Through These Wicked Nights-- Cover Teaser and Sign-ups!

I'm very excited with the upcoming cover reveal that I thought I would share a special treat with you all today. A little teaser of the cover! Yeah, I like to tease a bit...it builds up the anticipation, right? Well, I hope anyway. :P

 

Ooohh... I wonder what's going on there? ;)

Anyways, the full cover reveal is happening on September 6th. If you're a blogger and would like to sign up to participate in the reveal, please fill out this form and I'll contact you!

Thanks everyone! I look forward to showing off the cover for the second book of the Guardians of the Night trilogy, and I hope you like it as much as I do.

Also, did I mention that the same weekend of the reveal, it's going to be my birthday? And in celebration of book two's cover and my birthday, Darkness Comes This Way (book one) will be available for free on Amazon??


With Love,
Pixie

News! :)

It's really nothing to brag about, but I've been smiling all day because of it anyway.

Today, I found that Darkness Comes This Way is ranked #69 in the Amazon Kindle Store in vampire fiction. ^^ Technically, that's considered "bestseller", but I won't put that label on myself. It just doesn't feel quite right, I guess. It's only an indie/self-pub. And it's only in that certain category. I'm probably the only one who thinks that way, too....

Anyways, I wanted to post a short message saying thank you to everyone for the continued support. Bloggers, reviewers, readers...you're all fantastic and everything you do is highly appreciated. <3 <3

Another short announcement:

In about two short weeks, the cover reveal for Through These Wicked Nights (The Guardians of the Night #2) is happening! So exciting! I can't wait to share it...actually, to be more specific, I can't wait to see it myself! I haven't even seen it yet (though I will see it before the scheduled reveal of course). :P If you're a blogger and interested in participating in the cover reveal for your own blogs, let me know.

With Love,
Pixie

100 Random Facts About Me--Blogfest

Over at The Fiction Diaries, there’s a blogfest celebrating the hundred follower milestone. In celebration, there was a little activity posted in which we can share 100 random facts about ourselves. I figured I’d hop in on the fun (though I’m a little late) and give it a try. These are a lot of facts. O.o

Be sure to visit The Fiction Diaries and if you want to join in, do so! Leave your link in the comments. I’d love to see your own lists.

Okay…let’s get to this.


1. My real name is not Pixie.
2. I have been going by ‘Pixie’ for so many years though, that sometimes I forget it’s not my legal name.
3. I’m five foot tall. Short.
4. My favorite color is purple.
5. I’m not always as optimistic as I should be.
6. Sam and Dean Winchester are my two favorite hotties on television.
7. Wait, also Eric Northman.
8. I’m very committed to blogging.
9. I’ve never met any other author in person before. =(
10. I’m married and have three step-kids.
11. When people ask if I’m going to have kids of my own, I laugh.
12. That means no.
13. I hate the “stepmother stereotype”. Stop making us evil in literature and movies!
14. I have a cat named Bella.
15. I did not name my cat after Bella in Twilight.
16. When I’m not writing, I’m usually reading.
17. I get distracted easily.
18. I love Chinese food.
19. But my favorite meal would have to be spaghetti.
20. You can’t keep me away from fried pickles either.
21. I will NEVER turn down a slushie/icee.
22. Favorite music: rock and country mostly.
23. I also listen to Celtic and classical.
24. I’m a major history geek.
25. My grandparents moved here in the late 30’s from Ireland.
26. I’m fascinated in genealogy too.
27. I’m writing three novels right now.
28. I write a little slow.
29. It amazes me how authors can write a novel in a matter of a few weeks, while it can take me up to four or five months to finish the first draft.
30. Writer’s block is horrendous. I’ve had it before. Worst months of my life.
31. I hate Christmas.
32. My favorite holiday is Halloween.
33. My birthday is September 7th.
34. No, I will not tell you my birth/legal name. 
35. I love old-school things. Vintage shirts, video games, etc.
36. I have an obsession with boots.
37. My hair should have never been cut off. I hate having short hair.

38. But it was for charity, so I deal with it.
39. People think my eyes are weird.
40. They’re green mostly, but around the pupil, I have gold sunflower shapes that are very clear.
41. I freaking love cartoons. It’s my inner child.

