Sandy's visit to NYC

The Perfect Storm

NYC is reeling from water and wind damage today...the day before Halloween. They have canceled the Halloween Day Parade for the first time ever in the 39 years its has been in existance, roads are still closed, many are still without power, and there is no subway service.

86th Street R Train station in Brooklyn after Hurricane Sandy

On Sunday the Mayor began evacuations of Zone A, the subways were shut down at 7pm, buses were shut down at 9pm, and the mayor ordered everyone to get indoors and stay put. This wasn't a big concern to me, as any excuse to snuggle with the pets and read/relax is always welcomed. Plus, I'd already had my big costume party on Friday night and my Writers Group party on Saturday night (yes, pictures will go up soon).

However, I had a guest in town this weekend from Boston who got trapped here until today (Tuesday). My pal Matt was here to see a concert on Sunday night. When they announced train/bus shut-downs he planned to still get out there for the concert and take a car home (which I'm not so sure he would've been able to do, if I'm being honest). Thankfully (in my opinion, not his) the concert was cancelled (due to the venue being in Zone A of Brooklyn) and he got back to my place on the last train and we had a nice dinner at a place near my apartment before tucking ourselves in for the storm.



Long Island City under water from 5th Street onward Monday night.

I live on the Upper Upper West Side of Manhattan...which I lovingly refer to as Upstate Manhattan often. Inwood is its technical name and its not as fancy as living by the water and my building isn't as new as those down on Pearl Street or  have a view of the Statue of Liberty. It IS, however, sturdy, high up (Inwood area of Manhattan is the highest elevation on the island I think) in elevation making it Zone C, and the safest spot during a hurricane. From my window we got a lot of strong wind, a bit of rain, and that's it. One of the new trees planed across the street snapped in half (which wasnt surprising) and we have debris from the bigger trees. I've heard from my roommate taht the PARK sign by the parking garage came down but I've not gone out to inspect so that's all I know at the moment. If I don't work again tomorrow I plan to investigate the park.


Lower Manhattan without power during Hurricane Sandy

As you can see from the above photo, the lower half of Manhattan has no power. Some of that was a shut off by ConEdison prior to the storm...but some isn't. Transformers blew and power was lost from 39th Street and down in Manhattan, Long Island, the Rockaways, and places like Fire Island. Not to mention the entire coast of NJ.  I have friends without water (and thus heat) and power who have been taken in by friends or family, thank goodness.

That said, 8.2 million households on the east coast are without power right now, there's been 20 billion in property damage, and between 10-30 billion dollars in lost business. A huge fire in Queens destroyed 100 homes as flooding made it impossible for firemen to get to the blaze with hoses and wind was so harsh (80mph at points) the fire spread fast and consumed quickly. Thankfully only three were injured and no deaths from that incident were reported. However, there were deaths due to this storm. 17 victims were in New York State — 10 of them in New York City — along with five each in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Hoboken stop on the Path Train that connects NYC & NJ

This morning, watching Gov. Chris Christie speak, you could see he was just exhausted and devistated. As was Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Cuomo. The damage is extensive and the people of NJ and NY are broken hearted over the loss of lives, homes, property, and know there is a long road ahead to bring back power and transportation to both states. But with the help of the Red Cross, city workers, first responders, FEMA, and Obama declaring NYC/NJ in a state of emergency, we can start to work at fixing the damage. FEMA has money for us to rebuild...even money allocated for small business owners and home owners. This makes me feel a lot better.

Side Note: Mitt Romney is now back peddling what he said about removing FEMA. But you can't take back what you say...even though he makes a habit of it, we all know he was once again proven wrong. On top of that, on the week Chris Christie was supposed to be in swing states talking up Romney and trashing Obama, he is instead been on National TV praising Obama for his help and work with state officials for NJ.

Anyhoo...that said, we still have to dig out from the mess before we can rebuild. Some subways are flooded to the ceiling and need pumping...there are so many without power...and so many roads blocked by debris/trees/powerlines...it's going to take a week or two to be up and running somewhat normally, and then we still have more to go. Jersey Shore is pretty much no more and Hoboken is under water, to name a few things.

