Apr 11
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Osiyo~ Before I get to today’s fun I want to make a short announcement about my Risk Factors blog tour. I was going to announce the winners of the gifts today, but I have decided to do that at the end of the month to give time for others to comment on all the posts […]
Feb 27
Osiyo~ Wow. Just W.O.W. My dear girlfriend, Joelene Coleman-awesome writer awarded li’l ol’ me for the cool R.E.A.L.I.T.Y. Blog Award! Me. I wonder if I deserve it, but she obviously does, telling me in the email, “I want those outside of Divas to see what all you offer…” That could be a good thing…or not, […]
Osiyo~
I’m in a rambling mood this morning, trying to transfer the mood to my WIP. Not happening so far, but the muse is tugging at me. You may know, or remember me blogging, about my cowboy story I began last September. It was prompted by an ALL CALL from Wild Rose Press for novellas to go into a new series, Honky Tonk Hearts–the first two of these releases this month! I read the word cowboy and my ears perked up, my muse’s ears perked. Why? Because at that time it had been more than a year since I’d been able to enjoy the smooth sex appeal and charm of a cowboy!
My last was Healing Whispers, Tanner Royal. How many remember him and Tobi Star? I got a request for the partial by an editor at Harlequin SE… What happened with that, you ask? Absolutely nothing. After nearly two years I’m still waiting to hear back on that submission. 😦 Email? Oh, I have…twice. No response is forthcoming so far, not even nearly a year after my second email. Try again? Maybe, or maybe I’ll just submit HW elsewhere. I like the sound of that. True, it wouldn’t be Harlequin, but does that really matter as long as a quality publisher prints my book? I don’t think so.
What does this peek into the dismal past have to do with my ramblings today? I’ll tell ya.
I was trying to sleep last night and as it happens, too often, my characters came to stretch out beside me. Pillow hogs, I tell ya’ll! So there we lay, Nick on my left, Haley on the right…she insisted to lie next to my hubby, not that I blame her. I’m trying to sleep, they want to gab. Typical.
Hero doesn’t think he’s cut out to be a sheriff and heroine doesn’t like how they meet up again after eight years. WTH???
He has to be in law enforcement and there’s already a built in Marshal in the series. That leaves the position of sheriff in Jasper, Tx open for Nick James. He finally concedes. Now he’s agreeing with Haley that how they meet for the first time needs to be more…monumental…memorable. And I agree. Damnit.
So rather than writing their new meeting, I’m writing this blog post. I have a very good reason for this though. It’s helping me. Yep. Blogging is helping me be creative and productive. See, I don’t have a clue how these two should meet now and I’m hoping I’ll have an epiphany as I blog about it. 🙂
Nope. Nothing coming to me so far. I am hoping to get this story finished by April’s end. Maybe ya’ll would like to chime in?
How would you like to see a hero and heroine, high school sweethearts, meet again after years apart, and a split that was less than mutual? Keep in mind that, though not a comedy writer, I do try to add a certain amount of light, tasteful humor in my books, so pretty much any scenario, even the outrageous, will be considered! And Haley is something of a sasspot.
I won’t be sitting here waiting for inspiration, or the winning entry, to strike. I’ll be moving forward from where I left off.
I’ll announce the winner at the end of April and post the new beginning, along with the winner’s name, in the “Excerpts” section of my website (hover your cursor over The Corral tab) sometime in the future, once I incorporate it into the book. I’m thinking *when* BTTWWW is published I’ll give a free copy to the winner of this blog!
So leave your suggestions in the comments, tell your friends&family/facebook/tweet/email the contest to help spread the word from now to April 30th and let’s have some fun!
Dodadagohvi~
Osiyo~
Many of my followers know I am a proud and semi-active member of RWA and an active (and also proud) member of OKRWA. I’m an OUTLAW! In a good, no–great way. Many of you know I am a category coordinator for the National Reader’s Choice Awards; a contest began by OKRWA many years ago for print-published authors only (because that’s all there was when dinosaurs roamed). Yes, I dream of the day I can enter that exciting contest! But until that day arrives– I have another option to tell you authors and readers about. Listen up!
