MY HEART GOES OUT! MY FAMILY AND I EXPEREINCED THE OKC/MOORE TORNADO MAY 3, 1999! A DAY I WILL NEVER FORGET!

I will never forget that day.  Many things in my life changed on that day.  In the first time in my especially young life at that time, made me realize how fragile our world and our life really is.  I remember holding my children down in the bathtub praying for the strength I would need.  I remember the earth move like it quaked.  The loud roar and the house shaking as if it were made of match sticks.  It was like horror movie or science fiction.  My children screaming in my arms. 

I'll never forget that beautiful day.  At about 3pm it was gorgeous outside then it all changed.  I saw the monster approach about eight miles from us on the other side of Sooner Elementary School headed for Sooner Rd.  The tornado was at least a mile wide, I did not know it was possible to be so big.  I was frozen with fear.  Sure we would all die and soon.  The tornado carried debris in it's arms, I swear I saw cars.  Smaller tornados spun off from it like wicked arms hitting the earth. 

When it was over, we opened our front door, which was still standing.  Thanks be to God.   We were an island of somewhat untouched houses.  Others were outside dazed, confused and stunned.  The look on the older adult's faces made me realize how this really was, a true nightmare, a living one.  Like a war zone, a bomb had been dropped.  Sooner Elementary School was still standing too.  But my neighbors not far from me were devastated.  Just across Sooner was devastation.  Horses were dead in the road, dropped out of the air from being picked up from somewhere.  The smell of gas, the sparking electricity, the oddness in the air.  It was truly a war zone.  And unexpected misery.   

A few weeks later, I finally got to the BX at Tinker AFB to get supplies there.  And my heart was broken when I was told the nice lady who had usually checked my ID had been killed.  It still bothers me to this day.  I have forgotten her name, but the memory of her face is etched in my mind.  I'm so sorry she did not make it. 

My oldest son called me yesterday, he's away on a school trip, and he was remembering the experience too, even though he was so young it stamped in his brain.  Some things just stick with you and this will for always be one of them for me and for him. 

Now, I wonder if our house we owned once, our first owned home, is still there. As you know, a house is part of your family, even after you leave it.  At least to me, so many memories were made there.  I am praying for all involved, as I know personally the shock of it all and I did not even have it as bad as others.  For days, I looked at our city and was in disbelief. And this one is even worse.  God Bless you all.  And remember the material things are not so important, not really.  But our friends our families are.  I pray yours is well and soon this to shall pass. 
Love to all,
Celeste and my sons

WELCOME NEW AUTHORS AND PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO READ!

Celeste and Carrie, two of our publishers, attended the Ohioana Book Festival this last Saturday. We extended our invitations for any one interested in our company to check out our web sites and blogs for Crimson Frost Books and Midnight Frost Books.   
We hope to see those we met this last Saturday. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments.  
Happy Writing and Reading!
Celeste

2013 OHIOANA BOOK FESTIVAL

CELEBRATE THE IMAGINATION THIS WEEKEND WITH READING AND WRITING:

2013 OHIOANA BOOK FESTIVAL:
Celebrating Ohio’s Authors, Saturday, May 11th
Author Ciara Lake and Sady Cass will be at this weekend's book festival featuring local authors.  CRIMSON FROST AND MIDNIGHT FROST BOOKS will be handing out goodie bags with our information and pitch requests from authors. 

Also, Karen Harper, who interviewed with our house on Crimson Frost Book's blog will be there too.  You will have an opportunity to meet local talent.  Come on out!

If you're reading this blog and see us, say hi!  Be sure to get your goodie bag! 

Bring Mom out to this wonderful outing, it's free and an interesting activity to enjoy with Mom.

Information below:

from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center, 546 Jack Gibbs Blvd., near downtown Columbus and the Short North. The Festival is FREE and open to the public with no tickets or advance registration required.

We look to see you there!  Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

Author Sady Cass

Hello, I'm going to be at:
The Ohioana Library Present:
2013 OHIOANA BOOK FESTIVAL:
Celebrating Ohio’s Authors, Saturday, May 11th

Columbus, Ohio
Over 100 authors, including ten designated as “featured,” will be at the Festival with books they have published within the past sixteen months. The main event will be held on Saturday, May 11th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center, 546 Jack Gibbs Blvd., near downtown Columbus and the Short North. The Festival is FREE and open to the public with no tickets or advance registration required. As our bookseller, Barnes & Noble will have books by all of the participating authors for sale at the Festival.

Festival Programs- will include than thirty panel and roundtable discussions on a variety of topics. Festival authors will take part in conversations about their own literary influences, the writing life, and the creative process. The featured authors will participate in the following panels.

·         Real People, Real Stories – Ellis Avery, Bob Hunter

·         Mentors& Muses:  Literary & Artistic Influences – Robert Olmstead, P. Craig Russell

·         How We Write, What We Write – Carla Buckley, Raul Ramos y Sanchez

·         The Writing Life – Emilie Richards, Sharon Short

·         The Creative Life – Rae Carson, Daniel Kirk

 

Other panels and roundtables will cover specific genres, publishing, and other writing and reading related topics.  We will present two panels built around the Choose to Read Ohio titles, and a roundtable on Ohioana’s new “On the Road” program. Additional panels will explore children’s literature and poetry, along with several “behind-the-scenes” opportunities for new

writers to find out more about how to get published. The program schedule will soon be available online at www.OhioanaBookFestival.org.  

