Waterfall rainbow changed my morning

Is this not amazing?  I found this posted on the Huffington Post through Twitter today and felt the need to share it and what it did for me. This picture was taken by photographer, Justin Lee, (a student at the University of British Columbia) when he was hiking in the Yosemite National Park, CA.

Seeing this gave my ranting brain pause.

Ranting? Yes. Why? Well....

My morning was shit. No, really...utter shit.

I awoke 3 hrs early to go to the DMV to get a NY Drivers License because my SC one is about to expire. Yes, I've had a SC DL in NYC for almost 10 years...and your point is????

No need to answer that, I KNOW why I've kept it. A) It was only $3 online to renew. B) The picture is good (hey now, that's a valid point!). C) The NYC DMV is a royal pain in the ass.

Case in point...I was like, 15th in line and happy about it (cause there was around 40 behind me by the time the place opened), and when I went to get my number...I was told I couldn't use that DMV for my license exchange.

Really?!

Ugh.

So I leave, contemplating going to the other one on 34th. But I know better. So I head to work.

After going through the turnstile to get on the N/R/Q I lost the rubber ear thingy on my headphones. So I did what I usually do and I looked for it, finally having to kneel to look. Seeing it, I lunged forward, snagged it, got up, and began to walk out of everyone's way...when an amazing man handed me my wallet.

OMG!

I almost made my life a living hell for an earbud.

Thank you Lord for that man!

Heading down I get on the train, get to my stop, begin the walk to work when my leg is annoyed. I notice then, that my pants ripped (they're old so, it was only a matter of time) when I lunged for previously mentioned ear bud.

*sigh*

Really, God? Really?

I was a block from work when I remembered our elevator was not working in the building. It was going to be SIX flights up in the humid ick.

Thankfully God spared me that. I guess I'd had enough kicking for they day.

SO....fast forward to when I opened up Twitter and this picture.....

It made me stop the rant. It calmed me down. It caused me to suddenly let it go. Why? Cause this reminded me of beautiful, wonderful, and amazing things in the world...how it was so much bigger than me and my shitty morning. How God had used the first rainbow as a promise to Noah. So I took it as a sign and a promise...

I will try this whole DMV thing tomorrow and I will not fail...and if I do...well, we just try again on Thursday. Sure, its a pain in the ass, but its so small and minor when you think about it.

Have a great week...and if you think of it...have a drink on Thursday for me. It's my birthday on the 26th after all.

xoxo

Tamsin :)

Review of the Comic, Anathema, #1

Hey there all! Happy Friday! Today I'm doing a review of something new...a COMIC!

But this isn't your happy, bright colors, Captain Steve Rogers saves the day kind of comic. This is old fashioned horror comic...and it's dark and cool and kick ass!

First, about the author...

Rachel Deering is an American writer, editor, and letterer for comic books from Columbus, OH, where she lives with her wife (artist Jessica Deering), and their dog, Hazel. She is best known for Anethema and Womanthology.

Fun facts: She started making comics at the age of eight, is a rabid fan of werewolves, and is a gamer, a baker, and a huge horror nerd! (Ya love her already, right? I don't know about you, but she'd fit right into my writers gang here in NYC!)

For a great interview with her, go HERE.

Before I speak of the comic, here's the blurb...

Part I: Wolf and Raven -

Long gone are the days of the infamous Witchfinder General, and his radical persecution of coutnless innocent people. The puritanical reign of torture and terror is now but a grim and unfortunate reminder of the past evils of man. Yet there are those who would cling to the old ways. Those who would not suffer a suspected witch or heretic to live among them. In the hearts of those few, the fires of hatred still burn, and not a soul is spared their unyielding wrath. Not even their own flesh and blood...

Now, as many of you know, I'm not a huge reader of comics (unless its Lestat, Buffy, Angel & Faith, etc...or coming soon, Spike!) but I do read a good amount of vampire/witch/werewolf/fantasy comics. Thing is, the story needs to grab me. It needs to take chances and give me something extra. Simply put, it needs to take me on a ride. Some have great art...some have a great story...call me needy, but I want both (Deering delivers both, btw). Hell, I will even take a dip down in the artwork for a great story (be it edgy or just plain new/fresh). Problem is, I often feel some comics are amazing artwork with little substance or it is just telling the same old story we've all read a million times before.

Now now  now...don't go jumping on your high horse...I'm SURE I'm quite wrong and I KNOW I've not seen ALL the comics out there.

But you see, I want more of the story...to be itching to go to the comic store and buy the next installment...and with Rachel Deering's Anathema, I want to do exactly that!

