Amy Joy Lutchen's Blog: Renhala Holiday Sale!!

I want to send a very special THANK YOU to you amazing beta readers and reviewers. I'm not really sure you understand your importance to authors and their sanity...

From constructive criticism to downright adoration for the characters and the story--you provide exponential energy to keep the project (and future projects) moving and increase an author's want and need to supply a grand story, one that we feel sharing is worth all the time and sacrifice.

Voracious readers willing to chat it up and provide their opinions ROCK. ((HUGS)) to you all.

HELP CELEBRATE 20K WITH @FAEBOOKS!    http://www.faebooks.co.uk/2015/04/20kGiveaway.html#sthash.Jtn2ledQ.dpbs  There's just too many prizes to list!

We’re all broken.
Some of us have been chipped, some shattered.
Some of our breaks were intentional, some were accidents.
Some of our cracks are globbered with glue, some of us leave our breaks untouched—even showcase them.  
But we are ALL still beautiful in our own, imperfect, broken, way.
We’ve been through a lot, collectively, haven’t we?
Embrace your existence; it’s truly a remarkable display of durability and strength. YOU are meant to survive.

Let me tell you, the women at Pen and Muse have got their act together! P&M is one of my fav go-to sites where I can go to feed my thirsty writer's brain.

You want a quick, yummy shot of smart? Another shot of humor? A shot of COOL... Go ...check it out yourself. AND...guess who's visiting today? Make sure to enter a comment on their site for a chance to win "642 Things to Write About," by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. It's really a fun book.


http://penandmuse.com/innovation-writing-amy-joy-lutchen/

“SHE: a Woman, Painted”
 My lover is gentle, but they say he is mad.
They do not know of his pain, his indecision. “Shall she be blissful, or shall she be tortured,” my love says. “It’s always in the eyes,” he whispers. Will I reflect the affections of misery, joy, and fury that shine in his own? Does he think me beautiful? I do not know if I am so. I am incomplete, this I am certain, for I ache for more substance. Something is off, but I do not blame him, for others demand perfection. They expect sacrifice.

Inspiration!

His hands move effortlessly across my curves, hugging my frame and rendering me speechless. The flow of his movements a dance, his excitement pulsing through his soft touch. A streak of ultramarine, a halo of gold, and a final dab of crimson to my lips, the climax—the completion. My gentle lover weeps. He loves me, of this I have no doubt.How can such passion for life be mad?

So there's this really cool author who is a really sweet person and deserves a great BIG BIRTHDAY HUG... Nope, not me, it's Natalie Herzer! Please join me in wishing her the bestest year EVER! What's really awesome is that she wants to give things away for her special celebration, so a few of us: Leanne Crabtree, Lilou Roux, and I, have decided to also add a few fun things to give away to some lucky winners during the birthday celebration. Who wouldn't want FREE EBOOKS?!? Enter the giveaway below and make sure to spread the word: HAPPY, HAPPY, BIRTHDAY TO NATALIE! a Rafflecopter giveaway

So there's this insanely cool project going on that maybe you have heard of, maybe you didn't. It's called the Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project. The purpose of this project is to find a self-published, living-in-Illinois, fiction writer who librarians think is worthy of an award; they're looking for an under-the-radar talent to promote.

Well, that being said, I'VE BEEN NOMINATED!! My excitement for this project has brought me the needed energy to continue smiling after/during this damn Polar Vortex (yes, I'll give you the appropriate pronoun capitalization, Mr. Polar Vortex). Or maybe it's a Mrs. (her wrath and all)? But anyway, I have never felt so honored.

I was recently interviewed by Ms. Jane Michaels of The Doings newspaper and wanted to share a blurb:

"My urban fantasy novel, Renhala, began as a notepad scribbled over with things that were haunting me during a very dark period in my life. After suffering a horrific assault by a total stranger and watching helplessly as both my parents' health declined, I became an entirely different woman. As I traveled between hospitals, my sunshine was snuffed and I could not find joy in all the simple things I once adored. I lived day after day under a façade of "normal," but was internally screaming for help. Nothing could make me truly happy again. Then one day, out of the blue, I gathered my courage, took that notepad of paper and began writing a short story of a young woman who was learning to "let her mother go." As the words began pouring from my open wounds, the story then morphed into a magical tale of epic proportion--a karmic story of humiliation, transformation, and empowerment. For you see, my broken heroine mastered a new weapon and magical abilities, bonded with a band of misfit travelers from a co-existing realm, and finally had enough strength to realize that despite her wounds, she had the strength to make a difference in the world.

I only hoped that by writing my novel and self-publishing I could share my story and help others see that scars don't have to be only ugly reminders, they can be the fodder for your creative beast--the one that changes your life by changing the words... The simple act of writing can be the most therapeutic jam session. Write it out!"
 So, wish me luck! Check out what it's all about:http://soontobefamous.info/?vm=r

So there was a time when I was really having a blast writing parodies, some of love and some of paranormal activity. I thought I'd share a few of them today--one of each, actually.

Follows the tune of "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe":
There was an old woman who lived with a ghost,
She had so many wants, she didn’t do most
So she gave it some love without any touch,
Then exorcised it quickly and didn’t cry much.

Follows the tune of "Twinkle, twinkle, little star":
Fickle, fickle, guarded heart,
How you think you’re oh so smart,
Hidden deeply on the sly,
Missing chances by and by.

You like?

picture courtesy of ron-keyboard.blogspot.com

Hi all!! So you've made it to my stop safely. Phew! I'd like to introduce myself: I am Amy Joy Lutchen, author of the Renhala series. Nice to meet you! Pull up a seat *hands you a macaron and steamy cup of tea*.

Now I have to admit, I pulled on the big girl panties for this post... Yes. It's my first EVER blog hop and can I just say I am shaking in my boots? There's even HTML *whispers very quietly*... Yeah, it's all technical and stuff and I feel I might get pulled up to the Enterprise or end up in a telephone booth or something...

Okay, let's get into the details of this hop. First, thank the lovely PJ Schnyder for pulling this all together and creating the magic! I can only imagine the hard work that goes into making a blog hop happen. Also, thank all the lovely and talented sponsors *claps hands*. Believe me, there are some very cool and talented women in that list!! Second, there's GIVEAWAYS *says with wide eyes* There is one here at my humble abode (see the Rafflecopter below) for a signed copy of Renhala and signed bookmark, even more goodies at the other hops, and ONE MAJOR PRIZE PACKAGE that you don't want to miss out on at PJ's place: http://pjschnyder.com/blog/contests/ .

Have fun and remember to kiss someone under the mistletoe!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Hello, everyone! Today is a very special day for me. I get to release into the wild my second baby born of words: Golden Dunes of Renhala (Renhala, #2).

If you have not read the first book, Renhala, go catch it while it's still free:

http://www.amazon.com/Renhala-Amy-Joy-Lutchen-ebook/dp/B009I3SO9E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385478456&sr=8-1&keywords=renhala

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/renhala-amy-joy-lutchen/1113574994?ean=9780988281523

If you have already read Renhala, be sure to grab the second book!

http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Dunes-Renhala-Amy-Lutchen-ebook/dp/B00GWVSPEO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385478587&sr=8-1&keywords=golden+dunes+of+renhala

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/381774

Just remember that we authors are very grateful for our readers and hope that they rate and review. It's especially important for us indie authors! Enjoy.