Cover Reveal Coming Soon!

I'm so excited about my new book cover, I can't wait any longer!

I know I keep saying it's coming soon, but this time I really mean it. This coming Monday, February 4th is my best friend's birthday, so I randomly picked that date to reveal the cover of Cheating Death (formerly Falling Away), my fourth novel that will hopefully scare the pants off of you. So mark your calendars!

Writer Wednesday: Lauryn April

I first met Lauryn April after discovering her book Into the Deep on Goodreads. Into the Deep is the story of a girl who develops an unusual ability and is forced to protect her school from being blown to pieces by an angry teen. I liked it so much that I *may* have stalked her on Twitter. Now we're on a group blog together. It's funny how things sometimes happen in strange ways.

Where did the idea of Into the Deep come from?

Initially it was inspired by an episode of Buffy titled “Earshot”, and some notes I’d written in Abnormal Psychology.

Have you personally ever experienced something that could only be explained as paranormal?

Oh yeah. When I was a kid I lived in this old farmhouse with my mom and sister, and I swear the place was haunted. I have a few stories, but one really good one. I doubt anyone will believe this but I swear it’s true. When I was about twelve I was having a slumber party with one of my girlfriends and we fell asleep on the couches in the living room. In the corner of the room was a fluorescent bulb from the closet that had died. We'd set it aside planning to buy a replacement the next day. In the middle of the night my friend and I woke up to the bulb glowing. Dead, not plugged in to anything, just sitting there, glowing. We stared at it for the longest time watching the light pulse and flicker. I think we even picked it up and carried it into another room to see if it would stop, but it didn't. By the next morning it stopped glowing and I've never seen anything like that since.

Favorite songs on your writing playlist?

Oddly enough, I often write in silence, but when I do listen to music and write I have a playlist on Youtube with some really chill, moodly kind of stuff. “Breath Me” by Sia, “Use Somebody” cover by Laura Jensen, and “Always” by Saliva are some of my favorites on it.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’ve recently finished the first draft of “Hidden Beneath” which is the sequel to my debut novel “Into the Deep” and I’m in the process of re-reading, making changes and getting it ready for beta readers.

Do you plan to stick to the paranormal genre, or do you think you will venture out to other areas?

I think I’ll stick to the paranormal. I’ve written some contemporary short stories in the past, but I just like monsters so much more. Everyone has their demons, when I write I just like to make those demons a little more literal.

What’s the best thing about being self-published?

Having total control, and not just with writing what I want, but with choosing what I publish next and when to have it out. I tend to be really scatterbrained and I jump from one project to the next. I have, I think, twelve books that I’ve started writing. Some are no more than sheets of notes, others are 10, 20, 30 thousand words in. So, half the time I don’t even know which one I’m going to finish next.

Hardest?

The work. I’m not just a writer, but a publisher, cover artist, promoter, ect… I do hire an editor, but other than that I do it all, even the formatting for both the paperback and e-books. It can be a lot, especially with trying to finish a BA in Psych and working part time.

Favorite scary movie?

I love scary movies, so I don’t think I could pick just one, but at the top of my list would have to be “The Silence of the Lambs”, “The Lost Boys”, and the director’s cut of “Alien”.

If you could spend a day with any celebrity/author, who would you choose?

Either Stephen King or Joss Whedon, but probably Joss Whedon because I think Stephen King would be a little too intimidating.

What are some of your favorite books?

“The Talisman” by Stephen King, “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, and “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte. I’m also really into the Lux series by Jennifer Armentrout at the moment.

Ways to follow Lauryn: Twitter, Goodreads, her website

Where to find her book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble 

Lauryn is from a small town about thirty minutes outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She started writing in high school but never thought seriously about being a writer until college where she spent some time working for the school newspaper. Currently she lives in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where she’s studying Psychology and lives with her boyfriend and two dogs. In August of 2012 Lauryn published her first novel, INTO THE DEEP, which looks at the intricacies of the adolescent mind and explores how teenagers deal with feelings of loneliness and judgment. She continues to write in the YA and NA Paranormal Romance genre, and when she’s not writing she likes to spend her time out on Lake Winnebago, snowmobiling, or just hanging out at home watching movies.

Feeling Inspired

I've probably mentioned a few thousands times just how much music inspires me. I swear sometimes  there's even a soundtrack for my life (especially when I have music playing 24/7). Music can change your mood on a dime - it can make you feel sexy, happy, sad, scared, excited and even violent (that last one is maybe just me when the radio only gets country). When I think of vacations, I make a playlist. When I'm preparing for a special photo shoot, I make a playlist. There's a handful of songs for every occasion. I often think another great career choice for me would've been a musical director for movies.

