Coffee Chat 7.0 with Author S.K. Anthony: I Love You!

[S.K. bangs on E.R.'s door.]

SKA: [Singing.] Wise men saaaaaayyyyyyyyy only fools rush innnnnnnnn—hic—hic—but I can't help falling in love with—oh, heeeyyyy!

[Takes a sip from a bottle as E.R. opens the door.]

ER: Um, S.K.? Are you all right out there? Wow, have you been here long? I heard an awful noise.

SKA: [Continues to sing.] Shall I staayyyyyyy, would it be a sinnnnnnnnn?

ER: That was the noise.

SKA: [Singing continues, uninterrupted.] If I can't help falling in loooovvvvve with youuuuuu . . . [Stares at coffeepot with glassy eyes.]

ER: What in the world . . .?

SKA: I luurrve coffee . . . I—hic—thinks me needs some naaoowwww. But—hic—I probably need a nap first . . . [Falls facedown.]

[E.R. closes the door, gets a cup of coffee, and leaves S.K. on the floor.]

THREE HOURS LATER . . .

ER: Hey, S.K., you need to get up. You're late for Coffee Chat, man. I already drank the first pot by myself and ended up cleaning the whole first floor of my house just to work off the caffeine jitters. I can't believe you didn't wake up when I accidentally mopped you. Uh, sorry for that, by the way.

SKA: Itskayyy . . . I needed a shower anyway. Man, my head hurts. Did you at least make me more coffee?

ER: Duh. Have some. [Pours into the special 24-ounce mug reserved for emergencies.] 

SKA: . . . drinking the whole pot . . . wossamotta with you?

ER: It was looking at me. I couldn't just ignore it, so I had a cup. Then I had a second cup, and you still didn't wake up, and before I knew it, the last cup was empty and I had a mop in my hand and . . . I'd rather not talk about it.

So . . . dare I ask what has you so out of sorts?

SKA: Oh, my boyfriend left me for another girl.

ER: [Coughs.] Um, you're married.

SKA: My book boyfriend, I mean. Kevin, the main character from Static—he just broke my heart . . . and Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Sigh . . .

[E.R. is trying hard at this point to not roll eyes. Looks at S.K. and then quickly looks away.]

SKA: Don't look at me like that! I realize I'm the one who wrote it, and that he isn't real. It still hurts, though. He's such a cutie. I figured I'll drink it off today so I can spend tomorrow in a happy mood. I don't think my honey—

ER: [Interrupts.] Your real live husband-person honey—

SKA: Yeah—would appreciate me being sad over a fictional character—that I made up in my head—on Valentine's Day. What are your plans for tomorrow?

ER: Well, first, I'll wake up super-early so I can bake heart-shaped scones for my sweetheart. While they bake, I'll brew the coffee so that when it's all done, I can carry a tray of yummy stuff up to him while serenading him with a love song I wrote myself. It's called "I Love You More Than Chocolate Even When You and Chocolate Are Standing Beside Each Other in the Same Room." Oh, and I'll be sizzling up a special dozen of bacon roses so he knows how much I love him. 

SKA: You wrote a song for him? Gosh, I . . . I . . . hmmmm.

ER: Okay, so maybe that's not exactly the reality. The reality is more like the alarm will go off and I'll hit the snooze a couple times. By the time I get up, my sweetie will have gotten up, headed downstairs, gone outside to feed the animals, and come back upstairs to bring coffee to me. I still might sing the chocolate song, though, 'cause I have a good feeling about that one.

SKA: Oh, good! I don't feel too bad now. I'm making some chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert. And by "making," I mean I'll call hubby to pick some up for me us. We'll have dinner with the kids as usual, pig out on our fruits, and then complain about how tired we both are. Luckily, neither one of us is into celebrating or going all out for these holiday things. We just like to chill; no material gifts needed in this household. Nope. Sleep is what's most appreciated. Just sleep. Can you tell we're the parents of teeny little ones?

ER: I have to admit, we don't do the "Hallmark Holidays" either. I'm happy with a husband who treats me great 365 days a year (366 on leap years), so a card isn't going to make or break the marriage. Chocolate doesn't hurt, but he knows me well enough to keep a secret stash for emergencies. I got a Valentine card from him once, and I told him he never had to get me another, because it was so spectacular, he'd never top it. He still gets me cards on occasion, but we never feel forced because the calendar tells us we have to.

