Yes, Virginia, there is an elf in Florida!

A young girl named Sparrow crept through the quack grass until she reached the tallest tree in her yard, a Norfolk pine with emerald limbs attached to the tree like perfectly combed mustaches. Sparrow stopped by the tree trunk and knocked, placing a box in front of a tiny birch bark door. She stuck out her tongue, fiddling with the shiny red bow taped to the top. “Perfect. This gift is for you, Mr. Elf,” she stated with conviction, rising to her feet and rubbing her snotty nose.

Sparrow rubbed both hands across her stomach and danced a little jig, turning and shuffling back towards her house.

Inside the tree, an elf the size of a stick of butter leaned a pointy ear against the small door, opening it to peer outside. The elf watched the human girl’s pigtails wiggle as she walked most peculiarly, like a penguin. But there were no penguins in Florida and not many elves.

The elf opened the gift as soon as the girl slipped into her house, finding two walnuts the same size as his hands. Martin the elf removed his green cap and scratched his head. His mission was to give gifts, not receive them, and he wasn’t the kind of elf to change his life’s purpose now. Martin looked up into the branches of the towering Norfolk, grabbed the walnuts, and touched his nose. Poof! He was gone.

Now, Martin was twenty feet high, sitting on a branch. “Excuse me, Ms. Bark Beetle, I’m your neighbor, Martin. Would you like my walnuts?”

“Oh, no. Yuck,” said the beetle.

Martin frowned, then raised his eyebrows, waving at a Mockingbird. Unfortunately, the bird flew away. This time, Martin touched his green boot, finding himself at the top of the tree, surveying the lush mangroves littering the bay and the majestic royal palms scattered below. Martin wasn’t alone; a serious-looking osprey was clinging to the precipice of the Norfolk. Martin held out his hand. “Hello, I’m Martin the elf. Would you like these walnuts, you know, for a Christmas gift?”

“No,” said the osprey. The bird glowered at Martin, adding, “I only eat fish.”

Martin furrowed his brows and touched his right ear lobe's soft, spongy part. Pop! Martin found himself halfway down the tree, clinging to the bark. “Sir. Mr. Pine Weevil, would you like these nuts?” asked Martin.

“Don’t be silly. The nuts wouldn’t fit inside my tiny mouth,” replied the bug.

Martin kicked at a pine needle, searching the branch for other critters. He pulled up his shirt and touched his belly button, vanishing again. Now, Martin was out on a limb, staring into the beady eyes of a fluffy gray squirrel. Martin smiled, holding out his sweaty hand. The squirrel inched closer, ruffling needles in his wake. “Are those for me? Oh, thank you so much,” said the squirrel with a whisker twitch.

Martin puffed his chest. “Merry Christmas!” 

The End

I launched Amazon ads last month. Wish me luck! Plus, the Southwest Connector newspaper featured me and my book. The Florida Writer magazine also announced my book news. :)

I hope you'll consider giving my book to your loved ones this Christmas. The greatest gift you could give me is your rating or review. Look to your inbox for my next newsletter on January 22, 2024!

Visit Sharon Wagner Books to subscribe!

Read My Guest Post with Author Dawn Colclasure

 

How a Halloween Decoration Inspired a Haunted House Story

By Dawn Colclasure

Ever since we moved into the house we have now spent 13 years living in, I have made good

use of our hallway. It was our first hallway, so it had many different uses:

 * It was a place where my kids could hang out on a long fluffy area rug

 It was a source of fun since my kids often slid through it in sock-covered feet on the

hardwood floor or ride their scooters (!) and skateboard (!!)

  *It was a showcase for family photos

 * It was a place I could put a couple of bookcases

 * It was a “hallway of horrors” every Halloween

That last one was my favorite, because even though our “hallway of horrors” was not open for

public viewing and the decorations were fake, I loved walking through our spooky hallway,

imagining that the monsters were real.

This had a lasting effect on me. So much so that I started to wonder: What if such a hallway

really existed? That could make an interesting story!

At the time I started thinking of using our “hallway of horrors” for a story, I was busy putting

together a collection of YA horror stories for a book titled The Worst Thing You Ever Did. 

And since the stories in this book featured male teen characters, I decided that the characters in

my “hallway of horrors” story would be male teens.

