Book birthday party on Saturday, Aug. 3

Lisa's post below was a great lead-in for the Facebook party I planned for tomorrow. :) Thanks Lisa!

Hard to believe it, but my paranormal, Death Is A Bitch, was published one year ago tomorrow. To celebrate, I'm throwing a Facebook party. You're invited!

Even though my Death isn't a scary skeleton in a hood carrying a scythe, they have such cute stuff with skeleton designs, I couldn't resist grabbing a few for giveaways.

One party attendee each who correctly answers trivia about Death and her cohorts will receive these super cute items:

Change purse (sorry to make you tilt your head lol)

Socks - girls' size up to 10, so would fit a small woman's foot :)

Scarf

Book swag - 1 oversized magnet and bookmarks

And 1 ebook of Death Is A Bitch! This giveaway is international. Those shown above are U.S. only, sorry.

Even if you don't want them for yourself (or already have a copy of Death Is A Bitch, in which case thank you very much!), it's never too early to stock up on presents for Christmas. :)

Sign up for Saturday's event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/417270428391691/
and invite your friends to do the same! Don't miss out on a chance to party with Death.

The Magic of Lavender now available!

It's out now on Amazon and Smashwords - yay! I'm very excited about it. This is the first in The Goddess Connection series. Every woman should be treated like a goddess!

I have several more in mind to follow. In each, the heroine will be somehow connected to a goddess. Her lifelong quirks will become strengths once she finds her true place in the world, and accepts herself for who she really is.

In The Magic of Lavender, Joss is related to the goddess Iris. Conflicting tales exist about this goddess - she's either the Messenger of the Gods, or Goddess of the Rainbow. I used a little of both. :)

Here's the blurb:
Jocelyn Gibson forgot about the realm of magic. But it never forgot her. Gram always told her: don’t ignore your magical gifts, it will insult the family. But Joss didn’t realize her gifts included channeling the energy of powerful ley lines. Or that her family included a goddess. Family connections come in handy when the Lord of the Underworld kidnaps local vet Eric Hendricks. He’s an amazing lover, but Joss didn’t know she loved him until too late. With a little help from the Goddess Iris, Joss defends the new life she’s forged, and helps save the town of Boiling Springs from destruction. Once Eric escapes Hell, can she stop loving him to keep him safe?

I hope you'll check it out! Soon I will also make a print version available through CreateSpace (once I figure out how).

Short fantasy re-release

My short fantasy, The Duende and the Muse, is now available on Amazon Kindle and Smashwords for just 99 cents! I am in love with this cover. :)

Formerly published with The Wild Rose Press, this story received 5 tombstones from Bitten by Books! Other reviews have described the story as: “awe-inspiring,” “a great tale with a creative way of using words that makes the story refreshing to read. It sparkles and fizzes with energy” and “well written and the story holds the attention from beginning to end.”

After receiving the rights back, I revised it yet again, and added a bit more about the elder muses, Calliope and Euterpe. It was fun to give these old muses a modern twist. :)

I hope you'll check it out!

What's in a Name?

Have you ever read a book where the name of the characters stuck in your head long after you finished the novel? Like hearing a song on the radio in the morning and then carrying it in your head all day long even when you try to forget it. Naming a character can be very important for making a lasting impression with readers.
I don't know about other authors, but I brood over characters names each time I start a new book. Especially in fantasy fiction, the name of a character should inspire an image of who and what that person is. For instance, if the name of a character is Morag, the reader isn't going to be expecting this person to be the hero of the tale. Morag, sometimes spelled Mhorag, is a monster in Scottish folklore.
In my fantasy series coming from Medallion Press, I've used many names from folklore and mythology for characters and beasts. Bayard is the war horse ridden by the male protagonist in The Chronicle of Futhark. In folklore tales of medieval France and Italy, Bayard is the name often given to Charlemagne's immortal horse. Bayard was faster than a normal horse and perhaps possessed of other magical abilities. Though the horse in my book isn't enchanted in any way, he is quite special.
A Gorgon is a monster for a variety of monsters from Greek mythology and perhaps with some Roman influence. I changed the name a little and endowed one of my monsters with the moniker of 'gordragon.' It's a rather enemy.
As a reader, do you assume certain images from a character's name? As a writer, do you spend long hours considering names for all the persons and creatures appearing in your works? Has a particularly clever name used in a literary work made a lasting impression?