But, there really is nothing more powerful than New Yorkers in a crisis. We all look out for each other here. I've had more New Yorkers checking in on me than people outside the state. The pride we all have for this city is immense and that ties us all together. We'll pick up the pieces and rebuild. But your prayers and donations to the Red Cross would be much appreciated.

That said...

I am so thankful to have barely been touched by the storm and that all of my friends are safe. The buses came back tonight at 5pm (no fee tonight or tomorrow) so we have minimal movement around the city and my pal Matt made it out of the city as well today. He couldn't leave via Port Authority (still closed) or Penn Station (all tickets sold out for the next three days), but he did rent a car (thank you Hertz) and is probably almost back to Boston by now. In fact...as I typed that, I got a text from him that said, "I made it home!" Yay!

I don't know if this photo is real or touched up...but it's a nice image...much like the one God gave Noah after the flood...a positive thought that says the storm is over and we will rebuild. And that's exactly what NY and NJ will do.

XO

Tamsin

NaNoWriMo is Upon Us!

That's right...it's that time, ladies and gents! Time to be putting your thinking cap on (yes, with horns), purchase dubious amounts of caffeine, load your Starbucks or Argo Tea card, make sure your laptop or computer is in working order, and jot down a outline for your next novel (if you've done that yet).

National Novel Writers Month (aka NaNoWriMo) is upon us again and thousands (millions?) around the globe will join together to support one another in the art of storytelling. Each person who joins (its FREE to do so!)  will embark on a journey to write a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November.

Why?

Because we're crazy. Because we love to write. Because we love a challenge.

My first year of NaNo I was working on Moon Over Manhattan and wanted to see how fast I could write 50K. I did it in two weeks. O_O  I was shocked. So the second year (aka last year) I took my time and enjoyed it. Mind you, I type rather fast, and I have a wee bit o' Hyperactive Disorder, so my brain goes about as fast as my fingers...but, MANY people get 50K done in 30 days. You can to!

But how do you join the crazies? How do you become a part of the growing number of those who bond together both in person and across the internet each November? Easy! Go HERE or type www.nanowrimo.com in your browser. The site will take you through the steps of joining. And once you do...go to "NaNo Near You" at the top and see where people in your city are meeting up for kick off parties, write-ins, and so on. I met the amazing people of my writing group by going to write-ins on Sunday afternoons back in 2010. They have become a very important part of my life and I'm pretty sure I'd not be published now without their friendship, critiques, and support.

You see, writing is an alone sport most of the time. It's really important, in my opinion, that writers get out of their offices/cubicals/bedrooms/etc and interact with other writers. These people understand your passion. They are supportive of it and you. So pack up your laptop and head out! You won't regret it.

You can also choose to do this from home and not go out...no one will question that. Some folks never attend a write-in. They work better alone. Which is fine too! In fact, you can join online write-ins where people sign into the site and do writing sprints, ask questions, and commune with writers all over the world. So if your city doesn't have write-ins you can attend, you can do the online version. They are fun and motiviating, just like going to the ones in person.

You may ask why I'm writing this when you already know all about NaNo. Well, it seems I've come across a lot of people who like to write lately who do NOT know about it. Most were at NYCC, one was at the club, and most recently an aquaintence in Denver (Pixie) I know through Sanctuary Radio was interested. So...pass this blog post on to others if you know they like to write. They may not know either!

That said, if you are a NYC based writer, the kick off party for NaNo is this upcoming Monday night at 6pm at Lily O'Brien's Irish Pub/Restaurant in Tribeca. No writing, just drink, food, and chatter. I'll be there...hope to see you there, too!

Until then...below is a calendar to help/inspire you through NaNo that I found online. Enjoy!

xo

Tamsin :)

P.S. Oh, and add me as a writing buddy if you want! You'll find me under Tamsin_Silver. I'll be working on the next few Clandestine Conflict short stories so that I have enough for a book! So if you liked Heroes Square (available on Nook, Kindle, and Smashwords for 99 cents) I'm writing the sequels this November!

