Life on Hold by Beverly Stowe McClure - Book Blast - Win 25 Dollars to Amazon

Life on Hold by Beverly Stowe McClure

A paper found.

A secret revealed.

A girl's life changed forever.

Myra Gibson's life is a lie. For sixteen years her parents have kept their secret, but the adoption paper she discovers while cleaning the guest house tells the truth. As the past and present collide, Myra finally stands up for herself and begins a journey she may regret. 

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Reviews:

"All I can say is wow! Beverly Stowe McClure knocked this one out of the ballpark. The story of Myra and her search for the truth touched upon one of the fundamental needs of all children (and teens): the need for a father in their lives. ... The school librarian at the middle school where I teach is already looking into buying a copy for the school library. It's that good."

~Award Winning Author Darby Karchut- http://darbykarchut.blogspot.com

"Beverly did an awesome job with this book. Myra's character and the decisions she make throughout the book are believable. Her friends, family and love interest, Jeremy, are all characters that the readers can relate to."

~Peggy Tibbetts - http://www.peggytibbetts.net/

About the Author:

When Beverly Stowe McClure was a child she hated to read. Even though her eighth grade teacher sent her poem “Stars” to the National High School Poetry Association, and it was published in Young America Sings, an anthology of Texas high school poetry, she hated to write. In spite of her rocky relationship with books, she attended Midwestern State University, where she read too many books to count, and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree. She taught in elementary school for twenty-two years. Reading Dr. Seuss to her sons and Newbery winners to her students made Beverly realize what she’d been missing: Reading was fun.

Now, she reads most every day. She also writes. Her articles for children’s magazines, many of them about activities her classes did in school, have been published in leading children‘s magazines. One article was reprinted in a Scott Foresman Anthology, Grades PK/K. Her doggie story appeared in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book.

Beverly’s five novels for teens and tweens are published by small Indie Publishers. Her YA historical novel, Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines, is a finalist in the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Novella Division. The book also is a finalist in Dan Poynter’s Global eBook Awards, Teen Fiction, and is an Honor Award Winner in the Reader's Favorite Book Award Contest, YA Category, as well as an Honor Winner in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards, YA Category.  Listen to the Ghost was a finalist in the 2003 Dream Realm Awards. Her first picture book came out in June 2011. Her latest book, Life on Hold, is a YA contemporary novel. She lives in the country with her husband, two cats, and a variety of wild critters that come to visit.

Links:

http://beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com

http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/beverlymcclure

http://www.goodreads.com/beverlysmcclure

http://www.facebook.com#!/beverlysmcclure

$25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
Ends 10/4/12
Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin - Waiting on Wednesday

I was actually at a loss as to what book I was going to feature this week, so I put a call out to my wonderful Twitter followers for suggestions. This book is now going on my TBR list, along with the first one in the series.

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin
Ashfall, #2
Expected publication: October 16, 2012
by Tanglewood Press

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. 

Concilium by Michelle Pickett - Book Blast - Win 50 Dollars to Amazon

Concilium by Michelle Pickett

A tale of deadly creatures and forbidden romance...

Leslee hit a strange animal with her car. Now she’s marked for death.

It was a simple car accident – the animal didn’t even die – but it drew the attention of the Cruor Imbibo. Driven by their insatiable need to feed, the secret society of Imbibo has devoured the dregs of civilization for centuries. Afraid Leslee will expose them, and put an end to their meal ticket, the Imbibo want her dead.

The Concilium is Leslee's only protection. Guardian of the ancient secret and the protector of humans, the Concilium fights to control the Imbibo and end their feeding frenzy. Miller works for the Concilium. Keeping Leslee alive is his next assignment.

Now Leslee is on the run, and the only thing between her flesh and the snapping jaws of the Imbibo is Miller. He and Leslee quickly form a bond, but will falling in love make Miller’s job more difficult? Because if he fails, Leslee will be next on the Imbibo menu.

