Release Party Extension, "Priceless" is on FIRE! #amreading

Wow, I am literally shaking as I write this.

"Priceless" has climbed to the top 400 (as of this posting) and is #1 in the Occult Horror top 100 list.

With a release like that, and because I KNOW the book wouldn't have done so well without your support, I'm extending the review drive.

Get a review of "Priceless" up on Amazon.com by November 30 at midnight PST and your name will be placed in a draw to win a KINDLE FIRE. And if things continue to go this well, I think I will add in some other prizes too. Surprise prizes!!

All you have to do is leave a review, I will take your info from there and contact the winner on December 1st.

If I haven't said it already, or made it abundantly clear, THANK YOU for your support, reviews, cheering me on and belief in me and my writing. You, my readers, friends and family are the reason I do this. *hugs to you all*

When Celtic Lore and Sexy Men Collide! "Dark Fae" is HERE!

This is the final book in my Celtic Legacy series, that follows Quinn as she fights to save her little sister Ashling. Quinn battles her fears, monsters dredged up from Irish Mythology and the pull of her heart strings between two stunning men; one she’s prophesied to be with, the other her heart can’t let go of.

Overview of “Dark Fae”

With Chaos free in the world, Quinn finally faces the truth. She must kill the one she has spent her life trying to protect in order to save the world. But with leader of the Tuatha against her, her own brother seeking her blood and the world in upheaval, Quinn may not see the day that prophecy has claimed will come to pass.

At least, not without a sword that no longer exists.

Praise for the Celtic Legacy Series . . .

"This is a story of integrity, determination, sisterly bonds, and courage laced with fear. The characters are multi-layered, and they come to life in Mayer's skillful hands."

“Start with "Dark Waters", hang onto your hat through "Dark Isle" then hold your breath waiting eagerly for the final volume. I'm telling you, this series will take you to another, better place. I'm going to read all of Ms. Mayer's stories. I'm a fan!”

“When I found out this was a trilogy, I had to go back and get book one. Very good story and I literally could not put either book down.”

“Of the myriad fantasies I have read this summer, this one stands out among the best. Shannon Mayer brings some very old magic into the modern world, and the result is a wild ride through West Coast forest, the shining Pacific and beyond. She creates characters we can care about in a setting we can see, feel and smell.”

Dark Waters, Celtic Legacy Book 1- http://amzn.to/HkLUP3

Dark Isle, Celtic Legacy Book 2- http://bit.ly/NWJd7dR4F  

Dark Fae, Celtic Legacy Book 3- http://amzn.to/SpnBTs

Rampaging cows, gardens and . . .life?

My veggie garden is one of the few domestic things that I do well, and enjoy. Between my day job and my writing, I don’t have a lot of time for any extra’s. But I make time for our veggie garden because what it produces not only fills our bellies with healthy, tasty food; it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Starting the seeds way back in early March, sometimes even late February, I tend to them, watering and keeping the weeds under control.

Most of the seeds take some time to get going, but by May we start to eat out of the garden. Radishes, peas, beans and sometimes even some early lettuce is the start of our summer garden fresh eating.

My husband has cows. Young, naughty, “teenage” cows. More on this later.

With the garden in full swing last week, I was excited. We had family coming and the veggies were ready to be eaten. Corn, carrots, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries and onions; green and jalapeño peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes were on the cusp of perfection.

Did I mention that my husband has cows?

The DAY before our guests arrived, I got up early, fed and watered the livestock and stumbled back towards the house in a half awake daze. So it’s perfectly understandable that my initial reaction to my decimated garden was one of complete and utter shock. It looked as though a tornado had ripped through, stealing all my veggies and tearing everything up.

The cows had broken into my garden overnight and stripped it bare. Not only had they eaten everything to the quick, they had actually climbed into my waist high raised beds leaving their footprints as evidence to their heinous crimes. Bent signs and a ripped fence with a tuft of black fur on it was all they’d left behind. Not a single, edible piece of anything was left for us. The little buggers had even cleaned out my compost pile which had some volunteer veggies in it.

Once I’d woken my husband up (nicely of course, after all, it was his cows) and he’d patched up the hole, I threw in the towel as far as my garden went. For the next week and a half while the company visited, I didn’t touch my garden. No water, no weed picking. After all, it was completely ripped apart, eaten, trampled and empty of anything left. It was done and so was I.

Then last night, I decided to take a peek in the garden, why I don’t know.

One string of cucumbers had survived, the corn that had been bent, broken and stripped of all its leaves where it wasn’t pulled out, was making an attempt to grow.  I grabbed my hose, watered and pulled weeds, astounded at what I was finding. Everything was still fighting to live.

What has this got to do with anything besides cows and gardens?

Well, just this. No matter how many times the “cows” trample our “gardens” as long as we are still fighting to grow, to feed that which is important to us, there is no such thing as a loss. I may not get all the veggies I’d hoped for, but next year will be better. I’ll build a better fence, and learn from the mistakes of this year. Which will make next year’s garden only bigger; with nicer veggies, and more to share with others.

It’s the same with life, writing, art or whatever it is that seems to be a struggle for us. As long as when the “cows” come in and trample all our precious seeds and starts we buckle down, learn the lesson we needed to learn and continue on, next year will be better.

And if not, I only have one other solution.

