Amanda Bonilla - My Favorite Time Sucks

Please welcome Amanda Bonilla to The Qwillery. Amanda is the author of the Shaede Assassin series. Blood Before Sunrise (Shaede Assassin 2) was published on July 3, 2012.

My Favorite Time-Sucks

Thanks so much to Sally and The Qwillery for having me back as a guest! I love this blog!

Needless to say, I occasionally lose focus. In the summer, I try to work away from home, taking my lap top to a location with no internet, no pets that need attention, no phone ringing… no distraction. It’s a little harder in the winter, because my work refuge is only available to me from June to October. The rest of the year, I have to exercise a little self-control and stay on task. Not always easy. And since these same distractions have interfered with the blog posts I need to write, I thought I’d share with you my favorite time sucks.


The Internet

This includes: Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. I can easily log on to Twitter with the sole purpose of taking a “quick look” at my Twitter stream. Two hours later, I’m still there, chatting it up. Facebook isn’t quite as bad, I can limit my activity there to 10 – 20 minutes a day. But the most evil of these social media sites is far and above Pinterest. I’ve been known to while entire weekends away as pin recipes, outfits I’ll never buy, and cool craft projects I will never do. 



Netflix 

I don’t know what it is about Netflix… I can ignore it completely until I’m under deadline and then I hear its siren song entreating me to log on. Have you ever seen the Netflix episode of Portlandia? Carrie and Fred start watching an episode of Battlestar Galactica. One episode turns to two, and three, and so on, and before they know it, they’re dirty, hungry, and jobless. By the way, you can watch entire seasons Portlandia on Netflix right now! *runs to open browser*



Bejeweled Blitz

I’ll play Bejeweled until my wrists go numb. I play it on Facebook and I have it loaded on my iPod. I’ll tell myself just one more game. And fifteen games later I’m repeating to myself, okay, this is the last game. My teen used to make fun of me for playing a stupid puzzle game, and then he succumbed to the seductive power of those glowing gems. I hate to admit that I can’t even come close to reaching his high score. I’d better start practicing. The kid is going down!



Reality TV

How I looooove reality TV. Dance Moms and Dance Moms: Miami are my current favs. Those moms are intense. And the instructors? Wow. Duck Dynasty is a reality show that I’ve actually got the hubs hooked on recently. If you’ve never watched it, you have to give it a try! That is one funny family. I’d totally hang out with them if I could! On the athletic front, I never miss an episode of So You Think You Can Dance and once in a while, I’ll watch Ninja Warrior and American Ninja Warrior. The contestants on those shows are amazing!



The beach

This is more of a seasonal time suck. We have a really short summer where I live and the months of June to August are strictly dedicated to the lake. My family has an old cabin on the lake and I spend every day I can sitting on the dock, soaking up the sun, and swimming. I’d swim all day if I could, and I’m hoping to find a used kayak this summer so I can paddle around too.

The actual view from my dock. I love the lake!

Reading

Of course, I’ve saved my very favorite time suck for last. I read in the morning, while I’m eating lunch. After dinner, and late at night in bed. I read at soccer games, in my car, while I’m waiting for an appointment. I read in the car while I’m waiting on the teen, and when I’m sitting at the beach. I could read my life away. Reading is the best time suck there is, hands down!



What are some of your favorite time sucks? Do you ever have to turn off your phone or disable your internet in order to get work done?



About Shaede Assassin

Blood Before Sunrise

Shaede Assassin 2
Signet, July 3, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

“She needed a bargaining chip and this was it—Raif’s daughter’s life for hers. And he knew damned well I was right. Just as he’d assured me the night I’d killed Azriel, this was far from over. His daughter was alive; I knew it. And I was going to find her.”

For months Darian and her Shaede guardian Raif have searched for the Oracle who attempted to overthrow the Shaede Nation—and kill Darian in the bargain. But now that they’ve finally found the half-crazed Oracle, for their efforts they are granted a possibility too painful for Raif to imagine, and too enticing for Darian to ignore.

Darian is determined to reunite Raif and the daughter he thought was dead, but her mission quickly proves dangerous when her lover Tyler is almost killed. And when a brooding and mysterious Fae warrior offers his guidance—at an extraordinary price—Darian finds herself willing to risk everything. As her single-minded hunt turns into an obsession, and she and Tyler grow further apart, Darian finds herself caught between the man she loves like a brother, and the man whose love she can’t live without…

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

When Shadows Call

A Shaede Assassin Novella
An eSpecial from New American Library, June 5, 2012
eBook

An exciting prequel to Amanda Bonilla’s Shaede Assassin series.

The envy of 1900s society, Darian is the rich, beautiful wife of a prominent Californian doctor—but her life is far from perfect. For years, Darian has suffered at the hand of her cruel husband and yearned for an escape—one that she knows to be all but impossible.

But when an enigmatic stranger comes to call, Darian finds herself charmed by his seductive smile and the inexplicable connection she feels. And when he makes her a thrilling—yet frightening—proposition, Darian must decide if she’s strong enough to abandon the mortal world she knows and answer the shadow’s call…

Includes an excerpt from Shaedes of Gray, and a preview from Blood Before Sunrise, available July 2012.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Kobo : Sony

Shaedes of Gray

Shaede Assassin 1
Signet, December 6, 2011
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

In the shadows of the night, Darian has lived alone for almost a century. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind-an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.

When Darian's next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she's taken on more than her conscience will allow. But a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished...

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

About Amanda

Amanda Bonilla lives in rural Idaho with her husband and two kids. She’s a part-time pet wrangler, a full-time sun worshipper, and only goes out into the cold when coerced. She loves the outdoors, black clothes, pink appliances and thinks junk food should be a recognized food group. In the summer, she can be found sitting by the lake, enjoying the view from her dock.

Website : Blog : Twitter : Facebook