And I won. . .

Nothing. . . nada. . . not a darn thing, darn it all anyway.

Brenda Novak's auction was a big success though! I donated a copy of Crystal Clear, a mousepad, and a crystal suncatcher. . . I hope the winner enjoys it!


However, I did come away with one thing. The determination to save money for NEXT year's auction!

MY FIRST REVIEW FOR CRYSTAL CLEAR

And yes, it deserved to be shouted.

Crystal Clear got 4.5 hearts from The Romance Studio!

Here's what Karen H. had to say. . .

"What a fun book! It is a fast-paced, quick read with suspenseful tension and sexual tension that will keep you on the edge of your seat and rocking...You get gratifying sex and a suspenseful murder mystery; it doesn’t get any better than that!"

To read the whole review, click here!

Books, and Excerpts, and Blogs. . . Oh My!

In honor of it's first anniversary, Cobblestone Press is being featured on Dark Ice Goddess' Musings.

Stop by, read some great excerpts, chat with the authors (including me), and watch that TBR pile grow!

A Heroic Effort. . .

Lots of great names for my hero. . . one stood out from all the rest. Delphi. . .it's unusual, has some mythological meaning, has a sexy short nickname (Del) and fits what I was looking for!

Thanks TessaD! I'll be contacting you about the gift certificate.

I'm a Novelite!

I'll be joining the novelty girls for an occasional Sunday post. I'm wracking my brains, as this Sunday is my Sunday, and I want to come up with some theme to tie all my blog posts together.

Name that Hero

Pick a name, any name.

I need a name for my hero in Wild Ghost Chase. He's tall (aren't all heroes?), with wavy blond hair, green eyes, and a devastating smile. And, he's nameless. Now is your chance to share your favorite heroic name.

The catch. . .his "real" name is Jason Newsome (see-- told you it would change). . . but he has recreated himself as a one-name psychic detective. . . so I need something catchy and unusual. Something that sums up mystery, sex, and the supernatural!

Just leave the name in the comments. I'm taking any and all suggestions up until Friday May 25th-- Oh, and if I pick yours, you'll win a $5 gift certificate from Cobblestone Press.

Today is THE DAY!

Well -- the day has finally arrived and so has a sense of calm (thank goodness)!

Crystal Clear is available from Cobblestone Press! BUY LINK

I've got an "adult" excerpt out on my website if anyone is interested!

______________________________

And on a disappointing note, I've been outbid on all but one item on Brenda Novack's auction site. . . so, no critique for me from Lori Handeland. . . sigh. However, I'm keeping all the money I saved in reserve for the one item I'm winning. Plus, there are some cool fire sales (one day auctions) coming up over the next couple of weeks. . . so I may try bidding on a couple of those too.

Oh, boy, I may just have to hide the checkbook from my husband!

So. . . what do you worry about?

Well. . . two more days until Crystal Clear is released and I'm a wreck!

I know, I'm supposed to be excited. . .and I am, with the same excitement you feel in that dream, you know the one where you're taking a final exam that day and you didn't even realize you'd enrolled for the course! I think I missed the class "How to be a Published Author"

Just to list what I'm worrying about:

1) What if no one buys the book?
2) What if the people who buy it, hate it?
3) What if I get horrible reviews?
4) What if, what if, what if. . .

And yes, ALL of those things are out of my control. I've tried worrying about the things I can control, and I've been "out there" promoting the book, getting my name out on lists, and blogging until everyone is simply sick of the name Ericka Scott. . .

I've heard it said that the best way to promo a book is to write another one. . .and I can't write because I'm worrying too much! Argh!

So. . . what do you worry about that is totally beyond your control?

Tag -- I'm IT

Okay, I've been tagged

Here are the rules:

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

OK - 8 Random Facts/Habits About Me:


1. I'm an only child. It sucked then and it really sucks now. Thank goodness my husband has brothers and sisters!

2. My favorite movie is "Don't Tell Her it's Me" starring a very young Steve Guttenberg. It's about a romance novelist and her brother who's just recovering from cancer treatments. She remakes him into a total hottie to set him up with a woman he has a crush on. I used to watch it and think "Oh, I want to write a book like this one day. . ." and now I am. . .sooooo coool!

3. I have trouble saying "no" -- except to my kids. We have a game asking what sounds popular animals say. You know "what does a cat say? meow. What does a dog say? woof. What does Mommy say? ~ you guessed it "no"

4. When it comes to birthday cakes -- just give me the icing ~ and it has to be the rot-your-teeth, oh-so-sweet, buttercream frosting.

5. I have bid f-a-r too much money at Brenda Novak's auction site (shhhhh, don't tell my husband!) I set a limit and then doubled it (edited to add that I've now tripled it because I found something else super cool to bid on!). . . I found out Lori Handeland is donating a critique of the first three chapters of a manuscript!

6. I have three children and NONE of them are biologically related to my husband. . . and they all three have different mothers!

7. I'm very geeky. I love learning how to update my own website, make video trailers, and operate new software. The problem? I "just do it". . .and hate to read the manuals/help files.

8. And, my secret sin...well, lets just say that when I go grocery shopping for the family, I always buy something that never makes it home -- it's also Stephanie Plum's favorite comfort food -- you guessed it... a doughnut!

Since absolutely everyone I know has already been tagged for this. . . I haven't a clue who to tag. But, if I win Lori Handeland's critique, maybe I'll tag her!

Branding

I've been reading a lot recently about how important "branding" is to an author.

And, I really didn't have much more than a cute phrase "Making Mischief with Ericka Scott"

My original website was very erotic. . .but I don't write erotica, I write paranormal suspense with erotic elements. . . so, I started surfing the web last night. You know how that can be. I was looking for an image that I thought summed up "making mischief" and found lots of elf/pixie prints. Well, close, but not quite. Then I stumbled upon Enchanting Designs. The main picture took my breath away.

So, for many happy hours (instead of writing), I updated my website. I really like the look and feel of my new home(and the best part is it was a free template!).

Some of the pages (like the reviews where I have none, and the links) still need work. I've decided I want to do banner links if at all possible. So, over the next few weeks, I'll be scouting out banners and updating that page.

But, if you have a chance, take a peek, tell me what you think. Oh, and if you find a link that doesn't seem to work, let me know!

Newsletter Contest!

Hi, over there, on your right is a little box to subscribe to my newsletter. If you subscribe, I'll enter your name into the pot for a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com (or Barnes and Noble, your choice). Then, on May 18th, when Crystal Clear releases from Cobblestone Press, I'll draw a name out of the pot to win!

If you are already subscribed, you have a double chance of winning.

I'll never use your e-mail for anything except the newsletter (pinky promise). . .

So, go ahead, press that button. You know you want to!

Crystal Clear Video Trailer

Creating these things are just w-a-y too much fun! Hope you enjoy!

Going Once. . . going twice. . .

I'm sure by now you know about Brenda Novak's auction on her site to benefit Juvenile Diabetes.

Well, what you might not know is that this is YOUR opportunity to get an e-copy of Crystal Clear (on CD and I'll even sign the coverart on the jewelcase), a Crystal Clear mousepad, and a lovely crystal ball suncatcher. All you have to do is be the highest bidder at the end of May.

Brenda has a ton of other very cool donated items in her auction too. . . so, go check it out (just don't bid against me!! LOL)