The Cruor Imbibo are coming, and they're coming for Leslee.

Buy Links:   

MuseItUpPublishing * Amazon * Bookstrand 
 Omnilit * Smashwords * Kindlegraph

About Author Michelle Pickett:

Michelle has been an avid reader since a young child.  She began writing for personal enjoyment in college, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in accounting.  Deciding sitting in a cubical all day was her form of cruel and unusual punishment, she decided to do what she really wanted to—share her passion for reading and writing with others.
She wrote her debut novel Concilium in 2010.  It was released July of 2012 by MuseItUp Publishing.  The sequel, Concilium: The Departure will also be published by MuseItUp Publishing with scheduled release date of November 2012.

Her Debut young adult novel, PODs, will be published by Spencer Hill Press and is scheduled for release in paperback June 4th, 2013.  Milayna, a young adult paranormal romance, will be released through Spencer Hill Press March 2014.

Michelle was born and raised in Michigan.  She now resides in a small community outside Houston, Texas with her incredibly supportive husband, four wonderful children, a 125-pound lap dog, a very grumpy cockatiel and a cat that thinks it's queen.

Michelle writes adult and young adult Sci/Fi and urban fantasy romance.

Links and Contact Information:

Website: www.Michelle-Pickett.com

Blog:  www.Michelle-Pickett.com/blog

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/michellepickettauthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/michelle_kp 

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/michelle-pickett

PODs: http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/PODs.html

Book Blast Giveaway:
$50 Amazon Gift Code
Ends 10/2/12
Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Freedom Road by T.M. Souders - Book Blast - Win 50 Dollars to Amazon

Freedom Road by T.M. Souders

Book Summary:
Since the tender age of eight, music served as Samantha Becker’s source of solace against her father’s tyranny and her mother’s alcoholism. Now at eighteen, her only dream is to study classical guitar at Juilliard. But when her father’s careless actions lead to an “accident,” which threatens her ability to play the guitar, Sam becomes despondent. Losing all confidence in her future, Sam hides behind the emotional barriers that have protected her for years.

Just when Sam has given up, two unexpected people enter her life, giving her the confidence she needs, and forcing her to evaluate all she’s ever known. Battling her father’s plans for her future, band mates using her for personal gain, and a permanent injury, the odds are stacked against her. With auditions approaching and time running out, Sam must relearn to play the guitar, or be destined to give up her dreams forever.

Add on Goodreads, and buy on Amazon.

About the Author:
T.M. Souders was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and grew up in the suburbs outside of Pittsburgh. She graduated in 2004, from Youngstown State University, with a degree in Psychology and minor in Women’s Studies. She is the author of bestselling women’s fiction novel,Waiting on Hope, as well as the novelette Dashing Through The Snow and the newly released young adult/crossover novel, Freedom Road. In her spare time when she is nor writing she is an active volunteer for The World Literary Cafe, a site dedicated to authors and readers. She currently lives in rural Ohio with her husband and children.


Links:
Website: http://www.tmsouders.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmsouders
Goodreadshttp://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5044358.T_M_Souders
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TM-Souders-Author/181198815275423


Book Blast Giveaway:
$50 Amazon Gift Code
Ends 9/27/12
Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Skinny by Donna Cooner - Waiting on Wednesday

Okay, I'll admit it. I just read this on Sunday. Literally. I started it Sunday morning, and it was so good that I read all of it by late Sunday afternoon. Since I enjoyed it so much, I just had to spotlight here.

Skinny by Donna Cooner
Expected publication: October 1, 2012
by Scholastic

Find your voice.

Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it.

But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.

With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.

Add on Goodreads. 

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. 

Two Moons of Sera by Pavarti K. Tyler - Guest Post

Two Moons of Sera
by Pavarti K. Tyler

In a world where water and earth teem with life, Serafay is an anomaly. The result of genetic experiments on her mother’s water-borne line Serafay will have to face the very people responsible to discover who she really is. But is she the only one?