42. I’m still hoping and waiting endlessly for The Vampire Academy series to be movies.
43. William Shakespeare rocks my socks.
44. So does the Bronte sisters.
45. Actually, I’m a big fan of a lot of classics.
46. I adore owls.
47. Body art is one of my things.
48. I have 4 tats and counting.
49. All of my tats are designed by me.
50. Secretly, I fan girl a little bit every time one of my favorite authors replies back to me on Twitter.
51. I love Twitter.
52. I hate Twitter.
53. I know I contradicted myself above. It’s a love/hate thing.
54. My first two celebrity crushes: David Bowie and Johnny Depp.
55. I still love those guys.
56. It is my dream to go on a huge European vacation one day, including a stop in Ireland.
57. I want to see Mount Rushmore, too.
58. I’ve never been to the ocean.
59. I’ve never even flown in a plane. =O
60. My first official novel was handwritten entirely.
61. My first novel is not published, nor will it ever be. It’s shelved away in a folder.
62. I have always wanted to be a writer.
63. My favorite childhood book was Green Eggs and Ham. I can recite it from memory.
64. I watched my first horror movie when I was six.
65. I started reading Stephen King when I was ten.
66. If people ask me about my past or life growing up, I don’t like talking about it.
67. I could write an inspiring memoir I’m sure, but I won’t.
68. I take from my experiences and use writing as therapy.
69. There have been several favorite reads already for 2012. It’s been a great reading year for me.
70. I am terrified of spiders. The tiniest one will have me climbing furniture to get away.
71. Also scared of clowns. That I owe thanks to Stephen King for.
72. I’m not religious. I’m not exactly Atheist either, but I guess I lean more toward that side.
73. I grew up in the church as a Christian. Then I practiced Wicca and Paganism for almost ten years. I respect all religions and have friends in various faiths.
74. Professor Snape is the best character in Harry Potter. Hands down.
75. I know every song in Labyrinth. It’s one of my faves.

76. I collect books for their covers. Especially with classics. I probably own 3 copies of Wuthering Heights right now…and several versions of a few of Shakespeare’s plays (Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet). Just because I wanted the cover.
77. I prefer paperbacks.
78. Unless I start out the series in hardback. Then I have to get every installment in hardback to match.
79. I have quirky organizational habits that tend to annoy the family. They don’t clean because I’ll only come right back and “fix” it.
80. I’m going on 28, but people don’t believe me even when they look at my ID. They just swear I’m younger. I guess I could take that as a compliment.
81. The idea of turning thirty in two years frightens me.
82. If I couldn’t write, I’d want to be an agent or publicist.
83. Sometimes I think about getting a history degree since I love the subject so much, too.
84. My favorite supernatural creature has always been vampires.
85. I also love fairies.
86. My sneeze sounds like a mouse squeak.
87. My brothers and I have huge age differences. Jerry is 16 years older than me. Mike is 18 years older than me. Needless to say, I’ve always been the “baby girl.”
88. I think I cook pretty well.
89. I don’t like to cook much though.
90. I love roller coasters!
91. My junior year of high school, I interviewed the governor of Texas for the school newspaper.
92. Every once in a while, I have day-long movie marathons of either Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean.
93. Sometimes when I read Dystopian novels, I get scared thinking of a possible real future world that these talented authors have thought of. It’s a bit creepy how realistic they can be.
94. I do any of my novel outlining and notes in pen in a notebook. I’m almost ready for a new one.
95. My favorite sport is tennis. I used to play all the time growing up and through junior high.
96. I also am a baseball fanatic. Go Rangers!
97. Summer is absolutely the worst season for me. I’m more into Fall.
98. I can’t stand close-minded/narrow-mindedness.
99. I don’t like hot coffee. But I’ll drink iced coffees or frappes on occasion.
100. I’m sure I could’ve thought of some better facts, but really…a hundred is hard enough as it is when you’re trying. Haha.


And there you go. A hundred random facts about me. Fun, eh?
Yeah…
That made my head hurt a bit trying to think up enough for all of that! Haha!


Have a great week!


With Love,
Pixie

(source of pictures credited to: http://favim.com/)

Stop Hate, Spread the Love (A Rant)

This is not a side of me you will normally see. I just want to clarify this now. Usually, I’m laid back and quiet, and I keep my opinions--especially controversial ones as this--to myself because I don’t like conflict. Simple as that. But the past couple of weeks have been weighing on my mind and I just have to get all this off my chest before I explode. I may lose followers because of my own beliefs and due to this rant, but if I do, then I do, and I’m sorry ahead of time. Not for my honesty, but for the fact that you can’t open your eyes to the world of how love is love. It shouldn’t be judged. It should be equal for everyone, and I’m saddened that religion has to take such a strong part in politics it seems almost all the time. Religion really has no place in politics, and I’m getting sick of this debate.


Let me start with a mini history lesson.