SKA: Oooh, emergency chocolate stash . . . yes, that's all that stayed with me. Your guy is sweet, my guy is sweet . . . but chocolate! We're almost the same here, too. But on leap years, that's the one day I give the guy a break and I'm the super sweet one. We take turns; it's only fair.

ER: We met on April Fool's Day, if you can believe that, so by our very first Valentine's Day, we'd been dating almost ten months. Because I hadn't really said anything, I guess he panicked and thought he'd better hurry on out to the store and get a card . . . maybe he thought my silence was a test or something. The only place still open was the apothecary down the street, and apparently, there was only one card left. When the time was right, he looked deep into my eyes, handed me the card, and I opened . . . this. 

It was the best Valentine's Day card a gal could possibly ask for.

Sigh . . . that's all the time we have for coffee today. S.K. is headed home to her real, live husband and will hopefully have a great day. Don't forget, our Share the Love giveaway ends tonight at midnight EST, so make sure you get your entries in! We can't wait to give prizes to YOU!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can find everyone in the following places:

S.K. Anthony: www.skanthony.com

Easy Reader Editing: you are here. :)

Raymond Esposito: writinginadeadworld.com

Stephen Fender: www.stephenfender.com

Debra Ann Miller: debraamiller.blogspot.com

Sisters Baking Company: www.sistersbaking.com

Sarah YourBetaReader: yourbetareader.blogspot.com

Coffee Chat 6.0 with Author S.K. Anthony: Blogging from A to Z

"A" you're adorable, "B" you're so beautiful, "C" you're a cutie full of charms . . .
"D" you're a darling and "E" you're exciting and . . . um . . . [Stops, counts on fingers.]
A, B, C, D, E, F, G . . . Oh, yeah.
"F" you're a feather in my arms . . .
"G" you look good to me, "H" you're so heavenly—

Oh, hey, everyone! You're probably wondering why I'm singing the Alphabet Song. Or maybe you're wondering why I can't remember which letter comes next. I'm actually practicing the opening song for the upcoming Loudermilks concert. Not gonna lie, we're doing all the classics.

Mornin', S.K.! How's it going? Have some coffee to jump-start your day.

SKA: [singing] C is for coffee, that's good enough for me. Oh, coffee, coffee, coffee starts with C!

Oh, hey! Good morning! Are we done singing, then?

ER: Do you happen to know the Alphabet Song? 'Cause I know the Alphabet Song. All the way to the end, even. [Mutters.] . . . with a little pause here and there . . .

SKA: Yes, yes I do. I don't even have to read and cheat to sing it—from A to Z, I know them all! I can even write them down backward if you want. Look, Z, Y, X, W—

ER: I know them all too . . . except I have to take off my shoes and socks to I can point to my toes once I run out of fingers to keep my place. I call in one of the kids after I reach the 20th letter.

SKA: Um . . . X, W, V—

ER: Wait, hold up a minute. [Pulls socks back on.]

SKA: Why are you stopping me? Don't tell me you have some other alphabet challenge in mind. Or do you?

ER: I'm not going to ditch the original singing idea, because I know you've been practicing pretty faithfully for the concert and all. And I won't make you say the alphabet backward while standing beside your car, touching your nose with your index finger. But I heard about something cool and wanted to run it by you to see if it's legit. It's called the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Know it?

SKA: I sure do! I was a chicken last year and didn't join, but this time I went ahead and signed up as soon as I saw the first post about it on Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog. For anyone who doesn't know about this, it's (and keep in mind, I'm taking this directly from their site): 

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behavior). And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter "A." April 2 is "B," April 3 is "C," and so on. You can use a theme for the month or go random—just as long as it matches the letter of the alphabet for the day.

How fun is that? I'm so excited to be a part of it this year and I'm already thinking of what I'm going to blog about. I'm hoping to get the posts set up before March comes around so I don't run around like a mad woman . . . at least not more than usual. 

ER: Well, there's no point running around like a not-mad woman. It's exhausting. So April's the month, eh?

