Cyndi Tefft's Blog

Amazon's Post-Holiday Party was last Friday, held at Century Link field in Seattle. Over 22,000 people attended the event, which featured artists Robert DeLong, the music group DNCE, aerial acrobatics, moving orbs of light, an ice sculpture of a couch for posed pictures...The list goes on. It was overwhelming, to be sure. With so much to look at, I mostly just wandered through, and bust out a random dance move here and there.

My favorite part of Amazon's party was the diversity of the people. In a sea of unfamiliar faces, all smiling and having a good time, the people watching was an event itself. Everywhere I turned, I saw something different. A man with a beard and long, flowing red hair. A woman with ear gauges and spiky black boots. Women in jeans and hoodies. Women in evening gowns. Men with ties and colorful suits. Men with baseball caps and sunglasses. People of every size, shape, color, persuasion, background, and all the other labels--joining in, being part of something crazy huge, something exciting.

The Amazon post-holiday party didn't have to strive to be inclusive; it just was. It was a reflection of the work we do, where everyone has something to contribute, and where your race or your style or your gender doesn't matter. The output, the collaboration, the creativity that you bring to the party--that's what matters.

It's natural to want to belong and sadly, that often leads us to strive to be the same as others, to dress the same, to laugh the same, to mock the same things. Any deviance from this 'ideal' state can lead to being shunned, an outcome to avoid at all costs.

The post-holiday party was a microcosm, a peek into a utopia where people get along, where we don't have borders and boundaries between us. For me, the takeaway from the evening was loud and clear: you don't have to be the same as someone else to fit in. You can be yourself. In fact, when we're all here together, being ourselves, it's a much better party than one where we're forced to be something we're not.

This is a great big company in a great big world filled with billions of people, each unique but needing human connection, to belong, to be accepted, to be loved. At the party, I caught a glimpse of what the world could be like if we were just people instead of labels.

It was a beautiful thing.

In April, I went on a weekend retreat with my fellow booklovers from the Outlander Fanatics of WA state fan club. Not only was it a whole lot of fun, I found myself journaling--writing again--and it's been a long time since I've done any writing at all.

I bought a new laptop yesterday so I'm hoping to change that. In the spirit of writing again, I want to share with you one of the journal entries from that trip.

Now I know why they call it a 'blanket' of stars. Living in the city, I can see two or three stars on a clear night. Here in the country, the stars come out en masse, thousands upon thousands of twinkling bulbs, some bright and some soft and all spectacular.

As I lay on my back, eyes wide to absorb as much of their beauty as I could take in, I realized that this tapestry of stars has always been there. Even in the city where the constant man-made light drowns them out, our pollution and selfishness snuffing the brilliance from our senses, the stars are still there.

The grass tickles my ear, the frogs provided an unending chorus as a soundtrack as God exclaimed in His overpoweringly still and silent way, "I've been here all along. You just don't always see me."

I saw each point of light as a contact, a time in my life when God was with me. Some brilliant and strong, the light intense and powerful, some a muted cluster of presence, so soft and faded that I could scarcely perceive them.

My life, start to finish, displayed on the backdrop of the sky, with thousands upon thousands of moments where God was there, is there, will be there.

And when I'm back at home in the city, gazing up at the one or two stars that have fought through the haze, I'll know the rest are there, hidden from view, but there all the same.

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the Outlander Fanatics of WA State Craft Fair and Palooza event in Tacoma. There are talented, crafty women in the group!
I gave out tissue packets with the Aiden's Angels logo, since my books may make you cry!
My friend, Molly, Ringle, and I did an author panel at the event. I talked about the Between series and she discussed her Chrysomelia Series, of which Persephone's Orchard is the first book.


Molly with Amy WhiteHuge thanks to everyone who worked to make the event a success and especially to those who attended the panel. What fun to talk about books with folks who love Scotland like I do!
Amy Kirsch is awesome.
Wendy Nay rocks!

Nah, who wants to stay calm???
After a two-year wait, Sacrifice of Greatest Price, the final book in the Between series, is released TODAY!
Yes! It's so exciting! All together now! I can hardly believe today is the day! 
It's like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one!
Oh, baby! This is the best day ever!
I can't stay still!
I have tears of joy that I can't contain. But then I'm reading and all the bad stuff starts happening to Aiden and Lindsey. 
What are you doing to Aiden MacRae??? You might cry a little, or be scared. No one is judging you. I had to include this one because of Thor. LOL
And at the end, it's okay to take a picture and send it to everyone you know.
Because this is how you want to feel at the end of a book series!
Huge thanks to every single person who has stuck with me through this series, who has spread the love of Aiden MacRae. Aiden's Angels are the best and this series would not be possible without you. I love you guys!

