#Running Groups

I have never been in a running group. Running has always seemed like a solitary activity. But I was invited a week or two ago to join a running group with a friend. I started to decline when I rethought my position on it. Sure no one likes to be sweaty and gross around other people, but why wasn’t I doing it?
Since my first running kick last year, I have fallen off the bandwagon and it has been like torture to make myself get back on. I get home from work, and I am tired. I have ten thousand things I need to do, and it is hard make the time. So running always gets pushed to the back burner. With a running group I have real, actual people waiting for me–depending on me to show up. If that isn’t motivation, I don’t know what is.


Second, I used to think of writing as a solitary activity until I joined a writing group. It may have been the best decision I have ever made. I love my writing group. They have all been an amazing inspiration for me. Hopefully the running group works the same.

So I broke the pattern and said yes. I am now a member of a running group.  I am doing the Jingle Bell 5k in December. I want to improve my time, run the whole thing, and hopefully continue with the races. Once I conquer this 5k business I can move on to 10ks.

Writing is for mind, eating right is for my body, running is for my soul. (Okay maybe that is cheesy, it is definitely for my stress though)

#Giveaways!!!

I have been busy marketing this week. There are still tons of opportunities to win Dark Corners going on right now, check out Liz On Tour. I am also doing some guest blogging and articles. There is a "How to" article about how to make some of my Halloween decorations over at Time 4 Mommy. On October 10th I am doing a guest post about my stay at the Lemp Mansion in St. Louis over at I Love Books and I have an incredibly cool giveaway. Zombie Survival messenger bag? Perhaps!

I also have some very exciting blog hops coming up. One the week of Halloween, The Trick or Treat hop, were I will be offering Dark Corners for free all week and you can get other fantastic books for free, come by for details! The Winner Wonderland giveaway hop, another awesome opportunity to win cool prizes.The Green Christmas giveaway blog hop, environmentally friendly prizes. And the most exciting one Independent Inklings Christmas Kindle giveaway. One lucky person will win a Kindle and ebooks from every participating author!! How cool is that. So make sure you stop by any of these hops and enter to win. Or if your are interesting in participating in any of them let me know and I will give you the information. 

I am so excited!

Teaser Tuesday- Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

"The only phone on the island. I looked over at it--it was the kind that had a door you could pull shut for privacy, like the ones you see in old movies--and realized with dawning horror that this was the Grecian orgy, this was the raging frat party I had been connected to when I called the island a few weeks ago. This was piss hole."
I am a third of the way through this marvelous story written by Ransom Riggs. Based on what I have read so far I highly recommend it.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page.
4. Add the title and Author's name too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR pile.

TV Round Up

So much tv, so little time. I am not one of those people who doesn't watch television. I watch it and love it, especially during new fall line up. So what did I watch in the past week?

Monday:
Two and a Half Men- I admit I am little more than a gawker here. I didn't really watch the old one except in reruns, but I was curious how they were going to get rid of Charlie. Parts of it were funny and it might be able to pull it off without him, but I personally think they lost a lot of the charm the show had before. I probably will not be returning to it.
2 Broke Girls- This made me laugh several times, especially love the part when they were talking about her boyfriend abs as making smart girls stupid. I will definitely be DVRing this one.
Castle- I love Castle. When it first came out I didn't want to watch it because it was another cop show, but I am glad I did. It is such a good show and I love that Castle is 1. Nathan Fillion and 2. a writer. The premiere this season was so good. It picked up nearly where it left off last season with Beckett getting shot. I was really curious through the first ten minutes or so what they were doing with Castle and Beckett, but by the end of the episode I was once again happily enthralled. 

Tuesday:
The Ringer: I watched two episodes of this this week because I never watched the one I DVRed from the previous week. Sarah Michelle Gellar returns to play twins. I wasn't sure about it after the first episode, but the second one pulled me in more. It already promises a lot of twists and turns and I am curious where it is going to go.
Unforgettable: This is another cop show (I know, I know) with Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck) and Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace). It was okay. I don't know if it will pick up a coveted DVR position. It is about a former detective and current gambler who seems to have perfect recall. It reminds me a bit of that older show the Profiler (which I loved) except without the extreme crimes and intensity. Anyway something happened in her past which she cannot recall that haunts her. She teams up with her ex-boyfriend and cop Dylan Walsh to solve the murder of one of her neighbors. I will watch it a second time, but I am on the fence.

