Book 'Em

When we go to comiccons and book festivals, we often talk about cosplayers, the event itself, actors we met, etc. But this time, I'd like to talk about the unsung heroes of these events--our fellow authors.

This past weekend, we were fortunate enough to attend a Book 'Em event. It started out on Friday night with a very nice author reception. I actually flat-ironed my hair for the first time in weeks. LOL! If you haven't seen my Instagram, let me catch you up--Erin and the longer hair situation.

Anyhoo, here is me and my sexy stud as we headed out to the reception.

At the author dinner, we met several super cool people like Hector Miray, who combines two fascinating topics in his book Faith and Fandom: Finding God In Sci-Fi, Superheroes, & Video Games. 

We also met the extremely lovely and kind Wendy Fields, author of It Was God and It Too Was God. She looks so much like one of my aunts that I had to do a double take every time she walked by!

We had a great time at the dinner, talking to the coordinators and learning about other authors and their books.

The next day, we headed out to set up our booth and discovered our boothmates (the people you sit next to in your booth). Boothmates can make or break an event, and we've always been fortunate to have really cool ones.

This time, we had Suzanne Adair to our left. She's the author of a historical fiction series about mysteries in the American Revolution. With the 250th anniversary on the horizon, she's busy doing all sorts of events related to her work! From sitting beside her, we discovered she raised two sons nearly on her own, lived in England, and loves speculative fiction.

Check out Suzanne's books: Mysteries of the American Revolution

To our right, we had retired military man R. Lee Linebarger and his sweet wife, Julie. Both Deek's dad and my dad served in the military, so we were excited to have a former soldier as a boothmate. He is a poet and has written poems about being a soldier. From sitting beside him, we learned about his children, met a military friend of his, and learned Lee doesn't like to smile for pictures! I actually found this endearing because my PaPa didn't smile for pictures either; he used to do his classic thumbs-up in place of a smile.

Check out Lee's poems: Thoughts of an Old Soldier

And last but certainly not least, we also shared space with Jordon Greene. Now, we've been boothmates with Jordon before, and we just love his energy. He's always ready with a quick smile! We admired his beautiful table set up and learned that his latest cover was made by an artist he met at a comiccon! This cover is *gorgeous*!!

If you don't already follow Jordon on social media, you so should!

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Check out Jordon's vast array of books from horror to YA: Jordan Greene

I love meeting fans, readers, nerds, and cosplayers, but I also love meeting my fellow authors. We're in this thing together, supporting one another in a hard industry. And I'm so very thankful we got to sit with these three amazing people for this event and meet or catch up with countless others throughout the day!

And a final thought...

What a hottie!

I am so, so, so fortunate that I get to do this thing I love with this man I love. I watch him interact with people--and I see how much they enjoy his company (who wouldn't--he's the best)--and I'm so very proud to be his wife and his partner! I love you, Deek Rhew! #Always

The Transhuman Project Is Here!

Wow, after many years in the making, The Transhuman Project (called the Molly and Ryder book for forever) is available to the world. Wut?

 

My friends and family keep asking me if I'm excited about the release, but I think I'm honestly just in a state of shock. It felt like this day would never come, and now that it's here, I can hardly process it. 

So, here's the skinny:

Back Cover Blurb:

When a video of Molly Richards is taken out of context and goes viral, she’s thrust into the upper echelons of social media stardom and becomes an overnight success in a country where Life Channel ratings reign supreme. As Kadar’s fastest-rising celebrity, her life becomes a media circus, a show put on for the shallow national audience salivating for the next new thing.

But in a world where image is king, danger and death hide among the shadows. In the nearby country of Pacifica, the brutal Caezar turns his citizens into robotic weapons who infiltrate Kadar as sleeper transhumans. They walk among the populace, unaware they are pawns in the madman’s personal arsenal.

Only Molly, her friends, and an elite group of Kadarian fighters known as the Cyber Knights fully understand the transhuman threat, and only they can break the Caezar's terrorist grip on both Pacifica and Kadar. Battling Fire Bots and humanoid agents, they seek to put a stop to the Caezar's tyranny by unraveling the secrets buried between layers of deception.

