When Janice and I dreamed up this project, we thought we were going to make and give away 50 masks. But thanks to so many of you who have donated to help us buy more supplies, today we sent out mask number 300! And we’re still going. The Soul Summoner fabric is still hung up in transit, so I’ve just ordered 10 more yards of Harry Potter fabric! We’ve also had a HYDERNATION member send us some beautiful fabric. So… Continue reading “300 Mask Milestone!”
This week, we have sent 100 masks to 100 winners in four countries! I couldn’t do this without the support of so many people. For starters, my assistant, Janice, and my mom, Susie, have sewn their little hearts out this week! Continue reading “100 Free Cloth Masks to 100 Winners!”
We have been working soooo hard this week to improve our email system. If you consider yourself an ultimate fan of my books and would like to do something small to show your love, I NEED YOU! It will require a few extra steps beyond entering your email here, so I hope you’ll follow me to the end.
For all your hard work, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a $100 shopping spree (with free shipping) in my online store! The winner will be notified by email on Tuesday, Nov. 5th. Continue reading “Ultimate Fan Giveaway”
Today is a very special book birthday for my dear friend, the lovely and amazingly talented, Marina Adair! If you haven’t read Marina yet, she is a #1 bestselling author of romance novels that are quirky and sweet, but bring the heat. Her St Helena Vineyard series was the inspiration behind the Hallmark Original movie, Autumn in the Vineyard.
Marina is sending one lucky reader an autographed copy of her new book, Every Little Kiss! See below to enter.
Every Little Kiss by Marina AdairThere’s nothing that single mom Liv Preston won’t do if it means making her six-year-old son smile again. After a heartbreaking two years, her little family is due for some fun in the sun. She just didn’t expect to find it in the big, rugged, Search and Rescue hero next door—who shows her just how exciting, and sexy, life’s adventures can be.
As head of Reno’s K-9 search division, Ford Jamison knows what it takes to make life-and-death decisions on the fly. He doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t do regrets, and has never doubted his instincts—until he makes a promise that turns his world upside down. Desperate for redemption, he returns to Sequoia Lake, only to find himself face-to-face with his past…and the one woman he can’t have. Not when his secret would destroy her—and everything she holds dear.
For Liv, finding love once was a gift. Finding it twice seems impossible, until the moment Ford’s lips meet hers. Love doesn’t always come easy, but when it’s right, it’s worth fighting for…
[giveaway id=4240]
Amazon US
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Apple
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*Paperbacks will be available April 25th!
I have 5 more Soul Summoner Mugs! Who wants them? **All mug orders include an autographed bookmark and a matching stylus pen! While supplies last.
I’ve joined together with over 100 different fantasy and science fiction authors to do a huge Instafreebie promotion this week! So if you need to check out of this world and visit a new one, or if you’re interested in befriending a new angel, werewolf, or vampire…we’ve got you covered! You’ll find The Soul Summoner under the Fantasy section, or you can go directly to its sign up page here: Get The Soul Summoner FREE on Instafreebie Continue reading “Love Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, and SciFi Books?”
The long wait for book 3 of The Soul Summoner series is almost over, and Sloan, Warren, and Nathan are back with more mystery, suspense, and sexual tension than ever! The Angel of Death drops in two weeks! Continue reading “The Angel of Death – The Soul Summoner Book 3 – #giveaway”
One week before I received the bad news about my cancer diagnosis, I flew to Nashville for my best friend’s birthday. I was still recovering from the biopsy surgery with a big ugly incision across my neck where they removed a tumor the size of a foosball. I wasn’t doing so great mentally because cancer’s bark is even worse than its bite, in my opinion. Not knowing was the worst part, and that day I had 2 hours of solitude to obsess over it.
And the flight was terrible, figuratively and literally. The sky was black and ominous with the deep rumble of thunder and bright flashes of lightning. It was like a scene from a Stephen King novel. (Ha!) At one point during all the turbulence, I thought for sure the plane was going to break in half and cancer would no longer be an issue. But then something amazing happened. We broke through those dark clouds, and on the other side was blue sky. Bright, blue, sunny sky.