SKA: April will be an awesome month, I can feel it. I'm even happier that I have a couple friends facing the challenge with me—you included, Lynda.

ER: I've got to admit, I'm psyched about it, too, and just a little bit terrified. I've started thinking of my A to Z topics, but—well, you may not have noticed this, but I tend to go on a bit long in my blog posts. What if I can't keep them short enough? Do you have any advice for me? And do you have a theme for yours yet?

SKA: Based on the little I know about it, but also based on time and how busy everyone will be, I would suggest not going over 250 words. 

ER: But—but—I'm ITALIAN!

SKA: I know, I know . . . that's a challenge in itself for you, but imagine how quickly you'll be done with your posts. My advice is to write one of your regular ones, split it in three . . .

ER: . . . or eight . . .

SKA: . . . and then fix it up to match the day and letter it corresponds to and you'll be done in no time. 

As for my posts, I think, and I'm not sure yet, that I'm going with words and expressions I've made up. I do call myself "an official make-stuff-up-er" on my blog, so I thought I'd give an insight as to what that's all about. Apart from making up whole books, that is. 

If that doesn't work, I might just choose desserts and goodies I'm currently staying away from, and salivate all over my blog. What do you have in mind for a theme?

ER: Mmmm . . . desserts . . .  

Ahem. For my posts, I think this first time out, I'll stick with what I know and give some tips for writers from an editor's viewpoint. I might suspend my Editor's Notes for the Mondays in April, since there will be posts going up every day that relate to editing, anyway. 

Who knows? If this works out well this year, I'll look forward to something more creative next year! Bucket list, places I've never been, favorite foods that could kill me if I ate them often enough . . .

SKA: That is awesome! Editor tips work for me. We haven't completed this challenge yet and I'm already looking forward to next year's. The creator of this is a genius! Now I wonder who else is joining us, and if they have their themes set up.

If you're reading this (and I think you are), share your A to Z plans if you're participating. We'd love to support you throughout the challenge and cheer you along. Well . . . if we're not too tired and too full from all the dessert-eating . . .

ER: Desserts . . .

SKA: Before we go, we'd like to remind you that our Share the Love Giveaway ends next week. If you haven't entered yet, what are you waiting for? Do it. Don't be scared; we don't bite. David Hasselhoff might, though. We're not sure. Still, be a daredevil. Enter and share! Also, be on the lookout for another Facebook Flash Giveaway on Sunday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can find everyone in the following places:
S.K. Anthony: www.skanthony.com
Easy Reader Editing: you are here. :)
Raymond Esposito: writinginadeadworld.com
Stephen Fender: www.stephenfender.com
Debra Ann Miller: debraamiller.blogspot.com
Sisters Baking Company: www.sistersbaking.com
Sarah YourBetaReader: yourbetareader.blogspot.com

Coffee Chat 5.1 with Author S.K. Anthony: Flash Giveaway!

Hey, everyone, S.K. here. I just snuck into Lynda's house (I climbed in through the window, in case you were wondering), and I'm washing my cup. I just had some coffee and ate two of her muffins, but let's not tell her...I still want more during our chat. Shhhh . . .

SKA: Oh, hey, Lynda. Fancy meeting you here . . . in your kitchen. Err, why the murderous look? [Frantically wipes crumbs away from face.]

ER: Hey . . . um . . . good morning, I think. I hate to say this, but what are you doing in my kitchen? Wow, I didn't even hear the door . . . did someone let you in?

Oh, well. I made muffins and I—oh, man! I told those kids not to touch the muffins until later! At least they left us enough that we can still have a few apiece. [Hands S.K. a plate.] Have a couple. They're great!

SKA: Look, look at my phone! I've been busy online, entering giveaways like a mad woman. Um . . . why are you inspecting your coffeepot? Here, lemme fetch a couple mugs for us . . .

ER: [Looking at coffeepot in confusion.] I'm not sure why this pot isn't full. I made 12 cups when I set it last night. I need to stop using those ShamWow filters; they're sucking up too much of the coffee.

SKA: You know, I think I'll only have one muffin. I'm watching my waistline.

