Author Spotlight: Pamela S. Thibodeaux

Today I am introducing everyone to Pamela S. Thibodeaux. You may have heard of her and if not her books are defintely something you should check out. Pam is a published author with The Wild Rose Press. Some of her books include: A Hero for Jessica; Choices; Cathy's Angel; The Inheritance. Here is her biography from her website: Born May 19, 1961, Pamela S Thibodeaux is a housewife, the mother of four children (two by blood and two by marriage) and grandmother of two. She currently resides in her hometown of Iowa, Louisiana (about 15 miles east of Lake Charles) with her husband Terry. Though Pam now works in Lake Charles as a Licensed Sales Producer in the Insurance industry her past work history is as colorful as her writing resume! Leaving in March of 1978 to marry at sixteen, Pam obtained her GED from Iowa High School in April that same year. At that point-between marrying and having babies- she began her career as a bookkeeper by keeping records for her father’s construction business. Since, she has worked in professions ranging from cashier in fast food restaurants and convenience stores to a full-charge bookkeeper and tax preparer. In 1992 she earned an Associate Degree in Office Occupations, specializing in Computer Applications from Sowella Regional Technical Institute. She is also the Co-founder and a member of the Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. A former member of American Christian Fiction Writers (formerly ACRW), Golden Triangle Writers Guild, Coeur de Louisiane and RWA, Pam won Coeur's 1999 "Diamond In The Rough" as well as their 2000 "Ruby" Award and received her RWA Pro Pin in 2001. Multi-published in fiction and non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as "Inspirational with an Edge!" and reviewed as "Steamier and grittier than the typical Christian without decreasing the message." A committed Christian, she firmly believes in God and His promises. God is very real to her and she feels that people today need and want to hear more of His truths wherever they can glean them. Although her writing is Inspirational, she does her best to encourage readers to develop a personal relationship with God. The deepest desire of her heart is to glorify God and to get His message of faith, trust and forgiveness to a hurting world. Her hope is that all of her stories will touch the lives of everyone who reads them and - in some way - bring them a truer knowledge of God and urge them into a closer walk with Him. To view more about Pam visit her site http://pamelathibodeaux.com/ Or view her blog to see what is going on in her life right now http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com/ Now on to some exciting news! Pam is having a contest January 31-February 13. The details are below, be sure to sign up for some great gifts and good luck. A Sweetheart of a Contest As we all know, the flagging economy is forcing businesses to make tough decisions and the book industry is no exception. Book stores are closing. Publishers are laying off people, cutting back on production, and pulling titles from distribution. What’s an author to do? Get those sales up. So, Fellow author and Friend, Pamela S Thibodeaux, is having a Valentine’s Day contest Where Everyone Gets a Gift! Between Jan. 31st & Feb. 13th Everyone who enters will receive Thib’s Teaser (a pdf with blurbs/excerpts/discount coupons/short story) AND their name will be entered into a drawing for the GRAND PRIZE – simply email Pertinent Promotions at ppromocntst@aol.com with Sweetheart Contest in the subject line. No Purchase Necessary to Participate ~HOWEVER ~ Purchase any (1) Tempered novel and, along with Thib’s Teaser you will receive a Special Surprise Gift and your name will go into the drawing twice for the Grand Prize! Simply forward a copy of your receipt or proof of purchase to ppromocntst@aol.com (include your mailing address for the surprise gift). Purchase 2 Tempered novels and in addition to Thib’sTeaser you will Receive a Special Surprise Gift, Your pick of a FREE download of either Choices or Cathy’s Angel and three chances to win the Grand Prize! Simply forward a copy of your receipt or proof of purchase to ppromocntst@aol.com (pick your short story and include your mailing address for your surprise gift) Purcahse the first 3 Tempered novels (Tempered Hearts, Tempered Dreams & Tempered Fire) and in addition to Thib’s Teaser you will Receive: A Special Surprise Gift, Your pick of a FREE download of either Cathy’s Angel or Choices a FREE autographed copy of Tempered Joy and 4 chances to win the Grand Prize! Simply forward a copy of your receipt or proof of purchase to ppromocntst@aol.com (pick your short story and include your mailing address for your autographed copy of Tempered Joy & your surprise gift) Together we can take the Tempered Series to Amazon’s Best Seller List! **Amazon Purchase NOT Your ONLY Option** If you purchase Any of the Tempered Series according to the rules above from your local book store, MAIL a copy of your receipt to Pertinent Promotions c/o Pamela S Thibodeaux, PO Box 324, Iowa, LA 70647 and your prizes will be the same as those listed. Same rules apply if you purchase DIGITAL copies of The Tempered Books *Note* If you purchase digital copies of Tempered Hearts, Tempered Dreams, and Tempered Fire according to the rules above, you will receive a digital copy of Tempered Joy. *Digital copies also available @ All Romance Ebooks! Winner will be announced on Feb 14th *All entrants will be added to Pertinent Promotions and the Author’s personal mailing lists.* Grand Prize: CD of my TWRP titles which includes 3 short stores (Cathy’s Angel, Choices, & A Hero for Jessica), 1 full-length novel The Inheritance and an advanced copy of my Upcoming Release Winter Madness (short story) and a Valentine Gift Basket! I will post the winner on this blog on Feb 14th. Tonya XOXO