All the Fun of YA written for Adults.





Loving and Losing
Guest Post by Pavarti K. Tyler

In the beginning of Two Moons of Sera, the reader is introduced to Serafay.  She’s almost 16 years old, isolated and bored.  Rasied by her mother, Nilafay, in exile from their people, the Sualwet.  See Sera shouldn’t exist.  She is the result of experiments done on her mother by a species of people at war with her own.

Before Sera is even born she has lost more than most of us have to suffer.  She has no people, no identity, and no culture.  Her mother raises her the best she can, but doesn’t really understand her.  Nilafay is a Sualwet, a people who live beneath the sea.  While they can breathe above ground, it’s difficult, and their skin and eyes are unaccustomed to the harsh glare of the sun.

When Nilafay discovered she was pregnant it was a shock, there hadn’t been a live birth within the Sualwet community in over 300 years.  They had evolved beyond it, now breeding easily and without the pain of labor.  Nilafay is urged to abort, to find a way to rid her body of the child.  But she refuses.

She refuses because at the core, she loves her daughter.  Serafay’s existence may be an abomination to the Sualwet and her conception may have been due to the cruelty of a people who don’t even consider Nilafay human, but the feeling of life within her, the belief that this child is something special, inspires Nilafay to do the unthinkable.  She runs.  She abandons her family, culture and people.  A loss she will feel for the rest of her life.  But she does it for love.

Serafay comes into a world which cannot accept her.  Born to a mother who looks and acts so different it’s hard to believe they are related.  From the first moment the moonlight sparkles in her silver eyes, she is alone.  But can the love her mother raises her with, and the love she is capable of enough to help her endure all the loss still has to suffer in order to learn the truth about who she really is?

Well, you’ll just have to read and see.

About the author:

Pavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number cruncher. She graduated Smith College in 1999 with a degree in Theatre. After graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked as a Dramaturge, Assistant Director and Production Manager on productions both on and off Broadway.

Later, Pavarti went to work in the finance industry as a freelance accountant for several international law firms. She now operates her own accounting firm in the Washington DC area, where she lives with her husband, two daughters and two terrible dogs. When not preparing taxes, she is the Director of Marketing at Novel Publicity and busy penning her next novel.

 

Her current project, Two Moons of Sera, is being published in serial format.  Volumes 1-3 are available now on Amazon.com.  Volume 4 is expected out before the end of 2012. 

Find out more on FightingMonkeyPress.com, Twitter, and Facebook. 

 

Setting Up Your Own Imprint

Setting Up Your Own Imprint
Guest Post by Lenore Skomal

When I finally decided to publish my first book under my own imprint, it was like falling off a log—in a good sense. As in easy. After years of publishing books within the publishing industry, I found my biggest obstacle to breaking out on my own was my lack of knowledge compounded with deep fear.

But as it is with most things worth doing, I had to walk through that fear to gain the knowledge and get to the other side. The worst thing that could happen, I reckoned, was I could fail. But I had to define what failure was. Approaching it from all angles, I finally realized that there was no failure in this endeavor. At the end of the process, I would have my book in hard copy and Kindle, available to everyone. If I for some reason didn’t make it through the process, then I would have no regret because at the very least, I tried. And it wouldn’t be the first time I did that. My best lessons come from dreams unrequited.
 

I hired a designer, an editor and a proofreader, and set the wheel in motion. My book, Burnt Toast: Musings on living, loving and saying goodbye, had already been edited several times because it’s an anthology of my humor columns that have run over the past 15 years in newspapers around the country. But just to ensure a clean read, I hired a pro to read it as a collection and to just make sure. My designer has her master’s in graphic design and was completely comfortable with the process of designing the cover and laying out the text. I even asked her to shepherd the book through the physical process of uploading and proofing once I decided to print with CreateSpace, Amazon’s POD.

