New Release!

Are you looking for a modern day fairy tale? One filled with heartache, redemption, love and magic?

You can now buy FADE INTO ME in print and for Kindle. 

Blurb: Caeden Frey doesn’t believe humans will evolve to see the magic, much less control it. Even so, he has two months to marry a human or face the wrath of the High Council. Bitter about a responsibility he thinks prevents him marrying for love, he figures any human girl will do. He’s ready to propose when his soul mate stumbles into—and right out of—his arms. Human, Ryanne Killian might be Caedan’s one shot at happiness while still fulfilling his duty. Unfortunately, she guards a dark secret. She’s determined to push Caedan away to protect him from her past. Caedan must convince her she’s worthy of his love before a rival family puts an end to his wedding plans. If she can see her own worth, she just might save herself and his people. Links: Buy it on Amazon Read the first 2 chapters Website Twitter Facebook Pinterest Idea Board for Fade Into Me Sign up to win a free signed copy on Goodreads!

It's Been a Year! New Nano and Novel

Today is November 1st!

That means National Novel Writing Month (Nano for short) has started. Some of you may know that my first published novel, THE MAGIC WAKES, started as a Nano project in 2008. This year I'm continuing to edit the second novel in the series AND get the third one drafted for Nano. Wish me luck!

As if that wasn't enough to keep me busy, I'm actively working to get another novel ready for publication. I'm joining the ranks of Indie Publishers with my Urban Fantasy titled FADE INTO ME. This book also started with Nano.

Nanowrimo 2011 was the only year I didn't explore Talia's world. Instead I met a troubled girl named Ryanne. She had secrets I didn't want to uncover, but her desperate need to be loved in spite of her scars kept drawing me back to her. I finally finished her story in 2013. Early this year I dug into revisions with a drive I hadn't felt since THE MAGIC WAKES (WiDo Publishing, 2013).

I was on fire.

FIM has been through multiple beta readers and grown into something I never could have planned. Some people will love it. Others won't get it. It's about a co-dependent girl who protects those who hurt her and runs from those who can make her whole.  Her reactions and inner struggles are based on similar ones of many women I've met in my life. All of us had to learn we are worthy of love and embrace those who knew too.

This month I'm running a kickstarter to pay for a professional editor and typesetter. With any luck, I'll make my goal and this book will be available early next year. Please take a moment to watch my video about the project. The book trailer is at the end. Then think of it this way, a $12 pledge is like pre-ordering a signed print copy of FADE INTO ME. I will be selling the print copy for $12 on Amazon and other places when it's available, but it won't be signed!

Thanks in advance for any support you can give. Even if that's just tweeting, facebooking and telling your neighbors and family about the project.

Blurb:

Aliens live among us. Their purpose: to protect and nurture their greatest mistake—mankind.

Caedan Frey’s family has fulfilled this duty for thousands of years, but it doesn’t free him from his obligation as prince of the Reparation. Although he doesn't believe humans will evolve to see the magic, much less control it, he has two months to marry one or face the wrath of the High Council. Bitter about a responsibility he thinks prevents him from marrying for love, he figures any human girl will do. He's ready to propose when his soul mate stumbles into—and right out—of his arms.

Human, Ryanne Killian might be his one shot at happiness while still fulfilling his duty. Unfortunately, she guards a dark secret within her co-dependent personality, and she thinks the only way to protect Caedan is to push him away.

Caedan must convince her she’s worthy of his love before the men who hurt her before steal more than her virtue. If she can see her own worth, she just might save herself and his people.

What do you think? Does it sound like something you'd read?

Click HERE to read the first 2 chapters.

Early Praise for FIM--

Fade Into Me was a remarkable read. I couldn't put it down! Bradford writes the story with so much conviction, I wondered if she was trying to tell us all something about the human race. The book is clean and well written. The character building hooked me from page one. The author's imagination helps make the book come to life. I give the book a 5 out of 5 rating! Great read for all audiences! I can't wait for others to be able to discover this new Urban Fantasy!

~Alicia Rivoli - Author of The Enchantment Series

I love the glimpse into two different worlds and can't wait to see how they collide! I have a clear picture in my mind as I read, I can't help but visualize Caeden's world-not something I can usually do in the first chapter of a book. I'm only disappointed I can't read the rest yet!

