Monday Musings: Being sick while on a deadline sucks

Well, folks, I'm nearing the home stretch and, just as the stress has hit the maximum, I'm getting sick. Ugh. So, in the interest of not boring you with my pathetic whining about how yucky I feel, I'll try to keep this post to a minimum.

I'm hitting all of my targets for Phoning It In and will make the December 22nd publication date. In fact, I may even publish a bit earlier. If I do, I'll announce it here.

I've been spending some time on Google + lately and I am really liking the new Communities feature. I've joined several communities and it's fun to have the chance to chat with like-minded people. The truth is, I find G+ a much more user-friendly and overall more pleasant place than Facebook, and I'd love to interact with more people on G+. To be honest, FB makes me rage a little.

I've also decided to set up a mailing list. I resisted at first because I HATE spam and did not want to spam my readers as a reward for being awesome and buying my books. However, I've come to see what a great tool they can be for getting the word out about new releases, and I also like the idea of using a mailing list to do special promotions and feature extended excerpts from my books, amongst other goodies. I solemnly swear, though, that anyone who joins the list will only be subject to monthly email newsletters from me, along with the occasional message to announce a new release. Just like I don't want spam or DRM inflicted on me, I will never inflict them on my readers.

Also, I have an exciting bit of news: I recently read T.S. Welti's mind-blowing No Shelter trilogy and she and I will be exchanging interviews on our blogs. I'll post a better review of T.S.'s trilogy soon, but believe me when I say that you'll be chewing over it for days after you finish it--I still am.

As if that wasn't enough indie awesomeness, the incomparable SM Reine gave me a completely fantastic gift: a cover for Asleep! If you've never seen one of her book covers, do yourself a favor and look because they are gorgeous. I mean, just look at this cover for Damnation Marked and this one for New Moon Summer!

That's it from me. I am now going to plant myself on the couch with a book and rest so that I can get back to editing tomorrow. More details on my mailing list will be forthcoming, so stay tuned.

Why Sci-Fi?: Introducing T.S. Welti and Cate Dean

Welcome to day three of Sci-Fi Spotlight week!  I've teamed up with a great group of indie authors of science fiction, and we're running a promo from now until November 30.  You can snag 15 books for free and another 15 books for a mere 99 cents.

So, without further ado, here are today's authors:

Why Sci-Fi for T.S. Welti?

"Since I was very young, I've always loved sci-fi films and dystopian novels. Some of my favorites include Minority Report, The Matrix, The Giver, Brave New World, and 1984. More recently, some of my favorites have become Inception, Wool, and Delirium. However, I was never a big fan of high-tech science fiction. I often felt myself overwhelmed or bored with the technology. When I set out to write Darklandia, I set out to bridge the gap between a futuristic sci-fi film and dystopian fiction. I can't tell you how weird it feels, seven months later, to read the reviews and see my book being compared to so many of my favorite films and books."

You can pick up a copy of Darklandia for only 99 cents!

For more on T.S., like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, or check out her website.

Why Sci-Fi for Cate Dean?

"I grew up reading what is now called speculative fiction: fantasy, epic fantasy, sci-fi, the paranormal and the supernatural. So it was no surprise that I ended up writing that type of book. Though I head more in the direction of the paranormal and fantasy, I LOVE time travel stories. I consider those sci-fi, because they involve some kind of science, however farfetched. Choices is my first foray into time travel, originally written for a contest. It is a story of redemption, forgiveness, and making choices that change . . . well, you’ll have to read the story to find out. ;)  Thanks for hanging out with me, and until next time – read on."

You can pick up a copy of Choices for free!

For more on Cate, like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, become a fan on Goodreads, and check out her website.