Prepare for the Onslaught

Yup, I'm doing it. 

Starting Monday, you'll get me everyday in your blogroll. I'll be keeping my posts very short, but there will be good stuff in them! In fact, I've got another ARC giveaway planned. A twitter giveaway! The details will be provided on day "C."

Anyone else doing the A to Z Challenge?

Customer Service and Why it Makes All the Difference

The Amazing Elemental ARC Giveaway is still going on! You have until 0600 on April 8th to get me your mailing addresses. If you'd like a chance to win a signed ARC, be sure to check it out!

Also, several people have informed me I've opened myself up to a whole different level of crazy photos than I'd anticipated. I still believe that you, my readers, wouldn't actually send me pictures of your bums or other body parts. But just in case, I do ask that it stays PG. I'll be posting some of the pictures on this blog and young 'uns could be popping in for a visit. Oh, who am I kidding? My sensitive eyes couldn't take it! So please, be as crazy as you want, but keep the privates private.

Thank you!!

Now, onto what this post is actually about!

As some of you may know, I've become obsessed with Pinterest (in fact, please friend me if you haven't already!). Well, one of the great features of this website is the ability to create boards for specific purposes. One of my favorites is my For the Home board. I have discovered so many different crafty ideas! Well, last week I decided to start on a couple of them.

So I went to a big, national chain that has taken over pretty much every town in America to search for pink rose petals (also, if you know me, you know I like pink and don't settle for any other color). I went to their craft department, specifically the wedding section, and found several boxes of red rose petals. Well, how silly! Certainly this big, national chain couldn't possibly presume to decide which colors would be available for anyone's wedding! They must have more choices!

I walked up to the lone customer service attendant in that department and asked if they had any pink rose petals. She looked at me and pointed over her shoulder to the place I'd just been and said, "They'd all be over there."

"Yes," I said. "But all I saw were red rose petals."

"Well, then that's all we've got."

Hmmm. So this big, national chain DOES presume to decide on wedding colors, rather than giving multiple choices. Even if they'd just given TWO, I wouldn't have been as disgusted.

The next day I went to the local craft store. Once again, I went to the wedding section and searched for pink rose petals. They had red, white, green, but not pink. I then went up to one of the cashiers (they were the only ones working at the store) and asked her if they had any pink rose petals, just as I had done at the other store.

The woman smiled brightly and walked me over to the wedding section. Once there, she was very disappointed to find they did NOT have pink petals. She then went to the back of the store to see if they had any there. When she came back, she looked very sorry, said they didn't, but then proceeded to offer me a box of pink rose petals she thought she had at home.


I was flabbergasted. This woman just offered me her OWN rose petals because the store she worked at didn't carry what I needed. And no, she wasn't implying I had to pay for them, either.

She took down my home phone number to let me know whether or not she still had them and we arranged that I'd show up two days from then if I didn't hear from her.

Yeah, I'll be shopping there exclusively from now on.

And you know what? This attitude applies to writers, too. It's way too easy to get too "big for your breeches." Sure you take over a few bestseller lists or show up on a dozen different blogs and you think you don't need to be nice to people anymore. (I'm not speaking of anyone in particular, just in general and as an example.)

I have off days where I'm just SO behind on emails that I think about deleting ones from very nice bloggers or book reviewers who are just trying to connect with me, rather than replying to them just so I can catch up. But then I remember that connecting with people is the best part of this business. Yes, writing books is wonderful and fulfilling (I still can't believe I do it for a living), but getting to know people, maybe becoming friends with them, is what getting published is really about.

I now know that woman's name (the one from the small, local store) and when I go there again, I'll greet her, maybe even have a laugh.

I hope I affect someone else some day the way she has affected me.

It's the Amazing Elemental ARC Giveaway!!

Lookie what I have!!

And I'm giving one ARC away! 

All I want from you is a crazy, funny, whatever kind of picture of yourself wearing one of these out in public:

An Elemental temporary tattoo!! Or is it temporary? Hmmm... :P

Yes, it is. At least, it better be because this is a picture of my two-year-old. :o

You know how most giveaways are totally random and you only win if you are one of those gifted people who have a lucky leprechaun stashed in his/her closet? Well, not this one! You are in control!! 

