Cover Reveal for STRENGTH

I'm super excited to participate in the cover reveal for Carrie Butler's novel, STRENGTH. Here's a little about the book, set to come out in March 2013 from Sapphire Star publishing:

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, she’s stunned. Wallace Blake is everything she’s ever wanted in a man—except he can’t touch her. His uncontrollable strength, a so-called gift from his bloodline, makes every interaction dangerous. And with a secret, supernatural war brewing among his kind, there’s no time to work it out. To keep Wallace in her life, Rena will have to risk a whole lot more than her heart.

And for the cover, drumroll please...

Here's a look at the trailer...

Congrats Carrie!

Where to find Carrie:

WEBSITE  |  BLOG  |  SSP  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS  |  GOOGLE+ 

Where to find Strength:

BOOK PAGE  |  GOODREADS  |  FACEBOOK (New!)

What I REALLY Did Last Summer--The Results

Having to wait all week to tell you the truth has been torture, but here it is...

FACT: I did go to Volterra, Italy for my tenth wedding anniversary! 

The trip was an epic one. We flew into Paris and all we knew is we had to be in Rome two weeks later. We completely winged the whole vacation and went from Paris to Germany (where we rented a Porsche for my husband to drive on the Autobahn) to Switzerland and over the Alps to Italy. 

I had convinced my husband before the trip that we should go to Volterra for a day and chickened out once there, thinking it would be much more responsible and logical to see the leaning tower of Pisa instead. But my amazing husband said, "No Way. How many people can say they've lived their favorite book?" and he insisted we go to Volterra. Is he amazing or what? We did rent a Harley at a shop in Florence. Here's the proof:

Here's the bike parked at the villa we stayed at just outside of Florence.

Collectable t-shirt. Yes, we spent an absurd amount of time at the Harley shop. 
(And the freakin' Porsche museum in Germany :)

I think it's hilarious that detail dissuaded so many readers. Yes, my butt was sore by the end of the day, but it was worth it. And Volterra was A-MAZING! So old and ancient and Italian. And since it was before Twilight *the movies*, no one had any idea about the books or Stephenie Meyer. (Believe me, I tried to tell a shop owner that it was kind of a big deal and he just nodded like I was a crazy person.) Vacation to remember!

My "Edward" in the shadows of the clock tower in Volterra, Italy.

The ancient streets of Volterra.

FICTION: No, Owen Wilson did not hit on me! 

I *did* see Wayne Brady at a Ross, and my parents saw Dominic Monaghan at Sears (and talked to him) and Matthew Fox at the airport (yes, with chains and all) but I wasn't with them. And one of my husband's employees did intern for a movie production company, but I never went to the set with her. She was the one who got hit on by Owen Wilson. He actually took her out and they ended up at his rental home (yes, it was Elvis' house) and he tried to kiss her. But she wouldn't let him. Good girl. Although if I *had* gone with her to the set and Owen got a look at me, well, then...

Thanks for playing. Now I'm heading to everyone else's blogs to see if I was right!

What I Did Last Summer...Story #2

First off, my GUTGAA Meet and Greet post can be found here. And if you missed Story #1, go here. 

Also, today I am being interviewed by the Writerly Rejects. Go and check it out. While you're there, scroll down and take note of the awesome agent contest they have going on this Friday. Then pop on back to read my post.

Okay, you're back. I'm so excited to share with you my second story in the What I Did Last Summer Blog Hop. You have to decide, is it fact or fiction?

Among the many amazing things that go along with living in Hawaii, celebrity sightings happen more than you would think. It's not Hollywood, but thanks to TV shows like Baywatch, Lost, and Hawaii Five-O, and movies like Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Soul Surfer (my house was in that one!) being filmed there, we get our fair share of running-into-the-famous. 

I once saw Wayne Brady at a Ross Dress for Less store, and Dominic Monaghan at Sears (during the Lost years, of course). My dad is a HUGE fantasy fan and talked with Dominic in the electronics section of the department store FOREVER about his role as a hobbit in Lord of the Rings. And once at the airport, we were behind Matthew Fox (Lost) in the security line where he was taking forever removing a bunch of metal chains and such from his clothes and person. I know...airport security. Why would you even? Weird.

Well about ten years back I was living with the hubs and two kids on the north shore of Oahu, where I grew up. My husband had started a web design business and his employees were composed of students from the local university. One was a girl who was also interning for a movie production company. She had inside access to the set of a movie being filmed at Turtle Bay, a local hotel and resort that hosts movie crews quite often. She invited me to go with her one day for some celebrity gawking and I timidly agreed. The movie being filmed was The Big Bounce. Come on, I couldn't resist a chance to see Morgan Freeman, Gary Sinise, and oh yeah...this guy:

Not long after we arrived on scene, Owen Wilson himself came over to talk to us. I had no idea she was THAT close to the cast, and I could've died of sheer terror and shyness. He was super nice and all, asking me my name, how long I'd lived there, yada yada. Then he started telling us about a house he was renting during filming that once belonged to Elvis and then, AND THEN asked what we were doing later. And before you go deciding FICTION right there, I might add that after two kids, I still had it going on back then. Of course he wasn't singling me out, but I was terrified none the less. I ended up doing this lame flash of my left hand with wedding ring thing and saying something about meeting up with my husband. Totally not smooth and surely completely red in the face, but it's definitely a story to remember!

So what do you think? Did I really go to Volterra, Italy on the back of a Harley for my tenth wedding anniversary, or did Owen Wilson really hit on talk to me? Tell me which one is fact and which one is fiction, then come back on Friday to find out the truth. Mwahahaha!