Wednesday:
Up All Night- Will Arnett (Arrested Development <3) and Christina Applegate lead this sitcom about two new parents dealing with a baby, work, and each other. Parts were funny, but I didn't connect. Maybe because I don't have kids. I wanted to like it so much too. Sigh. I will give it another chance. 
Modern Family- The premiere might have been my favorite Modern Family show ever. It was hilarious beginning to end. Could this cast be anymore perfect? Seriously, love it.
Criminal Minds- This was an interesting episode that brought back what we lost last season. I am glad they wrapped up that story line. I honestly watch Criminal Minds for the serial killers so I would like to get back to that.

Thursday:
The Mentalist- I actually watched this last night. It was a good episode and Jane is hard not to love. The end disappointed me slightly, but not enough to make me not want to watch his shenanigans.
Prime Suspect- I have been very interested in this BBC remake. I didn't mind the first episode, but I haven't set up a season pass yet (probably will this week). I like Maria Bello. I like that she wasn't a super woman. She gets her ass kicked, no one wants her to be there and it hurts her, and her love life isn't perfect. I am interested because it seems more real than most of what is on tv.

Friday:
Haven: *This will contain spoilers* Squee! I love Haven, especially Nathan and Audrey. I am so happy they finally refer to their feelings (they didn't actually talk about it but that's okay) and they finally kiss. With the Rev gone and tensions getting tighter it is only a matter of time before the wire snaps. The episode make serious headway into the confusing life of Audrey and into Duke's back story as well. I can't wait for the finale this week but at the same time I have the sneaking suspicion they will cliffhanger me and I HATE that. 

What I missed-
A Gifted Man: Really wanted to see this one too. Must check On Demand.
Archer
The New Girl
Person of Interest
Supernatural: Never fear though, I have this one recorded. The only reason I didn't watch it is because I wanted to watch the finale from last season before I watched the new episode, but haven't had time. I will definitely catch up before this Friday. P.S. I miss Supernatural being on Thursday.


That's what I have so far. What have I missed? What did you watch that I should check out?

Halloween decorations

Well, four blisters from the hot glue gun later I have all my Halloween decorations up and photographed. Now all I have left is to write the article about how I did the decorations and how they compare with what the magazine said. I will link to it when that is up, but for now I have pictures. Woohoo!

The front porch

 I used a pie rack, leaves and some gourds to make a kitchen decoration.

This has my favorite decoration in it. It is the hand-craved witch I bought when I visited the Black Forest in Germany. Beneath I made a cauldron of poisoned apples. Muahahaahha

 On top of the piano I have my spider pumpkin tea light holders I made. 

 The Poe display might be my favorite one this year. 

Interview with Jeremy Bates!

Author, Jeremy Bates, stopped by Bat Country today to chat with me his process. #amwriting  His book, White Lies, comes out May 7th, 2012. Check his very cool web site http://www.jeremybatesbooks.com/ and book trailer.

White Lies blurb- While driving to a charming village tucked away deep in the Cascade Mountains of eastern Washington, where she is to begin a new job teaching high school English, Katrina Burton picks up a young hitchhiker who turns out to be drunk and predatory.  Fearful for her safety, she lies about her destination in order to get him out of the car.  But when she later discovers that he is a teacher at the same school, she finds herself feeding that initial lie with more lies.
Then Katrina meets a mysterious man.  Handsome, charismatic and strong, he is exactly what she needs to extricate her from the expanding network of lies, now spinning out of control.  She falls fast and hard for him.
But her perfect solution soon becomes a nightmare that lands her in the middle of a grisly murder.  And Katrina’s problems don’t stop there.  She must decide whether to betray her new love or to cover up the murder and hope for the best…until she discovers that the choice may not be hers to make.

Now let's get started!

What genre do you write in?

I write suspense/thriller. More specifically, I call the kind of books I write "situational thrillers." Regular people in bad situations. Sort of like Scott Smith's A Simple Plan. What would you do if you found four million dollars?

What is your process? (do you plan, outline, let the characters guide you, research before or during, etc)

Once I have an idea, I'll let it sit in my head for a couple weeks. Then I'll jot down a few pages of notes outlining a very general plot and info on the main characters. But after that I just go with it. Any research that comes up I do as I write.

