I'm Being Interviewed!

I'm over at the Believing is Seeing blog today talking about Arctic Winds and my plans for the series. If you have a minute, stop on by and say hi!

http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/tuesday-teaser-sondrae-bennett/

Madly in Love Monday - not just for romance

Good morning everyone! It's the start of another week and for me time to really crack down. Last week was a lazy week for me. Despite the fact that I continued to set goals for myself, I rarely met them. So today it's time for me to buckle down and make up all those lost words.

But not only does Monday mean a fresh start. It also means another Madly in Love Monday post. Madly in Love is a weekly feature on my blog where I talk about a book that I've fallen so madly in love with, I want to share it with all of you. Most weeks I talk about a favorite romance of any and all sub-genres. But today I've got something special in mind. Today, I'm talking about one of my all time favorite books...

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Ender's Game is a Science Fiction novel that has become a cult phenomenon, and if you're a fan of Sci-Fi and read the book, you'll understand why. This book is one of those books you just can't put down once you start. It centers around a very unique world that draws readers in and holds them captive. While the ending may be a tiny bit predictable, it still manages to tie the book off in a thoroughly satisfying manner. 

blurb: In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister. Back on Earth, Peter and Valentine forge an intellectual alliance and attempt to change the course of history.

If you're a fan of Science Fiction, this is a book not to be missed!

What's your favorite non-romance read?

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes!

First thing first, I have a couple announcements. Lyrical Press is being featured at Books on Board and Arctic Winds is one of the featured books (a feature within a feature!). It's listed as HOT. I'm not sure what that means exactly but it sounds good!  HERE is the link. I also wanted to once again thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday and participated in the giveaway.

Now onto our main topic...taxes. That's right ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again. Tax season. If you're one of those people who did your taxes the first of February, well, good for you. I, on the other hand, spent the morning hunched over my paperwork, a calculator at my side, crunching numbers and checking boxes. Not very fun.

By far my least favorite thing about taxes is the anxiety that comes with it. Personally, I rarely (at least to date) have to pay end of the year taxes. My household income is low enough that I usually receive a small refund. But every time I come to a question that is the slightest bit ambiguous, I feel the anxiety creep up. What do I answer? Do I list that travel stipend I received? I don't know what happened to these receipts! I know I shouldn't worry. Truthfully, I doubt the IRA would audit me for my lousy income and even if they do, I doubt they're going to throw me in jail for not listing a $200 travel stipend (which I ended up listing anyway because paranoia set in). Logically, I know it will be okay but I never seem to listen to logic. I end up biting my nails and spend an endless amount of time debating my answer.

As with everything, where there is a least favorite thing, there's also a favorite thing. My favorite thing about taxes? Sure the refund is great. But my favorite thing about taxes is the relief that comes with finishing them. The sigh of relief you feel knowing there's a whole year between you and the next tax season! A huge weight is lifted off your shoulder until next year, which is so far away you don't even think about it.

Have you done your taxes yet? Do you get the same anxiety over your answers that I do?

And the Winner is...

Wow. Such an amazing turn out for my Birthday Giveaway! Thank you all for the birthday wishes! I had a nice and relaxing but fantastic day. When all the twitter and facebooking was tallied we had 21 entries! So thank you everyone who participated and those who helped get the word out about the contest out.

Without further ado the winner is (drumroll please):

Maria Zannini

Thank you again to everyone who commented and Congratulations Maria! You will be getting an email from me shortly.

I'm being interviewed!

I'm being interviewed over at Bitten by Paranormal Romance! Come on by and take a look!

http://www.bittenbyparanormalromance.com/2011/03/interview-with-guest-romance-author.html?showComment=1300891909856#c6066055090670164761

Also, the contest to win a copy of Arctic Winds closes in two hours! So if you haven't entered yet and you want to, hurry up and enter HERE!

It's My Bithday! And a Giveaway!

That's right. It is indeed my birthday! It's also almost one year ago today (a few days off but still this week) that I got the email accepting my submission for Arctic Winds. And yes, before you ask, it was pretty much the best late birthday gift ever! So in celebration of both my birthday and the one year anniversary, I'm going to be giving away a copy of Arctic Winds!

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your email address anytime before Wednesday (March 23rd) at 1pm EST. Winner will be announced shortly afterward on Wednesday. If you don't want to leave your email on the blog for privacy reasons, feel free to email it to me at SondraeBennett@gmail.com after you comment. Extra entries will be awarded to anyone who helps spread the word about the contest!

