Cindy Young-Turner

Balticon here I come!

Balticon starts tomorrow! This will be my biggest author event yet. I’ve never been to a con before, so I have no idea what to expect. I just hope I will sound coherent on my panels, meet some people, and who knows, maybe even sell a few books. It helps that friend and fellow author Alan Zendell and I are on a couple panels together. I think I picked some fun panels (yes, I did choose a Cthulhu out of the hat!) and aside from making sure I have books and flyers and promotional materials together, there’s not much prep to do. Just take a few deep breaths and hope I can sleep tonight!

Here’s my schedule. If you’re in the area, please come by and say hello!

R-4. Stories We Like to Hear Out Loud
Friday at 4:00 pm in Belmont
Panelists read excerpts from some of the favorite stories they like to have read to them. The audience offer the names of some of their favorites.
Moderator: Alan Zendell
Speakers: Elektra Hammond; Cindy Young-Turner; Roxanne Bland; Norm Sherman

Autographing: J. Sherlock Brown, III, Cindy Young-Turner and Alan Zendell
Friday at 5:00 pm in Maryland Foyer

R-58. Fantasy Title Chain
Friday at 7:00 pm in Salon C
It’s a game! The audience provides the words for a fantasy story or novel’s title, the panelists arrange them in a more or less coherent order. Then each panelist and an audience member who is not an author come up with a descriptive synopsis. The audience votes on the synopsis they like best.
Moderator: Joshua Palmatier/Benjamin Tate
Speakers: Danny Birt; Cindy Young-Turner; Michelle D. Sonnier; Walter H. Hunt

Author Readings: Laura Nicole Spencer, Cindy Young-Turner and Alan Zendell
Saturday at 9:00 am in Pimlico

F-15. A Cthulhu Out of the Hat — Writing Prompts for the Deranged
Saturday at 2:00 pm in Salon B
Panelists and audience write science fiction stories based on the items pulled out of a hat. Panelists will read their stories at the end, audience members will share their resulting stories at noon in the Con Suite.
Moderator: Andrew Fox
Speakers: Larry A. Reclusado; Gabe Fremuth; Cindy Young-Turner; Hildy Silverman; Brandon (Brand) Gamblin

Cover reveal: Denied by Kinley Baker

Hosting another CMP cover reveal today, for DENIED by Kinley Baker. Gorgeous! Plus there’s a giveaway! Go to Kinley’s site for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card: http:/authorkinleybaker.blogspot.com.

DENIED

SHADOWED LOVE, BOOK TWO

By Kinley Baker

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

When invaders brutally massacred the women and children of the Varner, Caleb witnessed loss and destruction on a scale few can comprehend. As the leader of a race on the brink of extinction, his only hope for survival is gaining acceptance into the Shadow Shifter Kingdom. Struggling with new customs, he meets Tabitha, a woman who challenges his limits.

Refused the right to join the king’s guard because of her gender, Tabitha must be stronger than the men to prove she deserves to be the first accepted female Warrior in the kingdom. She believes Caleb will help improve her abilities, until she learns her goals conflict with the foundation of his culture.

When the realm is attacked, Tabitha and Caleb must come together not only to fight, but to find the strength to win against an evil with the potential to destroy everything they revere most–including each other.

Add DENIED as To-Read on GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13646204-denied

Kinley Baker is the author of the fantasy romance novel, Ruined. She read her first romance at the age of thirteen and immediately fell in love with the hero and the genre. She lives with her husband and her dog, Joker, in the Pacific Northwest. As a firm supporter of all supernatural lifestyles, she writes fantasy romance, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy.

You can find Kinley at www.kinleybaker.com

http://authorkinleybaker.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/kinleybaker

www.facebook.com/kinleybaker

http://www.goodreads.com/kinleybaker

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kinley-Baker/196649877015210

Happy book anniversary!

It’s been exactly a year since Thief of Hope was published. A whole year as an official author. I can’t say I’ve made enough to quit my day job, but I never expected to do that. Okay, I hoped I might and I still hope maybe someday that will happen.

