Angela S. Stone

Living a Dream, One Word At a Time

Once Again I am the poster child for why you need to BACK UP YOUR NOVEL!!!

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As I preach about things like Dropbox and google drives, many of you have heard my story about how I lost more than half of my novel “Duty, Honor, Love” (coming soon! Keep an eye out for the cover release!) and a little luck, some illegal software and lots of prayers got me back less than 1000 words away from where I was.

So I preach all of the time BACK YOUR NOVEL UP.

Guess what I didn’t do last night?!

SAVE MY WORK!

This morning my SO turned my laptop on and boom, my Hard Drive was missing, BIOS couldn’t read it massive error. *headdesk* *repeatedly*

Now it’s not the end of the world (Or so I keep telling myself) I wrote 1538 words last night (not bad for a migraine of epic proportions) but I didn’t save it!!

It is very much one of these shoot me now moments. I thankfully have a copy from the day before on my dropbox and I think I can maybe pull up my autosave file, but it’s so frustrating.

If you are reading this post stop everything you’re doing! SAVE AND BACK UP YOUR NOVEL! If you’re using a USB remember to save to your hard drive and to the USB and eject it. Upload a different copy with today’s date to Google drive and to dropbox in a different file/folder that you usually use. Email yourself a copy. If you’re writing by hand, scan it or photocopy it and stick it in a fire safe box!

There is nothing more frustrating in the world than loosing part of your novel, even if it was only 1500 odd words!

Goddess Fish Tours-Pen Name-Doctor Chicken **Give Away** **Review**

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VBT_PenNameDoctorChicken_Banner

 Blurb

Cover_DoctorChicken

 Sometimes Stratford’s dreams of love have fared no better, but he’s still trying. After yet another disastrous date, he’s intrigued by a man going into a cooking class—so he takes the class too. Vinnie Giani is a successful, self-made man who is charmed by Stratford’s bow ties, sharp humor, and clumsiness—which leads to an opportunity to take Stratford in for stitches. Vinnie is, above all, responsible, having taken on the care of his mother and sisters from a young age. Perhaps it’s natural when he begins to treat Stratford more as a child who needs a parent than as an equal partner. But when Vinnie tries to “fix” Stratford’s career woes—including the Doctor Chicken problem—and ends up making the situation worse, their fledgling relationship may not withstand the strain created by blame and lies.ford Dale feels like Doctor Chicken consumes his life. It’s his pen name for a series of wildly popular children’s books. They were his brainchild; he meant for them to be a way to pay his many bills while he pursued his dream of publishing graphic novels. But the Doctor Chicken contract was a raw deal. Instead, he churns out book after book for a pittance, leaving him broke and no closer to his dreams.

 

Excerpt:

 “ABBY, I swear, I’m never going to find my own Thad.”

 Stratford should have waited until he’d gotten home to call Abby, because the wind was going to freeze his fingers into a permanent curl around his phone. Gloves, scarfs, and wind-resistant fabrics hadn’t suited his super-sexy Barry-bait outfit. Unfortunately, the Barry bait had been too enticing. Or the wrong kind of enticing. Sluts might wear shirts and pants as tight as his, but they didn’t wear bow ties, did they? At least he was able to grab a latte on the way home. Aside from being one of his few expensive indulgences, it was keeping his left hand warmish.

 “Of course you will. Are you sure you’re not judging him too harshly? You sometimes have unrealistic expectations.”

 He snorted. No one had to know he’d had a sneaking little thought that he’d so dazzle Barry with his erudition and joie de vivre that the man would immediately become smitten and fall in love. Besides, Abby already knew he was a hopeless romantic.

“There was a certain romantic touch to the butt plug discussion over shrimp devolving into a dessert discussion on whether silicone, rubber, or glass was preferable for dildos. A dead giveaway, if I’d been paying attention. I mean, anyone who has enough information to write a dissertation on dildo production materials is either way too oversexed for me or hasn’t had enough sex with other people… and probably for an excellent reason, as I discovered.”

 An older man in a fedora, walking in the opposite direction, gave Stratford a raised-brow look, and Stratford simply rolled his eyes and shrugged.