• Twitter (+1 entry) just be sure to include @sondraebennett so I know about it.
• Facebook (+1 entry) Please comment with a link to the facebook post.
• Blog (+2 entries) Please comment with a link to the post with the giveaway mention

But even if you don't spread the word, you still get an entry for commenting so be sure not to miss out! The copy can be sent as either a PDF copy or a gifted Kindle copy (whichever format is preferred). You don't have to be a follower to enter (since I know not everyone is on blogger) but please take a look around and hopefully you'll like what you see!

Good Luck!



Who Do You Think You're Kidding

No matter who you are or what your walk of life, we all have those days. The days when your inner critic, that little voice inside your head, says to you: Who do you think you're kidding? You can't do that. You're making a fool of yourself. Or my least favorite phrase from my critic: They're gonna find out you're a fraud.

Yes, when my critic pops up, she often calls me a fraud. Why? I couldn't tell you. Maybe it's just another way of telling myself I'm not good enough. That the people who like what I do, whether in writing or in something else (and yes, this feeling is not limited to my work) are fooled by something. A way of writing off my achievements.

Even knowing this is insecurity talking. knowing that my critic isn't real and isn't telling the truth doesn't make the voice go away. And there's no telling when or why she will appear. She doesn't necessarily pop up after a bad review or after some rejection. In fact, more often than not, it's some small level of success that brings out the inner critic. In the two or three days leading up to my book release, my critic came in full force. The day my hair dresser gushed over my book while I was there, my critic whispered her doubts in my ear.

So what's a person to do when their inner Ebert comes out to play? Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you. I haven't found a method of silencing that voice. The only thing I'm able to do is sink myself into my work, try and tune out the voice, and let time quiet it.

Do you have an inner critic? What do you do to silence it?

Madly in Love Monday 3/14

This weekend was a surprisingly unproductive weekend for me. I got a bit of work done on Sunday but even that was less than expected. But now it's Monday. A fresh start! And because it's Monday, it's time for another Madly in Love post.

Basically (for any new followers), Madly in Love is a post I do every Monday where I share a book I'm so Madly in Love with that I want to shout it from the rooftops. I feature all sorts of books, mostly romances of every genre but occasionally throw in something different.

Today, I tried to narrow it down to one book by the author I picked and quite honestly, couldn't do it. So, I picked three. All written by Lisa Kleypas.

The first book I've chosen is Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas. Years ago, this cover caught my eye while I was browsing through the romance section and immediately caught my attention. I'd never heard of Lisa Kleypas before but I bought the book and started it right away. And I fell in love. Not just with her characters, who were just perfectly written and developed. Not just with her story, which was great. But with the writing itself. I ate up everything in her backlist (not literaly of course) and since then have fallen in love with her characters over and over again.

Which leads me to my second and third books I've chosen today. Lisa Kleypas has two very popular series that are really just phenomenal reads. The Wallflowers series and The Hathaways. I couldn't talk about Ms. Kleypas and not mention these two as they are both still one of my favorite series. The first book in the Wallflowers series and one I've re-read many many times is Secrets of a Summers Night and the first book in the Hathaway series is Mine Till Midnight.

So if you're looking for a fantastic historical romance, check out Lisa Kleypas. As a last note, I adore her covers.

What book are you Madly in Love with?

Help! My TBR pile is about to explode!

I've seen a lot of posts lately about how large people's TBR (to be read) piles are. I'm no exception. Last night, I went on to Goodreads and added all the samples I had downloaded to my Kindle (over twenty) onto my To Read list. In some ways it was a relief. No longer do I have to scroll through pages and pages of samples to get to the end of my list. But when I was finished, I realized I had over fifty books on my To Read list. Fifty-three to be exact. And most of the series books, I only listed the first one or the next one I have to read instead of the whole series. Of these 53 books, I have already purchased thirteen. That's a lot of books!

I consider myself an avid reader. I usually read one to two books a week. Probably about five or six a month. I know to some of you that's nothing, but for me it seems like a lot! At that rate, it would take me two to three months just to get through the books I own! In reality, new books are coming out all the time that I add to the list. I also only have one or two of the free books out of about fifteen I download off of Amazon on the list. Free kindle books is one of my addictions. Almost as bad as my coffee addiction, although not quite.

To be honest, I'm feeling a bit out of control. Whenever I log onto Goodreads-- which by the way is one of my favorite new sites! If you're on, you should friend me and if you aren't, you should join-- I find even more books to add to the list. But while I'm panicking over the length of my TBR pile, a part of me is secretly pleased. I have at least fifty-three awesome books to read.