Superbowl Fun Facts

I was watching Martha Stewart today...her Superbowl Show! She mentioned several fun facts about the Superbowl. I decided to post 7 (in tribute of my fave team; Steelers, my fave player; Ben Roethlishberger, Quarterback, number 7) fun facts about the Superbowl, Pittsburgh Steelers, and yes, even the Arizona Caridnals. SUPERBOWL FUN FACTS:

1. 4,500 tons of chips will be consumed
2. Every Monday after the Superbowl there is a 20% sales increase in antacids
3. $50 Million will go towards food during the four days of Superbowl fun
4. The Superbowl airs in 250 countries and in 28 different languages
5. 9th out of the 10th most watched TV program of all time
6. 1.5 million people will call of from work Monday after the Superbowl
7. 700,000 footballs are made for an NFL season; about 75 have been made just for the Superbowl

PITTSBURGH STEELERS FUN FACTS:

1. A win however would give Pittsburgh it's 6th Lombardi Trophy - one more than the Cowboys and 49ers, who both currently are stuck on 5 titles.
2. Santonio Holmes seems to be emulating Hines Ward's playoff success. He has scored a TD in three straight playoff games.
3. Ben Roethlisberger improved to 7-2 in his career in the playoffs, joining Troy Aikman (7), and Tom Brady (9) as the only three quarterbacks in league history with at least 7 playoff wins in their first 5 professional seasons.
4. Hines Ward, who had to leave of course in the 2nd quarter of yesterday's game, still eclipsed the 1,000 yard plateau in his long and illustrious playoff career as a member of the Steelers. Ward finished with 3 catches for 55 yards, giving him 74 receptions for 1,021 yards in the playoffs in just 13 games.
5. Hines also extended his streak of catching at least two passes in every playoff game in his career. I sure wouldn't mind seeing him add some extra polish to that Hall of Fame worthy resume of his with a huge performance in the Super Bowl.
6. The Steelers improved to 8-0 all time against divisional foes in the playoffs (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Oilers)
7. LaMarr Woodley now has 6 sacks in just 3 playoff games. Woodley joins elite company...wait, scratch that..Woodley becomes the 1st player in NFL history to have three straight multi-sack playoff games.

ARIZONA CARDINALS FUN FACTS:

1. The oldest continuous professional football team in America, the Cardinals have gone through many locations and names; Morgan Athletic Club, Racine Normals, Racine Cardinals, Chicago Cardinals, St. Louis Cardinals, Phoenix Cardinals, and finally the Arizona Cardinals.
2. The name of the Cardinals mascot is “Big Red”
3. The team got its nickname Cardinals from the color of its uniforms, the uniforms in question were hand-me-down uniforms from the collegiate team the University of Chicago Maroons.
4. During their time in St. Louis, the Cardinals were one of the few professional sports franchises to have the identical sports mascot of another professional sports team in their city.
5. The Cardinal franchise has been in the Bidwell family since 1932
6. This is the first Superbowl the Arizona Cardinals will make an appearnce in
7. Dallas Cowboy great Emmitt Smith finished his career as Running Back for the Cardinals.

Be sure to watch Superbowl 43 on Sunday, February 1,2009

Tonya

XOXO

Writer's Day: Helpful Links

I’ve been writing all of my life, so over the years I have gathered folders full of helpful information. Today I am going to share some of my favorite links with you. http://www.writersdigest.com/article/your-novel-blueprint/ This is Your Novel Blueprint. When I first started writing it would have been nice to know all of the pieces you have to have to build a novel…just like a home. As you will see when you read this article. http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/feb05/delacroix.htm Nine Tips for Aspiring Romance Writers. This article is extremely helpful. Especially if you are just starting out. It’ll let you know what you are getting yourself into. http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle6.htm This is great for all of the historical writers. It has tons of information about castles. It will motivate you to write. http://www.writing-world.com/romance/heroes.shtml Every reader and every writer loves great heroines and heroes. But sometimes as a writer we stray. We come back to our hero and hate him, he’s not strong, he’s too emotional, I wouldn’t want to read that. Or our heroine is too unbelievable. This article will help guide you in the write direction to write the best hero and heroine for your novel. And lastly, http://www.fbi.gov/ I love shows like Burn Notice, The Beast, Law & Order: SVU, CSI Miami, Flashpoint, and the list goes on and on. I also love writing romantic suspense and I use this website to help when my story involves the FBI. So, I hope these help. Come back tomorrow for a very special contest going on through January 31-February 13. Tonya XOXO

