Hi TSD Readers! I wanted to give you a quick update on what’s in store for you in the coming months. As you know The Pooka is coming out later this year and I’m hoping my second Persimmon book will have a publication date near Christmas time though that may not happen until the new year. I’ll be taking part in NaNoWriMo 2011 and during those 30 days I plan to complete my foray into Young Adult territory and that project will have a publication date of late spring next year. Coincidentally I will be needing beta readers for my YA project in March 2012 and I will be updating you on that topic in the coming months.

However, the point of this post is to fill you in on my current project which is a short story for the 2011 Scriborium Anthology tentatively titled A Very Scary Christmas which is coming out this Christmas of course. My short story will be included with about 9 other stories from the other Scriborium members and I am so excited about it that I have to share the news with you. The theme of the collection of short stories is a Christmas story with a paranormal or horror twist. The name of my story is “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”.

Here’s the synopsis:

Elspeth Stone hasn’t been home since she left for college after high school at the age of seventeen. Her decision to leave wasn’t supported by her family and she went without their blessing.  The only person she kept in contact with after the falling out with her family is her younger sister Erin. Now, 13 years later, Erin is pleading with Elspeth to come home for Christmas. Despite her resistance to the idea, Elspeth relents only because she hasn’t met her 5 year old niece yet and if she doesn’t come home this Christmas she may never get the chance since the child is ill and may be dying. The thought of going back to her childhood home fills Elspeth with the old fear and dread. Memories of the terror she experienced there, the horrors that went bump in the night and the evil thing that lurked in the shadows waiting for her surfaced from the dark recesses of her mind. As her sense of foreboding mounts, she doesn’t  know if she’s going home to reconnect with her estranged family or to confront the demons of her past.

And that’s how it goes. I might even be persuaded to give you a sneak peek and share a short excerpt here in the weeks to come. It’s going to be an exciting couple months, that’s for sure, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride!

ΩPhoto Credit 1, Photo Credit 2

A gathering of indie scribes where writing is everything!

As writers, sometimes we can experience moments of severe isolation. It just goes with the territory. That’s when writers’ groups can come in handy. A group can help ease the “I am an island” feeling and can become a place of solace and enjoyment. It’s a place where you can hang your quill and enjoy the camaraderie of other writers who speak Writerspeak, the universal language of scribes everywhere. Some writers groups can even reach the heights of myth and legend like the famous Inklings, the group that buoyed both writing greats such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

Here’s a gathering of scribes that I am proud to be part of! Visit Scriborium today and check it out for yourselves!

Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?

When talking Twilight it seems to me that the opinions on these movies based on Stephenie Meyer’s series of books run the gamut. There are those that hate the books and movies, there are those that love the books and movies, and then there are those that are simply, “Meh.”  No matter your opinion, one cannot argue that this wildly successful franchise is raking in the big bucks. So I thought I’d give you my 3 reasons why Twilight is so popular.

Reason 1

It’s a pretty basic formula. It’s a Romeo and Juliet story with a supernatural twist. Who doesn’t love vampires and werewolves? What teenage (or older) gal doesn’t fantasize about being the object of affection for both of those paranormal creatures? Who doesn’t love Romeo and Juliet with a happily ever after ending?

Reason 2

The winning element called a love triangle. This is a story that makes the statement “3′s a crowd” the understatement of the year. The angst these characters feel because they are inexplicably linked is excruciating, and what teenage (or older) gal doesn’t find the thought of having two severely attractive dudes vying for the right to establish their status as the other half of the relationship intriguing?

Reason 3

The most obvious and probably the most important reason why these books and movies are so wildly popular is because of all the vampires and werewolves. The element of fantasy is so front and center and all encompassing that escape is easy.  The excitement of being privy to such a secret is enough to make any teenage (or older) gal’s head explode.

So, my big question for you is…

Curious minds want to know: are you Team Edward or Team Jacob, or are you just “Meh.”? Why do you think Twilight is so popular?