Eat the cows.

Women are Crazy: Part 1

The Following post was fun to write, so please read it in the same spirit of fun.

I am a woman, and what I am about to admit to you, is a hard truth, BUT it is the truth. That is the first step to recovery from this *ahem* madness.

I Am Crazy.

I don’t mean in a clinically diagnosed, I- can –take- medication- to- smooth- things- out- crazy. I mean crazy because of the simple fact that I have feminine hormones. You know, the ones ladies. They make us moody, cranky, hyper, horny, not horny, indecisive, decisive, sad, happy, and all of that in the space of a single day.

All women are crazy. We just don’t like to admit it, as if this will somehow give the men the upper hand. Which it won’t, because we have things that they want and can only get from us. (Use your imagination, I ain’t going to spell that one out.)

This is not something we can change, we are born with the crazy gene attached to the hormone estrogen. Do I have scientific fact of this? No. I have, however seen this play out far too many times in real life, not to acknowledge that ALL WOMEN ARE CRAZY. It doesn’t matter their age, or culture. Me included. Don’t try to deny it, don’t get your panties in a twist and leave a nasty note, all that does is confirm what it is I’m writing here.

You, yes, you my friend, are as nutty as I am. The worst part? Often, even WE don’t know why we do the crazy things we do.

A quick breakdown of the numbers that I have calculated inside my head. 95% of women are crazy, they are openly bonkers, saying and doing things that not only make you shake your head, but leave you wondering how they make it through life from day to day. The other 5% (I put myself in this category) are ALSO crazy. But we have learned to hide it from the general populace. My poor husband, though, he gets to see the “dark” side of me, and often comments on how I’m going to be a weird old lady with a hundred cats one day. Yes, true love it is.

But below I’ve put together (Okay, actually stolen a great deal from AA) 12 steps that can help you go from the 95% into the 5%. Of course, if you are reading this, nodding and laughing, you are probably already in the 5%. Or so far gone, we can’t save you.

1.     We admit we are powerless over the crazy gene—that our lives have become unmanageable because of it.(My husband is rolling on the floor with this one)

2.     We have come to believe that SOMETHING could restore us to sanity. I have yet to find out what this is, but surely SOMEONE will figure it out.(Maybe chocolate? I’m thinking that wine will only add to the crazy.)

3.     Make a decision to use our Craziness, ONLY for good, and not for evil. Hard, but doable. Think about the words that are coming out of your mouth before they leave your lips. A good filtration system is the first step to appearing sane.

4.     Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. But not TOO deep as we may just find more crazy below the first layer. Which would be bad. Really bad. Especially if we let it out.

5.     Admit to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our craziness. Being crazy, I believe it will be more of a matter of limiting that number to only one other person. You know what I’m talking about, the whole world doesn’t need to know you convinced your husband/spouse to shave his body hair into patterns.

6.     We’re ready to acknowledge our craziness completely, recognizing that it will always be a part of us, and IN FACT, get progressively worse with age and hormone fluctuations if we do not now, try to keep it in check.

7.     We ask that those around us accept our craziness, recognizing that it is indeed a part of us, and help to keep us from going totally off the rails.

8.     Make a list of all persons we have exposed to our craziness to in one form or another and try to explain it away. Actually, don’t do this, it will only add to their perception that you are bonkers when you try to explain the logic behind giving your cat a hair cut like a poodle and dying it’s fur pink. Not to mention, the dress you put it in.

9.     We will make direct amends to such people whenever possible. Ah, this is where the wine and chocolate comes in.

10.    Continue to take personal inventory, and when we are being crazy, promptly admit it. Again, only to one person. If you grab every person on the street and shout “I’m being Crazy!” that kind of defeats the purpose.

11.   Recognize that it is only through serious control that we, as women, can begin to change the perception of those around us. You know, make them believe we aren’t crazy, when indeed we are just hiding it well. (We all want to be in the 5%)

12.  Have had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to all women, so that the craziness shall diminish in the world. And men will shut the hell up about how damn nutty we are. =)

If you'd like to admit your craziness to the world in the comments section, please feel free to do so.

Check in later this week to read about my post on the benefits to the Madness that is Woman.

Super Secret Event: Bloggers only!

Calling all bloggers and writers who like to blog…Okay, so maybe not so secret, but it got your attention, right?

I, and seven other authors, are putting on a promo on July 26th, and we are hoping that some of you fantastic bloggers might be able to help out. We are doing a One Day Book Push. Best part of it for our bloggers? There will be randomly drawn prizes for bloggers who help us out. How about some Amazon Gift Cards!!!

If you are interested, or know of any other bloggers who might be, please contact onedaybookpush@yahoo.ca for the details.

Thanks so much and we look forward to working with you.

"Dark Isle" Cover Unveil, AKA #SexyIrishMen

Just promise me one thing ladies, drool AWAY from the computer. ;p This is the cover for me new book, Dark Isle, the sequel to Dark Waters which is just over there. ----->

It's in the middle of edits so *Fingers crossed* I will have it available to all of you by the end of June. And then, oh baby, wait till you see the cover for Dark Fae, the final book in the Celtic Legacy series!

Thanks to all of you for your support, reviews (the LIFE BLOOD of an author) and your general pestering that keeps me on track. My READERS ROCK!