 “Ford, you slut. You didn’t! On a first date?” Abby’s light, teasing tone hadn’t the slightest hint of censure, but it could have. After all, Stratford had had his slutty moments, to be sure, but slutty wasn’t the best way to snag a boyfriend. He didn’t think. Or at least, not too slutty. What man didn’t like a hint of slut? Monogamous slut. If there was such a thing.

 “Uh, hello, you still there?”

 “What, oh, yes. Sorry.” Stratford had to stop drifting to his fantasies of a fairytale ending.

 “You dog. You did it, didn’t you? And how was it?”

“No. Really, I didn’t. I mean, he blew me a little bit.”

 This time it was Abby who snorted. “Blew you a little bit? Kind of like being a little bit preggers, you know.”

 “It’s never a good sign when you have to say ‘watch the teeth,’ followed closely by ‘don’t bite that.’ Puts a damper on things.”

 “You think?” Loud gales of laughter buffeted him across the wireless waves, and Stratford pursed his lips. Why was his dating life such a fucking joke?

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

AuthorAvatarKC Burn has been writing for as long as she can remember and is a sucker for happy endings (of all kinds). After moving from Toronto to Florida for her husband to take a dream job, she discovered a love of gay romance and fulfilled a dream of her own – getting published. After a few years of editing web content by day, and neglecting her supportive, understanding hubby and needy cat at night to write stories about men loving men, she was uprooted yet again and now resides in California. Writing is always fun and rewarding, but writing about her guys is the most fun she’s had in a long time, and she hopes you’ll enjoy them as much as she does.

 Website

 Twitter

 Facebook

 Buy Links:

 Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 Review-3.5 Stars

Pen Name-Doctor Chicken, is not what I expected out of a novel.  As a fan of KC Burn I was very excited to be able to read her newest book. It’s very  different from her other novels, but her unique voice makes you fall in love with the characters.  “Ford” is a typical starving artist, with too many ideals and not enough cash to make it happen. Vinne is a fantastic family man, with three great girls- only they’re his sister’s. He’s devoted his life to supporting his family, now it’s time for Vinne to have some fun an “Ford” is the guy who catches his eye. Pen Name-Doctor Chicken is a fun and light read, you can really lose yourself in the pages. I felt the ending was a bit rushed, I would have preferred to have the last few chapters explored a bit more, but overall a very enjoyable read. 3.5 stars.

 

 

 

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Goddess Fish Blog Tour: Blood and Gold Book 3 in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series

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SBB January Blood and Gold Banner copy

BLURB:

Blood and Gold, the third book in The Craige Ingram Mystery Series, once again tests the instincts and skills of retired Navy SEAL/part-time private investigator Craige Ingram. Lust, greed, body parts and unrestrained wild sex parties are what await Craige Ingram when he leaves the comforts of his South Carolina home to visit his former SEAL buddy, Detective Spinner Krespinak. Set in the Colorado underbelly of a sordid sable and faux glitz ski mecca, Detective Spinner Krespinak suspects drugs have made their way to the snowy playground that is Aspen. An Olympic ski hopeful is brutally murdered, Spinner vanishes, and Craige Ingram is shot as events spin out of control with a Catch-22 no one anticipates.

 

MEDIA KIT B&G cover

Excerpt:

The drive up the narrow mountain rutted road was a risky, hands-on-the-wheel icy slid-and-skid. With a grim set to his jaws, Spinner didn’t say a word the whole way. They parked among the jumble of squad cars. Craige avoided the taped-off areas while Spinner huddled with Loopy. Silently they paced-off and studied the layout of each room of the mansion…each room except the one where death waited to greet Spinner. No one except Craige and Loopy knew how Spinner wasn’t as detached as he appeared. Spinner traced and retraced his steps. Seeing beyond Spinner’s detached veneer of the professional, Craige could read the surly stir of emotions Spinner was struggling to control.

Finally…there was nothing left except to face the grizzly business of felony homicide and the dead. Spinner went back to where Loopy was busy. As though wanting to avoid seeing what waited in that room, he said, “Any ideas about the time of death?”

