The Ransomed Returning online launch party!

Today we are celebrating the release of The Ransomed Returning all day long on the Defenders of the Covenant page on Facebook!

Roomies: A Defenders of the Covenant short story

 

Pop over and join us! There are videos, quizzes, games, prizes, and fun stuff. And everyone who parties with me today can get a free Defenders of the Covenant short story!

There will be activities all day from 10am-8pm, so come on over and say hello!

All Kinds of Awesome!

Last week just rocked!

Not only did I celebrate twenty years of marriage, I also started edits on Defenders of the Covenant! I should finish those up this week, and the book will go to press shortly after that. It's hard for me to believe that the time is almost here. I. Am. So. Excited! I have been waiting for this for a very long time. I can't wait until I have a cover to show you!

But that's not all! I also got a contract from Rosehaven Publishing for my short Christmas Story, "With Love," to appear in an anthology to be released around Christmastime! That was completely unexpected, but most welcome. Not all the time you get a surprise acceptance. =) That will bring my short fiction total up to lucky number 13.

So, yeah. I'm feeling pretty happy and I want to share the joy!

First off, I'm running a little promo on my Facebook page. When I get to 200 likes (or maybe even sooner, since I'm way excited), I will send out a paper airplane Avenging Angel to anyone who wants one.

The Avenging Angels are the super cool fighter jets in Defenders of the Covenant. You know you want one of these! All you have to do is like the page if you haven't already. Also, I'm offering my sci-fi novella, "The Bearer's Oath," for free to anyone who shares my page with their Facebook friends. So, come join the fun. I try to keep my page active and enjoyable.

And because I want to celebrate the release of my first novel and get the word out about it, starting next week, I'll be holding the Defenders of the Covenant Release Celebration from Feb. 27-Mar. 16! Here's a sample of the prizes up for grabs:

That looks like an interesting assortment, eh? The prizes correspond with the characters in the book. I'll be introducing some of them to you over the next few weeks and you'll have a chance to win these and more. (I haven't quite got all the prizes yet.) Plus, a signed copy of Defenders of the Covenant will be up for grabs, too, of course. So stay tuned for all the details!

What successes (large or small) are you celebrating?

Fun Happenings on my Facebook Page

I don't know if you've checked out my Facebook page yet. I am trying to make it interactive and fun. A page that people will want to visit and like. Here's what I've got going on.

Monday is question day. I use the Facebook question feature to ask things like who is your favorite character from Lord of the Rings or your favorite line from Stars Wars or the Princess Bride. Things like that. It's fun to see how everybody answers. I love how when my kids answer, their friends all jump on to answer too. Fun to see what people think.

Wednesdays I post a fun link. This week was a link to a production video from The Hobbit. (Man, I can't wait for that to come out!) Or it might be an interesting article or cool picture. I try to make them sci-fi related.

Friday is my favorite, though. It's Fiction Friday! I post a link to a great sci-fi or fantasy short story. So far they've all been from Mindflights, since I know those stories are great. Pop over and check out today's posting. It's a wonderful tale. I'll post a new one each Friday.

So, come check it out. So far I'm pleased with the results. Last week, one of my top three favorite authors, Julie Czerneda, liked my page. That pretty much made my life! =) I am also planning a separate page for Defenders of the Covenant closer to its release. More to come on that later.

Do you have a Facebook page? Let me know and I'll go like it if I haven't already.

Got any other suggestions on how to make a Facebook page fun and successful? I'd love to hear them.

Connections

No man is an island,

Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent

A part of the main.

~John Donne

For Whom the Bell Tolls has always been one of my favorite poems. It seems more true than ever with all the ways we have to connect to each other these days. Social networking has been a big boon for me. I've met and connected with so many wonderful and helpful people. Those are connections that I value. It has to be kept in it's proper perspective, of course. Social networks shouldn't trump our most important relationships. It should enhance them, I think.

And so, I'm seeking more connections today. Please join me if you haven't already. Let's see what value we can add to each other's lives. It doesn't pay to be an island.

Friend me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Join me on Goodreads

What other Social Networking sites do you like to use? What benefits do you get from them?