While finishing up a total re-write of my fourth novel Cheating Death, I stumbled across two gems that really got my writing gears going.

Seven Devils by Florence + the Machine

A huge shout out to my Twitter friend Katrina for officially introducing me to this one. I'm pretty sure I've heard it before, but when I mentioned that I was looking for spooky music, she suggested this one. It totally nailed the sexy/spooky/haunting feel I was aiming for and I often play it on repeat while writing.

Gratuitous Sex and Violins by Christopher Lennertz (Supernatural soundtrack)

Honestly, I wish I could get my hands on this one for my book trailer. It's beautifully haunting with just a tint of sadness. I guess part of my love for the Supernatural series I only recently got into has to do with the excellent music selections.





So thanks to these two songs and a few others, I see the end in sight for book #4. Hopefully by the end of February I'll have a song picked out for the book trailer that's just as haunting and beautiful as these two. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for my new book cover, coming even sooner!

Celebrate the Small Things Hop

One of my new blogging friends, the fabulous Vikki of VikLit (I totally love that I have more friends overseas now), came up with this blog hop idea to celebrate small accomplishments and share them with others! Since I just posted an update the fourth novel I'm working on and how well all of that is falling together, I will post about a different accomplishment - a real presence in social networking!

As of today, I have nearly 1,800 followers on Twitter. On Facebook I've almost hit 600 likes, on Goodreads I have almost 600 friends, 600 followers on Tumblr and 300 followers on Pinterest. YIKES! (Don't think I missed the fact that I just posted 600 three times in a row - my freaky mind is going to town on that one, wondering what it could possibly mean!) That's a lot of people. And a lot of work.

As most indie authors know, getting our name out there to promote our books can feel like a full time job in itself. Sometimes it hardly leaves any time for actual writing. I remember when I first started out on Twitter and wondered how on earth all these people gained thousands of followers. I remember being thrilled when I hit 100. Yes it has made me a bit of a social flake (I can't ever go very long without checking notifications on these sites) and yes I hardly get a fraction of the sleep I once used to get, but I really feel like I'm starting to get noticed and my book sales are steadily increasing.

So this Friday, I celebrate all my hard work and lost hours to the Internet. What small thing do YOU have to celebrate?

Writing Things That Go Bump in the Night

Another confession: I love creepy things.

Okay not that kind of creepy (although I do totally adore this song and anything Andy Samberg or The Lonely Island create). But for the purpose of this post, I'm talking creepy like Se7en or Silence of the Lambs kind of creepy. You know, the kind that makes you look behind you twice before you run up the basement steps or the kind that plays tricks on your mind, making you think you're seeing things that aren't really there.

My fourth book has completely transformed from the story of a teenage girl whose life goes terribly wrong and falls in love with the wrong guy to the story of a teenage girl who sees ghosts, almost dies and has dark things chasing after her soul.

Yep, I'm writing scary stories again.

And I didn't realize before now just how much I missed it. My third book Shymers was a break away from the dark undertone of the first two, which was fine because I really enjoyed the change of pace. Don't worry, dear readers, I am still writing a sequel to it later on this year, but first will come this story that has undergone a major overhaul and is so much better than it originally started out to be.

With a change of plot also comes a change of title. What was once Falling Away has now become Cheating Death. And a cover reveal is on its way really soon! I did not do the photography on this one as I was set on using a picture of a girl underwater and I found an amazing image that I think is both beautiful and chilling - can't wait to show you guys!

In the meantime, I've traded some of my daytime hours of writing into nighttime so I can set the right mood. Yes that makes me way more jumpy (the other night I was seriously seeing things that weren't there, just like my character) and yes that means I will most likely be more irritable and have a harder time getting kids off to school in the morning, but in the end it will have been totally worth it.

At least I hope. Because I'm super tired and need a really long night's sleep.

Supernatural: Super Awesome!

Confession: I only work out because I know two hot guys named Sam and Dean are waiting for me.

For those of you who don't watch Supernatural, those are the two brothers on the CW series who hunt paranormal myths and urban legends mostly across the Midwest. I don't watch the show just because they're hot (because if I admitted that it would make me a cougar and I'm not ready for that kind of commitment). I watch it because it's so awesome - like X-Files awesome. And yes, I know I'm really late to the party considering the series is in its 8th season.

I've known about this show for a long time and I usually watch a lot of the shows on CW. For some reason, however, I didn't try watching an episode until a later season and just couldn't get into it. I have a bad habit of giving up on shows if I don't watch them from the very beginning.

Enter Netflix.

