Illogicon 2018

So y'all know we love Illogicon, right? Well, we were back there again this year for another round of awesomeness! And this year, I didn't have a stomach virus right before (hallelujah!!), so I could enjoy it that much more! :)

Here's a pictorial review of the wonderment!

Set up and ready to rumble!

This is our candy box for our trivia game, but the sentiment holds true! <3

Husband and wife Boba Fetts! 

We can so get behind spouses who love the same things!

Nick Fury in da house!

AND he knows my future cousin-in-law, so WOOT!

We love the cosplayers!

Aaron bought all five of our books!

THANK YOU, Aaron! You rock!

And now his watch begins...

Games of Thrones up in here!

An adorbs lady let me try on her Luna Lovegood sunglasses!

Sam and Dean! Sam and Dean! Sam and Dean! And Castiel! SQUEE!!!!

Ignore my coat...it was *freezing* in the vendor hall!

My man looks good wielding a sword!

Post-con dinner cray!

Getting kissed on by this sexy man!

And trying orange bangs...

Our groovy booth neighbors--The Burkheads--doing a Birth selfie!

They're another husband and wife writing pair!

Their book, The Black Lily, is in the foreground!

Alice in Wonderland!

BB8 is checking out The Coven by our friend Chrissy Lessey!

Tots love all the Star Wars wonderfulness!

Caffeine bump for Day 3

This amazing lady bid on Birth (and won!) for an auction to help children of domestic violence.

We are strong supporters of this cause, so we appreciated her bid so much!

This lovely bought Birth and plans to recommend it to her bookclub! 

They want Deek to Skype with them during their meeting to discuss the book!

WOOT!

We love the spirit and atmosphere at Illogicon! If you haven't gotten a chance to check it out, definitely come next year! We hope to see you there!

I Did A Thing

So, I did a thing. I cut off most of my hair. Why? Because I wanted to. I'd been talking it over with Deek for a little while, and when I went in for my trim, I asked my hairdresser to just hack it off.

I'm pretty excited about it for a variety of reasons, but one of them is COLOR!! I had purple hair back when we lived in the PNW, and I dyed it blonde before coming back to the South. Well, for the past year, I've been trying to get my hair healthy from all those dye jobs. And it's been boring brown. Ho-hum. With short hair, I can dye my hair a variety of colors, and we'll just cut away the damaged parts. Voila! So, I'm headed back in June to get this whole thing turned white-blonde. And then, I'll have purple added to my bangs (and possibly other areas--the temple pieces or top of the spikes) in prep for the Raleigh SuperCon, where I am a feature guest. All my promo pics show purple hair, so I gotta give the people what they expect! ;) 

I'll be honest, I was a little wary of chopping off all my hair. Our culture, and a lot of men I know, place value on long hair as a sign of femaleness or femininity. So, in this sense, I'm so thankful I went to live in the Pacific Northwest for a while. I grew up in the Bible Belt South, and I never felt comfortable expressing my artistic funky side. But when I went to the PNW, that sort of thing is embraced and celebrated. I learned just how big and diverse this country really is. And I learned it's okay to be me. It's okay not to fit the status quo.

I'm an artist. I'm expressive. I like to try new things. That's who I am. And that's more than okay. 

I'm also incredibly thankful to have a husband who not only accepts this part of my personality but embraces it. When I asked him what he thought about cutting my hair, he said, "Do it. One of the things I love about you is that you're bold and try new things. And changing your hair is one of the ways you do that. So, if you want to cut it, cut it."

When I texted him this picture yesterday, he replied back, "This is about as cute as humanly possible." He loves me just like I am, in all my variety of shapes, colors, and hairstyles. And I appreciate that about him so very much. I'm completely free to be me.

In other news, I recently found out that the cover artist for both BookFish Books and Tenacious Books Publishing is taking a summer vacation sabbatical. Why is that a big deal you ask? Well, she designs the final print covers for the books, and we have TWO releasing while she's away. That means all edits must be completed and all formatting done BEFORE she leaves! We had a schedule in place to complete said edits and formatting in June, but that deadline had to be seriously pushed up. So, I've been working with our authors and editors to get these books ready. Once they come to the formatter, they have to be done-done. No more major changes once a book enters formatting. We can make minor changes (a comma here, a word swap there), but the meat and bones have to be mostly done.

