The Lady Dragon of Chinatown by Noel Plaugher - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Noel Plaugher and his new book, “The Lady Dragon of Chinatown,” here on FAB!!  For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Noel and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

The Lady Dragon of Chinatown

by Noel Plaugher

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GENRE:   Action / Martial Arts Fiction / Urban Fiction

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BOOK BLURB:

Maggie Long has only ever wanted to study martial arts, but it was forbidden. She found a teacher, Sifu Chang, to teach her in secret and she became a Kung Fu master.

After years in self-imposed exile, Maggie has returned to Chinatown to pursue her dream. The forces that govern Chinatown are working against her, and she'll have to fight for her school and her life. Is she strong enough to withstand all the forces against her?

A martial art story set in a neon-soaked Chinatown of the 1970's. The first book in a new series.

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EXCERPT TWO:

“Maggie walked quickly toward home, she was late, and her mother would be worried. But then inexplicably, she stopped to look into the largest puddle in the street. She approached it as if creeping upon herself and expecting to see something else. To her eyes, it was a brilliant image. Her reflection was colored with the fading twilight giving her skin a hue of gold. She studied the image. It was magical.

Her face was unblemished, and her black hair hung long past her shoulders. The colored lights of the neon sign above her gave her a green and yellow halo. Moving slightly without looking up, gazing deep into the puddle, she saw that her halo came from the neon sign of the Jade Dragon restaurant behind her.

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GUEST POST:

Five Ways to Deal with Rejection as a Writer

I never wrote a book before, but I had an idea for one. I sent off an email query and got a response the next day. After filling out a questionnaire proposal, I got an acceptance email with a contract about 2 days later. I’m not making that up. That actually happened. What I didn’t know then was how unusual that was, otherwise I would have savored the moment a bit longer before diving into my next project.

When I wanted to write fiction, everything changed. The first time I sent off a short story, and it wasn’t followed by an acceptance email, my first thought was, “That’s strange, isn’t it?” How naïve I was, right? Since that time I have become a veritable connoisseur of rejections, and hopefully what I share with you will help you deal with them in your writing journey. Here are five ways to deal with rejection.

Accept that rejection is part of the process

I think that you have to realize that when you send a query, you are more often than not going to get a rejection. It doesn’t make you a negative thinker or some kind of masochist to accept that reality either. I think it means you are intelligent enough to know that rejection is a very real possibility. Once you have accepted that it will happen, then you can do something about it.

Fire and forget

When I send a query, I put my best foot forward and then send it off. After that, I completely put it out of my mind and never give it a second thought. Don’t occupy your thoughts with waiting for a response. You will stay sane much longer.

Can you learn anything from it?

As I said, I didn’t have a lot of experience with rejection at first, but then rejection and I became like old friends, well, more like feuding neighbors, but we’re definitely on a first-name basis. Most of the rejections I received were those form rejections that they send to everybody, but every once in a while I would get an actual rejection that someone wrote. Once, the editor gave me some valuable feedback. They said the story was exciting, but the character was not really developed and they said, “Why should I care about this character?” That was a revelation to me. I knew exactly what they meant, and added some scenes to give it depth. It wasn’t too many times later that the story was accepted.

Put very little energy into something that is not giving you any energy

It should go without saying that rejections aren’t fun. I don’t think anyone gets any perverse pleasure in sending or receiving them, but they are a part of the process, as I said. For me, I think rejections should be handled like someone you don’t care for. Give them very little energy. No matter how much energy you put into a rejection the yield will still be zero. Therefore, give it only the attention necessary to acknowledge it and then move on. My policy is to scan any emails from a publisher for the word “unfortunately” and then delete it into oblivion.

You are not your rejections

You must maintain a positive mental attitude in life. Whether we’re talking about rejections or anything else. I’ll share with you the most brutal rejection I ever received: “Interesting idea, poorly executed.” Wow, that was like a knife in the heart, a punch in the gut, a kick in the…Well, you get the idea. That one was so rough I had to chuckle at it. Obviously, this person skipped the mandatory empathy class at work. However, there was nothing to do but delete it and move on. I say that a lot, huh? I know, it’s my favorite expression, because too often we stew on things and waste time, and energy and postpone happiness. There is no advantage in taking on and attaching to things that are not going to help you. My advice is to cast them aside and stride toward what you want.

In life, one of the healthiest things a person can do, I think, is to acknowledge their feelings. If you’re mad or sad, or however you feel, I think you have to have that moment, express it, and then you have to go forward. I don’t believe in being positive all the time, as I don’t think it is normal, sustainable or healthy. We have our peaks and valleys. To say we don’t is to lie to ourselves, and that is the most unforgivable lie of all.

While no one way works for everyone, when it comes to rejection, these are the things that have worked for me. We’re all different though and maybe you need your own process. Make one. Come up with something that works for you, but whatever you choose, use it. And when you get that acceptance, celebrate like crazy.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Noel Plaugher grew up in the San Francisco bay area of California. (1968- ) He planned on becoming a musician but things changed in 1990.

Noel was a victim of violent crime. He started studying martial arts in 1990 as a way of coping with the post-traumatic stress and as rehabilitation.

After attaining his black belt in Shou Shu Kung Fu he started studying various methods of Qigong and Xing Yi Quan. He completed his Xing Yi Quan certification in 2005.

"The power of the mind over the body is amazing and has always fascinated me. Xing Yi Quan is a deceptively simple style, and I have found that it benefits my health and martial arts."

Noel edited the book "How To Be A Champion" by world champion fighter Richard Trammell.

Noel's first book "Standing Qigong For Health and Martial Arts" was released in March 2015.

"This book has both martial and health postures. It is my hope that practitioners of other styles as well as those seeking an internal form of exercise will try it out. I think martial artists will be surprised by the great results they get from such a simple practice. If you are a Yoga practitioner, this will be a great addition to your current study."

Noel is an avid martial arts practitioner and writer, and lives in the USA in Atlanta, Georgia with his family.

“Noel has been studying martial arts since 1990 and writes about Qigong and martial arts-oriented material in both fiction and non-fiction.”

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CONNECT WITH NOEL:

Email:

shunshifu1990@gmail.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/noel.plaugher.author

Twitter:

https://www.twitter.com/shunshifu1990

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-lady-dragon-of-chinatown-by-noel-plaugher

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13688061.Noel_Plaugher

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69703805-the-lady-dragon-of-chinatown

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3GVAc3D

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AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3w164xv

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3W1kB6X

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Lady-Dragon-Chinatown-Noel-Plaugher-ebook/dp/B0BPSRNG5Y

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Lady-Dragon-Chinatown-Noel-Plaugher/dp/1958901113

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Noel will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.