For Christmas we bought a large flatscreen with internet for our theatre room, so I decided to give Netflix another try. There are probably a dozen series waiting in my queue, but I really wanted to give Supernatural a chance. From the first episode I was hooked. The brothers have a relationship that's amusing to watch, the paranormal stories are so right up my alley and there's just enough of the scare factor to keep me satisfied and not overly freaked out.

So every morning when I have a hard time crawling out of bed and getting on the elliptical machine, I think of Dean's beautiful eyes the creepy stories that are just waiting to be told and just like that, I'm up. If only the Winchester brothers could motivate me to do everything hard in life...maybe I could reward myself for cooking and cleaning each time with an episode.

Book Review: Shifting Pride

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Nickie Leone has proof that her missing (presumed dead) father is still alive. Receiving his watch in the mail is the first in a line of clues bringing her closer to discovering his whereabouts. But clues aren’t the only new thing in Nickie’s life. There’s the Memorial Banquet her mother insists she help prepare for, there’s the new kid/hottie, Xavian, and...well, the growth of whiskers and a tail!

Filled with secrets and a new love of tuna fish, Nickie must partner up with Xavian (don’t you know he’s a shapeshifter too?) to rescue her dad before she loses him forever. Oh, and she needs to figure out how to be a cat, too.

I discovered this book through Twitter. Ever since reading about shapeshifters in the Sookie Stackhouse series, I've avoided them like the plague, but decided to give this one the chance. And I was pleasantly surprised.

Nickie is a likable character and not clingy or all into the new guy the way a lot of heroines can sometimes be. In fact, she is always angry with Xavian at first. The banter between them was a lot of fun and kept the story interesting. 

I love how we were able to watch Nickie slowly became a cat with hints dropped here and there that the transition was coming. The adventure that came into the end of the book was well told and gave a satisfying ending. I was unable to put this book down - I really enjoyed the world that Laura Diamond created. I highly recommend Shifting Pride to anyone who is into paranormal and romance.

I've Been Nominated!

And even more exciting news (what a stellar week)! My blog has been Nominated by April Books and Kelly Anne Blount  for the Liebster Award! Thank you, lovely ladies, for the nominations!

The rules of the Liebster Award are as follows:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you.

2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself and create 11 questions for your nominees;

3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen. (No tag backs)

4. Copy and Paste the blog award on your blog.

Random Facts About Me:

1. I'm completely obsessed with music. If there isn't any playing at any point in the day, it makes me anxious. I have over 4,000 songs on my iPod. Three of my six tattoos are music related.  I can't even count all the concerts I've been to. Is there such a thing as a music intervention?

2. I literally live in the middle of nowhere. Our road is the last to be plowed in the whole county. We live an hour from the nearest mall. I've never been much of a country girl, so at times it gets pretty lonely. A lot of times it's just me and the two dogs and they're not much for conversation.

3. I was bullied as a kid for having protruding ears (called "Dumbo" etc) so my parents decided I should have plastic surgery when I was only 8. Having older girls corner me in the bathroom and make fun of me when I was in second grade is one of the clearest memories from my childhood. Because of this, I'm totally like some kind of bully police.

4. When it comes to books, I'm probably considered a borderline hoarder. For over a decade at my house there were books in random closets, under beds and even in the laundry room. I just recently sorted through them and bought an actual bookshelf. I dream of having an actual library one day with a comfortable lounging chair...my family would probably never see me again.

5. I'm a serious dog lover - big, small, it doesn't matter. But cats really freak me out. I swear they have this sixth sense about it, too. When I go over to a friend's house, their cats will either stare at me or come brush up against me. There was even a cat that was obsessed with my ponytail and wouldn't leave it alone. I was pretty traumatized after that.

6. My husband owns a Harley, although we don't get to ride it as often as we would like. Still, I think I make for a really awkward Harley momma and a lot of people do a double-take when they see me on back of the bike. But I've actually come up with some great story ideas while riding on the back of it, so I love it even more!

7. While I'm the shortest of three children at almost 6' and my husband is 6'2", both of our children are pretty short for their ages. I blame the synthetic hormones in the milk.

8. Whenever we go on vacation, I buy a paperback or hardcover book months ahead of time and put it in my suitcase. It takes a lot of self-control not to read it before we leave, but having the opportunity to read a good book from cover to cover is the mark of an excellent vacation.

9. Even though I'm terrified of heights (I once had a panic attack at the top of the Empire State Building), I love roller coasters. Sadly, my stomach seems less tolerable of them the older I get.

10. I'm really freaky about keeping my books in perfect condition. If I loan one out (which is pretty rare), it's only with the promise that they will not crease the spine. Don't even get me started on a messed up spine!

11. I've been to the Disney parks close to a dozen times in my lifetime, but The Wizarding World of Harry Potter only once. It's my goal to visit TWWHP more times than Disney. I should probably just get a job there.

