Author Heather McCorkle

Many of you may recall that my debut novel, The Secret Of Spruce Knoll has a special mission: Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species. For those who don't know, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each copy of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll (in every format) will go toward my favorite charity that helps save endangered species. I've set a campaign goal of $10,000 for the charity, which I hope to reach by 12-12-2012. And, if I do reach it, I'll be able to continue to donate a portion of the proceeds to the charity for another year. Why this cause, why now? Because I want to leave a better, healthier Earth for future generations. Part of a healthy Earth is a healthy eco-system which includes animals. I want our children's children to be able to study gorillas or tigers in the wild. Sadly, those creatures~and so many more~are less than a decade away from extinction in the wild. Extinction.  For my reader's sake I'm thrilled that Compass Press has dropped the pr...

My muse last week was a big one with a big announcement. The second book in the channeler series, Channeler's Choice, has a release date with Compass Press : February 27th! *throws streamers and breaks out party hats.* Okay, maybe it's a bit early for party hats, but I'm excited! And here is the lovely cover that I've been dying to share with you: From the moment I saw the picture for the cover I knew it was perfect. This captured not only the essence of Eren and Aiden perfectly, but also that of the novel. It blew me away. And after design, it was even more amazing and perfect. I hope you love it as much as I do! Check back soon for a big contest to celebrate. Here it is on Goodreads if you'd like to put it on your 'to-read' shelf. 

Today's writing tip is about editing. With more and more authors choosing the independent path, the importance of editing and not getting in a hurry are more vital than ever. You are the last line of defense between your novel and the world. Don't let it go out into such a cruel place without making it into a lean, mean, fighting machine. Once you hit publish it's out there for the world to see, agents, publishing house editors, everyone. It can make or break you even more so than querying. Tip: Put your manuscript through the ringer; critique partners and/or beta readers, and if you are going indie, use a good freelance editor after you've put it through the paces. Golden bonus tip #2: Don't be in a hurry to put it out there until it is polished to perfection.

The Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour has come to an end but the journey is far from over. I can’t thank you all enough for your amazing support and excitement for both my book and my cause. The journey has only begun as I plan to donate a portion of the proceeds from this novel until 12-12-2012. I’m honored to have taken the first steps of the journey with all of you though. I wish I could award each entrant and supporter, but alas, I must pick only two for now. Winner #1: Theresa Milstein 1st place Theresa you’ve won a signed hardback of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll, a swag bag, and an endangered species adoption of your choice from this list ($50 donation by myself to the charity and a certificate of adoption and symbolic stuffed animal). Winner #2: Vickie Reljin 2nd place Vickie you’ve won a signed paperback of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll and a swag bag (I don't have any contact info for you so be sure to leave me a comment with a way to contact you, no worrie...

Today is the last stop on the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour. I'm kind of sad because it has been a lot of fun and the support shown to both my book and my cause has been so amazing that it has left me speechless at times. But the giving doesn't end with the tour. I'll be donating a portion of the proceeds of all sales of the Compass Press edition of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll until 12-12-2012. I hope you'll drop in on my author friend Lisa Nowak as I chat with her about prairie dogs, then come back and enter the contest on this link (or you can click on the sidebar picture for the contest). Entries will be closed at midnight (Pacific Time) tonight and the winner will be announced tomorrow. First place prize is a signed hardback of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll, a copy of The Gift by Cecelia Ahern, some fun Spruce Knoll swag, and a symbolic endangered species adoption of the winner's choice (a $50 donation to the charity by myself, and a stuffed critter...

For today's stop along the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at author Erica Chapman's place with some new info on white tigers. We're nearing the end of the tour so be sure to check back in after you visit me at Erica's and click on the link on my right sidebar to enter the contest! In other great news, the winner for LK Gardner-Griffie's new release celebration is: Tanya Congratulations to Tanya, you've won a paperback copy of Misfit McCabe and a paperback copy of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll! LK should be emailing you shortly.

Before I get to the writing goals, today for the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species Tour, I'm over at author  Christine Bryant's blog  chatting about giraffes. I hope you'll stop by! We're getting close to the end of the tour so don't forget to come back here and click on the button on the right sidebar to enter. This last week while on vacation I was working on a special writing project that I hope to have finished very soon. It falls somewhere between a short story and a novella and I plan on releasing it for free hopefully before the holiday as a gift to all of you. If you've ever wondered what really happened to Aiden's parents then you are really going to want to read this! My goal was to get at least 2,000 new words written on it by the end of the week and I'm thrilled to say I did! My goal for this next week is to finish the first draft, put it through my editing process, then send it off to my beta. How about you? Are your writing goals surv...

Today on the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at Talli's Roland's place and at Carolina Valdez Miller's place. Hope to see you at both! Two stops means two chances for more entries/points for the contest! And now to the fun gift ideas! My good friend, and author of Between , Cyndi Tefft has put together some fun gift ideas for fans of her novels. That means you Aiden's Angels! I'm not just featuring this because her main character shares a name with my main character (and hotness traits) but because she is a fabulous lady who deserves my support! For starters, you can get a signed copy of Between right from Cyndi's blog. Signed books are always great gift ideas and many authors, including myself, offer them on their sites. But if you're already a fan, or know a fan, then you'll definitely want to check out what Cyndi has put together on  Cafe Press for Aiden's Angels . The items on there are definitely going on ...

