Welcome to the new home of Author & Professional Speaker, L. Diane Wolfe (AKA "Spunk on a Stick") and The Circle of Friends!

The Circle of Friends series follows a group of young adults as they face different challenges and learn to overcome. The emotionally gripping stories focus on love, friendships and the pursuit of dreams. Aimed at adults/young adults, these books defy the growing trend of salacious titles, especially for teenagers. Positive and uplifting, this series will leave readers determined to overcome their obstacles and achieve their goals.

This blog is now the home of the original The Circle of Friends website.


Sunday, December 23, 2012

Monday, November 12, 2012

The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear Celebration

M. Pax has a special celebration planned for her new release!


The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear

A New Adult Urban Fantasy, The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear is the first book in a new series. And it’s now out! The main character, Hetty, is a twenty-two-year-old, stumbling about in an effort to become a full-fledged adult. She struggles with self-esteem, weight, relationships, and making the transition between college and the real world.

Graduation from community college isn’t the magic elixir Hetty Locklear counts on for becoming an adult. Her parents, who work the Renaissance fair circuit, insist she spend part of the summer with them. Hetty doubts pretending to live in the Middle Ages will help her find her way.

To make it worse, an entity haunts her at her dead-end job, warning her of a dangerous man she doesn’t know. The ghost leads her to a lover who has a lot of secrets. He pulls her farther into peril and into a strange, hidden world of genetic experimentation.

New Adult Urban Fantasy with a contemporary sci-fi twist. Mature content.

Available as an ebook at Amazon Amazon UK Smashwords iTunes Kobo
Visit M. Pax’s site for more links.

M. Pax is celebrating her latest release with a jousting tournament and contest at her website. Cheer for the knights to help them win the grand prize, and you’ll be put in a drawing to win an ebook copy of The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. Five will be given away. Huzzah!

Please go cheer on the knights!


I am also setting up a small blog tour for the release of How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now! I’m looking for host sites that appeal to writers for these dates: February 7, 15, and 18. Thanks!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Think Outside the Bookstore

 
Today at my blog, Spunk On A Stick’s Tips, I discuss book signings beyond the bookstore with an excerpt from my upcoming book, How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now!


Friday, July 27, 2012

Supportive Blogger Contest and Olympic Dreams

I’m hosting the Supportive Blogger Extraordinaire Contest over at Spunk On A Stick’s Tips, with prizes for both winners and nominators.


And the Olympics have begun! I still remember all the fun research I did for my first book, The Circle of Friends, Book I…Lori.


Driven by Olympic dreams…
To the outside world, Lori Anders has it all. The only child of affluent parents, she is a gifted swimmer with Olympic dreams. Armed with a winning attitude and genuine spirit, Lori appears destined for success.
Yet despite her certainty in the pool, something inhibits Lori from achieving her full potential. Her focus on swimming has left little time for relationships. Lacking in confidence, Lori’s light has few opportunities to shine.
When an altercation with the school bullies brings her to the attention of the star quarterback, Lori finds herself in a unique position. Jason’s affections renew her hope and force the shy swimmer out of her comfort zone. But, will it be enough to achieve her lifelong dream?


Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and for all E-readers.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Conflict and Drive in Characters

Every book needs conflict and something to drive the story forward.

Often this is found within our characters. Their past haunts them. They suffer from shortcomings. They struggle to achieve a dream. All of these things not only add depth to a story, they can be the core plotline. Internal conflict is my favorite and I’ve used it in all five of my books:

Book I - Lori dreams of winning an Olympic Gold Medal in swimming and is driven by this goal.

Book II - Sarah suffers from a poor self-image and struggles to find her value and place in life.

Book III - James is haunted by a past of abuse and fights to rise above the damage and be a better person.

Book IV - Mike is consumed by guilt over two incidents and strains to learn to forgive himself.

Book V - Heather battles a selfish attitude, floundering in her attempts to form meaningful relationships.

What internal conflicts do your characters face?

Friday, May 18, 2012

Spunky on Tour!

It’s been two years since I did a book tour, so this is really special. I am on tour for Overcoming Obstacles with SPUNK! The Keys to Leadership & Goal-Setting. During April’s A to Z Challenge, I’d offered leadership and goal-setting tips from the book and everyone seemed to enjoy them.