Questions from My Nominator:


1. What got you into blogging? I always have so much to say and there's not enough room on Twitter. The blogging community is a total blast and it's fun to support my fellow authors.

2. Favorite TV show and why? Hands down, that would have to be The Walking Dead. It's such an original show with excellent writing that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Sometimes it's like a really good soap opera, only with excellent acting. And zombies.

3. When writing books are there any reoccurring themes in your work, or if you’re not an author are there any reoccurring themes in the books you like to review? I definitely like anything paranormal, whether reading or writing. In my books you'll always find some level of a love story, too. No matter how hard I try to keep platonic relationships between my characters, the little buggars always end up having a crush and can't seem to keep their hormones in check.

4. What were you like as a teenager? Up through my junior year, I was pretty decent. I stayed out of trouble for the most part and got decent grades. I had so many different friends that arranging my weekends and slumber parties was a nightmare (not everyone got along). My senior year, however, I discovered alcohol and got pretty wild. I think I was still a good daughter...for the most part.

5. Paperbacks or e-books and why? I still use both. I totally love the convenience of my kindle when at home or when on vacation. And it's nice that I don't have all these physical books to have to find a home for. But there will never be anything as awesome as opening a brand new book and feeling it in your hands - I even love the smell of them. I still collect the hard copies written by my favorite authors.

6. Do you have a funny vacation story? I have lots. But last time we were in Cabo, my husband somehow talked me into zip lining (there may have been alcohol involved at the time we signed up). For the most part, it was actually a lot of fun. The view was breathtaking and we got to see the rugged part of Mexico. The guides taught us how to slow down and break by pulling on the cable. At one point, I got a little freaked out by how fast I was going and basically braked right in the middle of a line. This skinny little kid had to come rescue me by wrapping his legs around my waist and pulling me back with our faces only inches apart. At the time I was mortified, but later on agreed that it was pretty funny.

7. Have you ever been out of the country and where did you go? I've been to many different places in Mexico (Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo), the Virgin Islands, Jamaica and Canada. But none of those places will ever beat Hawaii.

8. Book you’re most looking forward to reading this year? The second book in Jolene Perry's Insight series called Manipulation. That woman really knows how to write a good story and I was so excited that she delved into the paranormal genre!

9. Biggest turn off in a book? A really complicated world, especially one that's really political in nature. So many dystopian books are like that. It's one of the reasons I wrote Shymers - I just wanted an interesting futuristic story that was focused more on the people in it.

10. What are you doing when you’re not reading or writing? Getting paid to take pictures, hanging out with my siblings and parents, going out with friends, catching a movie or a concert. But really there's not a lot of time for that stuff because we're just trying to follow the madness of our children's lives. Seriously - we have dance (2x/week), tae kwon do (2x week), basketball (both kids play), confirmation and occasional wrestling. This has been a crazy year. The only thing keeping me going is my husband's promise that we will winter somewhere warm as soon as these last two kids graduate!

11. Favorite holiday and why? It's always been the Fourth of July. My family always gets together at our lake home and we usually have a seafood boil with lots of beer and lots of boating. My husband and I were even married on the Fourth of July, with professional fireworks and everything! The bonus to this is that my husband won't ever forget our anniversary.


My Nominees:

Sarah, Chelsea, Anissa, Megan - Forever YA Fiction
Emma Meade - Emma's Ramblings on Supernatural Fiction
Crystal D Spears - Lives and Breathes Books
Deanna Lynn Sletten - Deanna Lynn Sletten, Author
Danielle Sibarium - For Always
Kelly Valentine - It's All Relative
Maria Monteiro - Writing, Reading & Dancing
Amber, Satin, Sarah & Shannon - The Mortal Institute
Sabrina - Sabrina's Library
London Cole - London Cole (YA and NA paranormal author)
Erika Stroup - Moonlight Book Reviews

My Questions for Nominees:

1. If you could live the life of any character in a book, who would that be and why?

2. What do you like to do to relax?

3. What's your favorite vacation memory?

4. Do you have any strange quirks?

5. What are some of your favorite movies?

6. What do you and your best friend like to do together?

7. If you could see anyone in concert, alive or dead, who would that be?

8. Favorite childhood memory?

9. Is there any book in particular that's really had some kind of impact on your life? How so?

10. You just won the lottery. What would you do with the money?

11. What do you enjoy most about blogging?

New Favorite Author Alert!