Reader's Day

Before we get started how is the weather where you are? Here it’s horrible outside. It’s been snowing and sleeting for a couple of days. I went outside to feed my Lab, Shadow, it looked like snow covering the earth, but once I stepped on the ground I slipped and feel on my butt. Now it looks like a skating rink in my front yard, thanks to the freezing rain. The roads are covered and slick, the yard is slick. I really hope this passes by fast and the weather warms up some. I like snow as next as the next person, but only a couple of times of the year. The rest of the time I wish it were pretty, don’t like it when things get icy and slick out. Now onto Reader’s Day fun! Any Nora Roberts fans? Her book Montana Sky was the first romance novel that I read when I was 13-years-old and have read and collected her books ever since then. Good news for fans and even if you aren’t a fan, you still can check out the next four movies that will be coming to Lifetime. When her first four aired I remember telling several people who weren’t fans of hers or who had never read or heard of Roberts. Now they are Nora Fanatics, just like me. Check out Nora’s website for more information. http://www.noraroberts.com Any Harlequin or Silhouette fans? If so, check out my column, Tonya’s Tidbits at: http://freshfiction.com/pages.php?id=tonya You will find all of the newest releases. A new column is posted on the first and 15th of every month. Samhain Publishing has some great new releases. You can check them out at this link http://samhainpublishing.com/new Here are a couple of my favorites: Sneak Peak by Jaci Burton and Shelley Bradley Oh Goddess by Gwen Hayes http://thewildrosepress.com/ this is one of my favorite online publishers. They always have great releases. Check them out. Hope you found something you like today and be sure to check back on Friday for Writer’s Day. I will post something that will help all of the aspiring writers out there, and who knows maybe a few that are published. Tonya XOXO

Exciting News

I'm am really excited today. I have been working on something to help make this blog better and more entertaining and I think I have found it. I have asked some of my favorite published and non-published writers to be guests. I will be submitting excerpts from there latest releases, along with links to their sites, blogs, and places you can purchase their books (if they are published). Here is what a typical schedule is going to look like on this blog: Monday: My ramblings Wednesday: Reader's Day. On this day I will introduce new authors and new releases. I will also have books from authors who have been around the block a few times. Friday: Writer's Day. I will post links, articles, resources, and any helpful information to help aspiring writers out. Saturday: Author Spotlight Day. I will post excerpts from authors, interviews, contests, and much more. Sunday: I will submit my weekly goal report. What I will work on that week, how much I plan on finishing. Then the next Sunday we will see how close I came to reaching my goals and set new ones. Tuesday and Thursday are open. If I have anything to post I will. Probably about how stressed out I am reaching my writing goals and other world news. I don't know about you but I am really excited and can't wait to get this party started. See you tomorrow for Reader's Day! Tonya XOXO

Random Thoughts

First off Happy Birthday to my grandpa Carson, he turned 56 on Jan 24 and Kayla who turns 19 on Jan 25.

Oh, I made a mistake about Pam's blog in my last post...here is the correct link to her blog http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com/

Well, I have to have 25,000-30,000 words written by April 15. I'm pushing it close, I only have 3,432 words finished thus far. And today I haven't written one single word on my lastest WIP. I need to get my butt in gear.

I did finish my review for HRC last night. It should be posted soon, once it has been I'll give you the link. You can see some of my other reviews for Gotta Write Network here: http://www.gottawritenetwork.com/Tonya1.html

Chase the Dream contest is going on right now for the 3rd year. If you haven't entered yet you should. Each week winners are chosen up until March I believe. You enter 1,000 words of something you have written. http://chasethedreamcontest.wordpress.com/enter/ Click there for more details.

Tonya XOXO

Steelers Victory

Oh my goodness! I am so excited! My team The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to the Superbowl on February 1, 2009. They went to the Superbowl in 2005 and won and I hope we bring home another win!

Check out my new column at: http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=1450

I will be a guest blogger on March 6 for Paranormal Writers, you can check out that blog right now at: http://paranormalwriters.blogspot.com/ Make sure you check it out March 6, don't worry I will remind you about it:)

I finally got my website started, it's only the homepage right now. I am currently working on making it better right now. Hopefully by the end of the month it will be filled with lots of fun things to do and read.

I want to give a special thanks to Stacey, Kaye, Carol, Kerri and Sam for being the best critique partners a girl can ask for. Also my new critique group: Donna, Elaine, Laurie, and Pamela.

Check out Kaye's blog at http://www.kayemanro.blogspot.com/ Carol is published check out her site at: http://www.carolbraswell.com/

Pamela is also published her site is: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com/

Her blog is http://www.pamelathibodeaux.blogspot.com/ Check them out! Oh, just a bit of info, I had a blog but it would no longer let me post on it or view it. tonyareneecallihan.blogspot.com

Later

Tonya

XOXO

First Post on New Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog! As of right now I am not published in the writing I really want to be and that's romance. But I am working towards that. However, I am a published writer. Check out some of my writings at these sites: http://www.freshfiction.com/ Tonya's Tidbits http://www.bellaonline.com/ http://www.weddingelegant.com/ http://www.iconographythemagazine.com/ Welcome to my journey as an aspiring romance author. Tonya Renee Callihan