Yes, we need author entries, yes, we need volunteer judges. Last year OKRWA decided to create a new contest. It’s not just any old contest though. As an electronically published author, how many times have you wished you could enter your ebooks in a contest in which readers can judge and choose the best book of the year, like print authors can? I know as a short story-published author I have wished there was a contest for enovella authors to enter. Well, guess what? Thanks to OKRWA there is a contest that covers both those author sets!
Now I’m going to feed you the information YOU need to sign up as an author and/or judge!
The contest is the INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL AWARDS and you can read everything you want or need to know about how to sign up for it as an author or judge at this link http://bit.ly/wOlGR2 !!!!!
So what is the IDA Contest? It’s a digitally enter and judged contest strictly for electronic books. That’s where DIGITAL comes in. 🙂 WOOT!!! Do you live in any country where contests are allowed? You qualify. If your book is only accessible by getting your Nook, pc or Kindle to swallow it in, then it qualifies. If it is 10,000 words or more, it qualifies, if it was an original release in 2010-2011…it qualifies!
IF, however, your book is also available in print format–it DOES NOT qualify. Hence the contest name- International DIGITAL Awards, or as we fondly nicknamed it, the IDA Contest.
Are you a reader and addicted to your EReader? We need you! Are you a writer, but would love to judge? Super!! We need you, too!
Now, I’m not gonna tell you anymore because I want you to hurry and click that link up there ^^^ and check out the fantabulous website that a super Outlaw created just for the IDA! On it you will find everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING you’ll need to get started. What you don’t find will be in the FAQ page, or you can go to the Contact page and ask the wonderful Chairlady.
Still here? What are you waiting for? GO! NOW! Hurry because there is an entry number limit and a deadline to enter! GOgogogogogo! I can’t wait to see ya’ll there! And thank you if you choose to judge! Did I mention there’s FREE BOOKS involved? Good luck to those who choose to enter!
If you want to offer feedback, or just gush about how much you love this contest opportunity, my comment line is open. 🙂 I’d love to hear what everyone thinks.
Know what? I’ll even give a FREE PDF of HOME to one lucky commenter who provides all the social media links they’ve shared this news to. There is a few buttons on the IDA site, below on this blog, or just make your own with a link back to the contest site. One link or ten, just show me. I don’t have one of those fancy contest widgets, so if you would just copy and paste ALL of your Tweet/Facebook/whatever-social media-links-you-use-and-share-it-on in a comment (easy to paste these to a word .doc and then cut and paste your list in your comment all at one time) and I’ll draw the winner next Friday from those who qualify. Bottom line… I’m bribing you to help me get this contest out into the literary world fast. By bribe, I mean an impromptu give away to celebrate the coolest contest to break out this year! 🙂
Dodadagohvi~
Osiyo~
Your name is on this list because I’ve visited and re-visited your blogs and enjoyed each trip! All you have to do to walk away with a Lovely Blog Award is:
1. Mention my blog with a link back to it. https://calisarhose.wordpress.com
2. Regift the award to ten (10) lovely and deserving bloggers (hint: visit and make sure they don’t already have it- unless you want to give them a second one- there’s no rule as to how many a blog can have.;) )
3. Email your awardees to let them know they have an awaard awaiting them on your blog. Post their instructions so they can link back to your blog!
4. Tweet and/or facebook your new award with my blog link https://calisarhose.wordpress.com to direct visitors back here!
Done with those? Great!
Here’s your award! Be sure you post it to your blog side bar for all to see!
I wish I could give more than ten at once. Who makes these rules? 🙂 If you aren’t on this list- it is absolutely NOT because I don’t think you have a lovely blog!
Congrats to those who receive the award!
Dodadagohvi~
Osiyo~
What a pleasant surprise! I woke to another blog award from my critique partner and friend, Christine Warner! How awesome, right? She’s great. Just look at this!
The Liebster Blog Award originated in Germany. Liebster means dearest or beloved, and Liebe is love.
So cool. Thank you Christine!
To accept this award, the recipient will:
– Thank the person who gave it to them and link back to that person’s blog- I did.
– Copy and paste the award to their blog- see mine in the sidebar.
– Choose 5 blogs to award in kind, and break the news by commenting on those blogs- see below.