Earlier on this blog, I shared just how much I loved the movie Warm Bodies and mentioned that I seriously enjoyed the book it was based on (I freaking adored the story of Julie and 'R'). I may have even developed a small fangirl crush on the author, Isaac Marion. Not only does the guy write about zombies (my absolute fav), but he can sing (his haunting alternative album is available on iTunes), he's into tattoos (like myself) and he's FUNNY. As in freaking hilarious. I've had the honor of chatting with him a time or two on Twitter and he never fails to crack me up.

Below is a recent post to his website, announcing that he opened a PO Box. Just try not to laugh when reading it.

Dare I say, Isaac Marion has officially replaced Stephen King and J.K. Rowling as my favorite author. While he may not quite be in their league yet, the fact that I'm able to actually interact with someone whose writing I adore makes him king of the written word on my list. Now that you understand just how much I admire his writing, you can about imagine my excitement to learn (from the author himself) that he's hoping to release a prequel to Warm Bodies later this month!

Will we get to learn the story of 'R' before the zombie outbreak? Will we get to experience the horror of the outbreak first catching on through our beloved characters' eyes? Will I be able to wait any longer?

Even though I already own the Kindle version of Warm Bodies, I bought the original hardcover and shipped it to Washington for Mr. Marion's autograph. If he's reading this blog (first I'm going to go crawl into a corner and die of embarrassment) I promise that I won't be sending anything toxic anytime soon. Because that would be just dumb. You have way more brilliance to share with this world.

MORE exciting news!

This has been an exciting week! Not only is my zombie book now available in the Kindle lending library, but a blog I've been working on with eleven other very fun and spirited ladies is about to go live this Saturday! Being an author can be a lonely road to travel, so we joined together to document our unique journeys as well as bring you other news from the writing world. To get to know my fellow authors that will be blogging along with me, you can check out their profiles here.

Here's a preview of what you can expect from this brand-spanking new blog! 

	The Tuesday Topic: On Tuesdays, each of us will chime with our perspective on a popular writing topic. We'll ask for your point of view in the comments!
	Writers' Review: On Wednesday, one of us will suggest a new book that we're sure you'll love!
	Write Now: On Thursdays, we'll all come together to give you a short insight into what we're doing for our craft at that single point in time.
	Song for a Scene Saturday: On Saturday, one of us will share with you a specific song that inspired or influenced a scene in our writing.
	Dear Diary: A look into the milestones and pitfalls of our journey. We aim for an honest and pull-no-punches view into our minds as we navigate our path to publication.
	Fact and Fiction: We will tell you about one of our personal experiences that differed from our expectations.
	What's New: We'll highlight book releases, contests, other fabulous blogs, and other happenings in our community.
	Who to Watch for: Interviews with up-and-comers as well as industry vets!

Oh, and we're everywhere on the web, so be sure to follow us on the sites below for all the exciting new we will have to offer!

• Email
• Pinterest
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Tumblr
• RSS

BIG NEWS!

I'm giving everyone the chance to read my zombie book for FREE!

Yeah that's right, I said it, FREE! Now that the juggernaut that is Apple has finally released it (which only took forever and ever), The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life is available to Amazon Prime members to loan from the lending library at no cost. And even better - you don't even have to own a kindle! You can download the kindle app for your Mac, PC, iPad, phone, or just about any other digital device here.

Finding an excuse to use my favorite comedian jumping for joy totally just made my day.

So pick up this amusing adventure here, and then review it here. I thank you, dear readers, for all your support and hope that you'll give this fun book a chance. Happy reading!

Happy Birthday to the God of Rock

This post has really no meaning to it other than to pay homage to the legend who has been in TWO epic rock and roll bands and felt the need to create yet another (in addition to reappearing in Them Crooked Vultures). He's also in my top three favorite artists of all time.

Happy 44th birthday, David Grohl, you talented/funny/sweet/nerdy/hot man. May all my dreams about you your dreams come true.

Cover Reveal: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

Title: The Forgotten Ones

Author: Laura Howard

Genre: NA Paranormal Fantasy Romance

Expected release date: May 15, 2013

Age Group: New Adult

Cover Designer: Stephanie Mooney 

Book Description:

Allison O'Malley just graduated from college. Her life's plan is to get a job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn't have room for friends or even Ethan, who clearly wants more.

When Allison's long-lost father shows up, he claims he can bring her mother back from the dark place her mind has sent her. He reveals legends of a race of people long forgotten, the Tuatha de Danaan, along with the truth about why he abandoned her mother.

Laura Howard | Facebook | Twitter

Share on Facebook and/or Twitter and you could win a $50 Amazon (or B&N) Gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writers Are People Too. No, Really.

I’m not going to lie. When you're an author, negative reviews of your book hurt. Like really bad. Imagine being stabbed repeatedly in the chest, then having an Army tank run you over, only to be followed by a stray dog peeing in your face. That's maybe a small glimpse into how it feels.