CONTEST ALERT!

OK...I usually don't get many people who participate in these...but, what the hell, we'll try.

Seeing as over ONE HUNDRED books were sold at NYCC and last I checked, 20 more were sold online...we should do a give away...of something. Right? To celebrate and stuff.

But...I need help getting the word of those books out there.

So...

LET'S GET REVIEWS OF THESE BOOKS UP!

Where?

ON Goodreads or Amazon or even a review on your blog!

All those who do any of those will get the first copy of Parts II & III of The Clandestine Conflict Short Story Series for FREE before I release it online. And, I'm writing them for NaNoWriMo this November...so you won't be waiting too long! :)

REPEAT............ANYONE who does a review (3 stars or higher) for ANY of the books in The WINDFIRE Series on Amazon or Goodreads OR a blog BEFORE Thanksgiving...will get the free short stories WAY before anyone else.

IF YOU GET THAT REVIEW IN BEFORE ELECTION DAY...

YOU GET A FREE EXCERPT FROM

BOOK FIVE OF THE WINDFIRE SERIES ALSO!

(There's a huge surprise that will blow you away in that excerpt!)

How do you participate?

EASY! Do the review and then email me at tamsinlsilver@gmail.com to let me know which book you reviewed and where. (Note, if you use a "username" on those sites that doesn't match your email name, be sure to tell me).

That's it! Easy Peasy!

Happy Monday! Have a great week! Hope to see some reviews soon!

xo

Tamsin :)

*Note: If you have NOT read through book 4 and get that review in before Election Day (November 6), I'll send you an e-file of an excerpt from the next book you are considering reading. Just be sure to tell me in the email how far in the series you will be by end of November.

New York Comic Con 2012 - Part III

 One of the best parts of NYCC is seeing friends from other parts of the globe. This lovely blue-haired beauty is my friend and artist, Anastasia Catris, from Wales. This pic is of me, Lauren (in the Denika wig...you'll note the pic of the character in the poster below looks like her), and Ana on Friday. She gave up an hour of her time to sign copies of this, our announcement for doing a werewolf comic together called "Moon Over Manhattan"...which is the sequel set of stories to The Windfire Series. Here is the poster:

 Ana is an amazing artist! In fact, she also designed my logo goth gal you now see on all my things.

Sadly, we didn't have much traffic the hour she was with us as I'd have liked, but she signed them all and I'll try to sell them as the year goes on, or give them as prizes.

What was even better than our hour to hang out at the booth was taking her and her boyfriend, Paddy (this was his first trip to the U.S. ever!), to one of my fave restaurants in NYC called Route 66. It's located on 9th Ave and West 56th.



Ana & Paddy



Our group that night included my boothmates, Emily Imes & John Hartness, Lauren, Ana, Paddy, and...my pal Matt from Boston. He came in late in the game...but that didn't stop his entrance from being memorable.

As Matt is on his way to the restaurant from the Port Authority he texts me to get him a drink...something fruity...he doesn't care. So I tell this to our waiter. He asks, "On a scale of one to ten, how gay is Matt?" I say, "Matt's actually straight, but I'd still say a five. Very Metro-sexual." The waiter returns with the drink pic to the left here. So...Matt arrives and the waiter leans down to me and says, "Honey, I'd say a seven." I snort my drink and tell Matt what is going on. He thinks its hilarious. So he orders another drink....

And we ended up with THIS phallic display of beverage...

Matt decides to then pose for this shot...and the waiter snaps his fingers and announces his 7 has jumpted to a 9. The table looses it. Then, because the waiter liked Matt, he brought us all a blue shot (to match Ana's hair?). Said he invented it himself...and named it "Smurf Jizz."  O_O  It was stout to say the least and I downed a half a glass of water after throwing back the shot (no, I have NO idea what the heck was in it). But for the rest of the con...the sayings were..."On a scale of one to Matt, how gay is ___?" or "I blame it on the Smurf Jizz."

I never said we were normal.

And did he stop at two? Oh no...this was the third version of the drink...

