Saturday, January 2, 2016

Alternate release day!


Alternate is available!!!


When a portal leaves Baxter trapped and powerless in an alternate world, she finds herself on the run and fighting for her life. The world’s Council wants to hand her over to Declan, and her only source of support is a broken Alternate Jack who blames her for all he’s lost. Baxter soon realizes that if she’s going to defeat Declan and get back to her world, she’ll have to reclaim her abilities and be stronger than she ever imagined.

Declan and the Absorbers’ Initiative wage war on everyone who opposes them in their hunt for Baxter. Their actions reveal what her future will be like if she doesn’t make some drastic decisions. She knows that one misstep on her part will lead to the destruction of not just this world, but her own.

In a race against Time and bitter enemies, Baxter will discover how much is at stake and just what she’ll have to sacrifice to save those she loves. Can she learn from the fate of an alternate world how to become the Time Bender she’s meant to be?



Connect with Marilyn:
Twitter: @LynAlmodovar

Friday, January 1, 2016

2016 goals

2016 you guys. Where the heck did this year come from? Not to be all reminiscent, but I still remember all of the hooplah of 2000, and you are telling me it's now 16 years later?

So, what's going to happen in 2016 (well, what am I going to PLAN to happen, because we all know what happens to plans, haha)

This is the year to focus on my business, on really doing everything I can do to help my books get into the hands of readers. That means :

Getting a newsletter up and running (and all of the logistics with it)
Getting a ficticious name license so I can really start pushing Strong Novels as a brand and business
Getting my website up and running (it's slowly getting there)
Re-branding myself
Being more involved in the community, both local and afar.

Also in the makings is the finishing of my current Alyssa/Caleb WIP, as well as getting some words down in a new 5(ish) YA paranormal series that I am super excited to begin (and hopefully finish).

While I can't promise to bring you armloads of new books written by me this year, I can promise to give you armloads of books by other fabulous authors to pass the time :)

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Winter wrap up!

Ok, seriously, how is it the end of 2015? How? I could have sworn I just sat down and started planning all of the things that I was going to accomplish in 2015!

And to be honest, it went by so quickly that I feel like I worked my butt off and didn't accomplish anything. In both my personal life and my author life. I know that's not true, but whew, time needs to slooooow down just a titch so I can jump back on this treadmill and not feel like I'm going to go flying off the end all "gym blooper" style.

So come take a journey back in time with me, so I can reflect on the things I DID accomplish in 2015, and then we'll make a plan for next year.

2015 started with a bang, both good and bad. I learned that not only do I have a thyroid problem, I also have a circulatory problem which, after an ultrasound and a CT scan (with contrast. Have you ever had dye injected into your veins? It feels really weird!) I was officially diagnosed as "hypersensitive to stress". Aka, despite the best efforts of my amazing doctor and several top notch cardiologists, there is no other explanation for how I went from very serious narrowing of arteries to completely normal in 3 weeks. What can I say, I like being a challenge.

I also started a new job in January, in a completely different field than before. It was a huge adjustment, but I am still so excited that I made the switch. I think the hardest part has been figuring out the work, author work, life balance with the new schedule, which requires me working more hours and no more Summers/Christmas/Spring Break time off to work on my books. I'll get there, just be patient with me.

Angela Stevens, Lynn Strang, and me

Cascade's  Library invited me back, and I was able to meet some new (to me) authors and really enjoy spending time hanging out with them. There was a good crowd this year and it was a blast talking to people so interested in reading and publishing. While I did miss having my table to sprawl (I took the "everything but the kitchen sink" approach in 2015 lol), it really forced me to interact with the people around me instead of hiding behind my books/in my phone.



In April I was able to be at my second Battle of the Books finale along with author Valerie Muller. Our books were featured in the 2014-2015 battle and it was so much fun seeing some of the students and staff of my old school who were attending the battle. Once again, I was amazed by the knowledge the students were able to retain and impressed by the questions the judges created for The Lady of Steinbrekka.

May and June brought a new face to old favorites, as I worked with Elizabeth Sharp to re-do the Kaldalangra series covers (what, a series that looks like a series? No way!). They are absolutely gorgeous and she was fantastic to work with (as always)




That's me on the right,
ignoring the big glass
elevator high in the air


June I really stepped out of my box, when I drove (all by myself, eek!) to Nashville Tennessee to UtopiaCon 2015. It was an absolutely amazing, fantastic, eye-opening time and I am so glad that I went. It was the longest solo road trip I've taken (oh, what's that, check engine light coming on at the halfway point? yay!) and also my first really big convention. I met so many amazing authors, bloggers, and readers and can't wait to do it again in 2016.




Things slowed down a little after that, with me writing here and there, blogging here and there, and generally struggling through health issues again. It was like a little mini emotional hibernation, but like all hibernations, soon I'll emerge from the den. The ideas are still swirling around in my head, but the energy needed to get them out is tapped out. It's coming back though, day by day, ever so slowly, and when it does ...

Bring on 2016!!