But how was I going to do this? I had the hallway and I had the horrors. But how would it all

become a story?

I decided to write each scene of the story using one decoration at a time, starting the story with

an “introduction” scene about how my character even ends up in that hallway, then moving on

with each decoration as I moved through the hallway. I took pictures of each decoration that I

passed in our spooky hallway and came up with ideas for each one as I wrote the story.

It took several weeks for me to write that story, which actually turned out to be a good thing.

Later that month, I came across a fake dagger that was being sold at a department store for

Halloween, and I loved it so much, I decided to use it in one scene of the story. Even after I

finished writing the story, I kept that fake dagger, just because it reminded me of the story!

Alas, however, the hallway of horrors did not last for very long, as our hallway once again was

changed and there was no longer any room for all of the decorations that I normally used for it.

Still, I wasn’t too upset about this, because now our “hallway of horrors” would live forever in

the story I wrote.

A story that is now in a book of stories that is now being published. After several rounds of

rejection, my collection of YA horror stories, The Worst Thing You Ever Did, was accepted by

PsychoToxin Press, and the book’s release date is December 12 th.

I am beyond thrilled that my book of stories finally found a home, and even more pleased that 

I was able to feature our “hallway of horrors” in a story. It just goes to show that the next time

something tickles your muse and you think it can be turned into a story, pay attention to that

feeling. Write notes, take pictures, and work your way through that story idea one step at a time.

BIO: Dawn Colclasure is a writer in Oregon. She is a freelance writer, book reviewer and

columnist. She is the author and co-author of over four dozen books, among them her horror

novel, Shadow of Samhain. Her forthcoming titles from PsychoToxin Press include the YA

horror story collection, The Worst Thing You Ever Did, and the psychological horror novella, 

All the Beautiful Things. Her work has appeared in magazines, websites and anthologies. She’s on Twitter

@dawnwilson325 and @dawncolclasure.

Visit Dawn's Books and DMC Writer for the rest of the story!

Bodice Rippers and Space Trippers

 

“As mothers and daughters, we are connected with one another. My mother is the bones of my spine, keeping me straight and true. She is my blood, making sure it runs rich and strong. She is the beating of my heart. I cannot now imagine a life without her.” ―Kristin Hannah, Summer Island.

After publishing my novel, some friends and family remarked on how proud my parents would be of my literary achievement. Would they be proud? If they were alive, would my parents even read my book? It’s a paranormal sci-fi after all. Sorry, Dad, but you were the one who thought one of my paintings was a placemat. Maybe now, my dad would finally feel redeemed that he paid my college tuition in graphic design, and then I became a flight attendant.

My mother didn’t read sci-fi. She read romance and left those books scattered around the house. That’s why all of my novels have a suspicion of romantic titillation. I grew up reading Kathleen E Woodiwiss instead of typical middle-grade or young-adult books because they were ready and available. I subsisted on Danielle Steele and my favorite author of the time, LaVyrle Spencer. But when I read the magical realism and supernatural novel Like Water for Chocolate by Mexican author Laura Esquivel, my literary world changed forever. Yes, there was still a doomed romance, but the world the author created was magical, beautiful, and surreal. The food the protagonist poured her heart and soul into creating came alive in my mind. I could smell the rose petals and taste the chocolate and freshly ground spices in her mole sauce. The protagonist was so sad; she knitted a quilt that was as long as a crescent-shaped beach, and it dragged behind the wagon that took her away from her beloved. I’ll never forget that imagery.

If my mother was alive, would she read and enjoy my book? I don’t know. It’s my mother’s birthday today. Mom, if you were here, you’d receive a book for your birthday, whether you wanted one or not!

Don U. won a free Conspiracy Theory board game set by sharing my book on social media. Thanks Don! You can win, too. :) Plus, this is what I heard from a librarian named Karen: Is your library likely to purchase this title? Yes
Will you recommend this title through Readers’ Advisory, book clubs, events, etc? Yes. 

I say: "Yes!!!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sharon

Sharon Wagner Books

My Book Launched like a Pumpkin on a Catapult...