CreateSpace offers all kinds of add-ons for a price. I chose none of them and opted to do it all myself. One service is offering to apply for a Library of Congress Control number (LCCN), which is used by librarians to catalogue books and should be included in every book. The service costs $49 if you have CreateSpace do it, but with a minor amount of research, I found I could apply for it for free. On the application, it asks for the publishing house’s name, and thus was born Lenore Skomal Press. It took about a week to get the PCN (Preassigned Control Number). Once the book was printed, I had to mail the LOC a copy in order to be considered for inclusion in the catalogue.

So what does that mean? Just because my name is now documented with the Library of Congress doesn’t make me a publishing house, as many know. And if I don’t publish other writer’s works under my imprint, then I am not really considered a publisher at all, especially if I want to compete for the more prestigious awards such as the National Book Award. Kirkus Review and Publisher’s Weekly won’t even look at books published as mine are, but they do offer review services for a price. No guarantees however. My personal belief is that this has to change over time.

Given so few obvious benefits, you might wonder why set up an imprint, especially if it is only on paper and in my head. It gave me one vital thing: possibilities. As I learn more about distribution, which is next on my list, trial and error experiences in this field will give me insight into whether I can actually help other authors.

For more on that, I say, stay tuned.

Lenore Skomal's Bio:
Winner of multiple awards for blogging, literature, biography and humor, Lenore Skomal's catalogue spans many genres. With 30 years of writing experience, 17 books published and a daily blog, the consistent themes in her work are the big issues the human experience and adding depth and voice to the intricacies involved in living a multi-dimensional existence. Skomal has won several Society of Professional Journalist Awards, Whidbey Island Writer's Conference honorable mention for best fiction, Writer's Digest 73rd Annual Fiction Contest, New York Public Library's Best Books for Teens 2003, and the 2012Next Generation Indie Book Award for humor for her anthology “Burnt Toast,” her debut book under her own imprint. From journalism, to literary fiction, to humor and biography, Skomal's writing is consistent, if not in genre, then in message. Her first novel, “Bluff” will be released Oct. 1. Check out her Website or Facebook Page.

Under the Sea Giveaway Hop - Win Your Choice of Book

This is part of the Under the Sea Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Musings of ALMYBNENR. There are a bunch of blogs participating in this hop. After you enter here, please hop over to check out their giveaways.

While you are here, check out my other giveaways. They can be located in the right sidebar.

My Giveaway:
1 winner will receive a book of choice (up to $10 USD) from The Book Depository. The only requirement is that it must have a WATER related theme.

While not required to pick one of these books, here are some recent releases that have a water related theme. Of course, there are many, many more. These are just ones that I could think of at the moment.

Wake by Amanda Hocking
Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
Water by Terra Harmony
Dark Water by Tricia Rayburn
Waking Storms by Sarah Porter  

How to enter:
See the Rafflecopter below. (If you are having trouble with it loading, please let me know.)

Giveaway Details:
This giveaway is open internationally (as long as The Book Depository delivers to your area). Giveaway is open until 12:01 AM on September 21st. Must be 13 or older to enter. Winner will be emailed and this blog post will be updated to show the winner. Winner has three days to respond, or a new winner will be selected.

Sorry! This giveaway is now over!

Winner: Felicia

Pitch by Emlyn Chand - Waiting on Wednesday

I've read the first two books in the Farsighted series, so of course I am interested in finding out what happens next.

Pitch (Farsighted #3)
by Emlyn Chand
Expected publication: January 15, 2013
Evolved Publishing

The dead always find a way to talk to Shapri Teak. In fact, some never seem to shut up. A frightened young girl and a spectral suitor encroach on her privacy day-in and day-out. It’s driving her crazy, so when Shapri discovers the opportunity to get rid of them by traveling to the spirit portal in New Orleans, you better believe she’s going to take it. With Alex, Dax, Simmi, and her mother in tow, she attends Mardi Gras—the one time per year when pesky ghosts can be sent to the other side.