I don't think I've laughed this hard in ages. It was an epic dinner with good friends, a great waiter (who we tipped amazingly well), and amazing food! If you visit NYC, I recommend going there. They have outdoor seating in the summer too. It's very nice...with a great drinks and prices, too.

And of course, no meal is complete without desert. Here is John eating red velvet cake off his belly! :)

Now THAT is a happy man! :)

But that wasn't the only great dinner I had during the convention. I also got the honor of having dinner on Saturday night with two NYT best selling authors, Faith Hunter and Kalayna Price. John, Emily, and I went to feast on good bar food and beer with these two amazing women and talk shop. It was one of the high points of the convention for sure. Just wonderful ladies whose work you should be reading!!! I myself picked up books of theirs on Monday! I'm excited to finish the book I'm on so I can start in on theirs!



John, Lauren, & me at Route 66
(How tired do I look? Jeez!)



Have no fear, I won't make a Part IV about the con...but before I go, let me say this...

Many thanks to John, Emily, and my booth girls...Lauren, Sheri, Mandana, Rachel, Alexis Daria, and Miss Aurora Black. You all made this convention an amazing success for me. Thank you for giving of your time, help, advice, and support. Also a thank you to Suzanne for loaning me chairs! She drove from NJ twice, to loan us 4 folding chairs for the con. You, my dear, are a goddess!

I have no idea if I'll be there next year as I'm planning to hit Dragon Con at the top of September...but you never know.

Until then...many thanks to Reed Pop for a successful convention...and a HUGE hug of thanks to all who took a chance on The Windfire Series and bought books. It was an honor to meet you all, talk writing, and the series. If you like it, please tell your friends and me...you can email me at tamsinlsilver@gmail.com.

Cheers!

Tamsin :)



Rachel's costume for helping me on Sunday!



New York Comic Con 2012 - Part Two

Meet my best gal pal in NYC, Lauren. She wasn't working for me on Thursday, but she was stopping by often, and so we snagged a pic just before the con started on Thursday. As you can tell by her shirt, she was working for our friends at Vampire Freaks that day. :)

I've been wondering what you all would want to know about the con other than pictures...so I've got two great stories for you.


Lauren with her new swords
(and yes, she knows how to use them)

The first story would be this: I had a woman and her young daughter come up to me and I got talking writing with the teenage girl. She had short hair like me and glasses (which I actually wear most of the time) and as we spoke, I found out she was a Cancer survivor. Well, seeing as my day job is at a cancer hospital I was so happy, I had to hug her. I was so excited to meet a survivor, seeing as book 4 of the Windfire Series is dedictated to a young woman who did not survive. I showed it to this girl, told her of Shannon and held it together just long enough for she and her mom to buy two books and leave the booth. At which point I burst into tears.

Thankfully Lauren was there at the moment and knows the story of Shannon (go HERE for her story) and was able to help me find my center again and get back to work. But it was just one of the most amazing moments at the con. To meet a survivor and share the story with her. It meant a lot. If you make it to Book Four, Cydonia, read the dedication. Shannon deserves you to know.



My view of my gals on Saturday...MANY took pics of them

That said, my second favorite story happened at the very end of the last day. A pair of teen gals ran over to the booth and the one gal, who had bought books one and two on Saturday, said, "It's your fault I've hardly had any sleep!" I laughed and asked why. She said she'd started reading the series and couldn't put it down. She just HAD to have the next two (which were my last two of those books, btw) and then her best friend said she better get books one and two since she knew her friend wouldn't share. Then, they told me they'd met Stephanie Meyer and gotten a signed copy of Twilight WAY before it blew up and predicted I would be next.

The WINDFIRE Series

That was my last sale of the day...of the con...and a great thought. I'd very much like for TONS of kids to read this series (and adults too). Though, I'm sort of the "Anti-Twilight." Sure, I have vampires (they don't sparkle), werewolves, witches and shape shifters...but I have very strong female characters. Girls who fight and kick ass! Girls who take the bull by the horns and even if they make a mistake, forge forward into the darkness...because that's how life is. You push forward. You make mistakes and you learn. So I very much hope kids read these and see that being a strong woman is just as sexy as being the damsel in distress. And men can do more than just save you from physical danger...they can be the support system and partner in your life that save you from yourself.