~Trish

Stellar Cloud: A Collection of Short Stories

Do you need a short story for when you're stuck in traffic? How about while sitting the doctor's office? Try out these six shorts on for size. Stellar Cloud is a science fiction collection available in print and for Kindle on Amazon.

Blurb:
A soldier struggles with the emptiness left behind by amnesia until he learns he is more than the world would have him remember. The earth is desolate, and only one ship of humans remains. An assassin plays god, dealing out justice and mercy as he sees fit.

Explore the outer reaches of the imagination through these and other short stories. From brainwashed clones to winged aliens of destruction, the stories in Stellar Cloud will pull in any lover of science fiction and fantasy.

As a bonus feature the prologue and first chapter of THE MAGIC WAKES is included at the end of the collection.

This Blog is No Longer Active

But I'm sure you've noticed that. I'll leave everything here for reference but there won't be anything new.
For the last year I've been putting all my blogging efforts into my writing blog and getting published. That's right!

My debut mash up of science fiction, fantasy and romance is now available on Amazon. You can pre-order the print copy that will be available on February 19th or you can buy and read the Kindle version today.

For more information, visit my official webpage at:

charitybradford.com

Scientist Talia Zaryn has always dreamt of an alien invasion and her own death. She’s kept it a secret, hoping it is nothing more than childish nightmares. But when the face in the mirror matches that of her dreams, she knows death is imminent  If she can prove that life exists beyond her planet, Sendek, perhaps people will prepare to fight.

Her work at the Space Exploration Foundation leaves no time for personal relationships, but Major Landry Sutton isn’t looking for a friend. He’s looking for a traitor. His ability to sense emotions convinces him Talia is that traitor until a touch sizzles between them. In an instant their minds are connected and they can communicate telepathically. Just as the two begin to trust each other, the invading force arrives.

Talia and Landry must uncover the secrets of Sendek’s past if they hope to defeat these terrifying creatures. Talia is the key–if she can learn to trust the magic coursing through her veins.

I'm getting published!

I've been AWOL from this blog for quite a while. But for good reason.

Sendek: The Magic Wakes is getting published!

So how did this happen? Well, it has been a torturous waiting period even after I knew something was going to happen. The first week of March I received the following email:

Charity,

You have done an excellent job revising this manuscript, and I am very glad you resubmitted it. I would like to offer you a contract for publication of Sendek in our 2013 line-up. If this is agreeable to you, please let me know and I will put together a contract for you to review.

I hope to hear from you soon.

This made me VERY happy. And then I realized I couldn't do anything about it until I was cut from ABNA. A weird month followed. I flipped from hoping to get cut to wanting to make it another round. Can you blame me now for having a hard time writing? I just couldn't decide what I wanted.

So I prayed and left it up to someone else.

The end of March I was cut from ABNA, but the feedback was so good I had twinges of indecision again. Maybe I should keep trying for an agent?

Whatever, I emailed the acquisitions editor the very day I was cut to let her know I was free from any obligations.

Then I waited another agonizingly long week for a reply. When it came it was to give me a date that the contract would show up for me to look over. That day was an entirely different roller coaster ride.

I was ecstatic for several hours. And then I crashed. Who was I to know what I was looking at with this contract? What if I was signing everything away and didn't even know it? Yes, I was getting editors to help me, but what was I REALLY signing up for?

The truth was two fold. Part of me was still holding on to that agent dream, and the other part of me is still an insecure teenager despite the growing number of candles on my birthday cakes.

I set the contract aside and left for spring break. I had waited years, and now I needed it to wait so I could calm down and think rationally.

When I looked at it again, my hubby and I wrote down any questions we had and I called WiDo. Bruce Gowan walked me through everything and was so nice about it all. In the end I just felt GOOD about the whole thing. It was finally my turn to stop fearing success and take things into my own hands.

What am I the most excited about? 

• Having a team of people help me make Sendek the best story it can be and then helping me spread the word about it. 
• People will finally get to read the whole story. I hope they like it as much as I do.
• I don't feel like I gave anything up by choosing a smaller publisher. In fact, I think this will end up being a much better choice for me and my family.  

In preparation, I created a Facebook Page for my novel. Please go "Like it". When I get an ISBN I'll create a Goodreads page as well. Also, if you want more information about this process as I go through it, check out my main blog Charity's Writing Journey.