This tour focuses more on the writing process and balancing it all when one is more than just an author. Chaos is the balance for me and I invite you to share my journey:

May 18 - My First Book
I discuss characterization with Misha Gericke

May 21 - Irene's Inspiring Book Reviews and Author Interviews
I discuss the beginning of an idea with Irene Roth.

May 22 - Launch Pad Publishing
I discuss the evolution of the typical writing day (for me anyway) with Faye Levow.

May 23 - Life as Leels
I warn writers to beware of the different publishing paths at Leila Brenner’s site.

May 24 - Tina M. Games
I talk about my speaking engagements and what I’m doing now with Tina Games.

May 25 - Communicate with Confidence
I discuss my next project - a publishing and promoting book - with Allie Casey

My focus the past few years has been my speaking engagements, as that is where I’ve been able to share what I’ve learned after almost ten years in the publishing industry and ten years with a motivational training program. I hope that you’ll follow along and learn from my triumphs and mistakes. Better to follow someone through the minefield than venture out alone!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Hosting my First Blogfest

This Friday, I am hosting my first ever blogfest at my other blog:


Sad Songs Blogfest


March 30, 2012


List the songs that move your spirit, cut deep into your soul, and threaten to break your heart. Any that inspire you! Up to ten songs and feel free to include links or videos.


To join, please visit Spunk on a Stick’s Tips

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Catching Fire with Alex

Today is the Catch Fire Blog Party, celebrating the release of CassaFire by Alex J. Cavanaugh! The goal is to help CassaFire “catch fire” on the best seller charts and achieve the success of the first book, CassaStar. There’s also a special package of prizes being given away at the author’s blog (copies of CassaFire, CassaStar, tote bag, mug, and bookmarks) as well as book giveaways during his two-week blog tour. See Alex’s BLOG for details.

CassaFire
by Alex J. Cavanaugh

CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities.

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

Available today!
Science fiction - space opera/adventure
Print ISBN 978-0-9827139-4-5, $15.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 240 pages
EBook ISBN 978-0-9827139-6-9, $4.99, available in all formats

CassaFire is the sequel to Cavanaugh’s first book, CassaStar, an Amazon Top Ten Best Seller:
“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal

You can visit the author’s site HERE and his book is available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Amazon Kindle.



Congratulations to Alex! I know he’s been working so hard to make this day a big success.

Monday, January 30, 2012

The Best Book Festival Ever

I’ve attended many book and author events over the years, but nothing compares to Book ‘Em. I’ve participated in events in Virginia and S. Carolina and this year I’m thrilled to attend the first ever Book ‘Em in N. Carolina. I’m also honored to be on the Book ‘Em committee and will participate in two panel discussions during the event.

If you are a reader, writer, or author, you don’t want to miss Book ‘Em NC!!

Book 'Em North Carolina
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Robeson Community College
Lumberton, North Carolina

Attendance is FREE and open to the public.

Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair brings together more than 75 authors, including two New York Times bestselling authors, Carla Neggers and Michael Palmer, more than 24 award-winning authors, and authors of almost every genre for all ages under one roof to sell and sign their books, participate in panel discussions and talks, network and interact with fans one-on-one.

It is open to readers of all ages. There are book readings and events scheduled for children from pre-school to teens. There are panel discussions and talks for writers trying to break into the field or working to increase their sales or exposure. There are talks and events for readers of various genres, including mysteries, romance, true adventure, historical, biographical, and many others.

The purpose of The Book 'Em Foundation and this event is to raise public awareness of the link between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. Proceeds from the Book 'Em North Carolina book fair will go directly to increasing literacy in Robeson County, North Carolina and to reducing crime in the area.

The Book 'Em Foundation was founded by suspense author p.m.terrell and Waynesboro, Virginia Police Officer Mark Kearney as a partnership between authors and law enforcement. The mission of The Book 'Em Foundation is to raise public awareness of the correlation between high illiteracy rates and high crime rates.




Visit these sites for more information:
Official Website
Twitter
Facebook
Book ‘Em NC Blog


Please join us on February 25th!