Monday, November 14, 2016

Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop - 2016

November is halfway through, and I'm still banging away at my key board trying to get my word count back up for NanoWriMo. Today I'm pausing things for a bit for this month's blog hop, which happens to be another favorite of mine.


Giving back and being grateful is so important to me. We all have ups and downs, but in my opinion learning to appreciate people and things no matter how you're fairing in life is the key to happiness. 

To show how much I appreciate my blog followers, readers and friends, I'm participating in the Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop hosted by Mary at BookHounds.

For this GG hop, I'm giving away one (1) $10 Amazon GC to one great winner. The Giveaway hop starts on November 15th and runs until November 30th, eod. International participants welcome!

To enter…
You MUST be a follower of my blog and choose one of the following:

Subscribe to my blog

Or

Like me on Facebook / Facebook/MinaBurrows


See the form to enter:



That's it.  I've tried to keep things simple. Want to see who else is
participating?  Visit here for more details.

Mina B.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Book Buzz: SPIN THE SKY by Jill MacKenzie

Today, for my Book Buzz series, I'm featuring an exciting young adult contemporary debut that released earlier this week called SPIN THE SKY by Jill MacKenzie.  Every now and then a contemporary book comes along that for me is a must read and this my friends is one of them!

About SPIN THE SKY


Book Summary: Magnolia Woodson wants nothing more than to get her and her sister, Rose, out of the pitifully small, clamming-obsessed Oregon town that hates them—she just doesn’t know how. Forced to put up with the snide comments and hateful looks the townspeople throw at them, Mags thinks she’s destined to pay for the horrible, awful thing her mom did—and that she’s left her and Rose to deal with—
until the day she dies.

But when a nationwide televised dance competition posts tryouts in nearby Portland, Mags’s best friend, George, says they have to go and audition. Not only have they spent the past fourteen years of their lives dancing side-by-side, dreaming of a day just like this, but also it could be Mags’s chance of a lifetime—a chance to win the grand-prize money and get her and Rose out of Summerland, a chance to do the thing she loves most with everyone watching, a chance to show the town that she’s not—and has never been—a “no-good Woodson girl,” like her mother. But will the competition prove too steep? And will Mags be able to retain her friendship with George as they go head-to-head in tryouts? Mags will have to learn that following her dreams may mean changing her life forever.

About the author, Jill MacKenzie


Author Bio: Jill Mackenzie, a Vancouver native, is an ex-ballerina and contemporary dancer. Now working toward her MFA in creative writing at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Jill chasses between roles as part-time student, full-time mom, and always-writer. Though Jill no longer studies dance, she still tries to dance herself clean whenever she can. Currently she lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she spends her free time beach-bound with her husband and two beautiful daughters.

For more information about Jill, visit her via her website at http://www.jillmackenzie.com/ or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JillMacKenzie3.


Where to Buy SPIN THE SKY


If you're looking for your next hot YA book, then look no further.  The GoodReads reviews are pouring in so click here to find out more.  This debut novel is already getting buzz on Amazon as a hot "New Release in Teen & Young Adult Dance Fiction."  Get your own copy of SPIN THE SKY on Amazon here.

Sounds positively fantastic, huh?  Hope you enjoy it, my friends.

Have a great weekend.

Mina Burrows

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

IWSG: Quiet on the Nano Front

It's time for another month of IWSG.  How's everybody doing after Halloween?  I don't know about you, but this past weekend left me feeling exhausted and I'm so glad November's here to get back into the swing of things.

As you know, IWSG was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh and wouldn't be half as wonderful without his monthly support team, Joylene Novell Butler, Jen Chandler, Mary Aalgaard, Lisa Buie Collard, Tamara Narayan, Tyrean Martinson, and Christine Rains!  Special thanks to everyone who's helping this month.

November's ISWG question is What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?  For me that's an easy one, I love the creative process.  I honestly adore making stories up and wouldn't have it any other way.  My only insecurities this month have to do with keeping up with the Nano schedule, managing my house renovations and dealing my kids and their daily emergencies.  Ugh.  I'll manage though.  :)

NaNoWriMo Begins!


Source
This month marks NanoWriMo, baby!  Let me know who's participating this year.  So far so good for me.  I'm off to a good start and for the most part I'm fairly organized.  I think staying organized is the key so that it's easier to find time to write.  I've logged into my Nano account and belong to a local group but in truth, I've never been to one of the meetings.  The kick-offs/write-ins/meetings are usually a minimum of half hour away so that doesn't work for me. I'm happy to do the virtual write-ins though.  I'm looking forward to this month despite all the chaos with my house.  I think the writing will be a pleasant distraction.



Gosh I can't believe it's already November.  Yikes!  Later this month look for a special Book Buzz post and I'm participating in the Gratitude Giveaway hosted by Bookhounds which starts Nov, 15th!

I hope everyone has a fantastic rest of the week.

Mina Burrows