How do you get into your character's frame of mind?

I think that just happens naturally. The characters are pretty thin when I start out. But after I get into the story, they sort of find themselves. Then I'll often have to go back and fix them up in the beginning, once I know them better.

Do you listen to music while you write? What is your favorite song for emotional scenes?


Definitely! I have no favorite song for any kind of scene. I could be writing an emotional scene and listening to AC/DC! Whatever is coming through the headphones at that time. Funny enough, if I mention a song in a novel, it's usually what I was listening while I was writing.

What have you published and what are you currently working on?
My debut novel is called White Lies. It will be released by Oceanview Publishing on May 7, 2012. I’m currently working on the next novel (still untitled at this point!)

What is your favorite book?
Tough question! There are so many. But I really like The Shining by Stephen King.

What is your favorite movie?
Again—tough to choose just one! The Talented Mr. Ripley (great book too!)

Which of your characters is your favorite and why?
I don’t have a specific favorite. But in general I tend to like the villains. They’re always fun to write and you can get away with a lot of stuff with them that you can’t with the heroes (like shooting people, doing drugs, whatever).

PROUST Questions:

What is your favorite word?
Okay.

What is your least favorite word?
No.

What turns you on?
Women.

What turns you off?
Camels.

What sound or noise do you love?
The ocean.

What sound or noise do you hate?
Car horns.

What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
A rock star!

What profession would you not like to do?
Acting.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Here’s the key.


Thanks!

Weekend Reading: This Brilliant Darkness by Red Tash

Hello all! My #amreading book this weekend is This Brilliant Darkness. The author, Red Tash, was kind enough to come to Bat Country to do a guest post. Enjoy!

Liz, thanks for hosting me on your blog this Friday for Weekend Reading.  I love the Halloween theme you’re rocking!

First of all, I have to confess that I, too, am a Scorpio, and autumn is my favorite time of year.  Halloween is definitely Red Tash’s favorite holiday, if I do say so, myself (in the third person). 

I just released my first novel (into the wild), and to celebrate, I’m having a huge Trick or Treat Bash over at my blog.  Here’s the link: http://RedTash.com/bash  I do hope some of your readers will enter my prize giveaway, because there’s a new Kindle up for grabs, Amazon gift cards, and well over three dozen novels from some of today’s most prolific authors.  w00t!  The lucky winners are going to be reading for free for months.

So, let me tell you a little something about This Brilliant Darkness.  It’s a short novel, and fast-paced, yet it still manages to tell a story of good versus evil as events unfold through the viewpoints of multiple characters.  It’s a book for people who don’t like being talked down to—hey, I’m smart, and I assume my readers are, as well.  I don’t spend a lot of time pandering and hand-holding, but there is a cast of characters at the beginning of the book, and an online map, if you’re into those. 

In This Brilliant Darkness, we take off running, and each chapter ends with a cliffhanger. 

Along the way, we get to know:

·         Christine, our quirky heroine--a young professor on Indiana University’s scenic campus.  She loves her morning coffee, her hunky hippie boyfriend (mostly), and hanging out with the local Buddhist monks.  She hates modern technology, and the feeling she’s being watched.  Will she realize she’s being stalked in time to save herself?

·         Greachin, the ages-old entity too damaged to realize he’s his own worst enemy, obsessed with Christine and intent on doing her in.  Although he’s harnessed the power to mutate organic matter into any form he can imagine, will he triumph over his own darkness?  Does he even want to?

·         Among the rest, the charmingly odd, smallish-urban town of Bloomington, Indiana stands out as a character of its own.  Populated by cosplaying environmentalists & street-person barbershop quartets, you never know what you’re going to run into next on the streets of B-town.  Especially when you dare to take a shortcut through Greachin’s woods.

Our main character Christine is born on Halloween, and she’s all decked out in her costume for the annual town parade on the night of big throwdown between her and the evil Greachin.  She’s such a coffee junkie, she naturally finds a Juan Valdez get-up for her birthday shindig.  But will she make it to the party alive?

This Brilliant Darkness is just $.99, and currently available on Amazon, Smashwords, and the iBooks store.  It’ll be in a few other places soon, so check my site if you’re loyal to a store not listed here.

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http://RedTash.com  My site

http://redtash.com/ThisBrilliantDarkness  More about the characters from TBD, and links to purchase