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?