The United States was not founded on Christianity. If one more person tries to argue this point with me, I’m going to scream. Look, we’re all free to believe what we want. I’m all for this. I have no problems with it at all. I never judge someone on their religion or beliefs. I grew up in the church. I’ve read the bible several times. I’ve researched several other religions. I practiced Wicca and Paganism for almost ten years as well. It’s about the person. I respect the person always as long as I’m respected in return. It’s not my place to judge. Many of my closest friends are Christian, Atheists, and Agnostic. And they are highly respected by me.
But once again, I’m going to stress. This nation was not founded on Christianity. I’ve had many people try to stress this argument with but I've learned a lot from history, because, well, I'm a dork. Of course, people continue to not believe this, and that's okay. I do after all the reading I've done on the guys.


Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams were Deists. Our Founding Fathers. They weren’t Christian. And believed in freedom of religion, or freedom from religion if people choose to do so. I thought we went through this? Why are people still fighting about how they’re right and why others are wrong? How if someone doesn’t believe in what they believe in, they’re in the wrong. And whyyyy are people still, even in 2012, fighting for equality? It’s ridiculous.


Here’s the thing: You can think that being gay is wrong and that it’s against your religion if that’s how you interpret it from your system. That’s your right. Your freedom to believe that. You can say it’s not your belief. You can teach it in your churches and groups and say it out loud as it being what you believe on a personal level. But it’s not right to take that belief, try to push it, promote hate, and create a world where rights aren’t equal all because of those beliefs. THEY’RE HUMAN TOO. What if that was your daughter, son, brother, sister…you get the idea? If one of your family members came out to you, would you suddenly treat them like an animal just because they were gay/no longer considered “equal”? This is how the LGBT community is feeling when they’re denied the rights they deserve. They need all the help and support they can get in this time, too.


Chick-Fil-A announcing their Christian stance was not a shock to me. I’ve known for years about them being a Christian-based business, of course, and not just because they’re closed on Sunday. I want to get it straight that was not the reason that myself and many people are mad at the business either. Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion. Even if it had been a simple “No, I don’t believe in gay marriage personally because I’m Christian, but I don’t instill that into my business affairs,” I don’t think I would have had that much of a problem with that either (I still wouldn't eat there as my own personal choice but that would be my decision). It would have been Dan Cathy’s belief in his religion and he would have left it at that. But then it got out of hand. There was an open confession to donations (and may I add that it’s donations from profits made from the business, customers!) of anti-gay organizations that promote hate and to push legislature to ban gay marriage/to stop the proposal of bills for gay marriage. THIS is where the line is drawn. THIS IS WHERE IT BECOMES HATE. This is wrong.


I believe in the biblical definition of marriage.


Okay. Hmm. I get what’s trying to be said. I think it should be worded different if you’re going to be all mighty about it and try to spout off your definition of “marriage.” If it’s put that way, you’re saying this:


I believe in polygamy and adultery (concubines).
I believe in beating my wife.
I have the right to kill my wife if she isn’t a virgin on my wedding night.

(Hey, and a sidenote here: Jackson Pearce, the awesomely awesome YA author, recently made a couple of videos regarding all this as well. You should go watch.)


But all this is okay as long as the LGBT community can’t have equal rights, huh? When are people going to learn?


I read something interesting recently. It said “If gays were allowed to get married, what will happen? They’ll get married.” That’s right, folks. Plagues and famine will not crash down on us. The Zombie Apocalypse will not strike (though I’m still prepared for it on a completely unrelated circumstance). Simply enough: there will be more marriages. And what’s with the argument “divorce rate is already high enough,” anyway? That’s a lame-ass excuse.


What brought all this on for me today? Sigh.
I had to go out. I was stuck in an office for almost an hour, listening to the news when I’d rather have been home watching my favorite tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, win his match at the Olympics today. I was stuck listening to people gripe in a waiting room while they listened to the news broadcast more about Chick-Fil-A and about people like me who support the LGBT community and equal rights. The most annoying part of all? A woman sat next to me holding a bible, all the while talking to her friend about which other friend slept with who over the last week…gave me a dirty look because I replied to her question honestly when she turned to me. She asked if I was going to eat at the local Chick-Fil-A later. I’d said no, I was never eating there again. She clutched her book, turned her nose up, and said, “Oh, you’re one of those.” Before I knew it, the entire waiting room was buzzing in the conversation and I’d walked out and decided to wait outside in the hundred degree weather because I couldn’t stand it anymore. I wasn’t getting into it and I was sick of hearing the hate spewing from mouths of people that needed to learn a little love. Especially the woman who had a bible in her hands. Just because she carried the book, it didn’t mean anything to me. As I said before, I judge the person based on the person. Not the religion they practice.


I’m feeling better now.
I hope I haven’t offended anyone really. I just had a lot to get off my chest after the day I’ve had. Like I said, posts like this are very rare from me. But this IS me even if you don’t see it much. I love people. We should all be equal in this day and age. It’s not rocket science. Love is Love.


Stop the hate and spread the love.




All of my love to you,
Pixie