Loopy said, “Only a rough approximation at this point. I’d approximate somewhere between eight in the morning and two or three in the afternoon. We haven’t moved the bodies yet, but from what indications of livor mortis I could see, I’m leaning toward it being earlier. Central heat was off…fireplace ashes are still warm. Once we determine algor mortis changes in the body temps, I’ll be able to narrow that some. We’ve already picked up thirty to forty different sets of prints. Could easily be twice that before we finish. Most so smudged they’re no good. The rancher who lives at the valley turnoff said cars were going back and forth all night. How it wasn’t the first time they had all-night mountaintop blowouts up there. We bagged used condoms from all over this place—bedrooms, baths, all over the house. We’ll compare DNA with that of the victims. See if we get any matches that narrow down any persons of interest. Looks to be marijuana and freebase by the fireplace and in the breakfast room. And what is likely Mexican black heroin on the carpet in the den. Lord only knows what else we’ll turn up. I’ll be surprised if we don’t find Silk or S-K. There’s at least a case of empty aerosol cans, probably for heavy-duty huffing. We’ll see what the lab tells us…hopefully that’ll fill in more details.”

Spinner said, “Before Frannie left for Denver last night, Ski came by and borrowed my wheels to get here. Brought them back about noon. Christy and the two men had to be alive at the time Ski left. Depending on road conditions, it takes about an hour to get from here back into town. The low last night was below zero, but there was no heavy weather—no wind.” His eyes flashed hurt and anger, a silent reckoning stirring somewhere deep and hidden. “Ski would party ’till the last minute.” Spinner hesitated. “Least, I’d like to think it was that. I wouldn’t like thinking he’d use me as an alibi.” The thought of the possibility was a heart-pain that sliced deep into his soul. “Give me a few minutes before you zip them up.”

Loopy nodded. “No hurry. Take what time you need.”

A very still Spinner turned a masque-face back to the bed…emotions churning his features. A lump knotted his throat. Looking down at Christy’s lifeless body, the bullet hole a vulgar insult to a death mask of frozen beauty…it seemed somehow otherworldly. “…never could trust your flighty-canary way of life.” The niche occupied by carefree fun-loving Christy seemed stark and empty.

 

MEDIA KIT Hawk-DSC3027_jpgWith postgraduate degrees and faculty appointments in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk has authored several works of fiction.

Hawk began writing mysteries for his school newspaper. His works of fiction, historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers are not genre-centered, but plot-character driven, and reflect his southwest upbringing in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his serial protagonist in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series… murder and mayhem with a touch of romance. Vault of Secrets, the first book in the Ingram series, was followed by Nymrod Resurrection, Blood and Gold, and The Lady of Corpsewood Manor. All have received national attention. Hawk’s latest release in the Ingram series is due out this fall with another mystery-thriller work out in 2014. The Bleikovat Event, the first volume in The Cairns of Sainctuarie science fiction series, was released in 2012.

Links:

www.hawkmackinney.net

Buy on AMAZON

Barnes and Noble BUY link

I need to Blog more!

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I know, I know, I need to blog more. Life has been all shades of crazy lately! Here is the basic updates:

In case you missed it! Unsportsmanlike Conduct released in November! It was featured in USA TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A year to the day of my last release Boots on the Ground. The past year has been spent writing-A LOT. I’ve completed Craig’s Story as book 2.5 in the “Canada’s Finest” series. As well as “Special Investigations.

Only after writing both of those did I figure out that I need ANOTHER book. I mean I don’t have to, but I can’t have Jason on the edge at the end of Boots on the Ground, only to have him all happy and living a good life at the beginning of Special investigations! OI!

So book 4, which is in order-book 3 is being written, as I write book 4, Book 2.5 and book 3 are being altered as well. So it means you’ll get three books very rapidly, but in the mean time you’ll’ll have to wait just a bit longer for them!!