What kind of things do you like to see on pages like that?

Things We Take for Granted--Smell

There are so many things in this beautiful world that we take for granted. The ability to smell for instance.

You may recall that I've wanted to create a smell thesaurus for a while but due to lack of interest I've not made much progress. Whether it's because I'm too lazy or just too busy with other things, I'll never know, but several months ago I received this email.

Charity,

I read your blog about smells in writing, it was really interesting. I've always had an excellent ability to smell and takes me back to places and people.

The reason I am writing to you is because my 4 year old son was born without olfactory bulbs and has complete anosmia. He has absolutely no idea what anyone is talking about when it comes to smell, it makes me very sad because he's missing out on a whole world of experiences. His memory is absolutely amazing and is photographic I believe. He remembers details to buildings he saw a year ago. who worked there. etc. Things that I wouldn't notice...

Do you know how in which way I can describe to him what smell is? I never realized until now how many times a day I mention a smell. He has amazing language skills but is lost in social skills and it looks like he's missing something...I wonder if this social issue has something to do with his complete inability to smell. Maybe if I can explain to him in an appropriate way he could understand what this is? But I have no idea how to go about explaining a simple smell since he has nothing to compare it to.

And are there other senses that can be heightened if there is no ability to smell?

Jade

So, what do you think?  

How would you describe smell, any smell, the ability to smell, to someone who never smelled anything?

Facial Expressions--Embarrassment

I've been thinking about this one a lot lately. As I've been switching one of my WIPs from 1st person POV to 3rd person POV, I've had to think about how to show things in a different way. Embarrassment being one of them.

For instance, I have two characters who have been denying their attraction to each other for almost 200 pages. Something happens to bring their mortality to mind and they find themselves lip locked. It's a surprise to both of them and they are a embarrassed and a bit annoyed with themselves for losing control. When I was in 1st person I used internal dialogue to show Talia's frustration, but that doesn't work now that I'm in 3rd person.

So, here are some visual and verbal clues to help us show embarrassment in our writing. The following is a combination of information I found at these sites:
The Bookshelf Muse
Wikipedia
Thesaurus.Com

Let's break it down.

Embarrass

Part of Speech: verb
Definition:     cause mental discomfort
Synonyms:     abash, agitate, annoy, bewilder, bother, bug, catch one short, chagrin, confuse, discombobulate, discomfit, discompose, disconcert, discountenance, distract, distress, disturb, dumbfound, faze, fluster, give a bad time, give a hard time, hang up, irk, let down*, make a monkey of, mortify, nonplus, perplex, perturb, plague, put in a hole, put in a spot, put on the spot, put out of countenance, puzzle, rattle, shame, show up, stun, tease, throw, throw into a tizzy, upset
Antonyms:     comfort, gladden, help, please

Embarrassment

• An emotional state of intense discomfort with oneself, experienced upon having a socially unacceptable act or condition witnessed by or revealed to others. 
• Usually some amount of loss of honor or dignity is involved.
• To become self-conscious.
• To place in doubt, perplexity, or difficulties

I also believe we experience embarrassment when we indulge in activity, comments, whatever that we personally feel is unacceptable--whether society accepts it or not. In my above example, kissing is quite acceptable between two people, but these particular characters have higher personal priorities that stand to be disrupted by becoming emotionally or physically attached to someone else. Thus their embarrassment at giving in and then enjoying it more than they think they should have. :)

Emotional Responses:

• cheeks/forehead getting warm, flushing, burning, reddening
• desire to run away (fight or flight)
• lightheadedness, tingling in chest/stomach
• wish to hide
• anger at oneself, or another (misplacing blame to feel better about self)

Visual Signs: (See Bookshelf Muse for the full list)

• feet shuffling
• covering oneself: crossing arms, closing jacket, etc.
• pulling at collar
• wincing, ducking head
• fidgeting, squirming
• stuttering, stammering
• looking down/inability to meet someone's eyes
• shoving hands in pockets
• rapid walking with head down to get away
• hiding behind long hair
• laughing 

Isn't it interesting how the visual signs make sense with what the person feels? Someone who feels like running away will have a hard time standing still. Those who just want to disappear will find ways to hide--covering part of face, letting hair drop down to hide them, shoving hands in pocket, etc.