Five Corners: The Marked Ones by Cathi Shaw: Giveaway

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The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN gift card using the rafflecopter below.

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Balancing Life and Writing

I have to admit that it has been difficult to balance my writing life with my every day life. It shouldn’t be because I have what would appear to be the perfect job for a writer: I teach writing at college.

But the thing with appearances is that they are so often false. And teaching writing is the PERFECT excuse for procrastinating. After all there is always another pile of marking to do, lectures to prepare, writing activities to come up with. Truthfully, even if you are a full-time writer, you really need to be disciplined with your craft.

I think it’s every writer’s dream to be able to write full-time but the truth is, writing full-time is hard work. Discipline is the key. And having a schedule that is carved out just for writing. I think this is doable, you just have to have a time and place where you write every day (or almost every day – I try for every day but I’ve been known to take a weekend off).

I find I do my best writing when the house is empty. When the kids and my husband are around I just can’t seem to write a word, even if they are leaving me alone. Editing is a completely different activity. I’m fine with editing almost everywhere but when the story is flowing out, I really do need silence.

My strategy this past year, when I’ve been teaching and writing, has been to really protect my writing time. If I say I’m going to write between 2 and 4 then I make sure I do write between 2 and 4. But even with a strict schedule like that, you can get side tracked.

For example, I was supposed to be working on Book 2 of the Marked One series in December but I had to finish the final copy edits on Book 1 as it was going to press. My writing time was all gobbled up but copyediting and marketing! And I probably got only one or two good writing days in over the whole month.

I’m super excited for next year because I will not be teaching. I’m taking the whole year off to write! That means I will have to be even more disciplined and treat my writing like a full-time job. I’m excited for it but at the same time, I need to make sure I stick to a plan and protect that writing time.

Growing up in a sleepy village untouched by distant wars and political conflicts, it was easy for Thia, Mina and Kiara to forget such horrors existed in the Five Corners. That is until the dead child is found; a child that bears the same strange birthmark that all three sisters possess. A Mark their mother had always told them was unique to the girls.

Kiara’s suspicions grow as their Inn is soon overrun with outsiders from all walks of life. Strangers, soldiers and Elders who all seem to know more about what is happening than the girls do.

After Mina barely survives an attack in the forest, the sisters are faced with a shattering secret their mother has kept from them for years. As danger closes in around them, the sisters are forced from their home and must put their trust in the hands of strangers. With more questions than answers, Kiara finds herself separated from everyone she loves and reliant on an Outlander who has spent too much time in army. She doesn’t trust Caedmon but she needs him if she has any hope of being reunited with her sisters and learning what the Mark might mean.

Now, enjoy an excerpt:

"It's not a dream this time, Thia."

"I know," she admitted in a whisper. "But how is this happening?"

Teague shook his head at her, his hair falling forward over his forehead. "I know you're shocked. I was, too, when I first saw you. Then I realized that what we thought were only dreams, were just forays into a different reality." Excitement lit up his features. "A reality that, at times, feels more real than this one, don't you agree?"

Thia opened her mouth to deny what he was saying, even as a dozen memories burst to life in her head. For the first time Thia noticed he was taller than in her dreams. Not as tall as her sisters but certainly taller than she.

He looked down at her, his eyes unreadable in the fading afternoon light.

And yet the essence of him was so familiar. Before she could stop herself Thia instinctively reached out to touch his forearm, wanted to feel the warm muscles above his gloves, to reassure herself that he was real.

Teague jerked away before she could reach him and Thia felt an inexplicable sense of hurt flood through her.

"I'm real, Thia," he whispered aloud, his breath stirring the hair on her forehead. "But you can't touch me. I can't explain right now but please don't try." About the Author

Cathi Shaw lives in Summerland, BC with her husband and three children. She is often found wandering around her home, muttering in a seemingly incoherent manner, particularly when her characters have embarked on new adventure. In addition to writing fiction, she teaches rhetoric and professional writing in the Department of Communications at Okanagan College and is the co-author of the textbook Writing Today.

Twitter: @CathiShaw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMarkedOnesSeries
Tumblr: http://themarkedones.tumblr.com/

Buy links for book:

PUBLISHER: http://ink-smith.com/product/five-corners-the-marked-one/
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Five-Corners-The-Marked-Ones/dp/1939156246/ref=sr_1_1?
BARNES AND NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/five-corners-cathi-shaw/1117922571?

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