The basis of the story (which takes place in New England during the times of the Puritans) is that Anathema's lover, Sarah, is dragged away by her own father to be burned at the stake, purging her wicked lust with the flames of righteousness. But something bad happens, that's worse than death...her soul is taken, and Anathema must figure out how this happened, who did it, and why. Then, once she knows, Anathema is offered a way to fight the evil that did this but there's a catch. So she goes up into the mountains to make that decision...

Will she take the potion? Will she avenge Sarah's death? Will she save her lover's soul?

We'll all have to read more of Anathema to find out! And I highly recommend you do! This dark and twisty tale looks to be filled with scary creatures, blood, gore, classic horror, fights to the death, ancient legends, and magic. Oh, and werewolves...let's not forget that! See...

I'm not as big a comic book gal as most are...but I am definitely into this one! I think that if you are a hard core fantasy reader you'll enjoy this. I'll admit, she's a lot darker than my books and seeing as there is amazing artwork, you REALLY get to experience it!

The promise for a series like this is endless! It has the right ingredients: It pushes the envelope...it's got a powerful woman in the leading role...it's inventing new folklore...its got great artwork and story...and Anathema will be fightin all kinds of creepy evil! Always a plus!

I'd say more but I don't want to give it all away...I'm sure I've told too much already, but go out there and pick it up and see it for yourself. I think we all are going to be in for one fantastic ride with Anathema.

Happy Reading! And if you're a twitter whore like me, you can find her at @racheldeering

Tamsin :)

P.S. This is the pic/ad on the back of the comic...be sure to read the bottom. I love it! It's the Supernatural Registration Authority! Their website is HERE! Check it out!

A new 5 star LDG Amazon review! Woo!

 A GREAT new review for The Betrayal on Amazon! Thanks Lisa! So happy you liked it! -Tamsin :)

"This was a fantastic book!!! I cannot wait until the next one comes out! The characters are wonderful and you really get to know them. It was really hard to put down, you get caught up in everything that is going on. If you love to read about witches, vampires, werewolves and/or shape shifters this is your book!! Very easy to read and follow."  -Lisa

You too can get this "hard to put down" book with wonderful characters for e-readers and print! Go HERE!

Keziah

I love this boy. He is my heart.

This past Saturday morning he had spasms and was unable to walk. I had to take him to the vet.

His arthritis is getting worse and we've now added pain killers to his daily cocktail and he's doing a bit better. But my heart is breaking. I know he very well may not see Christmas this year...and if he does, he probably won't make it through the winter.

He's been my rock for 14 years. I dread navigating living in NYC without him.

30th Annual Heroes Convention

HEROES CON
Charlotte, NC

June 22-24, 2012

< ---- Pic of my badge! :)

My first convention and boy, what a learning experience! HUGE thank you to John Hartness for the invite to the con and for taking time to talk me though some of the ins and outs. I learned so much from him. Not just talking to him about the profession of indie writing, but also by watching him. That man has an awesome elevator pitch for both his vampire series AND his short story series. I was jealous and I'm still trying to figure out one for mine. This is WICKED hard, in case you were curious. :)

Anyhoo...

My previous convention experience was attending/working New York Comic Con. Well, Heroes Con is a wee bit smaller and it's all in one room. Here's a pic:

This was on load in day and you can't see the other aisles to the right and left. But I'm sure you get the picture (pun intended).

The three problems for me at this con were...

A) It was a con for graphic novels/artwork/etc and I write novels w/o the graphic (for now).

B) My books have no "southern appeal."
C) I don't have a full "series."

Part of the draw for John and Stuart's books were that they took place in the south (and this was a southern convention) AND they both had a full three-part series...and people like to get a full series.

I think I can fix these three problems. How so? Well...

First off, I'll very likely have all three NYC short stories of the Clandestine Conflict done by NYCC and can sell them seperately or together. The next four take place in Boston, and the next four in Charlotte, NC. So...if we can have THOSE four done by NEXT June...we'll have a deal! In the end, I plan to take the four books for each location put into a novella and printed. So we'll have "The Clandestine Conflict - NYC" (which'll hold the story Heroes Square & the next three in New York), "The Clandestine Conflict - Boston," and so on and so forth. Each will hold four stories...so that's be 60K word count each, which works well for a single book.

Secondly, I plan to work with Ana to get our first comic for the graphic novels that will be Moon Over Manhattan ready by next summer. I got GREAT feedback on the concept and artwork I had with me at the con...so that was a highlight for sure!

Now, I think my urban fantasy stuff will do better at NYCC than Heroes Con, but I don't plan to order too many books. Probably 30-40 vs. the 50 I'd considered before. I also will be setting up our booth differently at NYCC than at Heroes Con. Why? Well, here's the other thing I discovered/learned about myself that weekend.

I hate standing behind a table trying to sell my book. People walk by, and they know that if they stop to look at a book, the author is watching them. I know as a previous con attendee, that it makes shoppers a wee bit uncomfortable as the author or artist watches them inspect their stuff. So, as the coin has flipped and I AM the author, what did it feel like? Well,  like I was a bug in a jar who had to prove I was worth their money so they'd let me out.