Here are some of the books at the top of my list:

1. No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole *This is actually my current read but I thought I'd keep it on as the series is all going on the list and I've purchased the next four books.







2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This book was on my Christmas list and Santa brought it for me but I haven't read it yet. Very excited for this one!






3. As You Wish by Nichelle Gregory. Nichelle is an awesome blogger and fellow romance author and she has a new book out. I loved her book 'Lovin' Leela' and can't wait to read this one.





4. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. I've been looking forward to reading this book for awhile and somehow something always comes up before I start it.






5. Storm Born by Richelle Mead. This is a book that I found from a Goodreads recommendation and it immediately jumped to the top of my list. The story seems unique and interesting and I just cannot wait to read it!

Those are my top 5 TBR books. What do you have on your TBR pile?

Announcement and Some Hunks

First, the announcement! I wanted to make sure I mentioned that this week, March 6th thru the 12th,  is Read an E-book Week. Sooo... if you haven't read Arctic Winds, now would be a great time! But regardless of whether you have or haven't, make sure you support e-authors everywhere and give electronic reading a try! For more details as well as some contest and deals, check out the Read an E-book website HERE.

Now onto your normal Wednesday programming. Last week, I featured a couple sexy cowboys on my hunks for hunk day post. The post got me thinking about one of my favorite real life cowboy, Colby Donaldson.

You may know Colby from his new hosting duties on the reality show Top Shot. But it's more likely you know him from Survivor. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge survivor fan. In fact, I used to participate in a poll during my college years where we picked contestants we thought were going to win (like horse races but with Survivor). We also had our own Survivor competitions but that's a story for another day.

So thinking of Colby, who is not only handsome and sexy but also a true gentleman with a brain to boot, I wanted to have a "Hunks for Hump Day (The Survivor Edition)". There are lots of hunks I could have featured this week but I choose two others besides Colby.

One of my favorite survivors of all times is: Boston Rob Mariano. Boston Rob is very different from Colby Donaldson. In fact, on the Heroes VS. Villains season this past year, the two played on opposite teams. But they do have one thing in common. Both have the ability to make me giggle like a little girl. There is something about bad boy Boston Rob that I just can't get enough of. He's returned for his forth season, this season, and I can only hope he goes far so that I can watch him for longer. Too bad he is firmly in love with fellow Survivor contestant, Amber Brkich. They met during All Stars and we all got to watch their romance begin. I do adore a good love story.

When thinking about Survivor hunks, one name sticks out. James Clement. But I do have to add a bit of a disclaimer to any fellow Survivor fans out there. I think James is gorgeous but I don't love his personality. I hated his behavior on Heroes VS. Villains, especially as it resulted in one of my all time favorite survivors, Stephanie Lagrossa, being voted out very early in the game. But since hunks for hump day is all about the visual, I needed to mention him. He is good eye candy. Drool away people!

Since I know not everyone is such huge fans of Survivor, I'll make the question a bit less specific today. Who is your favorite reality television hunk?

Madly in Love Monday 3/7

Well, it's the start of another week. This week and next is going to be all about edits for me. I'm working with a new editor over at Lyrical for The Wolf Within and with a new editor there are all these new fears. I really want to put my best foot forward. I'm very excited to get started on TWW, though. Something about this particular story calls to me as none of the others have. I can't wait to see it improve through the editing process.

But enough about edits. Today is Monday. And you all know what that means! Another Madly in Love Monday. This is a feature on my blog where I choose one book that I'm "madly in love" with to share with you all.

Today, I've decided to feature the master of menage, Tymber Dalton. When thinking of Tymber Dalton, there are a couple different books that ran through my mind. But in the end, I had to choose one of my favorites of hers:

Love at First Bight. Now, I'm not normally drawn to this type of premise, the woman signs up to go into space which means she has to sleep with the men on her mission for seven years. Usually that premise is a major drawback for me. I want emotional connections and bonds to form before anything happens. But I picked up this book anyway because Ms. Dalton had never done me wrong and I'm so glad I did.

Ms. Dalton manages to write compelling characters that are all different and yet fit perfectly together as a unit. The story kept me interested throughout and made me wish the story had gone on forever. Each man offered Emi something different, yet something equally needed.

If you don't mind something a bit more racy that will get your blood pumping and make your heart swoon. Check out Love at First Bight.

WARNING: M/M/F/M with M/M situations

What book is your "madly in love" pick this week?