And they have to do it all while smiling and waving for the cameras.

As Molly and her friends peer behind the glitz and glamour, they discover something more frightening and more sinister than anything they’ve encountered yet...the truth.

Thank Yous:

I'd like to thank: 

--Anita Carroll from Race-Point, who put together this amazing cover from my incoherent babble and sample photos.

--The Dream Team because they always step in to save the day when I need them!

--My new honorary Dream Team members--Jennica, Nicole, Becky, Parker, and Jess, who stepped in to read and re-read my book until we got the kinks worked out. And who weren't afraid to tell me, "This has gotta go."

--My publisher, Tenacious Books Publishing (which is now open to submissions, BTW), and the publishing team for taking on this project and helping it grow to fruition!

--My friends and family who supported and encouraged me to keep at this dream, and who promote me more than I do.

--My PaPa. Losing you has been one of the hardest things that's ever happened to me. I miss you every single day, and I still can't think about you without choking up. You always loved, encouraged, and supported me. You don't even like to read--and you surely aren't the YA reader type--but you proudly read my other books. The way you loved me and the rest of our big ole Southern family is something I'll cherish always. But now there is, and always will be, a PaPa shaped hole in my heart.

Ya know, Mac reminds me of you a little. He's always after a laugh, and he loves his family like crazy.

--Deek, my Deek. Where do I even start? I think you're even more excited about this book release than I am. LOL! You are my rock. My companion, my partner, my best friend, my true love. When you came into my life, you filled with sunshine what was once dark. The brilliance of your soul is blinding, and I am thankful to bathe in the light of it. I could not adore you more, and yet, every day, I do. I'll always love writing because it led me to you. Thank you for supporting and encouraging me on this long and sometimes painful ride through Molly's life. I had several false starts on the offense, but you always had faith I'd get it right. Without you, there would be no book. I love you beyond beyond! 

So, if you made it to the end of this blog post, thank you for reading. If you're so inclined to give Molly, Ryder, Jason, MacCoy, and Tasha a read, I'd be very grateful! 

The Transhuman Project

Until next time...

Rhew The Nation -- The Pacific Northwest -- Part 3

I am a Southern girl, and right now, the South is and has been battered by Hurricane Florence. If you can find ways to donate money, time, or supplies to the people of North and South Carolina, Deek and I would greatly appreciate it!

Jensen Ackles and his wife Danneel are planning a trip to the Carolinas to help. You can get more information on Danneel's instagram.

With all this destruction and devastation happening in my part of the country, it's nice to travel back to the Pacific Northwest, Deek's part of the country, and remember the fun we had there. If you'll recall, we travelled by car across the nation, nearly coast to coast. We had great adventures along the way and then stopped in the PNW for a week to spend time with family and friends.

Deek's wonderful parents wanted to take us on a cruise tour around the Columbia Gorge. They originally wanted to do a dinner cruise, but since I'm lactose intolerant and Deek and I are on keto, they switched to a brunch cruise because we could eat more!

The boat -- The Sternwheeler

Someone cut Bigfoot's head out of the picture. LOL!

Ready to ride!

Amazing scenery!

I adore Deek's dad. They are so much alike--funny, thoughtful, and so loving!

That evening, we had dinner with Deek's best friends from childhood. He has known these men most of his life, and I love how their friendship has survived and thrived despite the miles and all life can throw at people.

We caught up with them and their lovely wives, laughed, and reminisced. I am truly amazed that Deek and his friends survived childhood with all the stunts they pulled. LOL!

The three amigos!

The next day, our last full day in the Pacific Northwest, Deek took me on a date to our favorite Chinese restaurant again to get the amazing beef schezwan we cannot find anywhere else.

So yummy!

And yes, I'm wearing a huge sweater in July because it's cold in the PNW...

