginning to understand why Ariston just didn’t care and Orestes cut his off.

Can a satyr…reach into the back of the cabinets in the kitchen?

Both could, though Boeotians have to squat lower if they have to poke their head through the opening.

Can a satyr…collect items that have fallen under the desk?

Results mirrored the experiment with the cabinets.

Can a satyr…wear headphones?

Boeotians can wear regular headphones just fine. Arcadians are better off with a pair of earbuds

Can a satyr…put on a t-shirt?

This one would have worked better had the horns been attached to my head and not made of foam. However, it was easier for the Boeotian horns, but still a challenge. Arcadians have to put them on like the arms: one horn at a time. I am thinking they probably much prefer button-ups. No wonder they prefer nudity.

Can a satyr…lay comfortably in a bed?

Boeotian’s either need no headboard and to have a gap between the head of the bed and the wall for their horns, or they have to sleep farther down the bed, with their feet off the end. Melancton says it is better to just sleep on the floor. LOL Arcadians can only sleep on their back.

Can a satyr… get into a car?

Under the cover of darkness….at 3am, I did this. Surprised no one called the cops on my weird arse….Arcadians had no issue. Boeotians have a bit of trouble.

Can a satyr…wear a hat?

Boeotians…no. Not a chance. Unless you poke holes in the top. Arcadians, depending on the hat, can wearthem.

Can a satyr…talk on a telephone.

Arcadians prefer think cellphones and Bluetooth devices. Boeotians laugh at their struggle.

And last but not least, for fun….

The struggle is real for the Arcadians. Overall, Boeotians have it far easier.

Once Upon a Time there was a girl who liked to read. One day she decided to write a book she thought no one would read, and planned on writing it just to see if she could. She got stuck on the original idea, and wrote a second volume ahead of it, which turned the premise for a stand alone title into a series. When she finished writing the first book, she thought…why not, and sent it to a publisher to see if they would want to add it to their catalog of books.

The book was published, and, though it isn’t any renown bestseller with movies being optioned and a clothing line, it is special to me because it is my book. My blood, sweat and tears formed it. And it has seen so many milestones in 2 years since publication that I just don’t know how to comprehend it as real. (especially when the “Pretend” sign mocks me. lol)

October 26, 2012, Wicked Satyr Nights was released in eBook format.

January 2014, it was released in Print.

August 2014 It appeared on bookshelves in my local Barnes and Noble booksellers.

October 18, 2014, almost exactly 2 years later, I had my first book signing, and saw my book, my glorious book, being celebrated in an Honest-to-God bookstore.

I am blessed.  Thank you Breathless Press for taking a chance on me, to the readers for supporting me and holding my hand, and to Barnes and Noble for giving me such an amazing opportunity!

 

So…the signing….

I guess since I have popped the signing cherry, that the rest will be easier and I will be less nervous? LOL

I arrived at Barnes and Noble about 15 minutes before the signing was to start, and they had thirty copies of Wicked Satyr Nights on the table. I missed it entirely walking in and had to go ask the customer service people where to go, and it seems they stuck me in the children’s section next to the aforementioned “pretend” sign atop a rack of children’s costumes which made me laugh. Not the best product placement of my book, and I feel like since even I passed the table by and I know that cover like the back of my hand, that potential readers likely passed me by as well not realizing I was there. But, I smiled as best as I could despite nerves making my hands tremble and my stomach flipflop, and set up my table with promo items and the Hermes preview.

While I was setting up, I noticed I was being stalked and my picture was being taken from someone hiding in the Children’s books section. It was a friend of mine I met through attending signing events for one of my favorite authors! We chatted and she wandered off to collect the remaining copies of Under the Satyr Moon from the Romance section, as only WSN was on the table. While I was alone, I had one gentleman ask me where the “quiz books” were located, and then a lady asked where she could check out.

At this point I felt like chopped liver next to my Author Book Signing sign on the table. Neither were interested in the books.

Luckily friends and family started showing up. My uncle brought me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers (which I am now having to protect from the furry one who thinks it is for her to eat and play with). I even met facebook friends I speak to online all the time but hadn’t yet met in person! 😀 Several people traveled from out of town to surprise me and I was thrilled! Thanks again to everyone who came to see me, whether I already knew you or not, you made my day!

However, not a lot of shoppers stopped by, which was a bit disappointing, but again, may have a lot to do with where my table was located. I sold one to a High School teacher who loves Greek mythology, and one to a younger girl I hope was at least 16 (I did throw some content warnings her way) O.o

Most of the people who stopped to chat or read the back were interested until they heard that it fell into the dreaded genre of romance. This may be the only thing that truly disappointed me; not that everyone should love romance, but because it triggers an automatic “dislike” to people. At least three people, in response to my saying it is paranormal romance, replied almost verbatim to each other: “I like paranormal, but not romance.” Alas, everyone likes different things.

I sold one third of the books on the table. Not bad, I think, for a relatively unknown author.

It was already past two when I my empty stomach (I couldn’t eat due to nerves) began to cause some issues — aka, I was about to start eating the books. So my mom wandered over to the manager to find out what I needed to do to prepare to leave. I signed the remaining copies so they can pop autographed by the author stickers on them and sell them pre-signed. (with my sloppy handwriting. LOL)

Afterward, we went to lunch at a fancy smancy restaurant and I got to be so picky of an eater they offered to make me a bacon cheeseburger (not on the menu) LOL and it was delicious. However, I was digging the decorations (below).

 

Mercury Rising is available for pre-order at Breathless Press, Amazon, Smashwords, All Romance, and Bookstrand. Those of you with Nooks: it will eventually be on Barnes and Noble, but because it has to wait for Smashwords to approve it for B&N, it takes longer. You can get the ePub format from BP, Smashwords, All Romance, or Bookstrand and manually ad it to your Nook.

Also, we are a week away from the signing at Barnes and Noble in Savannah! I hope to see you there. I still have no idea what I am going to wear. I received new Mercury Rising bookmarks and the first 25 people to visit me at the signing will get an exclusive two chapter preview of Mercury Rising that comes with a coupon code for the full book (only works on the BP website).

In honor of today’s lunar eclipse, Breathless Press has agreed to put Under the Satyr Moon on sale. Celebrate today’s Satyr Moon with Under the Satyr Moon!

eBook: $1.50 here

Print: $1 off here

This sale is only available on the BP website and lasts from 12AM to 11:59PM today.