“There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.” Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

 The room was black, wholly mysterious and unseen, just like the foul thoughts a person keeps buried, the ones you’d never divulge to anyone, not even your mother, lest she think you are demented or downright evil. A piney decay permeated the air, with notes of bone broth, sumac, and a lingering fishiness. I held my arms before me to investigate the depth of blackness and saw nothing. My fingers swiped over something moist, and I wiped the wetness across my neck. Where was I? The floor felt firm, but I wondered if I was sitting next to a fresh grave where pine trees were too thick for an owl to flap feathery wings. Cold air moved over my bare arms as something or someone scurried around the scrub. Perhaps the maneuvering was the devil’s minions carrying eternal logs to a caldron to bake my soul.

But it was the sound that truly scared me.

 Moist slurping, smooshing, and tearing sounds floated in the darkness. Everywhere and all around, crunching, lips smacking, and the perverse gumming of gelatin. There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife. I heard sawing and then prolonged mastication. I swung my hand before me, and something tipped, water washing over me. “Oh, sorry, miss. Let me replace your water glass. How is your macadamia and sumac-encrusted sea bass?”

 I swallowed. “It’s fine. Although, I can’t get the hang of eating in the dark. Frankly, it unsettles me. Can I get a doggie bag?”

 “Sure thing,” said the waitress, awkwardly retrieving my plate and disappearing into the gloom.

 Across the table, I heard my husband clink a knife across his plate and fumble with his napkin while emitting a dramatic sigh. “Hate is too subtle to describe this meal. I’d rather visit a haunted house than dine in the dark,” he said.

 The End.

 Every launched pumpkin must fall. But who cares? My book flew! Candy for everyone. A new, spooky, strange journey begins on Amazon for The Levitation Game. The first subscriber to leave a review on Amazon will win a free Conspiracy Theory board game! But any subscriber can win by sharing my content on social media. Just clue me in. That’s my treat. Thank you to Kate at Neddy Games for a year’s worth of fun freebies. During my Goodreads giveaway, 1,343 readers entered, and 1,269 readers marked my book as want to read. Plus, I had librarians and book sellers download my book on Netgalley this month. A quiet, hushed, happy dance ensued. Look to your inbox for my next newsletter on November 20th. You can only win free games if you subscribe. 

Happy Halloween!

Click here to read my interview with book blogger Kriti khare!

 

Visit my haunted website...

Don't miss my spooktacular celebrity blurbs below...

Trick or Treat.

Ha!

 

The Name Game

 

"They say we die twice - once when the last breath leaves our body and once when the last person we know says our name." Al Pacino

What’s in a name? In books, as in life, a lot. 

My first name originated with my mom’s best friend, Sharon Lindsay, which led to a funny full circle of monikers because my favorite childhood actress was the Bionic Woman, Lindsay Wagner. I mean, what little girl didn’t want to jump from rooftops with a kinetic soundtrack punctuating every epic action? I wished my first name was Lindsay ever after. Eventually, I married a man, attaching the end of my superhero’s last name to create Sharon Wagner.

My friend Danielle asked me why I chose Esme for my main character in The Levitation Game. Well, I have a sprawling answer for that. My first novel, Chorus of Crows, revolves around a retired farmer who battles Parkinson’s and unwanted visitors that may or may not be real. It’s a horror story. I named my character after Stephen King’s favorite uncle, Oren. Growing up, my mother loved The Waltons on television, so I called the character Oren Walton. Since my dad’s battle with Parkinson’s inspired my novel, I gave a nod to Michael J. Fox (who also has Parkinson’s) in my second novel and named my central character Esme, after the actor’s daughter.

All my books will pay tribute to my friends and family, onscreen and off. I’ve weaved many real-life names into my stories. Ethelene, a character in The Levitation Game, is named after my Aunt Ethel. Plus, I loved the character Etheline from the Wes Anderson movie The Royal Tenenbaums. I have a cousin named Lavinia, so I used that name in a book. Do you remember Matthew’s ill-fated love interest, Lavinia, in Downton Abbey? I remember and have loved it ever since.

My character, Sedona, from Chorus of Crows, is a nod to the beautiful southwestern city, and the town also plays an integral part in the story. The most fun I’ve had with naming a character so far is the name Owletta from The Savannah Book of Spells. I made it up entirely because the character looks like an owl. Sometimes, it’s fun to be an author! Well, I could go on and on. It’s one of the great joys of writing books, naming characters that become beloved fictional family members.