I wrote a guest blog about five things I’ve learned during this past year, which was perfect timing: http://gelatisscoop.blogspot.com/2012/05/cindy-young-turner-5-things-i-have.html. Marketing has been the biggest challenge by far. I’m not sure anyone has figured out the secret or we’d all be best-selling authors. I think a lot of work and a lot of luck are involved. And what I’d much rather be doing is writing because that’s what I do best. Although I haven’t sold a ton of copies, I’ve earned two award nominations and had some really good reviews. I’m also taking heart in the fact that so many people keep asking me when the sequel is coming out. (I’m working on it, I promise!)

And if you don’t have Thief of Hope yet, get it here:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle

Barnes & Noble: Paperback | Nook

Kobo: ebook

Happy Mother’s Day – let’s end the “mommy wars”

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! My daughter is four, and I still feel like I’m figuring how how this “mom” thing works. Of course, every time you figure something out, it all changes. One thing I’ve realized, though, is that it’s hard to be a mom. There’s something to be said for needing a village to raise a child. When I was pregnant, I decided I was going to go into it without any expectations. I really had no idea what to expect or whether once the baby came home I’d change my mind about things that initially seemed really important. It’s scary enough reading all the pregnancy books that tell you all the things that could GO WRONG. Then there are so many choices you have to make. Breastfeeding vs. bottle, cloth diapers vs. disposable, co-sleep or not, organic, toxins… Even just what kind of stroller to buy involves research. Then do you stay home, work, do day care, find a nanny… It’s mind boggling. And the guilt! It seems like there is always something to feel guilty about. Then the media pits moms against each other depending on the choices they make, when really, we all need to be in this together. It DOES take a village to raise a child. Different opinions, respectful opinions, are good.

Everyone has probably seen the recent cover of Time and read about all the controversy that has stirred up. Frankly, I’m not going to judge another mom for deciding what is best for her family. I don’t think I have that right. I would hope others would do the same. Bottom line, we all want our children to be healthy and happy. How we get to that point is not as important because there are so many ways to get there. We just have to deal with whatever life gives us and make decisions as they come. Sometimes nothing ends up as we expect, but we find a way to continue just the same. That’s what moms do best, right?

I also want to thank all of the women who aren’t moms and have offered support through this long, strange journey. These are the “aunts” to my daughter, the friends I live vicariously through, the ones who are willing to offer adult conversation and remind me that I’m still my own person, in addition to being “X’s mom.”

So to all my wonderful mom friends out there, I hope you were pampered and loved even more today. You deserve it!

Release day: Prelude to Darkness by Lynn Rush

Congratulations to Lynn Rush on the release of Prelude to Darkness, part of the Crescent Moon Press Little Moons line! It’s a novella and a quick and exciting read!

The blurb:

For a slave, hope is a dangerous thing…

Margaret Rousseau dreams of freedom from a life of servitude. When a mysterious woman saunters into the servants’ tavern promising the impossible, Margaret dares to hope she could win the heart of the one man she has secretly coveted since she first wore a corset…

The Prince.

Margaret desperately grasps for the opportunity to change her bleak destiny by placing faith in a woman who is not as forthcoming as she seems. Blinded to the stranger’s dark motives, Margaret surrenders herself to gain her heart’s desires.

But her choice may bring forth a darkness that could destroy all she holds dear.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/JMgGz9

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/wnP9zi

Driven to write, Lynn Rush often sees her characters by closing her eyes watching their story unfold in her mind. Lynn Rush is a pen name that is a combination of two sources – Lynn, the first name of her mother-in-law, who passed away and Rush – since the author is a former inline speed skater and mountain biker. All of Rush’s books are dedicated to Lynn, her namesake.

Rush holds a degree in psychology from Southwest Minnesota State University and a master’s degree from the University of Iowa. Originally from Minneapolis, Rush currently enjoys living in the Arizona sunshine by road biking nearly 100 miles per week with her husband of 15 years and jogging with her two loveable Shetland Sheep dogs.

Connect with Lynn online:

Catch the Rush: www.LynnRush.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LynnRushWrites

Twitter: www.twitter.com/LynnRush

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lynnrushwrites/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/f55fL

~~~See you in the paranormal~~~