That evening, his parents threw us a big going away party. We had tons of friends and family show up! It was lovely to see everyone and get to hang out with people who have come to mean so much to us. And y'all, let me brag on Deek's parents. They really put out an amazing spread and kindly opened their home to a bunch of people they didn't know. All for us. We are so incredibly grateful! <3

Christine--the officiant at our wedding!

Deek has known these two amazing women for a very long time!

My favorite part of this picture (besides Angie's lovely face) is Deek's mom grinning in the background! I loved how much fun she and Deek's dad had with our friends!! <3

Paula Brotherton, folks. She makes me laugh until my sides hurt.

And she's an amazing real estate agent in the Portland area!

We love these folks. 

We've vacationed with them and always have such a fun time together!

And in the blink of an eye, our time in the Pacific Northwest came to a close. After a tearful goodbye to our friends and family, we headed on back toward the East Coast. But since we'd done the northern route many times, we decided to try our hand at the southern route--Vegas, Tombstone, Area 51, Roswell. Yeah, it ROCKED! Stay tuned for more on the southern portion of our trip across America!

Rhew The Nation -- The Pacific Northwest -- Part 1

So, Deek and I traveled across the country, almost literally from sea to shining sea. But we stopped our travels to hang out for a week in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest and visit with family and friends. We used to live there, and while we love our life in the South, we do miss so very many things about the PNW.

Like family! <3

Deek has the most amazing parents, and I'm so blessed to be part of their family!

Like friends!

I adore Christine's whole vibe--just a super cool person all around! <3

Like Portland.

I *really* love Portland.

We arrived at night and immediately went to eat at Deek's favorite restaurant. We'd saved our keto high carb day especially for that place!

He may be a little excited! LOL!

The next day, we decided to explore our little town to see what had changed since we lived there. In the two years since we lived there, several different places have come and gone--some for the betterment of the town and some not. And while we were out, we *had* to eat at our favorite Chinese joint. We've tried and tried to find Schezuan beef as good as this in the South, but we have not been able to. :(  

After two years of waiting...

Of course we got Dutch Bros! 

Come to the East Coast, please!!

And we took a little boat ride.

The PNW has lots of water! ;) 

The next day was the 4th of July! It's the second year in a row we've spent the 4th with Deek's parents, despite living 3,000 miles apart!! How cool is that?!?

Deek and his dad. Love these two awesome guys!

Waiting for the parade!

Holy crow! Our little town has grown a lot!

We could hardly walk through the festival because the streets were *so* crowded!

This is how I always look at this man--with complete adoration!

I am the luckiest woman in the world! <3

And...there's a theme.

I so love Dutch Bros!

Fireworks!!

The next day, Deek's parents took us on the OMSI jet boat ride in downtown Portland. They wanted to take us to the touristy places we never got around to going to when we lived in the PNW. OMG, we had such a good time!!

Ready to ride!

Got a little wet.

I'm glad I brought a sweater because even though it was mid-summer, it was cold on the water!

I'll be honest, it's something I've never been able to get used to about the PNW. I'm a Southern girl, and it's always hot in the summer. I mean, you might as well walk around on the face of the sun. If you take a boat ride, even the wind it generates is hot. So, this coolness at the beaches and on the water in the PNW throws my mind for a loop. I can't quite wrap my brain around it or get used to it. Who brings a coat to the beach in the summer? Even in a swimsuit, you're likely to burn the blazes up on a Southern beach in the summer. ;) 

Someone's engine caught on fire, so our jet boat became a rescue ship! 

Our captain paused the tour/adventure to tow the man and his family back to shore. 

We were glad to be of assistance!

Now we're getting soaked!

My favorite part of this picture is Deek's mom's smile. Makes my heart so happy! <3

Why did I bother to fix my hair?? Haha!

Speaking of hair, after the jet boat ride, we headed on over to get my hair dyed. We had a blast chatting it up with "Hair Chick," as we call her, and I walked away with awesome purpliness!

Sporting the purple look again!

Stay tuned! We had plenty more adventures in the PNW before we headed back to the East Coast via the southern route!