Today I came across some negative reviews left for a book written by a Twitter friend of mine who is extremely nice and kindhearted. While I haven't read her book myself, I was appalled to read through the overly harsh comments left by these bloggers on Goodreads. And I felt inspired to explain why I think this is totally uncalled for.

As writers, we spend months pouring our heart and soul into these stories, creating these characters and the worlds they live in from nothing more than the darkest corners of our imaginations. Then we take this precious story we've created and release it to the wild, kind of the way a mother has to send her child to his first day of kindergarten. And we're just ordinary people, like everyone else. So of course it hurts when you use dramatic GIFs and foul language to describe just how much you hated our books. Probably the most ironic part about all of this is the fact that most writers I know are emotional creatures, often even socially introverted. Many of us have a hard time putting ourselves out there to begin with. And we're known to take things to heart.

Before I published my first novel, I didn't fully appreciate this concept. While I've always tried to be a fairly positive person and don't believe in putting others down, I sometimes gave out 2 star reviews to books I really didn't like. Now, as I stand in the awkward and sometimes ill-fitting shoes that writers are forced to wear, I understand just what an impact negative reviews can have. If I really can't stand a book, I will just decline to review it.

Many bloggers I've contacted state on their website that they won't tear a book apart and if they didn't enjoy it that they will do their best to point out the positive aspects, knowing everyone doesn't have the same tastes. This is so true. That's the most frustrating part about negative reviews - just because Joe Blow thought a book was stupid and tacky doesn't mean his 60 year old mother whose basement he's living in won't thoroughly enjoy it.

Next time you leave feedback on a book you've read, please keep in mind (whether you personally know the author or not) that they're just regular people trying to make a living doing something they really enjoy. It's not necessary to put down the author and go on a rampage that tears their books to shreds. And to my fellow authors who have to endure the sometimes immature comments left by people who either don't know or don't care that they're talking about a real person who put gallons of blood and sweat into their work, just remember:

Thankfully, we live in a diverse world where there sill are people who are more interested in sharing the love than spreading the hate.

Writer Wednesday: London Cole

So this week I felt compelled to introduce all of you to one of my favorite Twitter friends. He's witty, charming and a big fan of rum. Plus he's really good at telling paranormal stories that involve ghosts, sexual tension and a dystopian world unlike any other. His book Whisper Walker just underwent a major redo, getting a new title (Splinter), cover (see below) and some scene rewrites.

In honor of London's new release, he's giving away one digital copy (ePub or Mobi) of Splinter! Enter on Rafflecopter giveaway below. Winner will be announced on January 30th.

Tell us about your new release, Splinter.

Ahh, straight to the point. I like that. Ok, that’s not entirely true, I don’t mind a little beating around the bush on occasion. Splinter is a New Adult Post-Apocalyptic novel with elements of romance and paranormal set around eighty years after WWIII. It's a story told from two points of view of two best friends, Kelsie and Drake, as they stumble onto a paranormal mystery and threat that will impact their entire existence.

What's your favorite scene in this book?

That’s a hard one. That’s like asking a Star Wars fanatic to pick their favorite Han Solo action figure. I’d have to say (even though it’s a few scenes) that the second chapter is my favorite. It’s the introduction to Kelsie and some of her dirty little secrets.

Were any aspects of the story brought on by either personal experience or inspiration?

Whoa. The answer to this question is quite extensive. I’ll try to keep it brief. I grew up on a large island in Washington State. Every inch of that island was fodder for how my imagination works. There are many haunted locations on the island, including two seriously creepy and awesome old concrete forts left over from the World Wars, as well as some heavy woods where some completely inexplicable things have happened to me over the years. The very first scene is quite similar to something that happened to me while I was playing night games with some friends in high school at one of the forts. I fell into a pit at the bottom of an ammunitions lift without a flashlight and scene one was more or less born. There are many more scenes inspired by actual locations on Whidbey Island, but I don’t want to spoil the book.

What are some of your personal favorite books?

The whole Harry Potter series. The Iron Druid Chronicles, The King Killer Chronicles, Poison Study, The Emperor’s Edge series, dude, I could keep going. I love reading.

What music do you listen to while writing?

I normally opt for silence or a really loud room full of people, such as a pub. But sometimes I listen to A Day to Remember or Four Year Strong when I’m writing action scenes. Yellowcard is a good all around one for me, too.

What's the most satisfying thing about writing?

Having a reader come up to you and shake your hand, saying how much they loved your book, how much they could relate to one of your characters. It’s surreal.

Hardest thing?

Editing and revisions. Revisions always make my head get turned inside out! If I could write the first two drafts and then let someone else do all the intensive revisions, I would totally do that.