Origins by Sean Hayden

Congrats to our Origins contest winner Patrick! Patrick wins a signed free copy of Origins by author Sean Hayden! I’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who entered! See Patrick’s hilarious comments below!

Congrats to our winner Patrick!

So it’s here again everyone! Bestseller For a Day is back and today’s book is Fierce Dawn by author Amber Scott. What is BFAD you ask? It’s an Indie Book Collective event where readers like you show your love for one book and try to drive it as far up the Amazon lists as is possible in one day. Pretty cool, huh?

Today you can pick up a copy of Fierce Dawn (ParaRealm) for just $0.99 at Amazon! Then you head on over to Bestseller for A Day and fill out the entry form for your chance to win a brand new Kindle! Just enter your email address and the first five numbers from your Amazon purchase confirmation code and you’ll get 5 entries to win that Kindle!

Also, if you purchase Fierce Dawn (ParaRealm) today, May 18th, get rebates on these 3  bonus buy books  for just by purchasing Fierce Dawn today! Here are the three books:

Bestseller For a Day!

Additionally, any reader who purchases Fierce Dawn through May 18th can request a signed ebook copy of it after submitting proof of purchase in the form of a five word phrase from the middle of the book sent by email to amberscottbooks@gmail.com!

Now I have a bit of a treat for you. Amber Scott has written up a super cool guest post for your reading pleasure! Good luck and happy reading!

The Time Capsule

By Amber Scott

About a year before the Kindle released as an e-reader, before the Sony e-reader was very known or popular, I was traditionally published with three e-publishers. Back then, this was a popular way for authors to earn their way into the big NY publishers. Authors like Cheyenne McCray carved this path and I was following suit.

I used to tell my hubby how, if someone made an e-reader that could be personalized like a book and was tactile like a book, the industry would boom with them. He nodded and smiled and today wishes he’d bought stock.

Now, I clearly wasn’t the only person who saw this possible. Amazon and Barnes and Noble and Apple were way ahead of me. But ever since then, when I get my little ideas and predictions, we call it putting it in the time capsule. Let’s see if we’re right.

Here’s a few ideas that are in there now:

• Ebook cafe bookstores. I envision bookstores evolving to have espresso print on demand machines and ebook kiosks, e-readers and fab covers for them, open mic nights and a more lounge like atmosphere. In my mind, one is called “The Nut House.” It’s by a college campus.
• E-readers that have a sign function. I can sign ebooks now, but only with my iPad and then it takes conversion. It only takes me about five minutes total now, but it will be way cool to sign in person for that instant gratification readers crave and deserve.
• Animated covers, meaning the book cover itself will be like the framed photos in Harry Potter. Much like music, I think ebooks will become the dominant format. Having covers that move on your e-reader would be so awesome. Imagine the hero, at first looking down then slowly his eyes drawing up and looking straight at you. *gasp*
• Paperbacks and hardbacks will become like CD’s, still preferred by a portion of the population but filled with specific extras because more than likely that audience includes the hard core fans.

Now, I have no idea if I’ll be right. It is an exciting future to daydream about, though. I can’t help myself. Seeing how much digital is changing the landscape is exciting. Readers are reading more often. Authors have more opportunities to earn an audience. Even book reviewer bloggers are beginning to get the recognition they deserve. The playing field is leveling and being in the midst of it is SO exciting.

Speaking of reading, I hope you’ll grab your 99 cent copy of Fierce Dawn today as part of the Bestseller For a Day promotion-one day, one low price, and one goal: to get into the top 100 in Amazon Kindle rankings. We’re making history together and while I don’t have much of a guess for the time capsule on what the long term effects will be, it sure is exciting to daydream about.

About Amber Scott

In between naptimes and dishes, Amber Scott escapes into her characters’ addictive lives. She often burns dinner, is a sucker for chocolate and still believes in happily ever after. She makes her home in hot Arizona with her two children, husband, and one day, two cats.You can stalk find Amber on Twitter, Facebook or at her website. You can also email her at the email listed above.