Fun blurbs and reviews are rolling in, and I’ve been sharing them on social media. Dawn C. won a free Conspiracy Theory game by sharing my content on Instagram. Neddy Games has given away almost 500 dollars worth of free games to my newsletter subscribers. So subscribe to win.

My book finally launches next month. Hooray!

Look to your inbox on October 23^rd for my Halloween newsletter. 

"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names."

— John F. Kennedy.

 Sharon Wagner Books

 

Summer Scaries

I’ve always considered August as summer’s third act when the fun and sun are fleeting and the end of something magical is near. That’s how I feel about my life right now. I’m leaving a season of innocence and literary elation and entering a phase of life that terrifies me. The launch of The Levitation Game has been pushed to October 17^th to collect enough reviews and blurbs to feather my word nest. (I’m sorry for the delay!) But reviews horrify me. Will my book soar? Or will my spirit wither from the jabs of a thousand feisty quills? I never had to worry about such things as a children’s book illustrator.

All authors go through this. I love writing enough to brave the unknown. I must persevere because I’m writing two other books that excite me. But how do authors cope with bad reviews? Recently, I read The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. I loved the movie Knock at the Cabin, crafted from Paul’s book. Indeed, the concept involving the four horsemen of the Apocalypse on a mission to disrupt the lives of a family and a cute little girl named Wen was intriguing. At first, the book pulled me in, only to leave me struggling to reach the end of a scene that was supposed to be nail-biting. That’s when I investigated Goodreads and discovered that other readers felt the same way. One surly individual left a firey trail of GIFs, including one with the white-bearded, handsome, and worldly Dos Equis actor shaking his head in complete exasperation. Perhaps, after M. Night Shyamalan created an exciting movie from Paul’s book the GIF doesn’t sting. Or does it? I feel potential shivers travel the length of my spine at the thought of mean-spirited GIFs.

 In fabulous otherworldly news, I received a fun book blurb!

 “A buoyant story of contact and connection, filled with levity and adventure.”

- Emily Jane, bestselling author of On Earth as it Is on Television

You can check out Emily’s book above. I love her cover. And the book is out-of this-world! Plus, Katie S. won a free Conspiracy Theory board game for sharing an early review on Goodreads. Thanks to Neddy Games for their ongoing freebies. Subscribers can win by sharing my bookish content on social media.

Subscribe by September 18^th  to receive my next newsletter.

 

Sharon Wagner Books

Are You A Food Waste Warrior?

A hotdog wrapped in a cornmeal pancake. 

I’m an Electric Speed subscriber, and last month, writing guru Jane Friedman posed a non-literary question, inquiring about her readers' best cheapskate practices. “I eat my leftovers!” I said immediately to no one in particular.

Food waste, not at my house. In South Korea, throwing away food is illegal.

Later that day, during my writing critique group on Discord, my writing peep Rodney admitted that my submission had ignited his taste buds for strawberries (In my story, the characters were shopping at a farmer’s market in South Carolina with dewy, rainbow-colored produce). I was so happy! Because writing about food puts the sizzle in my storytelling. Last month, I talked about birds as literary inspiration, and the culinary arts also inspired my novel. I could wax poetic about food like a shiny supermarket apple, but I’ll simply offer my best practices for eating my leftovers:

 

1)   Shred the chicken from a supermarket rotisserie, freeze the bones in a jumbo Ziploc, and when you’ve compiled an entire henhouse of skeletons, make 1-2 giant pots of fragrant broth. Bones and water transform into gold; you don’t need Rumpelstiltskin.

2)   Leftover cornmeal pancakes become buttery hotdog wrappers or fluffy tostadas for taco night. Tasty tip: If you wrap a campfire hotdog with a piece of potato lefse, you’ll never return to a wonderbread bun.

3)   Leftover chicken satay has become the perfect topper for my famous Thai pizzas. But any leftover chicken will do. Combine peanut butter and soy sauce for the pizza sauce, then add mozzarella and parmesan. Top with chicken, diced carrots, and thinly sliced peppers. Don’t forget to sprinkle cilantro and minced peanuts on top after it’s baked. I use small flour tortillas as a quick pizza crust.