Here are the links to grab a copy for yourself!

Print copy (signed)
Print copy (not signed)
Kindle
BN.com
Smashwords
Kobo
iBooks

 I hope you enjoy this final book in Aiden and Lindsey's story! *sniff*

After a two-year wait, it's almost time! Can you believe that we only have 22 more days until the release of Sacrifice of Greatest Price?? *flails*

If you want to be sure to get your hands on this book, to get a signed copy to complete your collection, you can now pre-order!

Delivery method Shipped to the US $17.99 USD Shipped to Canada $25.99 USD Shipped to Mexico $29.99 USD Shipped outside North America $31.99 USD Ship To AddressName you'd like on the book
I will order you a copy, personalize it to you (or if it's a gift, to someone else), and ship it to your address. Please note the drop down list for different shipping prices by country (all taxes are included in the price). Of course, the book will be available on March 28 in all ebook formats as well. Be sure to add Sacrifice of Greatest Price to your to-read shelf on Goodreads and enter the Between giveaway for yourself or a friend, too!

I am so excited to share this final book in the Between series with all of you. I hope you love it!

P.S. If you'd like to order personalized copies of any of the other books in the series, leave a comment below and a way for me to reach you, and I will connect with you on how to do so. Thanks!

Today is the day!

Oh, Aiden's Angels, you have all been so patient with me so you deserve a Valentine's Day treat! The final book in the Between series has taken two years to write, which I recognize is pure torture, given the way I left you all hanging at the end of Even In Darkness. Mwahahahaha... *rubs hands together in an evil hand sanitizer fashion*

BUT! You will be rewarded for your patience and for sticking with me all this time. The fourth and final book in the Between series is the longest one! It's twice as long as Even In Darkness. So even though you had to endure the grueling wait, you will get to enjoy a thick, meaty story once the book is published on March 28, 2015. << That's next month, people! Squee!

Well, with no more ado (even though I can't say for sure what an 'ado' is...), here is the cover and blurb of the final book, Sacrifice of Greatest Price!


Three in one, forward and backHere and gone, to deepest blackSilver blooms, swollen with childBirth crimson globes, untethered wildLife meets death where the sun meets the seaBlood sacrifice, for you and for me.
It has all come down to this.
A prophecy, passed down through generations of MacRaes, tells of a blood sacrifice. A simple stone placed in an ancient dagger unleashes an army of hell transporters with glowing red eyes who have now come to exact that price.

In the epic finale of the Between series, Aiden and Lindsey will be tested in ways they could never have imagined. Visions of the past, from thousands of years ago when the Broch of Gurness in Orkney was whole, provide more questions than answers. But every secret will be revealed as the MacKinnons and MacRaes join forces to fight a battle they cannot hope to win.

***

Well, what do you think? Leave your comments below to share in the excitement! Did you notice that number of words in each book title corresponds to its place in the series? I can never remember the order of books in a series, so I've made it easy for you! One word = first book. Two words = second book, and so on. :)

I can't wait until March 28th when I get to share the rest of Aiden and Lindsey's story with you!

Yesterday, I was on my deck, watering the flowers in the planter boxes, and I got to thinking about how they are pampered and cared for, and how pretty their flowers are because of my attentions. My thoughts swung to those plants that don't get TLC and yet, do their best in spite of it.

I live in Washington state where we get a ton of rain. Blackberries grow along the road in wild thickets, even along the freeway where they are constantly enveloped in a fog of exhaust. And yet, these blackberry plants produce fruit. Sometimes big, fat, juicy, delicious fruit, though no one cares for them. No one prunes the vines, pulls the weeds, or waters them during dry spells. These blackberry plants are on their own. Most of their fruit dries on the vine, shrivels up, unpicked, unwanted. But for those brave souls who venture off the beaten path, some yummy fruit can be found for free.

Indie writers are much like these roadside blackberry bushes, striving to produce fruit even though few people will ever read our books. We are not pampered by publishers, cultivated and marketed by a team of paid professionals. More often than not, our books can't even be found in brick and mortar stores. Our fruit is hard to find and though it is often just as delicious, much of it remains on the vine, never having been picked, never seen, never tasted.