ER: I'm getting excited about our giveaway. People have been asking about the Mother of All Prizes, though, and I feel so bad every time I have to tell someone they can't have Raymond's VCR. He did promise it to me for Christmas, and I was really counting on that gift.

SKA: Yes, I've received a few emails for Deb's Pong as well, but she's holding onto it because she still hasn't beaten the third level. Ah, well. Sorry, folks!

ER: So how's it going? Have you had a good week? 

SKA: My week has been okay. Sadly, I haven't won any prizes lately, but participating in your giveaway has been just as rewarding . . . I guess. I've tweeted and I've taken advantage of the groups on Facebook, and have posted our giveaway at different intervals. I have to say, it's proven its worth, since I've received a few "likes" on my links and a couple entries from it.

Speaking of, have you heard about those "Flash Giveaways" that are going around Facebook?

ER: I've heard things here and there, but I'll admit I'm not clear on the concept. I don't have to burst into song in public to win something, do I? Because you know how shy I am when it comes to singing . . .

SKA: Shy? You and singing? Sure . . . unfortunately, that's not how it works. Unless you upload a video to Facebook of you singing, but it still won't help in this case because YOU'LL be offering the Flash Giveaway—

ER: Huh? I will?

SKA: Yes, and the entrants are the ones who have to do the dirty work.

All right. Quickly, so people can't say we don't teach them anything here on our chats, a Flash Giveaway is:

1. a giveaway (duh)
2. . . . that happens in a flash (double duh)

ER: Well, that seems easy enough to follow so far. Duh, indeed.

SKA: For real: it's when you decide you want to run a giveaway for a few minutes, hours, or however long you want, but it's usually within the same day. You ask participants to "like" your pages, share your posts, tell a secret, guess a lie, etc., and then you use a strategic way to choose a winner from the comments. I suggest you close your eyes and point to the screen; others suggest you use random.org or even a separate Rafflecopter widget. In any case, a winner is chosen, and they get their prizes in a—wait for it—FLASH!

So now that we're all on the same page, Lynda, let's do one on Facebook tonight. What do you say?

ER: I think, as usual, that you are a genius. Yeah, what the heck. Let's do it.

If I were going to flash someone, what would I flash them with? I've always wanted to flash an FBI badge at somebody, but I don't have one of those anywhere close by. Any suggestions? I don't really have a second choice.

And are you sure you don't want another muffin? I can't believe your willpower, only allowing yourself to have one. That's incredible.

SKA: Well, I'm really serious about this diet. I don't want to mess it up, but this muffin is delicious.

Flashing people . . . flashing people . . . I think the FBI badge is pretty cool, but then you'd go to jail for impersonating a federal officer. I can't exactly bail you out right now, so let's stick to maybe . . . a gift card?

ER: Amazon gift card! I love Amazon gift cards!

SKA: Let's test this Flash Giveaway thing tonight and have our friends share and tag their friends. All of them will come back here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway and comment that they did. Then we'll announce a winner on Facebook. 

Easy Reader Editing's page will start the giveaway tonight at 7 p.m. EST and end at 10 p.m. EST.

If you're on Facebook, come over and help us spread the word!

ER: Sounds great to me. I think I could get addicted to this flashing stuff . . .


Okay, everyone. You know what to do and when to do it. We'll see you tonight on Facebook. And don't forget to enter the Share the Love Giveaway while you're here, if you haven't already. Lots of easy ways to enter, lots of prizes to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can find everyone in the following places:
S.K. Anthony: www.skanthony.com
Easy Reader Editing: you are here. :)
Raymond Esposito: writinginadeadworld.com
Stephen Fender: www.stephenfender.com
Debra Ann Miller: debraamiller.blogspot.com
Sisters Baking Company: www.sistersbaking.com
Sarah YourBetaReader: yourbetareader.blogspot.com

Coffee Chat 5.0 with Author S.K. Anthony: It's Giveaway Time!

It's Thursday and we're back, this time with coffee and . . . a guest! Author Debra Ann Miller is joining us this week to help us promote our latest and greatest idea: the "Share the Love" Valentine's Day giveaway!

