GUEST AUTHOR MAUREEN O' BETITA

Today Maureen O 'Betita is my special guest.  She's busy working on her Caribbean Trilogy, and  unexpectedly ran into a little trouble. Maureen's got a contest going to help her find her slippery little Kraken. Come on everyone, give her a hand. There's cool prizes, and 7 days left!


Welcome Maureen!

The Challenges of Working with a Cephalopod

I’m currently working on the third book of my Kraken’s Caribbean trilogy, The Pirate Circus and it’s been tricky. Any who have read my first book, The Kraken’s Mirror, know that I am a kitchen sink writer. If an idea slips into my mind – usually whispered by my muse – I insert it into the narrative.

He’s my muse! He’s good!

He’s also a bit of a tease and can be easily distracted. Hence, he whispers ‘volcano’ into my ear. “Climax with a volcanic explosion threatening the WORLD! Do it!” and I blithely smile and say, “Okay!”

Then he wanders off and I’m sitting, 10k short of a finish, with everyone in the midst of a hurricane, striving to reach Montserrat where the villain is going to start something he can’t control. At least I don’t think he’ll be able to control it.

I’m not entirely sure yet.

But that is what comes of working with supernatural forces and natural phenomena. You can’t always tell what is going to happen.

Take my cover for The Kraken’s Mirror. The electronic edition was released with a nice white kraken tentacle winding about my name. The Kraken of the title! We met, I loved him, he ate my inner critics and helped to load the rum onto the ship for the release party… He even provided tentacle rides on the release day. (He’s slimy, makes for one fast ride down his tentacle!) We were buds!

Then the print edition came out. And he was missing. Sigh.

Sometimes, cephalopods have the attention span of my muse. Or vice versa. He showed up briefly to pose for the cover of the second Kraken’s Caribbean book, The Chameleon Goggles and I’m thankful, but I hope he sticks around for the print edition this time! If I can find him in time. And The Pirate Circus won’t be the same if he wanders off again.

Anyone seen my missing kraken?

So, making the best of a sad situation, I put it to you… Where did the Kraken go?

1)      He’s in Scotland, wooing Nessie

2)      He’s outside the Mines of Moria at Gandalf’s request, fighting off the menace in the waters

3)      Sharing rum with the monster in the lake at Hogwarts

4)      Your best guess?

How to enter the contest?

1)      Comment here and pick an option, or create your own.

2)      Friend my author page on Facebook and leave a comment, telling me which option you’ve picked, or where you think the Kraken went.  Okay, Facebook put the kibosh on this option, but… if you find me on Facebook and relate your sighting in the comments, I will put your name in the hat for the big prize.

3)      Find me on any blog I guest at during the month of May and tell me about your sighting. (Be sure to leave an e-mail address in the comment section.)

Prizes?  I have wonderful prizes!

Every now and then, I’ll pick an entry and award something interesting. Free books, pirate perch hats, kraken jewelry!

Contest ends on May 31^st, 2011…at midnight, Pacific Standard Time. I will announce the winner on June 1^st!

I’ve already awarded prizes for the comment of the week and given a few books away. There’s only 7 days left! Help me find my kraken! Enter here!

                 Contest here         http://maureenobetita.com/kraken-contest/where-is-the-kraken 
  

  
Thanks for an awesome guest post, Maureen!  Now, it's time to hurry everyone! We have to help Maureen, and find her Kraken!