Part III with silly pics of a fun night out to dinner coming up in Part III...so stay tuned!

xo

Tamsin :)

New York Comic Con 2012 - Part One

I SURVIVED NEW YORK COMIC CON 2012!

---wish there were shirts that said that---

What an AMAZING and EXHAUSTING weekend! I slept almost 14 hours on Monday to recharge my battery and my voice is just now (two days later) coming back. My feet and legs are still sore but...I wouldn't change much of anything! I learned a lot...about what worked, what didn't, and what to do next year for the convention that would use my time more wisely. But that's how it goes...you do cons and you learn.

Anyhoo...that's me above...standing in front of my booth at New York Comic Con (NYCC) with my banner and booth of books (mine and my booth-mates stuff) behind me.

Below is the layout of my books/swag/short stories I had out for the masses. And I do mean MASSES. NYCC pulls over 100,000 each year, and that's not counting the Exhibitors, the people that work in their booths, or the kids 11 years old and below that get in free on Sunday! That said, below you'll see that I was selling four books, a short story with color cover (Heroes Square), and the Moon Over Manhattan posters. Free swag included stickers, Sanctuary Radio flyers, bookmarks, Vampire Freaks cards and stickers, and business cards for me and others. My "booth babes" were handing out bookmarks and Sanctuary Radio flyers to passers by, urging them to come in and see the rest.



Tamsin Silver's NYCC Table



Darth Maul made of Legos

All in the booth did well. I sold out of books three and four (as I ordered less of them than books one and two) by the end of the con. Which was a wonderful surprise, seeing as my editor thought I'd maybe sell 5 of each and I sold three times that. In fact, I sold over 100 books this weekend in total. O_O  After only selling 17 at Heroes Con (and many of those being to friends) I was leary of what I would sell. But I surprised both myself and my editor and exceeded our expectations by quite a bit. That said, I saw nothing of the convention (or should I call it a Trade Show?) than I'd have liked to have.


Gandalf & Bilbo made of Legos



For instance, I'd wanted to meet Nicholas Brendon (Xander from Buffy), Carrie Fisher (if I have to say who she was you lose all your nerd cred points), and Anne Rice. But alas, I was in my booth selling my bum off. Which is why, next year, I'll set up on Thursday morning vs. Wednesday and then wander the con and open on Friday. Cause we were DEAD on Thursday.

That said, I did get some GREAT photos of costumes and had some unique experiences...First we'll show pictures! Here you go! We'll start with my favorite shot...



Drag Queen of Aqua Girl posing with my "Booth Babes" on Saturday



 



One of my fave Steampunk Cosplay's



Jessica Rabbit



Green Goblin



After this green guy walked by, so did the MIB...and we had them take him in...

 

 





A Border Collie!
(The woman made this herself!)

My girl, Sheri, with Gumby & Pokey!

I will leave you with that...as this post is long enough. I'll do Part II next...

xo

Tamsin :)





New York Comic Con, Sanctuary Radio, and Tryskelion!

IT'S HERE! NEW YORK COMIC CON IS HERE! (Oct 11-14, 2012)

**Throws confetti and pours a large glass of a caffinated beverage**

We loaded in today! That's right, we shuffled eight boxes, two tables, four suitcases, and a big ol' rolling cart to the Javits Center from the upper tip of Manhattan. How, you may ask? Well, by using a car service (cause most New Yorkers do not own a car). And yes, that was as interesting as you are thinking. LOL! But...we are all loaded in and set up for FOUR days of CRAZY awesomeness!

And guess what?! I've got two lovely groups backing me for the convention! That's right! The first, seeing as my books partially revolve around Wicca, is TRYSKELION, a Pagan recource site. This amazing Coven has given me permission to use their rites/rituals from their site in my novels. In fact, you will find their YULE rite in Living Dead Girl, the second book of The Windfire Series. I'll have their business cards and bookmarks at my booth, too! A huge thank you to Lady Shyra and the rest of the Tryskelion Coven. Blessed Be, to you all.