In other news I’m working on a R&R for “Duty, Honor, Love”. A book about a telepathic cop. I wrote this book a while ago, so it needs some work but I’m super excited about this trilogy (which is all more or less written, just needs A LOT of revisions) Book 1-Duty, Honor, Love Book 2-Duty, Honor, Sacrifice Book 3-Duty, Honor, Death are the three novels in the “Toronto’s Elite” series. I’m hoping to send off the R&R by the end of January so cross your fingers for me that this book/series finds a good home!

Last but not least, my plans for  RT2014, are very up in the air at the moment. I want very much to go, I have my hotel reservation ready. I’m just waiting as with my RL job I have an opportunity to attend a conference in Germany. As the conferences overlap I have to choose one or the other, as much as I LOVE RT and everything about it, if my paper is accepted for presentation in  Germany then I’ll be off to Europe for a few weeks! (Because why go for a 5 day conference when you can go for 3 weeks?!). Once in a lifetime opportunity that I just can’t pass up, both personally and professionally.

As this fantastic new year starts with so many new opportunities and hurtles I wish everyone the best for 2014 and I hope that you have a wonderful kick-off to 2014

 

Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2013-VLOG

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HAHT-2013

Hello Everyone, welcome to my post! Today as something different I’ve uploaded two videos, one talking about Homophobia and Transphobia and the other as part of the “It Gets Better Project”.

Here’s my first ever vlog video:

As I said in the video, we are what is going to make homophobia and Transphobia go away, we are the voice that stands up against those who bull, and degrade others. I firmly believe that being Gay/Bi/Trans/Whatever is not a choice, and you were born that way.


(Lady GaGa’s Video, Not mine)

 

My Second video is part of the It Get Better Project. I got very emotional talking how life really does get better as you grow up and move on from highschool. If you had of told me 10 years ago that at 25 I’d be a published author, working in a dream job, and dating one of the best men I’ve ever met I would have laughed at you. No I’m living a dream and I believe in sharing that experience with others. 

 

 

 

 

CONTEST RULES. Comment here and/or on the First Video  to enter in for a chance to win A copy of one of my books (Print, where available, or a copy of one of the books mentioned in the video) and a small prize pack as well :)!.

Check out others in the publishing industry supporting this Hop:



Boys, writing, Contracts, Blue, blue hair and Facebook!

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So I’m making an effort to update my blog more! Life has been very busy for me in the last year!

A year ago I moved into an apartment with the man of my dreams! He’s tall (6’4″!) blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile to die for! The side effect of being so in-love is that my writing has taken a beating over the past year. I finally feel like I’m in a place where I can write, and be happy, and still make dinner most nights! It feels great!

In case you missed the announcement! I signed a contract on March 5th for the 3rd (and Final???) book in my Hat trick 1NS trilogy co-written with Emily Cale.
You can pick up the first two books on amazon:
Goalie Interference(F/M): http://www.amazon.com/Goalie-Interference-Night-Series-ebook/dp/B007UK9DWO
Power Play(M/F/M) :http://www.amazon.com/Power-Night-Stand-Series-ebook/dp/B0093TFS5Q

“Unsportsmanlike Conduct” is expected to be released in the fall! Keep your eyes peeled, here is the blurb:

Owen Carter is a hockey player. He lives, and breaths his sport. So much so that not even his parents know the truth about his sexuality. When his teammates set him up using Madame Eve’s 1 Night stand service, he fully expects Addison to be a blonde bimbo. Instead he finds sexy cop, Addison Krause to be everything he could ever want in a man. Will he be able to open up and let Addison in, or will Owen let the best thing that ever happened to him walk away.

 

Goodness! Owen and Addison are steamy and adorable! I hope you like them as much as I do :)!

So yesterday I dyed my hair BLUE. Yes that’s right BLUE! So far the response has been positive  (But my RL boss hasn’t seen it yet, so we’ll see!) . I’m planning on doing a VLOG! to promote Hop against Homophobia and Transphobia so you’ll get to check out my blue hair then!

 

Latest Events

Romancing the Capital 2016

It’s done it’s over! my first book signing was a rocking success (I’ve sold out of my books and have to order more!) and had an amazing time! I’m so excited! Here are two shots from the signing!!! I may have had a 10 foot sign!

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