What are you working on next?

I’m working feverishly hard on another NA book that’s paranormal. I also have the outline for the coolest Santa Claus book ever.

What’s your favorite scary movie?

Cabin in the Woods was pretty awesome. Other than that, I’m not really into scary movies. I have been to the house that’s in The Ring though, which was totally cool.

If you could shake the hand of anyone you wanted, who would that be?

That’s tough. Maybe J.K. Rowling. She has done so much to help bring the younger generations into reading and I have the utmost respect for her.

Ways to follow London: Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, his website

Where to find his books: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

London Cole is the author of Paranormal Young-Adult novels and novellas. He resides in the large and highly over-heated state of Texas, though he's not originally from there. He was born in the Pacific Northwest, growing up on an Island very near Canada. That means that he slips up and occasionally uses words like “ehh” and pronounces “about” like “abooot”. He's also told that he unknowingly slips into a light accent on occasion and says “dude” in an odd fashion.

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Cover Reveal: Facade by Nyrae Dawn

Recently, I discovered the talented Nyrae Dawn, an author who really knows how to tell a great romance story. I'm way psyched to be able to reveal her newest book cover to you, Facade! The release is set for March 2013.

**This is a New Adult book and intended for mature audiences.**

Blurb:

No one knows who twenty-one year-old Adrian Westfall is behind his façade. After what he’s done, he deserves to live alone with his pain, even if he’d do anything to forget. Anything for a moment of quiet without his past haunting him.

 

Eighteen year-old Delaney Cross wants nothing more than to absolve her family from her father’s sins. To keep her suicidal mom off that ledge, and help her brother Maddox get the light back in his eyes. She thinks their road to freedom is through Adrian.

 

Adrian and Delaney are bound together by tragedy… Only Adrian doesn’t know it.

 

As their lives intertwine, they find a solace in each other they never knew existed. Laney knows she needs to tell him—to come out from behind her smoke screen, but to say the words could mean losing him.

 

Two people. Two disguises. True love.

 

Will it be enough to save them when all secrets are bared?

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16150320-facade

Nyrae's website: http://www.nyraedawn.blogspot.com

Nyrae resides in sunny Southern California with her husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two awesome kids. When she’s not with her family, you can be pretty sure you’ll find her with a book in her hand or her laptop and an open document in front of her. Nyrae is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich Literary Management.

Book Review: Dizzy

When I started a blog, it was never my intention to become an actual book reviewer. But I'm always reading something and I've been asked so many times by fellow authors to swap books in exchange for my honest opinion that I figure I may as well start! For the most part I'm interested in reading YA (young adult) or NA (new adult) paranormal and romance, but occasionally I meet someone who writes outside of my preferred genre, so you may see a mix of that as well.

A word of warning before I begin: I am not a philosophical kind of person. I prefer more of a straight up, no nonsense kind of approach. So my reviews will not be in depth, nor will they tear apart anything that didn't sit well with me. As a writer, I know how much a bad review can really tear you up inside. If either I wasn't able to finish a book or couldn't find anything nice to say about it, just as momma said, I won't say anything at all.

And with that caveat, I give you my first official review of Dizzy, a young adult romance by the talented Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn. 

Sometimes I get a little too heavy into the paranormal and just need an easy to read, lighthearted book. I discovered Jolene Perry a few months ago through Twitter. Not only is her kindness and enthusiasm contagious, but the girl knows how to write and it would seem she can pump out new books like a PEZ dispenser. Of the four books I've read that she had involvement with, all of them involved a smart girl with a strong spirit and a pretty good head on her shoulders. And all four are something I will let my 13-year-old daughter read.

This story starts out with an egotistical guy named Dylan who is throwing a party at his house. The story then flips over to a girl named Ziah who finds herself at the party, surrounded by the type of people she normally doesn't hang around with. They both make a big impression on each other, only to find out later that their siblings are marrying each other. Neither of them is overly excited about the wedding, and the playful banter that ensues is quiet entertaining. Without rehashing the entire story, which I hate to do anyway because I'm very cautious of spoilers, I can tell you that this is a fun story that you won't be able to put down. The story is well told, making the reader feel as if you're hanging out with these two characters. Overall, I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, only because it was a fun read and I can't find anything bad to say about it. Pick up your copy on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

*I purchased this book and was not asked to review it by the authors.*

Sick-lit: What??

Today I came across a VERY frustrating article (click here to read). The journalist for a U.K. website went off on how "sick-lit" is becoming a disturbing phenomenon. At the top of the references was the book The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (if you haven't read it I highly recommend you do so). The journalist goes on to say, "While the Twilight series and its imitators are clearly fantasy, these books don't spare any detail of the harsh realities of terminal illness, depression and death."

