Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Early IWSG Post, A to Z, A Change of Mind and Other Stories: Cover Reveal, and Review: The Eighth Day!

Need A Little Support?Going to change things up a little since the A to Z Challenge begins next week--early IWSG post!

Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer's Support Group gives bloggers a monthly chance to express their concerns, worries, and insecurities without fear of reprisal. It's a seriously big group with well over 300 participants, it shows no signs of slowing down! I'd like to thank Alex for keeping this group going for so long, as it has proved wonderful in the supporting of fellow authors and the revealing of needed and sound advice.

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The A to Z is soon upon us. Thankfully I have half my posts ready, and hopefully all ready before April. Then I can sit back and visit the participants (you know there's over 1,000 entries now? This must be a new record!). I said last week that my theme is Woven, and there will be character sketches for all the characters from A to Z. I'm very excited to show you guys. My guest artist is doing an amazing job.

My insecurity this month? I admit I've been a bit down. No particular reason. Another general low that goes with the general highs. The trick is finding ways to stay on top of this. Not easy to do when you're considering a new day job. That's right. Among all the other crazy things going on in my current situation, I'm job hunting.

Wish me luck on this endeavor. The starship needs a new bumper.

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Review: The Eighth Day
by Dianne K. Salerni

Wouldn’t it be nice to have an extra day of the week that is just ours? That dream becomes a reality for Jax in The Eighth Day, and those who can make the “transition.” I was easily grabbed by the first chapter. Action, adventure, and great characters abound in this thrilling page-turner. This new and literal dimension into the Arthurian legend is a refreshing read for all ages. Now I need the next one!



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And now, a special message from a great blogging buddy of mine, and the reveal of his new cover! The helm is yours, Nick!

Title: A Change of Mind and Other Stories
Author: Nick Wilford
Genre: Contemporary speculative fiction
Cover Design: Rebekah Romani 
Release Date: May 25th 2015 

A Change of Mind and Other Stories consists of a novella, four short stories and one flash fiction piece. This collection puts the extremes of human behaviour under the microscope with the help of lashings of dark humour, and includes four previously published pieces in Writer’s Muse magazine.

In A Change of Mind, Reuben is an office worker so meek and mild he puts up with daily bullying from his boorish male colleagues as if it’s just a normal part of his day. But when a stranger points him in the direction of a surgeon offering a revolutionary new procedure, he can’t pass up the chance to turn his life around.

But this isn’t your average surgeon. For a start, he operates alone in a small room above a mechanic’s. And he promises to alter his patients’ personality so they can be anything they want to be…

In Marissa, a man who is determined to find evidence of his girlfriend’s infidelity ends up wondering if he should have left well alone.

The Dog God finds a chink in the armour of a man with a megalomaniacal desire to take over the world.

In The Insomniac, a man who leads an obsessively regimented lifestyle on one hour’s sleep a night finds a disruption to his routine doesn’t work for him.

Hole In One sees a dedicated golfer achieving a lifelong ambition.

The Loner ends the collection on a note of hope as two family members try to rebuild their lives after they are torn apart by jealousy.


About the Author:

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working, he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. You can find him hanging out on his blog, Goodreads, or Twitter.

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Thanks, Nick! This sounds excellent. Now back to editing ...

This is my last regular post for the next month. Check back for all the character sketches from Woven. You won't want to miss a day!

Any tips you'd like to share with a job hunter? Wouldn't you like an extra day that is just yours? Who's ready for Nick's book?

I'm David, and I just booked tickets for Medieval Times!

25 comments:

  1. Congratulations to Nick and I have Dianne's book downloaded to read.
    I think that's called post-book release downer. And it happens. That's why you have to stay busy and productive.
    Medieval Times is a lot of fun! You'll enjoy it.

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  2. Hi David - congratulations on being organised with your Woven A-Z stories .. that'll be fun to read ... I have a copy here - ready to refer to perhaps.

    Good luck with the job hunt - never easy .. but sure hope it goes well and you find something soon.