– Hope those people pay it forward in turn by accepting and awarding “The Liebster Blog Award” to bloggers they’d like to honor- fingers are crossed. 🙂
Pretty easy to do, pretty amazing to award! So here are my five: (I copied the instructions from Christine’s blog)
3. Beth Trissel
4. Sarah Grimm
Dodadagohvi~
Osiyo~
Okay, so maybe it’s my blog that’s these things. At least according to my TWRP sister, Linda Banche. She’s the author of An Inheritance For the Birds, part of the Love Letters series and releases Feb. 1, 2012. Linda has a lovely blog, too. I’m sure she’d love if you visited her and discover her witty Regency historicals http://lindabanche.blogspot.com/
But before I go further, my heroine in my new release, HOME, is being interviewed at Alana Loren’s blog today. http://alanalorens.com/2012/01/22/on-world-building/ She’d be thrilled if you have a minute to pop in and find out what she thinks about her hero, Sam Callahan.
Now, isn’t this lovely?
Linda says I have to nominate 10 other blogs for this award and then spill the goods seven times on myself. These are supposed to be things people may not know about me so if you do know any…skip to the next. 😛
Here’s the me-7:
1. I have four darling granddaughters between 1 and 7 years of age.
2. I love horses and riding is my get away when my writing muse leaves me high and dry in the warmer months.
3. My first ever debut book HOME from the Wild Rose Press released on my birthday, Dec 28th.
4. HOME is a historical, but I don’t write historicals.
5. I write warm/sensual contemporary romances.
6. I am writing my first Paranormal and it will be a series about a band of Cherokee Indians who are cursed to live as wolf shape-shifters.
7. I live in the Rose Rock capital of the world.
The 10 blogs I am nominating are:
1. http://ajbooks.blogspot.com/
2. http://vintagevonnie.blogspot.com/
3. http://wwwrachellynneauthor.blogspot.com/
4. http://galestanley.blogspot.com/
5. http://donna-realworldwriting.blogspot.com/
6. http://calliehutton.com/?page_id=72
7. http://christine-warner.com/
8. http://maevegreyson.blogspot.com/
9. http://www.christinawolfer.blogspot.com/
10. http://lynnemarshall.com/blog
Now I’m off to email these lovelies to have them come here and pick up their award. Then it’s their turn to share seven things, post the badge on their site and choose ten blogs to award. I’ll be sure to have them double check their selections so they don’t end up choosing the same ones I have.
Thank you so much, Linda! I love my new badge!
Dodadagohvi~
Osiyo~
Wow this last week was a blast! I want to thank all of my hostesses who helped make my HOME For Love blog tour a wonderful success! I still have a few more sites I’ll be on over the next month, but the tour is over and I had my little helper draw the winner for me. I’m so excited to announce the winner!
JEANNENE WALKER– (day three/Vintage Vonnie blog) come on down!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations my dear. You won a PDF of HOME!!!!
I had such a waterfall of support and company that I decided to give out an extra copy of HOME to a second winner. Helper, if you please… and THE WINNER IS…
VAMPEDCHIK– come on down, Amber!!!!!!! You have also won a copy of HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you all for joining me on this thrilling and crazy week of mad-blogging to celebrate the release of my debut book, HOME!
I hope all who have a copy enjoy it and I hope you’ll leave a review on Amazon, TWRP or Goodrads! Thank you all!!!
Dodadagohvi~
Living in the Oklahoma countryside with my husband is all the inspiration I need.
Pen of The Dreamer 
2014 Blog Year in Review and Calisa Rhose’s 2nd annual COMMENT TO WIN! contest #MFRWAuthor #contest #justcomment
Jan 1
Posted by Calisa Rhose
Osiyo~ Cherokee for “Hello”
Another year has passed. Really?! Where did it go, I ask you? I’m sitting here wondering where in the world it went. That old adage Time Flies is so true for me this year! 😆
Some of you may remember I posted a contest last year, that you can review here:
https://calisarhose.com/2014/01/01/2013-in-review-and-a-fun-new-contest2013-in-review-or-how-i-roll/
Basically the contest rules stated that I will award gifts for the most commented on post in 2014 and the five top commenters on posts for the year, all winners determined according to the following WordPress annual report. Unexpectedly, it was my own Writing Plan For 2014-15 post the first week of January (here: https://calisarhose.com/2014/01/07/my-writing-plan-for-2014-2015-by-calisa-rhose/ ) that got the most comments this year…and I can give myself anything, any time–so it won’t count in the contest. LOL Because of this, I will gift the most commented on guest post author instead. 😀
Read on to see who WP monkeys and I have chosen for the winners’ circle in 2014!