“We are excited to have so many nationally recognized authors participating in our 2013 Festival.  They are all Ohioans by birth or residents with books that have been published in the 

past year,” Hengst said. “They represent every major literary field and genre – fiction (mystery, romance, fantasy, science fiction, and literary fiction), nonfiction (memoirs, history, essays, and cook books), poetry and books for children and young adults.”   

Additional festival activities will include a special children’s room with programs designed to entertain young readers. Many of the featured and festival authors will make personal appearances in the children’s area.  

Several of Columbus’ award-winning food trucks will be onsite to serve Book Festival-goers: Ajumama, Green Meanie, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Mikey’s Late Night Slice, and Short North Bagel Deli.  

The most recent books published by the festival authors will be available at the on-site Barnes and Noble Bookstore.

 

A Fine Line Between Promotions

Recently, I was reading some articles on promotion from a few years ago and the writer said to promote yourself, talk about you a lot. Post to social media, twitter, blog about yourself, include links to your book etc with every post...and it got me to thinking. 

Do I really want to be inundated by the same content from an author every day? 

The easy answer is No, the harder answer is depends. There's a fine line between honest promotion and spamming people. When you get your book contracted, you want to shout it from the roof tops and tell everyone...this is great. However, you also have to remember there are a million other authors out there doing the same thing.  So how do you promote your book(s) without spamming everyone on your social list? 

There are no easy answers and simple tricks. You have to learn to balance it out. There are blog tours where you're doing multiple stops, Facebook events you can schedule, newsletters you can send out...but if you're doing all this without connecting with your readers...are you promoting your brand.

Yes you are, but to the wrong audience and thus it turns to wasted efforts.
So, to avoid the dreaded "Oh my Gosh here she comes - feet scurrying from the room", here are a few tips you can use to help you promote yourself and your brand.


For more on my article, stop by and get a few tips and tricks I've learned about promotion within reason.
http://www.writerbeat.com/index.php#!top-news+264

Enter Our Grand Opening Pitch Contest and Be a Winner!

HELLO ALL!  Enter our Grand Opening Pitch Contest and be a winner!

Midnight Frost Books is looking for some scary stuff!  Or thrill us good! We want to chew our nails and jump when the phone rings!  This is your chance to thrill or chill us.  We like thrilling and chilling.  We will be releasing the chosen works for the Halloween sales in 2013.  Wow, 13 what a year to scare your readers.  

This is an opportunity to gleam bright with imagination.  For the next four weeks, in celebration of our grand opening, starting April 22, 2013 to May 22, 2013 we are offering this open Pitch Contest. 

The author’s whose pitches we select will be contacted between June 5 to June 22^ndof 2013. 

As well, all those who take part in the pitch session will be placed in a drawing for a prize.

Midnight Frost Books will be giving away three prize bags.  The winners will receive dark and sinister finger nail polish for you or your friend or friends to enjoy.  Also, you will receive three e books from published authors.  And a small surprise gift to make you smile.  

Words of wisdom:  Be creative and don’t be afraid to give it your all.  Everyone will be considered seriously.  Make us really love it.  We will look and consider any word count. 

Here is what is expected:

1. Each pitch must be for a completed manuscript.

2. If we like it we'll request the full manuscript.

3. It must be an original piece that's frightening, thrilling, chilling, or terrifying, you get the picture.  It needs to be any or all of those things, but have a good story too. 

4. We want to see your hook...so post the first paragraph of your story in the comment section along with your email address and or website url.

5. We respect everyone's privacy and your information will be used only to contact you.

Enjoy writing and good luck,

Midnight Frost Books publishing staff

WHAT LIGHTS YOUR MUSE?

What stimulates your creativity?  Many things can be a person's muse.  For me, it can be many things, such as, the wind blowing in my face, the smell of a cup of Earl Gray, a song on the radio, and a good movie, a handsome man or a fast car or horse. Yeah, I find muses all over the place.  :)  Just searching the internet can be stimulating.  Even things not so pleasant can plant a seed of creativity.  Thus, new stories of fear or horror can spring to life from a news clip or a fairy tale of old.   

For some people, their muse can be emotions.  Anger, love, lust, sadness, or depression, all of these can cause a person to put pen to paper and write great works.  Music can be inspired by these strong emotions.  Probably the stronger the emotion the better to stimulate the mind.  Get those hormones moving within us in conjunction with our brains and pop, bam, wow, you can have a zinger of a story with lots of passion.  . 

Other people can stimulate you as your muse.  A good conversation can trigger ideas to form.  Talking with experienced people who have lived history can tell their stories and plant great ideas for a history themed book. A visit to an antique store or a thrift shop can ignite an idea. 

Often fiction is part of real life or can be pulled from reality and made into a fantasy or tale.  What you know or have heard is a great place to start dreaming.  Anything and everything can be expanded upon in some way. 

Learn what your muse is and foster it.  Write without boundaries, then after it's all down it can be edited.  But allow your mind to go wild with your story, to be free in the words.

Love your muse and allow it to guide you,
Ciara Lake