4)   I freeze leftover carnitas, chorizo, or taco meat for nachos. Nachos rule! The same goes for Mexican restaurant chips and excess taco sauce packets. I use them on nachos, too.

5)   Chop and freeze old celery, peppers, and carrots as an instant soup starter. The same goes for berries. Freeze them and put them in pancakes later. Throw leftover tomatoes into a blender and freeze them, too.

6)   Put leftover fried rice into a big pot of homemade wonton soup. See the broth above! Trader Joe's has good frozen wontons; don’t forget to add candied ginger.

7)   Do you have leftover potato oles from Taco John's? I call them crack because even Walter White couldn’t create a more addictive drug. If the DEA knocks on your door, throw the evidence into a veggie, ham, and cheese frittata.

8)  Do you have a dab of vegetables left from dinner? Freeze them and keep adding leftover vegetable sides to the bag, and eventually, you can add the vegetables to a pot of homemade soup.

9)   You can throw leftover ketchup packets into chili. Chocolate and molasses are good in chili, too. 😊

10)  Do you have an abundance of basil in your herb patch? Make a BBT = A bacon, basil, and tomato sandwich. Yum! I hope I’ve inspired you to eat your leftovers!

I received a tasty literary appetizer last month when my first printed book arrived in the mail. Things just got real. Subscribe and look to your inbox on August 21^st for my next newsletter.

           “Unless you are a pizza, the answer is yes, I can live without you.” -Bill Murray

Sharon Wagner Books

 

Birds of a Feather

 

“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.” James Allen

 Emily Dickinson wrote that hope is the thing with feathers, and every debut author hopes they’ll find the perfect thermal to help their literary dreams soar. Feathers and fingers crossed.

 Recently, I read about a fun experiment that taught parrots to FaceTime new feathered friends. The parrots loved their parrot-to-parrot video-calling system and could peck at a screen line-up of birds like an old-school gym class picking candidates for a team. How did the parrots feel when they didn’t get selected? Lousy. I would know from personal gym experience!

 I don’t consider myself a birder. Still, birds are always on the fringe of my consciousness. I hear them, even when I can’t see them. I find a closed window, a form of imprisonment, and an open window, the gateway to chatter and birdsong that punctuates my life. When I travel to Costa Rica, the mewling song of the toucan is ubiquitous and soothing. In Florida, finding a sleeping osprey on the railing of my balcony is like avian nirvana. But there’s no yin without yang because birds on the balcony leave poop. Good and bad experiences are almost always intertwined. Every radiant peacock feather has a pointy end.

 While writing my novel, I discovered that being a bird brain is considered a compliment. That’s because I read The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman while writing and, believe it or not, used the book as research for my paranormal sci-fi novel. My alien protagonist, Dob-Dec, loves birds, and even though he isn’t impressed with human brains, he thinks that bird brains are very significant and intelligent for their diminutive size. I do too. The intelligence of birds is a thread throughout my novel, and if my book had a soundtrack, it would be the exotic, undulating whoop of an oropendola. As an author, I hope to have a career as varied as the song of mockingbirds. I want every novel to have a different genre or melody.

 And don’t get me started on the beauty of birds. And speaking of flight, my ARC copies are flying into the inboxes of early readers, blurbing authors, and book review websites. Keep your fingers and feathers crossed that my book garners some good peeps and chatter! My next newsletter flies into your inbox on July 17.

 “Each day has a story that deserves to be told, because we are made of stories. I mean, scientists say that human beings are made of atoms, but a little bird told me that we are also made of stories.” Eduardo Galeano

Visit Sharon Wagner Books!

 

 

 

 

Blurb Your Enthusiasm!

Book blurbs are so crucial to authors that there’s even a book about book blurbs, and it’s called Blurb Your Enthusiasm by Louise Wilder. Here’s a blurb for Blurb Your Enthusiasm:

 ‘The bookiest book about books you’ll ever read – I loved it’ Lucy Mangan

 I didn’t make up the blurb above. It’s on the book’s Amazon page. I noticed other fun facts about this book:

1)     The initials spell the word BYE.

2)     When you say the initials out loud, you hear the word buy. What better word could an author hope for?

3)     Did you know that words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have another meaning are called homophones?

4)     The title is a take on Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is funny, too!

5)     I haven’t read the book yet.