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
Click here to see the complete report.
The most comments on a blog award goes to my guest and her post on January 23. This post follows several of my own with higher numbers, but which also don’t count. You can view her great post here: https://calisarhose.com/2014/01/23/calisa-rhose-presents-jm-stewart-with-her-knight-in-shining-leather
†With 19 total comments, JM Stewart’s talent for being an exemplary guest and an awesome comment responder is what made her my 2014 guest post winner.
The five super supporters for over all comments, chosen by WP monkeys this year are:
†1. Mae Clair – Rockin’ it with 23 comments
†2. Gemma Brocato – 15
†3. Alicia Dean – 13
†4. Jessi Gage – 12
†5. Cd Brennan – 10
Congratulations to all six of my winners!!! Here’s your rose wreath!
If you ladies will email me from here https://calisarhose.com/say-hey with your snail mail addresses I’ll get your prizes out to you by the end of February.
I have to admit the low numbers on all posts and lack of guest or personal posts is my fault this year. Many of you know I was forced to take three months off from anything writing related, which affected my blog, as well, unfortunately. I had also said I would post reminders throughout the year, which I failed to remember myself to do. 😦 My apologies for slipping.
This all just goes to prove a point though. We all know we can’t control how many views or comments any given post will get, or we’d top the charts each and every time we blogged. Right? Or can we?
We have to blog (whether personally or by inviting guests) to keep our names out there constantly. We have to visit other blogs as guests or commenters to keep our names/faces in those bloggers’ and commenters views so they will in turn visit our blog, and therefore, hopefully, comment. We HAVE to respond to commenters on our own/guests posts and interact with all who take even a nano second to say ‘hi’ to us, or our guests. If we don’t have time for visitors and other bloggers, how can we expect that same turn around for ourselves?
I guess, in a way, this year was a good, if unplanned, experiment. I involuntarily dropped my own activity on my and others’ blogs when I suffered a short burnout this summer, and look how the numbers dropped from last year. Take special notice of the “Attractions in 2013” and “Who Were They” sections comment numbers (the winners) compared to this year (the winners above).
https://calisarhose.com/2013/annual-report
So I want to thank these six for sticking by me the most during the low times and the high ones. Two of my winners were also on last year’s list! Congrats to Mae and Alicia aka Ally Robertson for your awesome support! I love and appreciate you all!!!!!! 😀
And now- we begin again for 2015! Who will be my winners next year? All you have to do is comment your fingers off all through the year so WordPress’s helper monkeys will notice you! Start with a comment today, this week, this year on this post! On past posts too, on any or ALL posts!!!!!!!!
JUST COMMENT TO WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good luck to everyone who chooses to play the 2015 Comment Contest! 🙂
Click image to visit the Timberlake Rose Rock Museum where I get my rocks. While there you can learn more about the rocks and the husband-wife sculptors who create these beauties. Beware- the store link doesn’t work, but I will go by and let the owners know as soon as I can.
I expect to keep up better myself this year and to actually post reminders at least quarterly throughout 2015. Later, maybe midyear, I’ll post a picture of the goodies I’ll offer this year’s winners’. They will include, among other items, my author-brand Oklahoma Rose Rock like this one (r) from my personal collection. They stand no more than two inches tall and are positively gorgeous!
**How did I do with my writing goals in 2014? What will I do different this next year? Look for my new “2015 Writing Goals” post coming soon!
Dodadagohvi~ Cherokee for “Until we meet again”
†Frame of Roses image around winners’ pics courtesy of Teeratas at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Posted in awards, Blogs, Contests, inspirations, Life As We Know It, Pen of the Dreamer
9 Comments
Tags: 2014, 2015, Alicia Dean, Calisa Rhose, Cd Brennan, Comment to Win Contest, Frame of Roses image around winners' pics courtesy of Teeratas at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Roses frame- Teeratas, Gemma Brocato, giveaway, Jessi Gage, JM Stewart, Mae Clair, Pen of the Dreamer, winners