I don’t get philosophical or overly spiritual very often, so believe me when I say I know God spoke to me. “You’re in the middle of the dark clouds, Elicia, but blue skies are on the other side. I promise.”
I have tears as I write this.
That was February. A couple of months later, in the middle of chemo, I bellyflopped into self-publishing with The Bed She Made. And in November, I published my beloved book, The Soul Summoner and it went to #1, right up there with Stephen King.
This moment meant so much more than just ranking against a superstar author. Stephen King wrote a book called On Writing that I read religiously once a year like I belong to some weird one-woman cult. In that book he talks a lot about writing honestly. Specifically, he says to write “without regard to what the Legion of Decency or the Christian Ladies’ Reading Circle may approve of.” I never intended to publish The Bed She Made because of its content. I worried about offending people. I worried about hurting feelings. I really worried about making my mother cry.
But Stephen King told me every single year: WRITE HONESTLY. So I tossed The Bed She Made out into the giant sea of readers…and she floated.
Needless to say, Stephen King is a big deal over here in the Hyder house.
Two weeks ago, my husband, Chris, came home from work and said, “Did you know Stephen King and John Grisham are going to be at some writers’ conference near Tampa in a couple of weeks?”
I shook my head. “That can’t be true. If it was, I would’ve heard about it.”
“Seriously, my buddy’s wife is working it. He said she might be able to get you in.”
I immediately began scouring Google. I was right and very wrong. They were coming to Florida, but it wasn’t a writers’ conference; it was a benefit for a library foundation. A small event. A sold out event that I couldn’t afford to go to even if I could get tickets. My brain started spinning. Could it be possible that I might get in?
But reality quickly began to settle. The event was on a Tuesday night, two hours away from home. The kids had mid-term exams. My husband would be working in Washington. Heartbroken, I told Chris to thank his friend profusely, but I didn’t want them to go to any trouble since there was no way I could make it.
He didn’t listen to me.
A week later, he was working in D.C. when he called me on Skype. The conversation went something like this:
“I need you to not make plans on Tuesday. You’re going to Bradenton to meet Stephen King and John Grisham. I’ve arranged for the kids to be taken care of, and your best friend is taking off work to go with you.”
And I cried like someone had just died.
Stephen King is my husband’s most favorite author. We own all of his books, most of which I’m too scared to read. And even though my husband couldn’t go, he moved mountains so I could. Did I hit the marital jackpot or what? Eat your heart out ladies, he’s all mine. I love you, babe.
There is no doubt in my mind that everything happens for a reason, which is why I told my self-publishing story before I told this one. Had I not been diagnosed with cancer, I wouldn’t have self-published my book. Had that tumor not been malignant, my husband would still be a cop and we would never have met the awesome people who made this night happen. Had I not gone through chemo, I never would have made this amazing new sister-friend who went with me. She was my oncology nurse–she literally saved my life.
How beautiful is the view of hindsight? You never know what brilliant light may be waiting on the other side of your darkest, most ominous and terrifying moments. You could be on the verge of all your dreams coming true and you just don’t know it yet. Never give up hope. Blue skies await.
On January 19th 2016, a boggling mix of Chris Hyder, Wendy and Eric, fate, a library, and Jesus made one of my biggest dreams a reality.
I got to tell Stephen King this same story and thank him–in person–for helping me get to that #1 spot just above his book. He hugged me and said “Congratulations.”
THANK YOU to everyone who made this night possible: Chris, Wendy (the awesome photographer), Eric, Rena, Luis, Becky, Natalie, Stephen King, John Grisham, my kiddos, and the Manatee Library Foundation. And THANK YOU to everyone who has read and supported my books over the past six months. Who knows? I might not be here without YOU!
Photos by Wendy Dewhurst at www.blahblahblahonline.com/