 

Last month, I edited my book until I was cross-eyed, sent it to my publisher with sweaty palms, and Ten16 Press formatted it into an ARC or an Advanced Reader Copy. I’ll wait by an unwound clock while early readers format blurbs and reviews. It’s a relief to wrap up the extensive editing process, but knowing that errors will stick to the pages like Cockleburs is frightening.

Plus, there will be blood, as in bad reviews. I bet some of you think I have the literary world by the tail (Tail and tale is another example of a homophone!), but most debut authors feel like a tadpole in an aquarium filled with sharks. It’s not the sharks that debut authors worry about but being too small to care to devour. Gulp.

 Look to your inbox for my next newsletter on June 19^th, and subscribe to win!

 Bye!

 Sharon

 “We read in bed because reading is halfway between life and dreaming, our own consciousness in someone else’s mind.” — Anna Quindlen

Discover more at Sharon Wagner Books!

 

My Doppelganger is Revealed!

I doubt you’ve googled me, but if you have, chances are you've found my nemesis: Sharon Blythe Wagner, author of several Nancy Drew mysteries, popular horse books, gothic romance, and other miscellaneous young adult titles. How can I compete with such prolific publication? The other Sharon is one of the reasons I put supernatural in my title. Someday, I hope to outrank her unless a potential upstart comes along to supersede me. If this happens, I hope my new doppelganger writes nonfiction titles like How to Train Your House Centipede or 365-Day Colon Cleanse. The centipede book might have legs! 😊

Several years ago, I received my first fan letter. For a millisecond, I basked in unexpected fame and glory. I did illustrate several children’s books, and that’s worthy, right? Alas, no. The young fan loved my horse books, and I haven’t written or illustrated any horse books. You guessed it: Sharon Blythe Wagner. Damn!

But things aren’t all bad because you can check out my first author interview on writer Joie Lesin’s blog. She’s the author of The Passenger, a paranormal romance set in the California wine country that’s tasty and sweet. Look to my link party below for transportation. Thanks, Joie! She also won a Conspiracy Theory board game by being the first person to help promote my book online or on social media. You can win, too!

I plan to market my butt off. So, maybe I’ll receive a real fan letter someday. And speaking of butts, since my book cover depicts images of toilet paper and underwear, I picked the following quote to wrap things up.

 “I receive underwear - some clean, some not. No joke. My assistant who helps me with my fan mail constantly threatens to quit because of what we get sent.” Alex O'Loughlin

Look for my next newsletter on Monday, May 22. Be sure to mark it as not spam!

Discover more at  Sharon Wagner Books!

Energy Book Marks!

 

My book cover is out there, and preorders launched on March 1^st at Ten16 Press! I attached the paperback and hardcovers links to my little green link party. Hopefully, you’ve had time to investigate the revolving door that is my website content.

What have I learned since signing with Ten16 Press? Publishing a book is not for the squeamish. Writing a book is the easy part. Last time, I told you I felt like Vincent Van Gogh before he loped off an ear while creating my forthcoming book jacket copy. Well, painting my book cover was just as hard. As a kid, I erased holes in my drawing paper while pursuing perfection. Painting my book cover was no different. Perfection didn’t happen. But I like how the colorful and comic art reflects my supernatural story in a far-out way. I mean, who else in the history of book covers has depicted toilet paper? Perhaps, none. My book isn’t serious, it is pure entertainment, and my cover reflects that. It represents a chaotic levitation scene inside the story, and since space plays an important part, I created an energy loop amidst the stars. I’ve been fascinated with energy vortices since I saw them inscribed on an ancient rock in Panama. But I’ve seen them here, in the southwest, too.

Indeed, traveling is a theme on my blog and in my books. I hope you’ll take a literary journey with me soon!

My friend Tammie won last month’s free Conspiracy Theory game by being my first preorder sale. She was lightning fast. But thanks to everyone who ordered a copy. And thanks to Kate at Neddy Games for sending 150 bucks worth of free fun!

Now, newsletter subscribers can win free Conspiracy Theory games by sharing my bookish content on social media. Look to your inbox for my next newsletter on April 17^th.

Stay tuned!