Send me a message at emilywhite_1112(at)yahoo(dot)com with your address, I'll mail you up to five temporary tattoos (obviously, you get to choose how many you require), and you send me back a picture of yourself or a friend (or both) wearing it by April 10th! I'll choose my favorite picture and post it on the blog. 

The winner will get a signed ARC of Elemental!!

Just think of the possibilities! It's almost April Fool's day. You could put one of these beauties on someone while they slept and take a picture! You could pose as Charlie's Angels with your tough and bad tooshy tattoos!

Whatever you want! 

Just email me with your mailing address and I'll send one (or more) out to you!

Also, spread the word! The more participants, the better!

The ELEMENTAL Book Trailer is Here!!

My amazing and wonderful trailer (all thanks to Kendra Saunders, Kate Kaynak, Glenridge, Luna Gracie, Ricky "Locke" Prime, and so many others!) will be popping up all over the internet this week! But you can find it here, too!

Enjoy! And share!




Please spread this video around! Pretty please! With cherries. :)

Cover Reveal for Perfection, by J.L Spelbring!

As you know (or may not, but should), Spencer Hill Press is growing by leaps and bounds! Take a look at this amazing book by one of the newest authors to join the ranks:

The personification of Aryan purity, Ellyssa's spent her whole life under her creator's strict training and guidance; her purpose is to eradicate inferior beings. She was genetically engineered to be the perfect soldier: strong, intelligent, unemotional, and telepathic.

Only Ellyssa isn't perfect.

Ellyssa feels emotions--a fact she's spent her life concealing. Until she encounters the epitome of inferiority: a dark-haired boy raised among renegades hiding since the Nazis won the war a century ago. He speaks to her telepathically, pushing thoughts into her mind, despite the impossibility of such a substandard person having psychic abilities. 
But he does. 

His unspoken words and visions of a place she's never visited make Ellyssa question her creator. Confused and afraid her secret will be discovered, Ellyssa runs away, embarking on a journey where she discovers there is more to her than perfection.

Perfection releases May 7, 2013

Help spread the word!

In My Mailbox

Guess what I found in my mailbox!!

My precioussss...

I've been acting a little like this:

And if I weren't looking like this:

I'd actually take a picture of myself with it. But that's going to have to wait. Seriously, I feel like death beat me with a stick right now. But at least I have my precious to keep my company!!!

Yay!!

I'm with Carol Riggs Today!

Hello, lovely readers! Last Monday was a HUGE success for the heartthrob blogfest. Thank you to everyone for stopping by. :) I'm still working on visiting blogs and replying to comments. I'm in Kansas this week visiting the AMAZING Vic Caswell, so I'm a little behind on a few things.

BUT! I'm also with Carol Riggs!!! I know, I'm amazing. Thank you, internet! :)

She's interviewing me on her blog today, so check it out!! And say hi. I love it when people say hi. :)

My Teenage Heartthrobs!!

Today is the day! The day where we put up those gorgeous pictures of our teen crushes. To have a looksie at all the other participants, click the links on the blog hop linky to the right or visit fellow hostesses Vic Caswell and Sarah Ahiers.

Here are my top seven picks (from bottom to top)!!

7:

Oh yeah, baby, he most certainly was a fresh prince. ;)

6:

Mmmm...Rider Strong. Questionable name aside, he was gorgeous and graced my walls for many years.

5:

Seaquest was on my tv every week and it wasn't because of the talking dolphin. Jonathan Brandis was the reason I sat through a stupid movie like Ladybugs.

4.

I actually had this exact poster of Devon Sawa on my ceiling. I woke up to his beautiful face every morning. :)

3.

Prince William. He's gorgeous. He's a prince. What more could a girl want?

2.

I honestly didn't know if I should put Elijah Wood on the number two slot or go ahead and name him my favorite. Honestly, I still kind of have a crush on him. Just look at those eyes. I feel like he's staring deep into my soul.

1.

This boy right here is the reason Elijah Wood didn't make number one. I was obsessed with Elden Henson from the moment I first saw this scene on The Mighty Ducks. If I could have met just one of my crushes, this is the boy I'd pick. Every boy I ever liked in middle school and high school looked like him one way or another.

How about you, dear readers? Who were your crushes?

Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs!!