Team Lynda (which is what I've decided to call it since it's my blog) has gotten together and is contributing some wonderful prizes for you to win through a Rafflecopter giveaway that will end at midnight on February 13, 2014.

You'll have a chance—many chances, in fact—at being one of the lucky recipients of goodies from a bunch of people who love me enough to send me money on a regular basis. More details on that (the giveaway, not the money) later in this post.

For now, I'll introduce our guest. Debra Ann Miller is the author of Descended, Ascended, and work-in-progress Transcended, all books in the Fallen Guardian Saga. Although she doesn't drink coffee [feel free to insert a loud gasp here], S.K. and I have decided we like her anyway, and have permitted her to drink tea. Unfortunately, Deb has insisted that we call her Queen Mum every time she lifts her teacup. I suppose it's the price we pay for having such a charming, cultured guest, so I'm going with it.

ER: So hey there, S.K. and Mum! I'm glad to have you both here today so we can talk about fun stuff. 

QM: Of course! I've always wanted to have a princess tea party.

SKA: Hey-hey, Lynda! And welcome, Mum. I'll let you both know that I had a sigh of relief when I found out you were having tea, Deb. I wasn't feeling the "sharing my coffee" thing this morning, to be honest. 

ER: I didn't want to be the first to say it, but yes, I was looking at that coffee pot and thinking, Nope. Not enough for three. I even thought about distracting QM by sending her down the hall for a spoon or something, but she came through and wasn't greedy. Bonus points for the queen!

OK, the giveaway thing. Have either of you ever done giveaways before, or entered any yourself?

SKA: Yes and yes. And I've won! Woohoo! Go ahead girls, celebrate with me. 

QM: I've entered several giveaways but don't have the luck of the Irish on my side . . . only in my blood. On the flip side, I've held one as well. It was really cool to have people enter a contest to win a book that I, the Queen Mum, wrote!

And woot woot to you, S.K.! I'll try to remember my etiquette with regard to your winnings.

ER: S.K., I remember when you won that cool necklace from Brandon Ax's giveaway for Elemental. I wanted that pretty bad. Maybe we should have him over for coffee some week and he'll want to give me jewelry, too.

For awhile, I was on a roll with entering giveaways and winning books on Goodreads. I didn't enter more than a dozen, but I won four books in rapid succession. One of them was D.R. Shoultz's Melting Sand, which I did a review for on this blog.  

Mum, what type of giveaways are your favorite? Would you rather win a book, or a gift certificate, or a year's supply of Turtle Wax or Rice-a-Roni, or what?

QM: It depends. I think it should fit the blog and the topic. If it's a book blogger, then I'd expect to see a book, or a Nook, or a fish on a hook.

ER: I think I'd worry if I won a fish on a hook, but you never know. It might have been a really great contest to suck me into the whole fish-on-a-hook excitement.

QM: Any Dr. Seuss fans in the house? Maybe I should slow down on the sipping here; my analogies are misunderstood. I'm just saying, the prize should complement the contest.

ER: But you know, if I really liked fish, with or without hooks, that might be a pretty awesome contest.

QM: With that in mind, maybe we should check out Trip Advisor and see what kind of giveaways they're offering. Hmm, a plane, or a train, or a sweet ticket to Maine?

ER: Well, S.K. seems to be the contest-winner among us, and I'll bet she has a fish on a hook somewhere in her prize collection. She's won everything else lately. In fact, S.K., didn't you just win two contests in December alone?

QM: Did I mention, I've won NOTHING . . . EVER?? Just checking . . . continue please . . .

[ER looks around frantically to see where SK has gone, while trying to casually slide the teapot out of the Queen Mum's reach.]

SKA: A fish on a hook! I didn't win that, but someone once gave us a fish with a hook holding a tiny clock . . . for our office desk. Umm, no. Sweet, though. I guess . . . Want it, Mum?

Lynda, yes! I won the Fire Elemental necklace during the Ashes release (second book in The Light Bringer's Saga). We can nudge him and see if you'll "win" something. You too, Mum. You've won my heart, but maybe that's not enough. [Shrugs.]

