Shea McMaster

Hello February!

2012-02-01T07:06:00.000-09:00

Or in other words, where the heck did January go??

Okay, so not to worry. We move onward and upward! To that end, I've got some great stuff happening. Tomorrow, Guest Author Dianne Venetta and a blog about gardening and her book, Lust On The Rocks.

Next Monday, (Feb 6) Morgan's second book in the Open Windows series -- Courage to Live -- releases! If you read Til Death Undo Us, you met Cay, the sexy AF pilot just before he's transferred to Alaska. Courage to Live is his story and the woman who takes him down. Hot stuff!

Then the following weekend, starting Friday, Feb 10, check out the Just Romance Me three day Valentine's blog hop. Click on the link below to get a reminder email when the hop opens for fun!

http://www.justromance.me/

A Nook as the grand prize. Many, many books and other gifts will be given away to everyone who comments on the blogs. Great fun to be had, new authors to meet, old friends to reconnect with including Juniper Bell and debut author Boone Brux.

Later this month author Beth Ann Masarik will stop by on her World Among Us tour. She has a big month lined up. Check it out HERE to make sure you don't miss a day.

AND a very special treat, the debut novel of Lizbeth Selvig (the cover is here). Her RWA Golden Heart winning Songbird has a new name and is being published by Avon Impulse. Don't worry, you'll hear more about The Rancher and the Rock Star as the date grows closer. Don't want to miss this one! The book is available for pre-order now.

And in there, Morgan will have her butt planted in the chair finishing Book 3 - Weathering the Storm, a continuation of the sexy Shaughnessys.

Who cares how much snow piles up outside, or how low the temperatures dip? Inside we're warm and cozy!

Shea

Virtual Book Tour - Leslie Soule

2012-01-24T00:01:00.042-09:00

In conjunction with Goddess Fish Promotions, I'd like you to help me welcome guest author Leslie Soule today. She getting out the word about her Fantasy novel, Fallenwood and below has some wonderful insights into the creation of fantasy characters and worlds. Please be sure to comment so you're entered to win a Barnes & Noble gift certificate!

Combination Theory and Other Madness

Leslie D. Soule

Does anyone remember The Wuzzles? When I was little, I loved The Wuzzles – as a matter of fact, I still have my Wuzzle, Hoppopotamus, that I used to snuggle up with every night. She was my personal destroyer of boogeymen hiding under the bed, and she is part hippopotamus, part rabbit, with wings. I kid you not. Each Wuzzle character in The Wuzzles was a combination of two things. There was Bumblelion – Bumble bee + Lion, Eleroo – Elephant + Kangaroo, Rhinokey – Rhino + Monkey, Moosel – Moose + Seal, and Butterbear – Butterfly + Bear.

Well, the creator of The Wuzzles may have been on to something with their combination idea. In writing fantasy, I often come up with original items for my stories by combining two common ideas. For example, what if I were to take a staple of fantasy novels – a dragon, and combine it with….fire? A dragon made purely out of fire. Oh wait, I think that’s been done – I’m getting a flashback from the movie Lord of the Rings, with the dragon firework soaring overhead. But you get the idea. You can do that with anything, not just elements. Let’s take…a mushroom, and combine it with….a toad. Poof! Mushroom Toad! Oh wait, Super Mario Brothers…the character Toad with the Mushroom hat. Umm…ok, so let’s take…(I’m really trying here) a rose, and combine it with…poison. Poisoned roses that harm all who touch them – but I think I’ve seen that in a movie somewhere.

Hmm…anyway, that’s an example of how things can be combined in fantasy in a way that is pretty unique to it. I would consider The Wuzzles to be a work of fantasy. I think The Wuzzles gives us another good rule of thumb for writing – if it seems too silly to possibly work in something you’re writing or creating, it’s probably going to be pretty awesome. An example of this is a conversation that my friends and I frequently have. It goes something like this –

“Hey, how do you think the creator of Super Mario Bros. came up with the idea for the storyline? You think it just popped into his head and he was like, ‘Hey, I have this great idea. So there are these two plumbers, right, and they walk around eating mushrooms and they travel through tubes and when they eat flowers, they can spit fire…’ And then the guy’s friends were probably like, ‘Whoa, man, what did you eat for breakfast?’”

Anyway, my point is, when you think about it, the idea for Super Mario Bros. and for The Wuzzles, and anything fantasy-like, ends up being really, ridiculously silly – only these things have turned out to be really awesome and unique and wonderful.

Thank you for listening to my crazy ranting today! If you’re interested in entering to win a Barnes & Noble gift card, please leave a comment, along with your name and e-mail address.

