I Was a Tween-Age Werewolf

When I was 9 and 10 years old I spent most of my time (when out of school) with my neighbor, Tracy.

She was awesome! She was the kind of girl that would lead you into woods and not think about the consequences of getting lost, or kidnapped, or maybe falling into the creek. 

We did crazy things together like try to catch cars while on roller skates, and try her dad's Red Man, and spit out her dad's Red Man, and we even had our own paranormal newspaper.

A paranormal newspaper?

YUP! 

Well, it was more like a little rag sheet where we made up things but it was really fun.... most of it we made up.... most of it.

Those were the carefree days of my youth where I didn't think anything would hurt me... until.... one day... Tracy told me I was bitten by a werewolf one night when I spending the night at her house.

She said it came through the window and she tried to fight him off but he bit me and soon.... I would be one too.

Folks... I was nine years old and I believed every word she told me!

I panicked! I didn't want to be a werewolf. It scared the living daylights out of me!

For the rest of the month she watched the moon with me and told me soon I would change. And again... I believed every word she told me.

On the night of the full moon I was at my house freaking out! I sat in my bedroom and waited. I hid under the covers, I tried to go to sleep, it wouldn't surprise me if I cried.

I went to my Mom and asked her if she believed in full moons and werewolves. I didn't have the heart that soon I would turn into one and eat her. She laughed at me and told me how sometimes the moon affected people at the hospital where she worked but she had never seen a werewolf.

I went back to bed and waited to change. I have no clue when I fell asleep but I know that I did. And when I woke up to my surprise everyone was still alive. I didn't change!

I went over to Tracy's house that afternoon to triumphantly tell her she had to have been mistaken. That I had NOT been bitten by a werewolf. But that's when she told me...

"Well duh! The clouds covered the moon last night! You'll change next month!"

And the madness started all over again ;)

So, I think that experience is what started my love with werewolves because you see.... I was a tween-age werewolf.... and at 33 year old I'm still just waiting for my full moon to come.

Hooray!

Hooray!

Just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who downloaded a copy of Ryder from Amazon over these past couple of days.

It was really fun watching the numbers go up and I hope to do it again real soon.

Did you miss out?

Still want to read Ryder for free?

If you have Amazon Prime then you are in luck!

All Amazon Prime members have the benefit of checking Ryder out of the Kindle Lending Library.

Super awesome! 

Happy Birthday Piper!

Happy Birthday Piper!

Today is your special day!

Hurry up and eat the cake before the moon comes out!

But wait!

What about our guests?

We can't leave them empty handed, now can we?

What can we give them on your special day?

Oh! I know!

How about a free copy of Ryder?!

That's right, folks!

Starting today until April 4th at 11:59 PST Ryder will be available for free download on Amazon.

Don't have a kindle but still want a copy of Ryder?

Well, then I can help you out.

Simply email me with the HAPPY BIRTHDAY PIPER as your header and I can send you a PDF file that should work on most e-readers.

gretamaloney@gmail.com

But remember.... 

even though you are getting a free gift there is still one thing 

we must never forget

Into a Different Kind of Spotlight

We all have inspirations when writing.

One of the biggest inspirations while I was writing Ryder was my neighbor, Fay.

She is the reason that Ryder's grandmother - Marti - even existed.

Fay was my neighbor for many years. A strong powerful woman full of love who quilted and took care of people. She was like a mother to me and my husband. She was a grandmother to my son.

Fay was one of the most inspirational women to have an impact on my life.

She comforted me when I was sad. She believed in me. She would wrap her arms around me when I was having a bad day, would listen to my gripe about work, and always had the right answers.

They don't really make women like Fay anymore.

After my husband graduated college he got a job in Birmingham and we had to move away from Fay. Of course we tried to keep in touch but life happens and sometimes you forget to write home.

A couple of months ago we got a phone call. Fay asked my husband to be her pallbearer. It wasn't the kind of call we were expecting.

We saw Fay back in January. It was one of the toughest days in my life. I had never said goodbye to someone like Fay. I had never said goodbye to anyone.

I wanted to tell Fay about Marti. I wanted her to know how much of an inspiration she was to me. And I did. And I cried. And Fay put her arms out and told me to 'Come Here'. She made me sit in her lap as she rocked my like a child. I felt like I was within the pages of Love You Forever.

I told Fay everything. And the most important thing I wanted her to know was how much I loved her. We don't say it enough in my family. Growing up I rarely heard it from my parents. That's just the way we are. We know it but we don't come out and say it. We're a rough kind of people. But while I was a neighbor to Fay she would always tell her sons "Love You" when they were leaving. This was foreign to me and one day I asked her why she did that. She told me that she wanted that to always be the last thing they heard from her just in case something happened.

And as we said our final goodbyes before we got into the car, Fay wrapped her arms around me as I cried into her neck and she said, "Remember, I love you."

And that's the last thing that Fay said to me.

We got the phone call on Tuesday that our Fay had passed away. And even though she's gone... I'll always remember that she loves me.

Love you Fay! Love you!

Amazon Prime

It's become apparent to me that Ryder is getting most of it's sales from Amazon.

Is this a problem?

Of course not!

But I think I can make it easier.

I came to the decision to stop selling Ryder from B&N and Smashwords and only offer it on Amazon.

The reason?

AMAZON PRIME BABY!

For Kindle Device Owners

Borrow this book for free on a Kindle device with Amazon Prime. Buy a Kindle today and start your Amazon Prime free trial to borrow this book at no cost.

With Prime, Kindle owners can choose from thousands of books to borrow for free – including over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers – as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates. Learn more about Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

That's right! I mean.... I only sold one copy on B&N (and I know who that person is) and no copies on Smash... so that means most people are getting their red hoodie on over at Amazon. So, what can I do to entice more people to read? Why, offer it for free to Prime Members, of course!

And that is what I did.

Of course there are other advantages to this which I will reveal at a later date. But for now if you have Prime you are a part of an exclusive club that can read Ryder for free.

Huzzah !!

Being Human

I am human just like everyone else. I make mistakes. I stumble. And sometimes I even forget to close the freezer door. It has been brought to my attention by a few of my dear friends that Ryder is not perfect.

There are many typos and a great deal of formatting errors.

I know! Yikes is Right!! But you know what?

My dear friend and author, Robert J. Duperre, is taking the time to point these out to me. All I can say is I am deeply grateful to all his efforts in making Ryder the best it can be.

Until then, I will have this matter taken care of in the near future. Ryder is a learning experience and I hope everyone can bare with me while I take the time to learn form my mistakes. While I should be anxious about these mistakes I must remember....

Everything will be ok as long as I am in the right frame of mind :)

I have lovely pills that help with this. Thanks Doc!

In Ryder News

!~!~!~!Wow!~!~!~!

What a busy week! I had no idea that self-publication was going to be so overwhelming, tiring, and wonderful all wrapped into one big wad of twisted kinky garden hose.

Along with plugging and participating in giveaways, I have also been getting the most awesome of pictures.

Check it out!

Ryder on Kindle!

Can you hear the squees?!!

Also, I have been given two of the bestest reviews EVER from I Read, I Write, I Review  and Can't Put it Down.

Both reviews made me squee with fuzzy kitten delight! Super sonic SQUEE DIDDLES!

I can't wait to find out what everyone thinks. But I must be patient. As a book blog reviewer I know that these things take time. Everyone's TBR Pile is always a mountain and right now I'm at the bottom of that stack. But I'm confident in time I'll make it to the top. Until then, I'll wait patiently :)

Have a great day, everyone!