Guest post: Cover reveal - Deadly Kisses by Kerri Cuevas

I am delighted to be interviewing my friend, Kerri Cuevas, today about her upcoming new book, Deadly Kisses. It launches on 5th March but the Cover is being revealed now so ... *drumroll* ... ta dah ... here it is:
 

 

1. How exciting Kerri. The cover is amazing - who designed it?

Covers are so much fun. WiDo Publishing asked me to send them samples of covers I liked from other published authors, as an example that I would like to see for my book. I told them Defiance by C.J. Redwine—cover love! WiDo sent Steven Novak my info, and the cover for Deadly Kisses was born. I have to tell you the cover process scared me more than editing. It’s such a huge deal for a book, but WiDo delivered.

2. Can you briefly summarize the story and the main plot points for us?

Aiden Grant is seventeen, has a killer kiss, and a boss who used to be President, back in the old days. You see, Aiden is a grim reaper and his kiss welcomes the newly dead. But Aiden’s simple grim reaper lifestyle is at a standstill. And it’s not because Honest Abe keeps throwing out history lessons with reaping assignments, just to confuse him. It’s because Aiden’s next assignment is to reap the soul of Bee, the only girl he has ever loved.

When Aiden’s kiss of death fails, intertwining their souls, Bee is still very much alive and they are both in trouble. The ancients want Bee, who has special powers of her own, and they’ll do anything to get her.

Some rules are meant to be broken—even if that means Aiden must bargain with his own soul to save Bee. Who knew the afterlife could get so complicated?

3. It's rather gruesome, this Grim Reaper stuff, where did the idea come from?

The idea came from Halloween—best holiday ever! I decided I would write about Grim Reapers and when I took my kids trick-or-treating, I saw kids with Grim Reaper costumes everywhere. The gears in my brain turned more, and I began building their world. You never know where inspiration comes from.

4. How long did it take you to write Deadly Kisses?

I wrote, Deadly Kisses, in one month as my NaNoWriMo project. It has gone through many drafts, and has changed a lot from the original version.

5. Do you have an agent or are you working directly with the publishers?

I’m working with WiDo Publishing, and I can’t say enough great things about them. They have been fabulous!

6. How did you get together with WiDo Publishing?

Claire, I have to tell you that it was pure luck. I was going down my blog list and saw a submission contest, so I read the blog post. It said at least one person would get a contract, and you would at least get editorial advice. It was the last day of their contest, and I entered on a whim. That whim landed me in the top three. Although, I didn’t get a contract, I did get editorial advice with an invitation to resubmit. With that second resubmission came an offer of a contract with WiDo Publishing, and that’s how I got my publisher.

7. Wow, that's great. Very inspiring. I'll have to enter more contests in future. Is Kiss from the Grave the sequel to Deadly Kisses?

Yes it is! Deadly Kisses will be a trilogy. I just can’t say goodbye to my characters and their world.

8. What is your favorite bit in Deadly Kisses?
I have two favorite scenes in the book, and I had so much fun writing them. One was near the beginning when the main Character, Aiden, tries taking Bee’s soul. I think the reader will get some chuckles during that part. The other part is near the end. Aiden is showing Bee how to steer his gondola, and it’s rather romantic and sweet.

9. Do you write full-time or do you have another job as well?

I’m a Mom of three girls first, and then an author. On the weekends it’s shopping, boyfriends, sports, and homework, and when they’re in school, I write. I also volunteer at my local animal shelter. 
 
10. Where is your favorite spot to write?

The dining room has become my office. I open the blinds and see a beautiful green forest (right now it’s white with snow). My laptop is usually surrounded by three cats, and my daughter’s bunnies entertain me while I’m writing. It sounds more like a zoo than a dining room/office, eh?


Thanks so much for having me on your blog today, Claire!

There is a pre-order special going on right now for anyone interested in reading, Deadly Kisses.  http://widopublishing.com/deadly-kisses-by-kerri-cuevas/

Thank you, Kerri, and best of luck with the launch in March. Please visit Kerri's website for more information about Kerri and Deadly Kisses.

A last look at 2012

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and wishing you all a healthy, happy and harmonious New Year.

I have been pretty much out of the blogging loop for a couple of months or so but wanted to wish everyone a really lovely Christmas and a very happy New Year. I hope that 2013 will usher in a new time for us all. The Golden Age. Doesn't that sound wonderful. Let's hope we can all put aside our differences and live alongside each other in peace and harmony.