The second group backing me this weekend is SANCTUARY RADIO! DJ Rob (and others) on the station will be announcing me all weekend long! I'll have flyers for them to spread the word about them...and...if you read this post or heard my name on the air...here is what you can do to get FREE stuff...

COME TO BOOTH 2167 AND SAY THE WORD "SANCTUARY" WHEN YOU DO, YOU'LL GET A FREE SHORT STORY WRITTEN BY ME AND A DISCOUNT OFF MY BOOKS IN THE WINDFIRE SERIES!

Don't know what Sanctuary Radio is? For shame! It's a 24/7 online radio station that plays Goth/Industrial/EBM on one channel and Retro/Alternative 80's on the other! No Commercials!!!! And, they survive on donations only! That means more people need to know about them to keep them on the air!

So...go listen...donate...come by my booth...mention SANCTUARY and get discounts on my stuff!

As a bonus, I have other authors at my booth as well! They too have great books for you to see!

One of them is John Hartness and he has great, funny, high energy vampire novels (The Dark Knight Series) as well as something perfect for the Halloween Season...Bubba the Monster Hunter!

The other is the bubbly and talented Emily Imes! She has YA Adventure books! Perfect for your teen, especially if they are into Manga or Anime!

So come on out to the convention and come by our booth! We'd love to talk to you about writing, music, Anime, Fantasy, Vampires, Witches...and whatever else comes to mind. Trust me, we have opinions on tons of stuff. ;)

BOOTH #2167 IN THE SMALL PRESS AREA!

And remember...if you can't make it to the convention...scroll to the next blog entry for how you can get copies of my new series in both PRINT and E-COPY!



The Windfire Series is OUT!

Hello!

So, here they are in all their glory!

Books One through Four of The Windfire Series...

Links to purchase are below. Just click on the version you need/want (Print/Kindle/Smashwords) under the book name you want and it will take you to where you can read the synopsis and purchase. Print copies run $7.99 while e-copies run $2.99.

WINDFIRE (Book One)
PRINT or KINDLE or SMASHWORDS

LIVING DEAD GIRL (Book Two, The Windfire Series)
PRINT or KINDLE or SMASHWORDS

METAMORPHOSIS (Book Three, The Windfire Series)
PRINT or KINDLE or SMASHWORDS

CYDONIA (Book Four, The Windfire Series)
PRINT or KINDLE or SMASHWORDS

For those who do not know...Smashwords is a website that contains ALL forms of e-books. So no matter if you want a PDF, a Kindle file (mobi), a Nook file (epub), a Sony E-Reader file, or a iBook file...you can get multiple types there to download to whatever device you have.

Special Note: If you read "The Betrayal - A Living Dead Girl Novel" then you should start with Book Three in The Windfire Series. It picks up where you left off.

Scroll down to see all the book covers AND a special surprise...the cover of Book Five; Identity.

KEEP SCROLLING TO FIND PROFILES OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE WINDFIRE SERIES!

A Moment Of Reflection

NYC in the fall.

My fave time of year.

It's when a lot of things are going on...especially in October. I got to thinking about last October and decided to write the following.

I don't know how often you look back a year in your past...but I recommend it. I feel very blessed right now. Read below to see why.

xo

Tamsin :)

----------------------------------------------------------------

Last year, as those of you who follow this blog know, my book, The Betrayal - A Living Dead Girl Novel was about to come out (it showed up on October 11, 2011 on Amazon) through Eirelander Publishing. It just so happened that New York Comic Con was at that EXACT same time. My best NYC gal pal, Lauren, and I dressed in corsets and walked around the convention handing out postcards of the book, attempting to drum up sales. We brought our own lunches to save money, and were on our feet all day, walking everwhere handing out cards and Vampire Freaks stickers. :)

We walked that floor from noon to 7pm on Friday and Saturday and then roamed to just shop and enjoy the con on Sunday. All the while we kept saying, "Next year maybe we will have a booth."

I didn't actually think I would. It was a pipe dream. Something to make my sore feet feel better.