My Seattle trip to visit my Critique Sisters and meet new friends was fantastic! Though the weather was wet it wasn't nearly as wet as I expected, and I had a wonderful time. Celebrating the holidays with friends makes all the craziness worth it and all the hardships of the year melt away. I wish I could celebrate with each and every one of you in person, but for most of us, we'll have to settle for social networking celebrations! I'm so thankful for all of you though, I hope you know that. As for what's feeding my muse on the literary front, I'm reading a signed copy of Between by Cyndi Tefft. Today on the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour you can find me over at The Fiction Enthusiast with my friend Christie chatting about cougars. You know you can't resist that!

Today for the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at my good friend Saba's blog talking about the polar bear, one of my favorite creatures! I hope you'll drop in. And now for my author friend Lisa Nowak's fabulous new release. If you need a gift for a guy this season, look no further! Getting Sideways: Book 2 in the Full Throttle Series Getting shipped off to live with his uncle Race was the best thing that ever happened to fifteen-year-old Cody. Then a wreck at the speedway nearly ruined everything. Cody’s making every effort to get his life back on track—writing for the school paper, searching for the perfect girlfriend, and counting the days until he gets his drivers’ license—but there’s no escaping the nightmares that haunt him. A chance to build his own car seems like the perfect distraction. Until Cody realizes he’ll have to live up to Race’s legendary status. But that’s the least of his worries, considering he doesn’t have his dad’s permissi...

Today for the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at my good friend Christy's (of Erica and Christy) blog  chatting about the breathtaking emerald hummingbird (yay two people picked it!). You have to see this amazing creature to believe it! I hope you'll stop by to say hi, and of cAourse to get another point in the contest! Don't forget, if you're in the Seattle area, today I'm appearing at Tully's coffee shop (the one on Western Avenue) at 3:00pm for a meet and greet . Of course I'm happy to sign for anyone who brings their books along! I'll be armed with swag!

Today there are two stops along the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour, which means two more chances for another entry/point in the contest! First I'm over at my author friend LK Gardner-Griffie's blog talking about the arctic fox. For the second stop I'm over at my book blogger friend's blog, Melanie McCullough , talking about the emerald hummingbird, which is a breathtaking creature you have to see to believe. I'll be dropping in on both to stops to chat with peeps so I hope to see you in both places! To see what's up for grabs, and to enter the contest, click on the button on the right sidebar for the tour.

For those checking in on my stop for the Spruce Knoll for endangered species tour, I'm over at Simon Larter's blog today. Come on over to learn about hellbender salamanders and to get an extra point/entry in the contest. On to my feature! If you don't know who bestselling author Talli Roland is, then you're in for a treat because she is one of the most supportive, fun people I know. First a bit about her new release, How To Build A Man: Slave to the rich, rude and deluded, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she's a high-flying tabloid reporter. Unfortunately, every pitch she sends out disappears like her clients' liposuctioned fat, never to be seen again. Then she meets Jeremy Ritchie -- the hang-dog man determined to be Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between -- giving Serenity a story no editor could resist. With London's biggest tabloid on board and her ve...

Today for the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at my good friend and author Roland Yeomans blog. Roland's blog is always a fun place to drop in, not to mention, you'll have a chance to gain another entry/point for the contest! Now for the teaser. This is from page 52 of the Compass Press special edition: Aiden went very still. After a painfully long silence, Eren reached over and touched his arm. He turned to her, revealing eyes that were filled with regret. "What is it? What do you know?" she asked. "I want to tell you everything but it isn't my place. It kills me not to talk to you about it, you have to believe me, please," he said.

There is so much wonderful stuff going on this week that I hardly know where to start. For those looking for my Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour stops, I'm over at my author buddy Danyelle Leafy's blog chatting about snow leopard, and on my critique sisters blog with Linda chatting about ring-tailed lemurs. Remember, both tour stops are an opportunity to gain another point/entry so I hope you'll stop by! Then don't forget to come back here and click on the tour/giveaway button on the right sidebar to enter. The books and coffee photo is my inspiration as I'm doing my first unofficial author appearance and signing this coming weekend! I'm attending the Women's National Book Association ( Seattle chapter ) Christmas party this coming Saturday with my critique sisters, then I'll be off to Tully's coffee shop for a meet and great (the unofficial appearance and signing) with a few friends in Seattle. If you are in the Seattle area this coming...

I'm sorry to say that I don't have a Friday Creature Feature for you today. I had planned on a great one as I'm going to be featuring endangered species (real critters!) this month. But I'm sick and my head is so fuzzy I can't form sentences very well. You don't want to know how long it took to write this short post. But I won't let you go completely emptied-handed. Today on the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at my friend Theresa's blog, Tales of Teaching Tribulations and Typing Teen Texts . Whew, I'm exhausted just typing that. We're featuring the panda so come on over to learn more about it, and to get an extra entry/point for the contest! Then, to enter, come back and click on the sidebar button for the contest.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered to win a copy of Spruce Knoll through the New Author Blog Hop giveaway. I was blown away by the amount of people who entered. You peeps made my month. :) I won't keep you in suspense. The winner of the first copy of the Compass Press edition of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll: A Channeler Novel is: Persephone But if you didn't win don't worry, there is another great giveaway going on right now during my tour, Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species! To enter click here . Then I hope you'll join me over at my good friend Elle Strauss's place for the first stop along the tour.