More recently, I won two awesome giveaways. One was from author Tara Tyler: I won a signed paperback of her debut novel, Pop Travel, a bookmark, and a cool bracelet that's featured in the book. And the other one was from our very own Stephen Fender. I won the signed set of the Kestrel Saga (The Army of Light, Icarus, and Second Earth), a custom T-shirt, and some delicious treats from Sisters Baking Company. 

ER: So I'm thinking the best strategy at this point would be to have S.K. enter all the contests for us from this point on, right?

QM: I'd like to second that motion! [Raises tea cup in salute, a bit unsteady but sincere nonetheless.]

ER: We've created a monster!

SKA: But we love it!

ER: About those contests . . .

SKA: You know . . . Now I won't share! I tried winning the lottery . . . and that didn't happen. Bummer. But sure, I can enter for you guys. IF you stop saying I suck for winning!

ER: Ahem . . . the contest, remember? We're doing a giveaway! And we have some really great prizes that will provide something for everyone, from S.K. Anthony, Easy Reader Editing, Raymond Esposito, Stephen Fender, our own Queen Mum, Debra Ann Miller, Sisters Bakery, and YourBetaReader. Why don't you tell our readers what they can win and how they can win it, S.K.?

SKA: Well, I'm not sure how else to say this, but they can win by, um . . . entering? [Laughing hysterically . . . alone . . .]  Sorry, I had to. [Clears throat.]

Okay, so back to business. We have a little Rafflecopter that you can read, click, share, etc.

You can win:

• GRAND PRIZE: 1 signed copy of Descended, 1 signed copy of Kinetic with swag pack, 1 signed copy of You and Me Against the World (limited edition), 1 signed copy of The Army of Light packaged with 1 bag of Rain City Crunch {US only}
• THE EDITOR'S PAY IT FORWARD DEAL: You and a friend of your choosing will each receive a 20% discount on a full copy edit and/or proofreading services from Easy Reader Editing, AND a separate 20% discount on a content/substantive edit from Sarah YourBetaReader.
• (2 winners) FOR THE eBOOK LOVERS: 1 copy of Descended and Ascended, 1 copy of Kinetic, 1 copy of You and Me Against the World and 1 copy of All Our Foolish Schemes 
• (2 winners) The Fallen Guardian Saga, Books 1 & 2: Descended and Ascended {US only}
• (1 winner) The Kestrel Saga: signed copy of The Army of Light and 1 bag of Rain City Crunch {US only}
• (4 winners) The Creepers Saga, Book 1: You and Me Against the World {US only}
• (3 winners) The Luminaries Series: signed copy of Kinetic with Swag Pack (notebook, pen & bookmark) {US only}

Let us know if you're an author or just a lovely reader (authors, you're lovely too; calm down!) so we can make sure we don't end up with a reader winning an editing package. Imagine how confused we'll make the poor dears when we try to edit their thoughts. No bueno. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And if you think these prizes are awesome, wait until you see what you could have won. Ready? Okay, Lynda, take it over!

ER: Well . . . I've got to tell everyone, we had a whole different list of prizes. After searching high and low through our houses, we came up with a pile of goodies that rivaled any ancient treasure. In fact, we came to think of it as the Mother of All Prizes. Had we gone with our first choices, you could have won these lovely things: one like-new VCR; one 13" TV with built-in VCR for Pong; one Pong; one StarTac cell phone; one Walkman that only stops every five minutes when walking slowly; some 1979 issues of MAD Magazine; one JVC camcorder with VHS tapes; one life-size velvet Hasselhoff portrait with Labrador puppies; one unread copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People; one handful of Scrabble letters that spell ERMAGAWD I LUV WINGER TOO; one mix tape of favorite Liberace songs; one empty box of Thin Mints.

This was a terrific group effort, but we came to realize we'd love giving the items much, much more than anyone would love winning them. Thus, the second—and final—giveaway list was created.

What are you waiting for? Share the love!


You can find everyone in the following places:
S.K. Anthony: www.skanthony.com
Easy Reader Editing: you are here. :)
Raymond Esposito: writinginadeadworld.com
Stephen Fender: www.stephenfender.com
Debra Ann Miller: debraamiller.blogspot.com
Sisters Baking Company: www.sistersbaking.com
Sarah YourBetaReader: yourbetareader.blogspot.com