*****

Leslie Soule lives in Sacramento, California. Fallenwood is her first fantasy novel. She has received her B.A. in English from Sacramento State University and is currently working on her Master’s degree in English at National University.
Website: www.lesliesoule.com

Fallenwood—a land where magic is the life force, dragons are sages, and wizards good and evil battle for supremacy. When 23-year-old Ash is thrust into the middle of Fallenwood’s power struggles, she is also forced to face her own inner battles. Life on Earth was hard enough on Ash, who is locked in grief for her stepfather. Now, the fate of Fallenwood rests on her shoulders. She must destroy the Great Crystal—the catalyst for all the land’s magic. As the kingdoms prepare for war, Ash must look inside to find the power to save the world, and herself.

Price: $4.99
Pages: 194
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Release date: March 2011
Buy link

Getting Revved Up - What's New for 2012

2012-01-23T11:39:00.000-09:00

First of all, what's new is I discovered how to add pages to this site.

Yeah, yeah, feel free to blow some raspberries or laugh. I'd rather spend my time writing than messing with setting up websites. I'm not quite as technology-challenged as my son thinks I am. Because he considers me barely computer literate (never mind I was rebuilding them when he was still in the crib) it means he does most of the work when setting up new stuff.

Example, this Christmas we bought him a super duper newer faster better stronger computer. Since his "old" computer was much newer than mine, I was gifted with the "old" Sony Vaio. Of course, this moved me from XP to Win7 OS. A huge necessity in his opinion. I'm not complaining. The machine is sleeker and faster. However, there is still some adjustment going on. Sort of like I'm still looking for baskets of yarn that were moved out of the living room to make room for the Christmas tree. Yeah. My files are all rearranged. Sigh.

So, since I discovered the ability to add pages, I've added one for each of my books. The Shea ones. Morgan's on her own for the moment. You'll find the links to the right, at the top. Feel free to check them out, read excerpts, follow the buy links at the bottom. If you've read the books I'd sure love to read some positive commentary. The writer's ego is such a fragile thing... Ahem!

I'm also hosting some Virtual Book Tours. One or two a month, remember that writing gig I do, so if you'd like a day on my blog, just send me a note! We'll check the schedule and see what works best. Generally speaking, Wednesdays and Thursdays are pretty much wide open.

Speaking of VBTs, tomorrow Leslie D. Soule will be here with a blog on where ideas for fantasy books/stories come from. Personally, I find them under cabbage leaves. Or in really, really weird dreams. Be sure to stop by and comment to be entered in her drawing for a B&N gift card.

So, 2012 is here, the Chinese New Year is here, as well as a record level snow fall for South Central Alaska. What's new with you? Have goals for 2012? Still going strong with them? What's on your minds? Someone remind me that spring will come again, soon followed by summer. I'm really looking forward to summer!

Alaskan Book Cafe: 12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza & WoW

2011-11-23T07:43:00.000-09:00

Alaskan Book Cafe: 12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza & WoW: Enter The Gratitude Giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card Announcing a special "12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza." I am so pleased to an...

And the Blog Tour Drawing Winners Are...

2011-11-18T17:12:00.000-09:00

And the winners are:

For the Tote Bag - BlackWolf darksiry @gmail com
For the Mug - Marybelle marypres @gmail com

Congratulations!!!! Email me at shea @sheamcmaster com with your snail mail address. These will ship directly to you from my Zazzle.com store

And for my hostesses... One more drawing...
Talina Perkins from Bookin' It Reviews!! Email me and let me know what you'd like, mug or tote.

Many thanks to everyone who played along. I very much enjoyed my tour.

Shea

Drawing winners were selected using a random number generator.

Rachel - The Blog Tour Final Day

2011-11-18T00:01:00.003-09:00

It's been a busy and wonderful two weeks following the Blog Tour trail. I've met some very nice new folks, experienced some great hospitality, and generally had a lot of fun.

Alas, like all good things, there must be an ending. Friday, November 18, 2011 is the end of the tour, but not the end of your opportunities to enjoy Rachel Dahlrumple! Nor is it the end of your opportunities to spend time with me.

However, it IS the last opportunity to get your name into the drawing for the prizes below.

Easy peasy, click on the Join This Site link to the right ==> somewhere. Scroll up or down to find it.

Or, you can leave me some love in a Comment at the last tour stop: My Odd Little World

Or, Like my Facebook page HERE

If you'd like to revisit the tour stops, the schedule may be found HERE. You will have to look for the day of the post as I've linked the main page, but it shouldn't be hard.

