Just a Few Updates Both Personal and Book-related

This week and last week have been incredibly busy. Blog tours are definitely big projects for an author, at least if you want to do one justice.  I've had two back to back, one coinciding with the release of Hellscapes, Volume II last week and this week for Heart of a Lion.

The posts, interviews, and reviews have gone very well. I got several amazing reviews for Hellscapes, Volume II, and have already added a couple more good ones for Heart of a Lion this week.  I hope everyone is enjoying the guest posts and interviews, as they do shed more light on my personal world, my writing, my approaches to writing, and both Hellscapes II and Heart of a Lion in particular.  It does take a lot of work to do a blog tour.  For example, I rounded out three guest posts today that totaled about 4,100 words.  That's a good chunk of output, writing-wise.

I really make every effort to make each post special and I think that comes across to anyone who reads of them.  I put in the extra effort out of respect for the blog hosts and readers, as I want to give both my very best.  I really enjoyed putting together the three new posts, one that has a list of theme songs I picked for Heart of a Lion, another that lists my "sweet sixteen" of all-time fantasy movies, and one that discusses five of my most inspirational heroines from history, legend and screen.

The blog tour for Heart of a Lion wraps up Sunday, and then the Fire HD 8 contest I sponsored that covered both tours (Heart of a Lion and Hellscapes, Volume II).  I intend to get a little downtime after that as I've had the afterburner going solid for this period.

I have been hitting my training really hard.  Krav Maga workouts are really intensive and I have been seeing more progress physically.  I really look forward to the daily workouts, as they are a period in which I clear my mind and also let a lot of things out.  Today I had a Danzig playlist cranking on the speakers and I hit it hard. I have been having some of my best workouts ever lately and am very focused on my training.

Saturday I'll be going on a tour of the Wild Turkey Distillery, joining my good friends Eric and Kylie Jude, Rachel Jude, Lisa Marie Ross, Bobby Little and Robin Blankenship.  Time to get another stamp on my Bourbon Trail passport book.  Should be a lot of fun and I'm REALLY looking forward to it after going full throttle recently.

I'll close out with a photo of me with my brand new Pete's Wok t-shirt. As folks who know me are well-aware, Pete's Wok is my favorite eatery of all time, and Pete Spencer, the owner, inspired the Lee Chen character in my Fires in Eden series.  I sometimes eat there five times in a week.  Ahhh. the life of a bachelor (though I'd love to change that status, LOL).  But the food is great, I eat healthy, and I support a great family and their business.  A win-win all around! :)