I have found that this is much easier than I thought it would be and that it doesn't matter if I don't agree with someone else's views or if they don't like mine. We can still exist in the same space in love and friendship, whether it is at home or work or anywhere else. The whole point of being here is to experience different things and how boring would it be if we all liked doing the same things or thought the same way. I love meeting new people, hearing different ways of thinking, and discovering new things to do. I would hate it if we all lived the same way. Diversity is interesting. If nothing else, it shows me what I don't want, which in turn helps me to work out what I DO want. It also helps if I don't let other people's opinions influence me too much and if I can not care too much what other people think.

I am having the best fun at the moment manifesting an amazing life. It seems no sooner do I formulate what I want in my mind, then it becomes a reality, in ways I couldn't even imagine. Much better than I would have allowed myself to dream was possible. My life is not perfect by any means, but I am learning that all the bumps and potholes along the way just give me opportunities to grow and become a better person. Somehow I appreciate what I have more when I have to go through a struggle to get it, although this ease and abundance I am currently experiencing is bloody fab. So, actually, scrap that, I'm gonna stop stuggling and just have fun instead.

2012 for me was a year of receiving. It seemed that I was reaping the rewards of past hard work, physically and spiritually. I allowed myself to receive too, which is a newer experience for me, as I always thought that giving was the most important trait. I have decided I like receiving, especially expensive and beautiful jewellry from my husband. LOL

2013 is going to be a year of being more disciplined and for focusing on the things that are more important to me, rather than being distracted by the everyday stuff. I am going to start a regular writing and blogging schedule, balance work and home effectively, spend more quality time with my husband and children, but also have time for friends and family. I am going to eat more healthily and consciously and, hopefully, lose some weight (hmmm, that's new one for me). I am going to pay off my UK credit card (ha ha ha yes, I can hear you all laughing, but I am, I am, I AM going to be debt free!).

I am going to start a regular meditation schedule (yes, I know I was really good for a while there back in May and June but it has gradually been dropping off my radar). I am going to start stretching my poor aching muscles, become more supple (ha!) and maybe even start a yoga class (well, I do live in hippy California - it's practically a requirement).

And ... I am going to finish my sodding memoir and become a famous successful author and have lovely-jubbly Brad Pitt and George Clooney star in the film of my best-selling book. So there!

OK that's me. What about you? What are your New Year's Resolutions or do you not believe in them or fail miserably in the first couple of weeks. What was good for you in 2012 and what are you looking forward to in 2013?

I Miss You Blogfest

This blogfest is hosted by Alex Cavanaugh, Matt MacNish and Andrew Leon. It goes without saying that the whole blogging community would miss these guys if they stopped posting. Please take a moment to head over there and say Hi to them all. They all blog extensively and are a total inspiration.

This blogfest is about our blogger friends. Who would we really miss if they stopped blogging and those who aren't posting as often or have stopped altogether. So first up are the some of my favourite bloggers. They are funny, generous and I would bloody hate it if they didn't blog anymore.

Lily from The Incoherent Ramblings of a Moose! She is utterly hysterical, crazy as shit and blogs about really weird stuff that might, or might not, have happened to her. She is not for the faint of heart, so be warned. I love her though and would absolutely hate, hate, hate it if she stopped blogging. Like me, she has been finding it hard to blog as much recently. Is it something in the air, do you think?

Pat from It's Rhyme Time. Another one who is barking mad, or should I say meowing mad! It is written in rhyme by Pat's cat. Hmmm I think that says it all. He blogs every day, which by itself is an amazing task. I did that for one month for the A-Z Challenge and it nearly killed me! He always comments on my posts even when I don't comment on his, which is just too lovely for words. He's written a ton of books, so please go and visit his blog. You will not be disappointed. Thanks Pat. You're Top Cat.

Bridget Straub is someone who I have met through blogging and she is so great. She has a fab blog, which I only manage to comment on occassionally, as I can't seem to find time to do anything these days. She writes more than anyone I know - three books in one year! She is kind, funny, generous and brave. Check out her blog and all her books. She will be guesting on my blog very soon, so please come back and see her then.

Now here are some bloggers who don't blog as often or who have stopped altogether:

Rachael Harrie of Rach Writes was the reason why I started blogging in the first place. Her Third Platform-Building Campaign back in August 2011 started me off. She seems to have stopped the Campaigns which, although I can totally understand why as they must have been an unearthly amount of work, is a sad thing as they were such good fun and I met so many new people. She still blogs and is definitely worth visiting. She always has a lot of great information on her blog.