Releases June 27, 2017

Releases July 18, 2017

Releases July 25, 2017

So, big props to the editors and authors for getting everything done and to me for formatting. I'm happy to report that the formatting for ALL summer release books (except The Beacon, which releases after our cover artist's vacation) is DONE! <high fives to my editing team and authors>

And Chrissy Lessey is even offering a sneak peek of her prologue for The Coven, which not only highlights her amazing writing but my formatting as well!

Despite all the work and hectic deadlines, Deek and I managed to have some fun hiking and attending a local festival! 

The journey to who-knows-where

Hubba hubba

Gorgeous bridges

A treat for our hard work! ;) 

Representing BookFish!

Enjoying a local festival

This little presh guy turned one!

When we adopted him, the shelter thought he was about six months old, and that was six months ago!

Happy Birthday, Gussie!

We adore you!

Until next time--BE YOU!

Er-Mah-Gawd! The Crystal Coast Series by Chrissy Lessey

Today's post earns a Trinna Er-Mah-Gawd!

People, I've had the pleasure of working with Chrissy Lessey on the editing side through Tenacious Books Publishing, and today, I'm pleased as punch to show you what Chrissy and Anita at Race-Point have been doing on the cover side of things!

Here are the STUNNING covers for The Crystal Coast Series by Chrissy Lessey:

Title: The Coven

Author: Chrissy Lessey

Publisher: Tenacious Books Publishing

Cover Designer: Anita B. Carroll

Release Date: June 27, 2017

Preorder Link: The Coven

The future queen awakens…

Newly single mother Stevie Lewis divides her time between raising Charlie, running a store with her best friend, and avoiding the meetings of her mother’s Beaufort Historic Society. Although her life has its challenges, it’s altogether average. Just the way she likes it.

When Vanessa, a ruthless dark witch, launches an attack against young Charlie, Stevie’s simple life derails, and her long-dormant powers awaken. A 300-year-old secret is exposed, revealing her destiny to one day rule the clandestine community of witches who hide in plain sight.

Now she must master her own magical powers before it’s too late. Because Vanessa’s on the warpath, and only Stevie can stop her.

Title: The Hunted

Author: Chrissy Lessey

Publisher: Tenacious Books Publishing

Cover Designer: Anita B. Carroll

Release Date: July 25, 2017

A new queen rises...

When Stevie vanquished her family’s greatest threat, she thought they’d be safe. Unaware of the evil surrounding her, she trains with her coven and prepares to inherit her mother’s role as queen and protector of the amulet.​

Chaplain Benjamin Parris, descendant of the notorious reverend behind the Salem Witch Trails, plots to resume his family’s mission and rid the world of witches. He joins forces with Susan Moore, who’s sought revenge against the coven for years, and together, they formulate a plan to destroy Stevie’s family.
​

Left weakened after the theft of their protective amulet, the coven confronts the unthinkable as a modern day witch hunt unfolds around them. And this time, Stevie might not be able to save the people she loves.

Title: The Beacon

Author: Chrissy Lessey

Publisher: Tenacious Books Publishing

Cover Designer: Anita B. Carroll

Release Date: August 22, 2017

There can only be one queen...

Still reeling from the devastation wrought by Susan, Stevie struggles to find a way to retrieve the amulet from the dark witch who now calls herself queen. She develops a plan to amplify her powers, believing it will give her an edge, but the magic is untested and dangerous.

Susan will stop at nothing to complete her rise to power, including eliminating the last of Lucia’s descendants: Stevie and Charlie. She calls for a showdown, with all of the town’s witches present, leaving Stevie no choice but to comply.

Queens who came before her sacrificed their lives to protect the witches, and Stevie is prepared to join their ranks. In this life or death battle, she'll do whatever it takes to save her people.

I am SOOOO excited to have you guys read these awesome books! Chrissy has such a natural flow with her storytelling, and you get totally wrapped up in her characters and their world. Don't forget to preorder The Coven today and get ready for a total thrill ride! 

via GIPHY