But for those adventurous souls who venture out, who dare to leave the supermarket fruit behind in search of something new, some exciting finds are waiting for you. Supermarket fruit is delicious, to be sure, but there's nothing quite like winding your hand through the brambles to take hold of that fat, juicy berry that would otherwise go to waste.

I've published three books and am about halfway through writing my fourth. This is a crazy, wonderful, stressful, exhilarating, and ridiculous journey I'm on, and I thought it would be good to take a moment to reflect on some of the best parts so far.

My Favorite Writer Moments (in no particular order):

The first time I held a printed copy of Between in my hands.Getting glowing reviews on Goodreads from complete strangers.Fan art based on my characters!Receiving gifts from readers who fell in love with Lindsey and Aiden MacRae.Friends telling me I've inspired them to write and asking me how to go about starting.Meeting Aiden's Angels fan site creator Vicki Trask in person.Being recognized at the RT conference by people I've connected with on Twitter.Getting to the end of the third book, which I never thought I could write, and which is my favorite so far.Seeing quotes from my books made into art, knowing they spoke to readers.Hearing that my daughter bragged to her classmates that her mom is an author.Having readers ask me when the next book is coming out because they can't wait to know what happens.When my characters hijack a scene and take it someplace I didn't anticipate.The Fake Scotsmen chats I've done with Jeri Smith-Ready featuring Aiden MacRae  from the Between series and Zachary Moore from the Shade series.Wearing the Published Author banner on my name tag at the RT conference.Having coffee with fellow authors and talking about the craft.Getting reviews from readers who appreciated that I incorporated faith themes without being preachy.When Aiden's Angels and KoomKey raised $700 so that the fan club prez could go to the RT conference.Getting a t-shirt with the Aiden's Angels logo on it!Shipping books outside of the US. Still boggles my mind that I have readers all over the world.Visiting Scotland and seeing the setting of Aiden's story with my own eyes. Completely surreal.What about you? If you're an author, what have been your favorite moments so far? If you would like to be an author, what are you most looking forward to in the journey?

Adriana is our newest addition to Aiden's Angels, and she's sent her pic with Between to be added to the Awesome Fans page. Woohoo!

Is your pic on the page, too? If not, send me a photo of you with any or all of the Between series books and I'll add it to the site! Ebook pics are totally legit, too. ;)

And in case you missed it, there are new items in the Aiden's Angels store as well. Nicole Scott's new Kindle sleeve looks amazing!

Between was published three years ago today. Holy smokes, where does the time go? Since that time, she's been followed by two siblings: Hell Transporter and Even In Darkness . And of course, we have one on the way (not yet named!) to round out the family. Awww....

I am truly humbled by the readers who took a chance on this book series, who fell in love with Aiden and Lindsey, and who continue to spend their time and energy to promote the series so that others will love it, too. A huge thanks to all of Aiden's Angels, and a special shout out to Vicki Trask and Theresa Largusa who are hosting an awesome contest on the Aiden's Angels blog this weekend. You don't want to miss it!! And don't forget to check out all the cool merchandise you can pick up from the Aiden's Angels Store.

I thought it would be fun to have a wee contest of my own as well. What do you think? Are you down with that? *grin*

Authors love to put endorsement blurbs on their covers and on their product pages, and I've been blessed with some great ones!

"A touching love story with a serious degree of YUM." - Author Jamie Canosa

"Aiden MacRae is the guy the word 'SWOON' was invented for." - Jessica from Just a Booklover

"Aiden MacRae OWNS MY HEART!!!" - Reading Angel

"What exquisite torture! You have no choice but to hang on until the ride is over. You absolutely will not put this one down!" - Author Linda Rae Blair

"With a gorgeous style reminiscent of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, I was absolutely enthralled by this novel." - The Violet Hour Book Reviews 

"From page one, this book draws you in and holds you there." - Were Vamps Romance

"Between had me laughing, sighing, and definitely a little teary-eyed. I loved every minute of it!" - Simply Me Book Addict

"I loved Between so much. I found myself looking forward to my reading time even more than usual. I kept telling my mom and husband, "I can't wait to sit and read a while. I'm reading the best book!"- I'd So Rather Be Reading 

"This is a truly enchanting story and not to be missed in any way, shape or form."- Magic of Reading

*****

Now it's your turn to take center stage! 

I'll be looking for a quote to add to the cover of Book Four and/or the product pages of the books, so comment below with your own endorsement blurb (for the whole series or any specific book in the series). If your blurb has the magic stuff, you might just see it on the cover of the final book in the series!