I'm not sure what goes on this journalist's life, but it would appear that they live in a bubble.

 I've done the "raising a teenage girl" thing before with two stepdaughters who (thankfully) turned out to be intelligent, respectful, well-adjusted women. My daughter is about to turn 13 in just a couple of days (*sob*). I know there's some pretty dark stuff that can go on in a teen's life in today's society. My own slightly tainted childhood experiences include having a cousin die of cancer when I was just 8 and pulling up to his house just behind the hearse. If this journalist is suggesting we shelter our children from such literature because of these serious subjects, they're just living in serious denial. Terrible things happen. Young children die of cancer and commit suicide. Kids cut themselves to express their feelings. Small children are gunned down in their classroom by a madman. We know this from real life. If teens are reading books about these things, it's up to their parents to talk to them about these issues.

I read the same books as my daughter so I know exactly what goes into that intelligent brain of hers (she's an 'A' honor roll student). I'm going to have her read The Fault in Our Stars so she can see just what kids facing cancer have to deal with. I know it will make her a more compassionate person. She knows two kids in school who were very recently diagnosed with cancer. Would this U.K. journalist suggest it's better for my daughter to live in the dark and not understand the kinds of things her schoolmates will have to face? I promise you, there is nothing in this book that "glamorizes" cancer. It's a very sad, depressing book in which teens die. It's reality.

Tannith Carey of dailymail.co.uk really needs a wake up call.

**As as side-note: I certainly don't condone writing on these subjects to get higher sales. I don't think it was really a "trend" when John Green wrote this book.**

How Para is Your Normal?

Picture of clouds in our backyard. UFO cover?

Personally, I've never experienced anything strange that could be explained only as a paranormal encounter (if you don't count the weirdness brought on by a bunch of teenaged girls with a Ouija board in junior high or the really strange clouds that once hung over our backyard). Yet one friend told me that she always saw her grandmother's ghost after she moved into her house, while another swears she saw some crazy lights that could only be UFOs. A few of my Twitter friends recently shared very detailed stories of some pretty creepy things that happened to them that really don't have any other logical explanation.

House I grew up in. Haunted?

Last weekend I met a man who lived in the same house as I did growing up. It was a rather large old house, built in the late 1800s. There were servant stairways, old-fashioned radiators for heat and stained glass windows throughout. This 50-something-year-old man looked me in the eye and said he knew there were ghosts in that house. Whatever wisdom he held in those eyes actually gave me the shivers. All I kept thinking was how happy I was that I didn't know this 20 years ago.

Still, I remain a skeptic. We live in a time where just about everyone knows how to photoshop images. Old houses have old boilers and really creaky doors that don't stay closed. How much of paranormal stuff is a result of imagines fueled by television shows and scary stories? If you see a shift in shadows, it could just be your overactive imagination telling you that you saw a ghost. If you ever watch the ghost hunter reality shows, you know how those guys are good at scaring the crap out of themselves just by walking through these old buildings more than anything. And I always get a good laugh out of the "voices" they "translate". How they ever get actual words out of those noises, I'll never understand.

Relax, I found this one on the internet.

If there really are ghosts among us, I would think that every single person would have experienced an encounter of sorts. If there really are aliens that come and experiment on people in the night, I doubt the government would be able to keep a total lid on that kind of information.

I would love to tour a well-known haunted site (it's on my bucket list) or see strange lights floating in the sky. The very thought of it is exciting (did I mention I'm a big X-Files fan?). But I think the only reason I can get excited about these things is because in my heart I don't think it's real. Therefore, it's just fun entertainment. Or so I tell myself.

What do you think? Have you ever experienced anything that couldn't be explained by plain logic? I'd love to hear your stories!

Amazon's Top 10 Children's eBooks for 2012

I wanted to share this list I came across today of the best selling ebooks in 2012. I didn't post the top ten adult as I write for young adults, plus I couldn't stomach seeing 50 Shades of Grey twice in one list. Of these ten I have only read Insurgent and The Fault in Our Stars (which was mind-blowingly amazing). Have you read any? What do you think will be on the best selling list of 2013?

Insurgent (Divergent) by Veronica Roth  (952) Kindle Price: $7.29 The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, Book Three) by Rick Riordan  (1,418) Kindle Price: $8.00 The Serpent's Shadow (The Kane Chronicles, Book Three) by Rick Riordan  (343) Kindle Price: $9.99 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green  (1,552) Kindle Price: $10.99 While It Lasts by Abbi Glines  (369) City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare  (346) Kindle Price: $8.89 CRASH by Nicole Williams  (243) Because of Low (Sea Breeze) by Abbi Glines  (193)