After returning to Grandon, she assumes all her problems are solved, but then the blackouts start. Now her best friend and kind-of-almost boyfriend are accusing her of acts she didn’t commit, which begs the question: if she didn’t, who did? Has everyone gone crazy, or is something sinister afoot?

Who will stand together, and who will fall to the other side? Will Alex and Shapri ever admit their true feelings for each other? Book three pitches the Farsighted series into a quiet chaos. 

Add on Goodreads. 

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. 

THE CHOICE and LOST AND FOUND by Lorhainne Eckhart - Giveaway

The Choice
Walk the Right Road, book 1
by Lorhainne Eckhart

Before her granny died, Marcie Hollis had been spiritually attuned to Mother Earth and the spirits around her, honing her gift. Then she meets Dan McKenzie, a man she believes to be the knight in shining armor she’s been searching for all her life. However, Dan is not who he appears to be. He lures Marcie into his dark world of lies, greed and drugs. But fate intervenes during Marcie's illicit trip for Dan to New Orleans, when she's robbed and accosted in the crowded airport. When she gets knocked down, her head slams on the concrete floor, and she loses her memory, all right in the path of DEA Agent Sam Carre.

Arriving in a crowded airport in New Orleans with his reputation and loyalty in question after being set up as the leak in a six month DEA investigation, Sam has come home. Even though Sam is tired, disillusioned and haunted by a past that gives him no peace, he stops to help an attractive stranger when she falls in front of him. In an act of chivalry, he takes her to his home until the police can identify her. When questions arise about Marcie and what she’s involved in, the answers lead back to Sam’s investigation in the Pacific Northwest.

When her illusive memory returns, this complex case pushes them both to explain the unexplainable, brings them face to face with a generations-old evil now incarnate again and leaves Sam with a haunting question. Was Marcie set up or is this a game she’s playing? Sam is forced to make a choice: walk away from the attraction connecting them or risk losing everything. 

Add on Goodreads. 

Lost and Found

Walk the Right Road, book 2

by Lorhainne Eckhart

On a warm fall morning in Gardiner, Washington, Richard and Maggie celebrate happy couple Sam and Marcie's return. What happens next changes their lives forever. A hit and run driver on a deserted country road, and Richard and Maggie suffer a parents worst nightmare.

Now a year later Maggie McCafferty struggles to put her life back together...hiding her pain with outrageous behavior and her own secret she’s unwilling to share. Until her friends step in and her strong willed soon to be ex-husband sets out to bring Maggie home— the only way he knows. Just as Maggie begins to trust again, Dan McKenzie calls after disappearing for over a year. But now he’s back. And instead of Richard coming clean with the truth of their involvement, Richard digs himself in deeper, with mounting debts, a partner who refuses to buy him out—secrets shared only with Dan. Until one night a mysterious 911 caller witnesses a fight and Richard shooting Dan. But when the police arrive at the deserted construction site the only evidence of a crime is a pool of blood, and a surveillance video.

​Under mounting pressure from the police Richard’s arrested and interrogated –except fiery secretive Richard is adamant he was home all night. In this bizarre twist of fate, Sam, Marcie and Diane work against the clock and wonder how well they really know their evasive friend. With Maggie by his side, Richard stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Richard didn’t do it, where is Dan? And who is the mysterious 911 caller? 

Add on Goodreads.  

Giveaway:

1 winner will receive an ebook of both The Choice and Lost and Found by Lorhainne Eckhart.

How to enter:

Just fill out the form below.

Additional optional entries:

+1 Follow Lorhainne Eckhart on Twitter.

+1 Like Lorhainne Eckhart on Facebook.

+1 Add The Choice and Lost and Found to your shelf on Goodreads. 

Giveaway Details:

Giveaway is open internationally. Giveaway ends at midnight CST on October 10, 2012. Must be 13 or older to enter. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Winner will be emailed, and this blog post will be updated to show the winner. Winner has 3 days to respond, or a new winner will be selected.

Sorry! This giveaway is now over.