Gillian Hefer from A Daft Scots Lass has just stopped blogging in September. She was always off the wall and swore more than any drunken Glaswegian stumbling out of the pub on a Friday night. I will miss her tell-it-like-it-is humour and ruder-than-hell remarks. Hopefully she will just take a well-earned rest and be back with more in the New Year.

Politeness is a British Culture

My sister said this to me the other day when we were chatting. It really struck a chord with me. I started thinking about how politeness is so much a part of everyday life in England and how different it is in America. Not that I’m saying Americans aren’t polite. They are, just in a different way.

The word politeness derives from the Latin word “politus”, which means polished. My sister put forward a theory that we may have got our politeness from the mixing of the classes, when the Upstairs and Downstairs had to start polishing up their communication skills in order to socialize together and no-one knew how the hell to do it.

The English, in particular, admire politeness, reserve and restraint, although some might say we are merely stuck up, unfriendly and cold! Not so much of the Rule Britannia, but more of the Rude Britannia? Apparently, according to some research ...

If you want to read the rest of this blog, please go to The Kindness Project, as I'm blogging there today.

Definition of Success?

I had lunch with my 17 year old daughter last week and as I walked away I smiled to myself and thought was a successful time it had been. And then I laughed out loud as I realized how my views on what constitute "successful" have changed beyond all recognition since having kids. Here is a brief summary of our lunch:

We met at a restaurant near to where we both work that serves lovely pasta. While I was waiting for her to appear (of course, she was late) I looked at their menu and and decided to choose something off their very reasonable 'Lunch Specials' menu. When Emma arrived, she was starving and took a very brief glance at the Specials menu before declaring there was nothing there she liked. No problem, I said, choose what you want from the normal menu. After perusing for a few minutes she decided on a Gorgonzola pasta dish. I knew she wouldn't be able to eat a normal-sized portion so offered to share it with her and just order a salad. I wanted the Mixta salad, which I'd fancied from the Specials menu, she wanted the Caesar salad, as usual (what is it with all teenagers - why do they always order bloody Caesar salad?). We ordered the Gorgonzola pasta and the Caesar salad. I ate most of the salad as she disliked their homemade dressing.

She then spent most of our lunch texting on her phone, which is supposed to be forbidden, but apparently it was "Just one more text, it's very quick, just making important social arrangements". We did, however, manage to squeeze in a few conversational sentences without getting into an argument, in between her texting and shovelling food in her mouth, before we got the bill. As we were leaving she somehow managed to extract $7 cash out of me to go back to her work (a fashionable clothing store) as she absolutely had to have this bracelet which was the last one there and she'd left her wallet at home.

As we left she smiled happily, told me she loved me (hmmm, wallet-love?) and actually allowed me to put an arm around her and graciously leaned her head towards me so I could kiss her forehead. This was thrilling as I am not normally allowed to touch her. I walked away thinking what a nice lunch it was before giving myself a mental head slap and reality check.

How has your thinking changed over the years? What do you accept now that would have been completely unacceptable a few years ago? (Like farting when you cough, no longer being able to do star-jumps - did I ever want to? - or longing for bed at 9pm, to sleep not for any hanky-panky.)

Please remember to check out the Write On, Mamas! Indigogo Campaign - see the button on the right. Thanks.

Sex, money and rock 'n' roll!

Hellooooooo! I'm back ... again! What a weird and wonderful couple of months it's been. Lots of fun, lots of de-cluttering and a little bit of drama. I can't believe how completely crap I've been when it's come to blogging though. Every day has been packed to the gunnels with exciting, boring, fun, tedious and exotic things I had to do, which somehow made it impossible to write. So much so, that I started not to think of myself as a writer ... which was a bit sad. So, I made a new resolution to properly schedule time to write. Not a New Year's Resolution, as I never bloody keep those, but maybe a Nearly Halloween Resolution. Hmmm, we'll see. But I digress. I am scheduling writing time and top of my list is blogging.

The Write On, Mamas! at Lit Crawl 2012

The slight problem, well, not exactly a problem, but one of the reasons why I haven't been writing is that my AMAZING writing group, the Write On, Mamas! has just launched its brand spanky new, incredibly wonderful website, and I am in charge of editing it and general maintenance. The only incy-wincy teensy-weensy issue there is our new site is Wordpress and I knew sod-all about how to work in effing Wordpress. All I knew was that Blogger and Wordpress don't play nice together. In fact, they're a little like my hormonal teenagers - sometimes sweetness and light and at others nasty, horrid vermin. So, another bloody steep learning curve ... and now that I'm the big five-oh, I really thought I wouldn't have to do that learning thing anymore. Drat and double drat.