What I Did Last Summer...Story #1

If you are here for the GUTGAA Meet and Greet, you can find my post here, or just scroll down.

This is my Monday post for the What I Did Last Summer: Fact or Fiction? Blog Hop hosted by Emily R. King and Melodie Wright. I'm sharing a summer story today (under 500 words) and another on Wednesday. It is up to you, the readers, to determine which story is true and which one is false. So here goes...

You may have heard about this book called Twilight. No? Well it's a YA paranormal romance series written by Stephenie Meyer and was kind of popular a few years back. :) Yeah, well. I was kind of a die-hard fan: in line at midnight at Borders *sigh* for each successive book, stalking all fan message boards for any forthcoming movie info, having to buy a second copy of every book because my original set was in tatters from lending it out to every living soul in the world (who am I kidding, I read those babies to death). And I want to hear a woot-woot from anyone who knows who Ilyana Kadushin is. ;)

Well, my obsession  had me convincing my husband that for our 10th wedding anniversary, we should make the trip to Volterra, Italy. You know, to retrace Bella's Porsche drive through Tuscany, push our way through the crowds to the clock tower, meet the Volturi, see if Edward was-a-lurking. And because my husband is the bestest in the whole world, he agreed. 

We drove miles and miles through gorgeous Italy and up to the ancient city on the back of a Harley that we rented for the day. I took pictures of the clock tower and tried to catch a glimpse of the underground vampire royalty without any luck. But I did end up with a lovely Volterra magnet for my fridge and a bruised butt from riding the Harley all day. And of course I ate some delicious, authentic, Italian, creamy pasta that was almost as yummy as Edward (book version, of course).

And that's my story. Be sure to stop by on Wednesday for Story #2 then let me know (in the comments of each post) which is fact and which is fiction. See you opening night for Breaking Dawn 2!!!

GUTGAA Meet and Greet

Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Ilima Todd and though I'm not officially participating in GUTGAA, I am one of the first round judges and will shamelessly use any opportunity to meet new friends in the writer-blogger world. So, welcome. Here are my answers to the meet and greet questions. I can't wait to hop around and get to know you all a little better!

Where do you write?
I'm a writing nomad. It could be on our giant desktop in the library or my laptop on my bed. But my secret? I'm getting my very own writing room as soon as I have the time to clear out our playroom and move all those toys (my kids are getting way too old). So I'm THRILLED for that.

Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?
Um. Diet coke. I should seriously invest in an IV and just straight shoot the stuff. Don't judge me.

Favorite time to write?
Late night, after all the kids are tucked in bed. I can't write with distractions so this is the only way to go. And waking up early is SO not happening.

Drink of choice while writing?
Um. I think you know the answer to that one. :)

When writing, do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?
Music, definitely music. I am a devout listener of the M83 station on Pandora, but sometimes I have to play music that relates to what I'm writing. For example, a section of my last book took place in a futuristic, edgy city and I HAD to listen to techno/dance music.

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
The one I've just started (my fun book!) is from my family history. My fourth great grandfather served as a captain on one of James Cook's ships to Hawaii in the late 1700's. He helped King Kamehameha unite the islands by providing guns which gave the king an edge in battle. As a reward he was given the daughter of a chief in marriage. So it's a love story. What other kind of stories are there, really? :)

What's your most valuable writing tip?
Don't. Stop. Writing. It's a rough and many times lonely journey, but if you love it, don't give up.

And my mini bio?
Here's the one Deana posted on her 1st Round Judges Revealed post:

Ilima Todd is a homeschooling mom of four by day, writer by night (usually late late night) rep'd by Jennifer Skutelsky of Veritas Literary. She writes YA sci-fi and fantasy with lots of kissing while listening to the M83 station on Pandora. Sometimes she thinks her husband is a sleeper-cylon but doesn't think avocados are the greatest invention ever. She knows it.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck with GUTGAA!

Winners!

Here are the winners for my 200 Followers/Anniversary Giveaway.

1- In exactly ten words, pitch me your book or another famous story.
And the winner is...Emily R. King! Here's her pitch: Sparkly vampire craves Jane Doe but knocks her up instead.
Haha, I love it. Emily, email me your ten pages and query whenever you're ready and I'll forward it to Taryn for your free critique!

2-If you were stranded on an island and could only take one book with you, which would it be and why?
And the winner is...Kathryn Purdie! She chose to take Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Her comment convinced me to finally pick up that book and read it. And now I totally get it--guys if you haven't read this one yet, do it. Kathryn, you can choose from the following books (my top 5 favs) and I'll send it to you. Just shoot me an email with your choice:

Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

*Please note that Keturah and Lord Death is out of print but will be re-released this October with a gorgeous new cover...I can't wait, so if you choose that one I'll probably send it then.

3-I love movies almost as much as I love books, so I want to know...what is your favorite book to movie adaptation and why?
And the winner is...Connie B. Dowel! Connie's favorite adaption is The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I recently re-watched this one and I have to agree, it's a great adaptation indeed. Connie, email me your address and I'll send Hunger Games to you ASAP.

4-And finally, one winner will be chosen at random to receive a $20 Amazon gift card for a book or movie of your choosing. 
And the random winner is...Kelley Lynn! Thanks for commenting (and dancing too!) Could you email me and let me know whether you'd prefer a gift card in the mail or via email? Either works for me.

Thanks to all who played along and especially those who threw in a few '80's dance moves for the celebration! Winners can contact me at ilimatodd AT gmail DOT com.