5 Things You Don't Want to Wake Up With

What are some things you don't want to wake up with, besides the severed head of a horse or a bloody knife bearing only your fingerprints? Below are my top 5.

1. PRAYING MANTIS

2. HOUSE CENTIPEDE

3. STICK BUG

4.  A MAMA WOLF SPIDER WITH A GAZILLION BABIES ON HER BACK

5. WESTERN HERCULES BEETLE (RHINO BEETLE)

CONTEST : Enter to Win a Kindle Fire !

***UPDATE***

3/7/12

I'm extending the contest because I've had less than the 200 entries stated below. Stay tuned!!

I toyed with a bunch of different contest ideas for the release of A LIFE BEYOND YESTERDAY. While giving away logo-ed merchandise--mugs, bags, etc.-- certainly has merit, I thought ... why not do something BIG?

Sooooo, here it goes! Free Kindle Fire Contest rules:

Step One:  Buy a copy of A LIFE BEYOND YESTERDAY--written under my pen name Clara LaVeaux--either the e-book or the paperback.

You can purchase an e-book today and, in about a week, a paperback, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Diesel E-Books, All Romance E-Books and I-Tunes. *I'll post links as they become available but all versions of the book are available at Eternal Press.*

Step Two: Send an Email to ClaraLaVeaux@gmail.com with the word "CONTEST" in the subject line and the location/date you purchased A LIFE BEYOND YESTERDAY. (Example: "Amazon, 2/7/2012)
You must complete this step to be entered into the contest. 

*Your email address is safe with me. It will not be sold or given away to anyone for any reason.*

Bonus: To gain two entries and increase your chances of winning, post a review of A LIFE BEYOND YESTERDAY on Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes and Noble and email a link to your review to ClaraLaVeaux@gmail.com with the word "REVIEW" in the subject line.

See? Easy! 

Contest will run for one month, from February 7th, 2012 through midnight on March 7th, 2012. Winner will be chosen by a random generator and announced on March 8th, 2012. Winner must respond by email within three days. If the winner fails to respond, a new winner will be chosen. If I have fewer than 200 contest entries, I may extend the contest by a few days until I hit 200. Happy Reading and GOOD LUCK!

I'm Guest Blogging Over at Four Strong Women Today

If you like snarky rants and funny women, you'll love Four Strong Women.


"...Being a mother is kind of like living inside an asylum. I love my children, but no matter the time of day, someone's crying, someone's yelling, someone's drooling, and it isn't out of the question to walk into a room and find shit smeared on the wall."

8 Days Unitl the Release of A LIFE BEYOND YESTERDAY

On February 7th I will post the contest rules for winning a FREE Kindle Fire. YAY!

Only a little over a week left to wait. Then, you can grab your copy of A LIFE BEYOND YESTERDAY and enter to win a Kindle Fire!

A LIFE BEYOND YESTERDAY follows Amelia Gauge'’s journey as she reinvents herself while adapting to single motherhood and discovering an ability to love she thought had died with her husband.

Amelia'’s story explores the guilt of a former stay-at-home mother forced to concentrate on herself and what she wants out of life while navigating a new-to-her world filled with deceit and hidden danger, a movie star suitor, big money, and even bigger hearts.

February 7th, 2012 ... See you there!

Early Release Excerpt, A LIFE BEYOND YESTERDAY

Excerpt from A LIFE BEYOND YESTERDAY by Clara LaVeaux (S.J. Drum)

  Release Date: February 7th 2012

When I saw her through the blinds from outside, I couldn’t tell if she was just passed out or something worse. Standing inside her apartment a few feet from her, I knew she hadn’t fainted. A long tube of stretchy, yellow rubber wrapped and twisted around her arm above her elbow. She’d loosened it but hadn’t removed it completely. An empty syringe lay next to her body. In the soft crook of her arms, where her elbows bent forward, were a hundred bruised pinpricks of varying ages. I guess I know why she always wore long sleeves.