Why do I say that?

Well, because I'm an Indie Author. I don't have the money behind me that Cassandra Clare, L.J. Smith, Anne Rice, and so on have helping them promote their work. I have to pay for this out of my own pocket. Not just the books to sell, but for the covers, logo's, bookmarks, banner printing, booth rental, etc.

HOWEVER...

I DO HAVE A BOOTH AT NEW YORK COMIC CON THIS YEAR!

**Throws confetti**

I was overjoyed! A booth with my friggin' name on it and friends to join me in that booth!

Then something happened...

I came to the understanding that my book just wasn't selling well sitting in the Adult/Paranormal Romance section...if that's how you'd classify it. It wasn't being found by people who would enjoy it. And thing was, everyone who read it loved the story, but it just wasn't moving off "shelves." I had two options. A) Fix the problem  B) Quit.

Those who know me personally know that Option B wasn't really an option. I want this too bad and I'm too determined to quit this soon in the game. In fact, I refused to. So I called upon a good friend from college, who is a successful indie author in my genre, for advice.

John told me..."Leave your publisher...get the rights back to your story, re-edit the book with a pro, split them up to make them shorter, republish on your own. Take control of your series."

This was THREE MONTHS prior to New York Comic Con, btw.  O_O

I was petrified.
I was unsure.
I was on uneven ground.

I'll be honest...I prayed about it, I spoke to my closest friends and family about it, and I decided John was right. It was a difficult decision. To go out on your own as self-published. SO MANY people still see that as "bad writing." *cough cough* 50 Shades of Gray *cough cough* 

But it doesn't need to be.

So I left Eirelander, found a new editor, and with her help we reinvented what used to be The Living Dead Girl Saga into the Young Adult saga called The WINDFIRE Series. The Betrayal has become two books; Windfire and Living Dead Girl. And what would have become Book Two (entitled, Shattered) has become Books Three and Four; Metamorphosis and Cydonia.

Let me tell you about my new editor. She is amazing. She busted my butt on many things and I'm sure she still will. She helped me see errors I'd made in the story, errors in grammar, errors in titles (cause the cool titles we have now were NOT what I'd originally chosen), and error in demographic for sales.

She is the reason these books are now YA.

She is the reason these books look better.

She is the reason these books have better names.

So Chris...thank you.

And John...you were the spark that lit the fire. Thank you.

And to Lauren...this year you get to be at my booth, work at the VF booth, AND Loaded Barrel Studios booth! It's amazing what can happen in a year. I'm so excited to see us take this next step together. Thank you for your never wavering support!

And to all of you who enjoyed The Betrayal...you'll enjoy Metamorphosis and Cydonia...as the story continues to unfold for Atlanta Hart. There are not large changes but there are some...so if you are considering getting Windfire and Living Dead Girl...I suggest you do. There's a new dream at the top of Living Dead Girl that hints to something coming up in Book Six, there's a whole new scene in Windfire, and other small things here and there. But, for the sake of saving money, you'll be fine starting with the new Book Three; Metamorphosis.

Of course...right now, Amazon is having a sale on my books. If you buy the first three, the fourth is free...PLUS FREE SHIPPING! Not bad! If you want that deal, go back up to the first post (which will be the Windfire Release Post for awhile) and click on the PRINT option for WINDFIRE.

And...if you enjoy them...please...tell people and write reviews online!

These books are on Smashwords, Goodreads, Amazon, and soon...Nook. So read and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! It's those reviews that grab the attention of publishers and agents. Even if all you do is go in and click the number of stars for it and say one sentence of praise (ya like how I decided you're going love it?) and go on your merry way. Please, if you enjoy my work, help others find it to enjoy as well.

Best,

Tamsin :)

P.S. And if you are an Indie Author and like my book covers...I highly recommend Baum Book Designs. Kathy Baum is great to work with, understands your vision, and really helps give your book a professional look. She also has experience working at designing postcards, bookmarks, business cards, and back covers as well as spines to go with your cover (ie: Createspace). She also can print posters (thick and thin) for you. She seriously has her black belt in Photoshop! :)