    I love the idea of Dianne's book - and that's an excellent review ... I've got Caged Graves too .. that entices too ..

    Then Nick - congratulations to him and here's to success with his book .. all the best - Hilary

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  3. Good luck with your job hunt! It's a pain in the neck, but sometimes just has to happen, so I feel you. I have Dianne's book waiting to be read, and congrats to Nick on the cover reveal!

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  4. Yay, David! I'm glad you enjoyed The Eighth Day! Just FYI, I'm taking Woven to class with me Thursday -- the class I teach on "Writing for the Children's Market" -- to serve as an example of one of my points.

    As for the lows, I hear you on that. Anything that lifts you up -- a book event, an amazing review, a message from a reader, good news from your agent -- will drop you down afterward. Like that drop after a sugar high. At least I recognize it for what it is now, which helps to deal with it better.

    And congratulations to Nick!

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  5. Good luck on the job front - that is never any fun :( What sort of job are you looking for? I wonder if I know anyone in the area who's looking to hire. Referrals (who you know) is my biggest idea for job hunting, since it seems like that always goes a long way.

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  6. Congrats Nick! And I've heard so many great things about Dianne's book!

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  7. Your A to Z theme sounds perfect! And good luck with the job hunt, may you land something very fast.

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  8. Best of luck with the job hunt! Looking forward to seeing the A-Z posts.

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  9. I really enjoyed the Eight Day as well. I liked the characters, the tone and just the whole package. Cannot wait to start on the next book in the series...have it sitting on my nightstand!!!! And I really like Jax too...reminds me of Harry Potter...just fantastic good upstanding person with courage and a desire to do the right thing! He is the kind of boy I would want my children to be friends with. Thank you for the great book Dianne K. Salerni!

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    1. Thank you, Cynthia! That is high praise -- the kind that lifts a writer out of the sugar crash and puts a smile on her face for the rest of the evening! :)

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    2. Hi Diane, so glad that helped! I did really like it and look forward to reading the next one soon! I am also telling some friends about it. So glad I found out about it through DPK and your FB post about visiting your books and his at the store!!

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  10. Your A to Z theme will be fun.

    Being an author is a lot like riding a roller coaster with those ups and downs.

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  11. 1,000? Yeah, I believe it. If you want to visit even a fraction, you really better have your posts done in advance :).

    I hope you get back to a high soon.

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  12. A new job, huh? Good luck. At least the economy is improving, or does that no impact your field?

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  13. I've put off signing up for the A-Z Challenge forever. I had to keep scrolling and scrolling just to get to the bottom of the list. And you go Glen Coco for planning all your posts out, can't wait to see them! :)

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  14. Good luck! Job-hunting never fails to be a huge headache, at least for me, so hopefully it'll go smoothly for you!

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  15. The Eighth Day cover looks intriguing. Like what goes out there? :D

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  16. And good luck on the job hunting by the way. Well, good luck to us. I'm also searching.

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  17. I thought the Eighth Day was great! I'm looking forward to the next one as well (I believe it's already out, but I need to whittle my TBR list down a little first). Also, it was fun to finally meet you last weekend! Good luck with the job hunt.

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  18. Good luck on the job hunt! I hope it brings you what you need and want.

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  19. As soon as I saw the IWSG banner on this post, I worried that I had somehow missed the start of April. Whew, what a relief. Glad you have time for the A to Z challenge. I barely have time to write as it is. Good luck!

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  20. Congrats to Nick! And keep the faith, DPK. You're doing it. You're living through the chaos. Good things coming your way…

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  21. Congrats to Nick! And I agree with the other commenters…keep busy. I remember those feelings and the best thing for me was diving right back into new material. Sounds like you're doing just that, with half your A to Z blogs all ready!! :)

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  22. I could seriously use an 8th day in my week. Also, nice post on Nick - I also posted about his new writing on my blog last week:)

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  23. Ugh, job hunting sucks. Good luck finding something there.

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