You know how if you try to shop and a salesperson is loomig over you going, "Can I help you with anything? Oh...you grabbed those pants? Here's a few shirts that go with those, and some jewelry...and here's a belt!" Yeah...you hate it. I did too. I also didn't sell as well. The minute I was out from the table I felt better and sold my book to two artists w/o even trying hard. So...the booth at NYCC will be more shopping friendly. Stay tuned for pics of how it will be. Here's how it WAS:

L to R - Stuart Jaffe, me, John Hartness

To get out from behind this table we had to walk though the back of other's booths. At NYCC they don't set it up that way (they hang short black divider curtains btwn each) so it'll be easier to redo the space.

All that said, I didn't do badly at the con. I sold 12 books of 20 there, 2 more the day after, and 2 more the day I got back. So, 16 books of the 20 purchased for the con. Not too shabby. Plus, I moved all 50 copies of my short story so that's saying something. You can get it now on Smashwords for 99 cents!

What surprised me the most was the love of those darn stickers I decided to do at the last minute! We used my new logo and had words around it with my name, website, twitter handle, etc. They were about an inch wide circular sticker and they were crazy popular! LOL! And that was BEFORE they knew there was a number on the back to win a free thumb drive with books and pics on it. We will have more at NYCC!

Pause post for a pic of me in my new platform boots! They made me as tall as Stuart! #Winning

Now, where was I? Oh yes, what else did I learn that weekend? That the chicken fingers and fries were the best option for food at the concession stand and that con vendors take more pictures of people in costume than those attending the con. LOL! What else are we to do when we don't have anyone at our table...that said, I hope we're so busy, we get NO costume pics while I'm at NYCC. ;)

Now, before I let you go, it's important I introduce you to someone very special to me. He was with me every day of the con...just down the aisle from me...making my day better. Might I introduce to you...Sir Roger Plymouth, in his Friday, Saturday, and Sunday outfits...in a row!

Sir Roger belongs to Hushicho Phoenix (an artist who does some hilarous drawings...such as Wolverine Disco Dancing or Adult drawings...such as one that answers the question of which brother is more well endowed, Thor or Loki?). He's not only a darling man, but a talented one to boot!  And he wasn't the only one I met during the con. I also met Shane Pierce. He and his wife Michelle were there with his amazing paintings, Rachel Deering was there with her wife and their horror comic (Anathema, which is excellent, btw), and Jordan Hawk was there with her husband showing off their web comic character Elaine Corvidae (but she also writes M/M Paranormal Romance. Her book, "Hainted," looks fantastic!)

I'll tell you...time with these artists and meeting the loverly Natalie Foreman with McFarland Publishing made my weekend. It truly was an honor, not only to meet these folks, but to spend the weekend working side by side with them. I think those were the highlights of the con for me. Learning from John and Stuart and meeting these super talented artists! That made it all worth while. I can't wait to see who I'll meet at NYCC!

And on that note, I shall let you go! But have no fear...I will post more about my vacation (for I did more than just go to the convention) in the next week.

Cheers!

Tamsin :)

OH NO! SIR ROGER IS NAKED! WHO STOLE HIS CAPE AND MASK!??

TODAY AND TODAY ONLY...

GET A FREE COPY OF MY NEW SHORT STORY...

HEROES SQUARE

It is the first book of The Clandestine Conflict short story series.

How do you get this? Easy! Visit my page at the Independant Author Network and select to purchase. They have the coupon code to allow you to get it for zero, nada, nothing, FREEEEE!

What's it about? See below to find out.

And if you come across this post AFTER the fourth...its okay if you still want a copy of the short story...its only 99cents at Smashwords.
Have a wonderful and safe FOURTH OF JULY!

xo

Cheers!  - Tamsin :)

Blurb:

New York City, 2144

Maya Petrovskii lives in a world that hasn't seen the sun in thirteen years. For in the year 2131, humans thought they could fix the dissolving ozone layer and global warming by releasing a biological agent into the sky. It backfired and many died.

Luckily, the Clandestine People, comprised of witches, werewolves, vampires, and shape shifters, foresaw this outcome and saved as many of the humans as they could. But by the year 2144, as the remaining humans grow in numbers, not all are happy to live alongside the Clandestine People. They feel threatened. They want control.

Maya, the only granddaughter of the royal werewolf family, has chosen to avoid her royal privilege and join The Squad, the military of the Clandestine People. She and her friends must work under the radar to keep the Clandestine World from going to war with the humans, who want her kind in cages.

Not all of the Clandestine are honest. Not all of the humans are who they seem.

Can Maya help keep the peace before more people die?