Sharon

“The image is more than an idea. It is a vortex or cluster of fused ideas and is endowed with energy.” Ezra Pound

Discover more at Sharon Wagner Books

 

Candy Hearts and Book Covers

I’ve felt like Vincent Van Gogh before he loped off an ear, attempting to create a book jacket copy that condensed my story into a few tight yet intriguing paragraphs. Uff da lutefisk. Hard.

                                                       ***

Esme Wright can levitate objects as effortlessly as humming a tune. Except when she lands her first big break as an aspiring magician. Then, defying gravity goes horribly and embarrassingly awry.

After Esme’s failure on live television, a mysterious reunion with her childhood friend, Joseph Estrada, instigates a vortex of levitation, both frightening and bizarre. Since Joseph already fears Diablo possesses him, this new disturbance seals his sinister fate. Soon, strange signs appear, drawing them deeper into a supernatural puzzle.

Esme and Joseph must uncover the truth before a deadly levitation mishap ensues. They embark on an odyssey to unearth the secrets of their past, and what they find may change their future forever. 

Ultimately, the levitation game might be impossible to win—or survive—without answers from the stars.

                                                                     ***

Last month, Michelle B. won two Conspiracy Theory board games worth fifty bucks with the correct answer: Coast to Coast AM. She has a sweet-smelling, seasonal shop on Etsy called Catnap Botanicals.

My book cover is out there! Please view my website for details. Preorders for The Levitation Game will open on March 1^st at Ten16 Press. But the book launch is still a few months away. Tweaking and tinkering of all bookish content are ongoing. The first newsletter subscriber to tell me they have preordered my book will receive a free Conspiracy Theory game!

I need early readers willing to post reviews and volunteer proofreaders. If that sounds like fun, email me at sharonwagnerstudios@gmail.com. 

Look to your inbox for my next newsletter on Monday, March 20th. I’ll talk about what inspired my cover art.

Me + You (My greeting and closing are from candy hearts!)

Sharon

“Yeast is to flour as action is to ambition. Rising to success requires adding and alternating starters.”

Discover more at Sharon Wagner Books

 

Don't Lick the Soap...

Animals are so intuitive and savvy to a routine that I don’t need to grab a bar of soap for my cat, Hana, to race into the bathroom, anticipating my next move. I lather my hands multiple times a day, but there’s only one time when I let my cat lick the soap—yes, I said lick—and that’s when I wash my face in the morning, around 10 o’clock.

My cat loves the taste of soap.

My cat is weird.

She waits while I brush my teeth, staring googly-eyed, whiskers twitching in anticipation. As soon as my toothbrush rattles in its receptacle, she’s jostling for gourmet soapsuds. I’m not kidding.

Now, if I tried to wash her pink-paddle tongue with soap, I’m sure I’d find her glued to the ceiling until next year.

So, what does this have to do with writing? I love being clean, but sometimes being too clean is a bad thing for blogs and websites. Cleantalk, the spam filter I installed on my new website, is like the prep before a colonoscopy, scouring away beloved blog comments like they are comprised of stinky poo. I'd love to rid myself of Cleantalk, but will I be inundated with dirty spam?

Outcome unknown. I know my cover reveal is upcoming and scarier still; preorders will be available soon! I'm also wrangling my all-important jacket copy blurb into something short and memorable. 

Last month Pat won the Conspiracy Theory contest. She received both the full-sized board game and the travel edition. Thanks, Kate and Neddy Games! Everyone guessed that Dob-Dec’s favorite food was popcorn-like Kapa seeds. My alien protagonist’s favorite food is the roots of Planet Pleione’s exotic green orchid. 😊

Now for this month’s question, pulled randomly from a deck of Conspiracy Theory playing cards:

In 1997, what radio program aired a frantic call from an Area 51 employee detailing the world domination plans of “extra-dimensional” beings?

   The Rush Limbaugh Show

    The Sean Hannity Show

    The Savage Nation

    Coast to Coast AM

You need to subscribe to win. Please help me spread the word about the contest! Look to your inbox for my next newsletter on Monday, February 21. Be sure to mark it as not spam if it falls into your computer’s black hole. 

“When the Day of Judgment dawns and people, great and small, come marching in to receive their heavenly rewards, the Almighty will gaze upon the mere bookworms and say to Peter, “Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them. They have loved reading.” Virginia Woolf

Discover more at Sharon Wagner Books