Coming in January 2012, both this blog and The Morgan Diaries are joining with Goddess Fish and hosting stops on virtual book tours for other authors. If you're an author looking for a place to blog from time to time, drop me a line and I'll be happy to fit you in. I'm not a prolific blogger, so there's plenty of space for people to hijack this venue for a day.

Thanks for following along and be sure to check back here to see who our winner is. Maybe there'll be two. Possibly more, depends on how excited I get. New friends and kind comments get me excited so do your best!

Shea McMaster

Traditional Romance for Modern Women

Available ebook titles by Shea:

Rachel Dahlrumple

Six Foot Hero

Borealis II - A Space Anthology: Bleu Lies

Titles available at Amazon/Kindle, B&N/Nook, Sony, All Romance eBooks, Books on Board and other ebook retailers. Look for Shea wherever your favorite ebooks are sold.

Book Reviews - Bookin' It Reviews: A Day in the Life of Rachel Dahlrumple

2011-11-17T10:22:00.000-09:00

Book Reviews - Bookin' It Reviews: A Day in the Life of Rachel Dahlrumple: Bookin' It Reviews is proud to welcome author Shea McMaster here today! She's here today with Rachel Dahlrumple, the heroine from her roma...

What to Pack for a Beach Resort Vacation - Part 1

2011-11-14T10:37:00.000-09:00

Looking South from Lindo Mar, PV
The sun is coming up on the left

After two weeks in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, there were a few things I wished I'd packed, and a few I shouldn't have. Over all, I didn't do so badly, but I'm making note now so next time I'll remember. Maybe you will find it useful too.

Not to mention this is a blog NOT about writing! Let me know if you enjoy it and I'll try to do more.

Forgive me for stating the obvious: Packing light is important. Are we all agreed?

Someone has to carry/wheel all that junk into and out of the airports, not to mention the carry-ons that go in the overhead compartment. Unless you like shelling out tips every time you turn around, "someone" will be you. And if you're like me, the flight attendants are far away when that bag needs to be slung up into the overhead bin. Make sure you can heft it! I want one of those bags that turns sideways so you can wheel it down the center aisle of the plane.

Don't choose your largest suitcase unless you know for a fact you can pack so it weighs no more than fifty pounds. For the checked bag I used the mid-size case of my 3-piece Samsonite set and it hit the scales at 42 pounds. Some of that weight was paperback books I was taking to read and leave. I took eight books and brought home only one of them. Good thing because my ereader vanished between the hotel and the boarding gate and I had that one book to read on the way home. More about that later.

Lindo Mar Resort, PV

Think about your location. We were headed for a small timeshare resort. Only forty or so units, all with ocean views. Cute and clean. No long walks unless you wanted to walk, and few stairs. Since I was traveling with my eighty-one year old mother, this was perfect. I'm not all that big on stairs myself. Note, the lobby was on the 7th floor, at street level. The beach pool and restaurant are way down the hill on the first level. Our room was on the third floor, all the way to the left.

Think about your plans. Do you want to shop everyday? See all the sights? Dance the night away? Or do as we did, which was mostly sit by the pool and gab with the other transient resort residents.

Our plan was simple. A few mornings of shopping, one night "out" to dinner, meaning away from the restaurant at the resort. Many hours holding down a table beside the pool. Complete with shade providing umbrella. Hey, it might have blown away without us there to keep it in place.

I had three pairs of shoes. The ones I wore on the plane, slip on tennie-runners (the gray and aqua to the left). Very comfortable flip-flops. Sketchers with a thick sole and neoprene upper. Worked GREAT for the walking portions of our trip. They feel just like walking shoes but much cooler. Last, a pair of simple sandals that worked for the pool, and were dressy enough for dining. Especially with snazzy toenails after a fresh pedi. I had only one pair of socks with me -- the compression socks I wore for the long hours of traveling. Easy to hand wash for the return trip.

Hand washing takes us to another aspect of traveling. Laundry service is available but it is next day, and adds to the cost of the trip. So when packing clothing, consider what will dry reasonably fast. Much of what I had, double knit jersey, didn't dry fast. It's comfortable, yes, but not particularly hand wash friendly. Do take along a small amount of laundry detergent. I didn't. Hotel soap only goes so far. Woolite, sample packs of Tide, or whatever you can find at the grocery store at home, take something! Or plan on stopping at a store locally. We didn't get to the local grocery until well into the trip, so buying laundry soap was a moot point then. Next time, I'm taking a ziploc baggie or a travel bottle of detergent. I had a sample sized bottle of Downy spray to take out wrinkles. Didn't use it.