Winner: Laura M. 

Writing Series: The Path to The End

Writing Series: The Path to The End

Guest Post by Patti Larsen

I love writing series. LOVE. I’m able to pen good flash fiction, short stories even. But my passion is for the long tale-telling, the expansive and epic adventure characters lead you on at times. I think it comes from my younger reading days, raised on science fiction and fantasy by my Dungeon Master father.

When I started journalism in college, I learned about the importance of a lead, or knowing and being able to distill an idea down into a single sentence. The repetition of this skill, learned over many news stories, helped me understand how important it was to see where I was going before I began to write.

That year was the first time I outlined a novel. A full trilogy, in fact. I’ve not returned to them, that fantasy tale about horses and nomads and banished princes, but the seed of the idea of outlining was sown.

From there I dove into another series, also fantasy, nine books alternating character points of view. I was on to something, I could tell. But at that time, sadly, I listened to the critics who told me I couldn’t, I wasn’t good enough. I gave up writing and forgot completely what I’d learned about telling stories from front to back.

Script writing came next, years later. I loved turning ideas into films, following the three act structure from exciting start to climactic finish, from page to screen. TV show pilots and independent flicks taught me to tear a story apart before I told it, to break it down into its most important pieces and to always, always know exactly what it was about just in case I had thirty seconds in an elevator to make my pitch.

When I found YA and finally realized I was meant to be telling stories for young adults, I returned not only to the joy of writing books, but to the idea of knowing where the timeline went before I wrote a word. Everything from my past experiences fell together into one simple, totally logical format.

I’m now an outlining fanatic and most often will completely structure a series before I write a word of prose. Not only am I able to tell great individual stories, but linking together all the hints and foreshadows and hidden moments of pure pleasure for my eager readers comes from having a firm grasp on what I’m doing right from word one.

Currently I’m working on the remaining twelve (you read that right) books (four at a time) in an extraordinary twenty volume jaunt about a teen witch who wants to be like normal kids. That’s the other part I love so much about series—I’m family, now. I know the characters as well as my own sisters and parents. The stories come easily, the connections as clear as the ah-ha moments I have every time I sit down to think about Syd and what’s coming next.

So, let me ask you a question: if you’re a reader, does it bug you when a novelist misses something in book three you remembered (and loved) from book one? And if you’re a writer, do you know how your series ends?  

About the Author: Patti Larsen is an award-winning middle grade and young adult author with a passion for the paranormal. Her YA thriller series, The Hunted, is available now. Book one of that series, RUN, is a recent recipient of the 2012 PEI Book Awards for Fiction. Seven books of her very popular Hayle Coven Novels, beginning with Family Magic, are also out now. Her YA steampunk series, Blood and Gold, can be found on Amazon, along with her YA paranormal novel, Best Friends Forever, and The Diamond City Trilogy. Her middle grade novel, The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House (Acorn Press), is available now. She is a full time writer and a part time teacher of her Get Your Book Done program. Patti lives on the East Coast of Canada with her very patient husband and four massive cats. 

Find out more at PattiLarsen.com, on Twitter, and Facebook.

This is part of a sort of regular feature that I try to post each Friday about various topics related to writing and publishing. If you would like to do a guest post, please contact me.

Most recent: 10 Ways YA Novels Leave You Totally Unprepared to be an Actual Adult by Donna Gambale. Click here to see previous posts. 

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini - Waiting on Wednesday

Touching the Surface
by Kimberly Sabatini
Expected publication: October 30, 2012
by Simon Pulse

Experience the afterlife in this lyrical, paranormal debut novel that will send your heart soaring. 

When Elliot finds herself dead for the third time, she knows she must have messed up, big-time. She doesn’t remember how she landed in the afterlife again, but she knows this is her last chance to get things right.

Elliot just wants to move on, but first she will be forced to face her past and delve into the painful memories she’d rather keep buried. Memories of people she’s hurt, people she’s betrayed…and people she’s killed.