Then we launched an Indigogo campaign to raise money for our fabby Anthology project and I somehow got roped into helping with the video as my son did the filming and editing. If any of you have any spare cash fluttering around your undies, and you fancy giving it to a bunch of VERY talented writers, please click here. You can even have some of us Mamas invade your home and perform at your request. Although no requests for pole-dancing in g-strings please. Strictly reading. However, we just successfully performed our "Your Mom had sex" theme at San Francisco's Lit Crawl to a packed house, so we are happy to be a bit risqué.

We even passed out these condoms, which went down well with passers-by. Oh, maybe I should re-phrase that! My piece started: "I opened my underwear drawer and recoiled in shock." I may upload the full script and video soon.

And if that isn't enough, my fellow bloggers in The Kindness Project decided that, instead of posting every 2nd Wednesday, we would have our very own site and blog about kindness all the time. Please go and take a look. I will let you know when I am posting, but all the contributors are inspirational. We shall be doing lots of exciting things in the future so watch this space.

I've also been to see a ton of bands, including America, The Tubes, Ed Sheeran (at last) who was playing free in San Francisco with Philip Phillips and Alanis Morrisette. I'm seeing Bob Dylan this week with Mark Knopfler, Muse in January and Ed Sheeran again in February.

Ok, so that's some of what I've been up to recently. What about you? What have I missed?

Busy, busy, busy

Sorry, sorry, sorry. I am slammed again, with work and also with editing my writing group's new website which just went live (more on this soon). So I haven't had time to write anything. Instead, I am re-publishing some of my most popular posts until I can find a spare brain cell to write something new. This was my top post from the A-Z Challenge in April.

U is for Useful and Useless

Useful: Lefty Loosey, Righty TightyBeing a rather Unorganised, but Ultroneous (that's spontaneous to the Uneducated) person, I obviously have not properly thought through this A-Z Challenge. Apart from the first 3 or 4 posts, I have not written posts ahead of time. I have not even listed ideas of what I might write. It has been an interesting exercise in thinking on my feet, to say the least. So, as we arrive at the bottom end of the alphabet and the letters become a bit more difficult, I find myself somewhat panicking. What do to with 'U'? Ultimately, what Utter nonsense will I come up this time? Not one to disappoint, I have decided to Unearth and Unlease and, wait for it, Unbosom some Useful tips and some Useless sayings for your general amusement and jollification.

I thought this was a ridiculous saying when my husband first said it and mocked him cruelly. Now I know the error of my ways as it is the ONLY way I can tell how to turn something on or off. I find myself saying it to others. Does this mean I am now officially "An Old Fart"?

Back from the blogging wilderness

Hellooooo! I'm back. Yes, I know it's been bloody ages since I last blogged. Bad Claire. I have just been having waaaay too much fun. Let me give you a very brief insight into just how much fun I have been having these last few weeks.

August was basically "Holiday Month" for me. I went south for a lovely, girlie weekend with my 17 year old daughter to Santa Cruz, Monterey and Carmel. I've still got to write Part Three - sorry, will get to that soon. Then I went north to Fort Bragg with my hubby, my 15 year old son and his friend. That was fun too, but in a different, more manly way. Then I barely had time to unpack and do laundry before I was off again. This time to San Diego. Oh my god! A whole week just with my gorgeous husband and no children. Heaven.

It was my 50th birthday and instead of having a huge party at home, which I was thinking of doing but then just seemed like a whole lot of sodding work and expense for us, my hubby took me away for a week. We spent 3 days in San Diego (I am officially in love with SD) and then 3 days staying with amazing friends who live about 40 mins outside SD.

Wild Weekend in Vegas!

Well, I know that pic does not look terribly wild but it was the only pic I had of me in Vegas on short notice. This was actually the last time I went to Vegas, but I am just about to go with my company - in about an hour in fact - and in the past these types of events have been rather wild! My work colleagues have been saying things like "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" which was bad enough, but then they started saying "What happens in Vegas, never happened!" OMG. Now I'm scared!

The Kindness Project

Brightening the world one smile, one kind word,

one blog post at a time

Please see the end of this post for a description of TKP and who else is participating.

A painting by my son, Tom

I have been thinking about what to write for this month's kindness blog and decided to write about the far-reaching effects of being kind, even small and seemingly insignificant acts, and how that can affect our entire planet. So being kind to someone is actually kinder than we think. We may hope that the person to whom we are being kind benefits (which they may do even if they don't even realise we are being kind to them), but I believe there is much more to it than that.