I had with me two sundresses that worked very well for dining. One pair of shorts and one skort that I wore for shopping and sometimes for dinner. They worked with the tops I packed -- three t-shirts, two would have been just fine. Three camisoles with built in bras for more casual looks. Different colors to keep things interesting. Two cotton big shirts to wear over the camis. One I didn't take off the hanger until the trip home, but I was glad to have it.

The big shirt I did wear was white and I'm not sure I'd take white again, at least not without good hand-washing detergent. Something about the sunscreens and deodorant I wore tended to discolor the whites. The white cami has huge bright yellow spots on it that bleach won't take out. Not sure what that is about, but I suspect Mom's miracle spot remover might have contributed. Now I'm wondering if dyeing it black will save it.

Consider your underthings carefully. Yes, they're small and pack easily. They also hand-wash well and usually dry reasonably fast. But do you need seven pairs? Pick the bras that go with your clothes. For instance, one sundress was blue and I happened to have a blue bra that didn't show much under the straps of the dress, but it did show some. That one made sense. My other dress was made of a thin tan with black print rayon. Flesh toned undies for sure! One night I only had black panties to wear and while no one said anything, well, I knew. Would have been a great night for a sarong around the waist. Didn't do that again. Three bras, five panties, and I was set.

One more item of intimate apparel I wish I'd had was a cotton bathrobe. Forget about dressing in the bathroom after your shower when visiting a place where the humidity is high. Do plan for a good half hour of sitting under a ceiling fan to complete the drying process. I have a thin robe I stole from my husband that will be the first thing into the suitcase next time I go. About a week into the trip I did buy a sarong (the white spots are cut-outs - gorgeous!) from one of the beach vendors that worked well in place of a robe, but it's much less modest. If traveling alone or with your spouse, you might not need either. But if traveling involves sharing a room and bathroom with friends, do everyone a favor and bring a robe.

Now the most important clothing item. Your pool and/or beach wear. It's the main reason you're there, right? At least two swimsuits. Minimum. I saw women wear five different suits throughout a two week stay. But the minimum is two because you wash the one you wore and let it dry for a day while you wear the other. To go with those suits, a cover-up is highly recommended. I had two. One was very thin and matched one suit. I wore it most because it was lightweight, and frankly, it was cute. The other cover-up I bought specifically for the trip was jersey knit. It was far heavier, longer, and had a hood, which I'd thought would be beneficial to cover my hair. Wrong. It was too hot to wear. I wore it the day the other cover-up was drying from being washed. A day spent browsing in the flea market netted me a light cotton cover-up to replace it with. The heavy one will be great if we ever go swimming at an Alaskan lake. Until then it's staying in the closet.

Breakfast at the resort restaurant.
Why go anywhere else?

Head covering. I'm not a hat girl. They never really seem to fit me right. I have two straw hats with brims that I considered taking and in the end ditched them in favor of a bandanna, which was great, but lacked style. I could wear it in the pool, and while shopping downtown I needed it to pat the sweat away from my face. Mom had a great hat with a wide brim. it's 75% paper 25% polyester. It crushed in the luggage then popped right up. Next time I'm packing one, and only one, baseball cap. My hair is thinning on top and the protection is vital to keeping my scalp sunburn free. Not to mention the bill helps provide shade when trying to work on the laptop at pool side. I'll get to that in Part 2.

For nightwear, I took one very lightweight nightshirt. I could wash it in the morning and it would be dry by night, so one was all I needed. That worked perfectly! It was also lightweight enough I slept comfortably. Mom had long sleeved, long gowns and she still got a little cold with the AC and ceiling fan running. For me, without covers, it was heaven. Consider your roommates and their temperature needs.

Accessories and the other items I packed also require consideration, but I'll get to those in Part 2. If anyone is truly interested.

Everyone has travel stories. I'd love to hear what you consider necessary to pack, what never seemed to quite work out, and what you wish you'd packed, but didn't. What did you do to compensate for an oversight? What did you find yourself leaving behind? I'll always take travel tips.

Blog Tour - The Half Way Point

2011-11-12T08:01:00.002-09:00

Five blog visits down, Five to go!
It's been a great week. I've made new friends, spilled a few secrets, put down a whole bunch of new words on my current WIP and NaNo project and I even got some laundry done. Yes, I think my husband is much more excited about that last line item, although he cheers when I get new words written.
My big plans for this weekend include making a ginormous lasagna to send off with my husband for pinochle with "the guys" tonight. The host of tonight's event is our son's godfather, and he looooves my lasagna. Little does he know I'm lacing the sauce with good-for-him things like zucchini! He broke his leg a few weeks ago, so I'm doing my best to help him get strong and healthy again. Of course, can't go wrong with all the calcium in the cheese, right?
I also have two more blogs to write for the rest of the blog tour. Why do we save the hardest ones for last? I always seem to come through with something that feels like Divine Inspiration at the very last minute, but really, my heart could stand a little less stress on such issues.
I was supposed to write these last two while I was in Mexico. *Snort* Fat chance that when I had so many other things to do, like laze beside the pool and watch the ocean. Hey, that's hard work! I was exhausted, completely exhausted, every night.
Anyhow, don't give up on me yet! There's more fun stuff to come next week as I visit more awesome blogs, hosted by generous and lovely people. The rest of the schedule is below:

Nov 14: Good Family Reads Blog: How to find Good Critique Partners and Be One in Return
Nov 15: The Heart of Romance with Sherry Gloag Interview
Nov 15: Reviews by Molly A review of Rachel Dahlrumple
Nov 16: Words of Wisdom from the Scarf Princess Blog: I'm working on a topic now.
Nov 17: Bookin' It Reviews Blog: A day in the life of Rachel Dahlrumple
Nov 18: My Odd Little World Interview

Many thanks to the awesome folks at Goddess Fish and their blog partners for organizing this whole thing. I've signed up to be a blog partner, here and at The Morgan Diaries, so expect to see more great things to read and learn about. Hopefully we'll have more things than just Romance to read about. I'm open to all sorts of brain explosions. Just ask me if you have something you're dying to blog about, even if it isn't writing.

Come to think of it, I want to know the story behind the name Goddess Fish. Has to be a good one!

Stick with me this week and be sure to look for the results of the drawing.

Day Three of the Blog Tour

2011-11-09T07:32:00.000-09:00

The Rachel Dahlrumple Release Blog Tour is off to a great start! I've had two good days with Tory Richards and Megan Johns. Feel free to go back and read the post and the interview if you like. I'm still checking for responses.

Or catch up to me today at Carrie Ann Ryan's Blog where we're talking betrayal. Is there a difference between fiction and real life?

As always, comment and get your name entered for a drawing at the end of the two week tour. I'll be giving away at least one mug and/or tote with the cover of Rachel Dahlrumple on it. Limited edition, cannot be purchased, available only as a give-away from yours truly. "Like" my page on Facebook and earn an extra chance! If the response is huge, I'll expand the list of prizes to whatever item at my Zazzle store I can stick the image on! More on that later.

For now, stop by and show me some love!

Rachel Dahlrumple: The Blog Tour

2011-11-06T17:35:00.002-09:00

It's here! Tomorrow, or tonight as the clock turns over Midnight Eastern, Rachel Dahlrumple will finally be available for your reading pleasure!

To celebrate, I'll be busy flitting from blog to blog for the next two weeks, and at the end of two weeks, I'll choose at least one, maybe two -- depending on responses -- winners to receive a tote or mug with the cover for Rachel. Heck, if enough people comment, I might decide to give more! So tell your friends and invite them to come along and play.

Here's the tour schedule:

Nov 7: Romance with an Attitude Blog: Breaking Writer's Block
Nov 8: Megan Johns Invites Interview
Nov 9: Carrie Ann Ryan Blog: Getting Over Betrayal. Fiction vs Real Life. Is there a difference?
Nov 10: Romance in the Backseat Blog: How does being a writer affect you as a reader?
Nov 11: Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews Interview
Nov 14: Good Family Reads Blog: How to find Good Critique Partners and Be One in Return
Nov 15: The Heart of Romance with Sherry Gloag Interview
Nov 15: Reviews by Molly A review of Rachel Dahlrumple
Nov 16: Words of Wisdom from the Scarf Princess Blog: I'm working on a topic now.
Nov 17: Bookin' It Reviews Blog: A day in the life of Rachel Dahlrumple
Nov 18: My Odd Little World Interview

I'm fresh back in the USA after two weeks in Puerto Vallarta living the good life. I'm ready for a little snow, and lots of Romance! I have many fond memories of Leonardo, Raul, Felix, Luiz, Jesus, Roberto, Ivan, Francisco and Isidro to keep me smiling for a long time to come. Manuel is on my list for playing a little prank on me, but I'll get him back next year!

Looking forward to seeing many friends, new and long time, while blogging my way across the web!

Shea McMaster

Traditional Romance for Modern Women

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Like my page and get your name entered a second time in the drawing(s)

Testing, Testing

2011-10-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

She's been a bit quiet the last few years, but it's time for Shea to reappear in the cyber world.

Hello!

Is anybody out there??

Coming soon, which is prompting the return to this blog...

Available November 7, 2011
Published by Lyrical Press

Check it out HERE

I'll be back soon, with much more information. Be sure to leave me a note if you find your way here.