As she pieces together the secrets and mistakes of her past, Elliot must find a way to earn the forgiveness of the person she’s hurt most, and reveal the truth about herself to the two boys she loves…even if it means losing them both forever. 

Add on Goodreads. 

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.  

Fun Facts about My Super Sweet 16th Century by Rachel Harris - Giveaway

First, I want to thank Tami, the awesome Krazy Book Lady, for having me here today. Tami’s one of my all-time favorite people, and I’m so honored to be here as part of my official blog tour for My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century!

For my post, Tami and I thought it would be fun if I shared a few fast and fun facts that even my critique partners and husband may not know…. 

-          Fun Fact One: Cat, the main girl in My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, is a daughter of Hollywood, but totally hates it. Maybe it’s my past-life obsession with all things celebrity (I interned at Entertainment Tonight in college), but it was so fun writing about a rich, famous family who act completely normal and boring, yet are still forced into the spotlight. 

-          Fun Fact Two: People often ask if I had a particular actress in mind when creating Cat’s birth mom, and the answer is actually no. She’s just a blend of a bazillion tabloid stories all rolled into one, with my own demented spin. 

-          Fun Fact Three: In the fun crafting character phase, I always come up with flaws to give my characters (no one’s perfect, right?). For Cat, since she feels like she always has to look and act perfect because of who her parents are, I wanted to find obvious flaws. So, in the beginning of the book, Cat complains about an enormous zit that sprouted on her chin, and she also has my favorite flaw, a ‘bigger than Godzilla’ mouth. 

-          Fun Fact Four: Jenna, the bubbly soon-to-be stepmother who annoys Cat (at least in the beginning, he he)…. well, she’s actually kinda based on me. Which, if you think about it, means that I must find myself annoying since I paint her as such in the book! 

-          Fun Fact Five: My favorite character in My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century and the companion novel, A Tale of Two Centuries, is Reyna the gypsy. Reyna’s cool and mysterious, always keeps you guessing, she’s smart as heck, and has a sense of humor that only she seems to get. She was a total blast to write. 

-          Fun Fact Six: Thanks to Lorenzo, I’ve gotten to stare at pictures of Alex Pettyfer for about a year and a half. See, I always put together inspiration posters and since he is the inspiration for Lorenzo, he had to go up there. I kinda doubt my husband would normally approve of me posting random pics of hot dudes on my walls, but under the umbrella of inspiration, it’s all good. 

-          Fun Fact Seven: Cat’s love affair with the color purple is all me. I may not be as witty or snarky or as clever as Cat, and I may not be as famous or as rich, but when it comes to our obsessions with the color purple, we are total soul sisters. 

-          Fun Fact Eight: I was a weirdo nut about the names in this book. I researched and found census results from Florence in 1427, and would only use first and last names represented there. It may seem completely silly and something that no one else would ever care or notice, but I while I was stickler on all things research and making sure it was historically accurate, this name thing became a weird little obsession of mine. (And if you’re curious what other names I could’ve chosen, or are just a weirdo like me and are curious, here’s the link to men’s names-- http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/ferrante/catasto/ -- and women’s names -- http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/catasto/ )

So, there you have it. Fun, random facts about My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, my main girl Cat, and even me that you probably would’ve never known if you hadn’t stopped by (*grin*).

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century
by Rachel Harris
Expected publication: September 11, 2012
by Entangled Teen

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

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About the author:

As a teen, Rachel Harris threw raging parties that shook her parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels.

As an adult, she reads and writes obsessively, rehashes said embarrassing fodder, and dreams up characters who become her own grown up version of imaginary friends.

When she's not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find her homeschooling her two beautiful princesses, hanging out with her amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate. 

MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY is her debut novel.  She did have her own fantabulous Sweet Sixteen in high school. Sadly, it wasn't televised. 

Find out more at RachelHarrisWrites.com, on Twitter, and Facebook. 

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