I’d known my share of alcoholics back in Ohio, but I’d never come across a drug addict. Or maybe I had and just didn’t know. I hadn’t known that Natalie was an addict, and I saw her almost every day.

The air conditioner was cranked to the max, blowing a steady stream of cool air into the apartment. She might have died two days ago, but the cold atmosphere had kept the smell to a minimum. I nearly took a deep breath to calm myself but thought better of it at the last second.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed the police. The operator asked me to stay on the line until an officer showed up, but I didn’t see the point since Natalie was already dead. Snapping my phone shut, I stared at the dead body lying on the floor in front of me. The last time I’d seen Natalie, I’d been furious with her, yelling at her over my retched neighbor. “I’m sorry,” I whispered to the chalky, lifeless body.

I was sorry that our last conversation had been so unpleasant. Maybe my accusations had brought her to the mental state that led to her overdose. I searched myself for some emotion that would bring forth a fit of sobbing but found myself curiously devoid of tears. Not that I was comfortable standing in a room with the dead body of a coworker—far from it. I was shocked, sickened, fearful even, but not exactly sad.

I flipped open my phone and redialed the most recently called number before the police. I hoped I wouldn’t have to leave a message. My wish was granted when he answered on the third ring.

“Dustin, I need you to come meet me.”

“I’m at lunch with Frank. Can it wait?”

“No.” There was a silent pause.

“Where are you?”

I gave Dustin the address and shoved my phone back into my pocket. My feet were planted where I’d stopped when I came inside and realized Natalie was dead. My thoughts shifting to the police, I hoped this would be a pretty straightforward investigation. Overdose, no foul play. As far as I knew, I’d been the last one to see her alive, and the encounter hadn’t been a pleasant one. No one wants to be caught standing over the corpse of someone they’d just had a fight with.

Red Ink

Early yesterday AM I received 248 pages of last-minute edits for my book due out on February 7th. This means I have to go through them all, accept/reject/make changes, as quickly as possible.

Have you ever seen red-inked pages fresh from the desk of an editor? No? Here's an example:

 

I actually like working under a deadline, I find I'm more productive when pushed along a strict timeline.

UPDATES:

2012 is starting off nicely. I've recently signed a contract with Breathless Press to have one of my short stories included in an Anthology. I think I'm close to having SURPRISINGLY SUPERNATURAL under contract and I've got an excellent start on CAGED IN MYTH.

I've also updated my website and will be holding a contest when A LIFE BEYOND YESTERDAY is released and giving away a brand new Kindle Fire! Check back for details on February 7th!

Interview with Women's Fiction Writers

My interview with the wonderful Women's Fiction Writers blog went live this morning. Head on over and check it out!

ASN: What was your journey to publication?  Did you find Eternal Press or did they find you, and what was it like working with them?

SJD:  "I’d love to tell you I wrote the manuscript, blanketed cyber-space with query letters, and immediately received a “YES!” Wouldn’t that be wonderful? *Insert hysterical, eerie laugh.*

"The truth is, for most authors, the road to publication is very, very long. I spent nearly a year writing, revising, having others critique the manuscript, revising again and self-editing before I sent out my first batch of query letters to agents and editors.

"After I received a few responses that went something like: “I like the premise, the writing was solid, but the beginning didn’t draw me in…” I sat at my desk and contemplated setting a few items on fire, or possibly placing my laptop atop the gravel in my driveway and running over it repeatedly with my SUV for daring to allow anything but acceptance letters to enter my inbox.
When I calmed down, I realized these rejections were actually good. They weren’t form letters, they were personalized responses from agents/editors who didn’t HAVE to take the time to give feedback. So, I highlighted my first chapter, took a deep breath and hit ‘delete’. Then, tweaked the second chapter to become the first and sent out a new round of sample pages.

"I was offered a contract with Eternal Press somewhere around 8 months after sending my first batch of queries. I liked their cover art and the books I’d read that’d been published by Eternal Press were suitably edited. For me, the decision was an easy ‘yes’..."