#yaindiecarnival: Fiction fireworks

29.6.12



When I first read this week's theme, I thought, hmmm? fiction fireworks? What have I written about fireworks? What have I read about fireworks? But then my brain finally kicked into gear and I realised it's not necessarily in the literal sense. Scenes with such awesomeness that it sets fireworks off in your head... how about that?
Mother-in-law's fireworks, UK 2004
Well, that's happened to me a few times but I have a little secret to tell you....
I've just started a new YA series and I've got these massive fire crackers going off in my head, like all the time. I'm so super excited that I wanna shout about it! I even read the first few chapters aloud to my husband and I've never done that before (my husband is not interested in books, he never has been... he's more into his motorbikes than anything else). But his response was awesome... he loved it! I doubt he'll ever read the books himself (he says he's waiting for the movie version, bless) but I think he just might get me to read them to him!
So anyway, back to the series... I'm so excited I'm typing so fast right now, he he he. There are sparks going around my head. WEHAY!! Calma, calma... anyway, the series is about the Morgan Sisters who live on a small island just off the coast of England (Andilyse Island... but don't bother googling it as it doesn't exist in real life). They have all kind of adventures both on the island, in London and beyond. I'm not able to give any further details just yet but needless to say I'm loving creating it!
I was working on a chick lit book but the Morgan Sisters just wouldn't leave me alone so I had to forget about the other one for a while so I could concentrate all my efforts on them. I hope to have the first book out well before Christmas, but I'll keep you posted!
I've got a Pinterest Mood Board dedicated to the Morgan Sisters, if you'd like to check it out:
http://pinterest.com/suzyturnerbooks/the-morgan-sisters-mood-board/

For more fiction fireworks and scenes with sparks, check out my awesome fellow carnis...
1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
Click here for more Indie News:

10 books that belong in any personal library

27.6.12


Worlds Made of Words: 10 Books That Belong in Any Personal Library 
The rewards that a brilliant book can offer are unfathomable. A great novel or story can make an impact on a reader for the rest of his or her life. Here is a magnificent list, spanning several decades, of books that every adult should have on his or her bookshelf.

The Wasteland, by T.S. Eliot
Published in 1922, Eliot makes a shift from prophecy to parody — The Wasteland is an extremely ambiguous and hauntingly beautiful poem that changes speakers constantly. In search of redemption, the human soul travels through time and shifts locations. This book is known for its elaborate metrical scheme — no other poem can compare to this masterpiece.

The Tally, by E.G. Wolverson
Published in 2012, The Tally is written for the generation that has relied on student loans in order to pay for college. A real, weird, surreal, comedic look at a horror that many young adults will face soon enough.

The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy
Published in 1998, this novel is set in India. The novel follows a three generation family and their toils that become even more distraught when two cousins arrive for a visit on Christmas. The family find that everything can become worse within a day of misery.

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Published in 1866, this book deals with immorality and mental disturbances of a man that concocts a plan to kill a sinister pawnbroker for her money. It’s as good as it sounds.

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Published in 1982, this is the story of a young black woman’s tumultuous life. Celie withstands both being raped by her father and being given to another abuser who terrorizes her — and having endured everything, she attempts to save her sister from the same abuse. A testament to strong black women everywhere.

The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
Published in 2002, Gladwell speaks of how change can happen quickly and unexpectedly. His book examines the reasons our lives are affected by major and minor problems and how social epidemics can cause chaos.

1984, George Orwell
Published in 1949, this is a very chilling prophecy about our future. Orwell brings to life a resilient and precise rendering of things to come. There is no one that can deny how powerful he envisions the world that he creates or how convincingly he constructs his analogies.

The most intense and imaginative times in our lives are between the pages of a satisfying novel. To capture one’s attention for hours takes skill and determination. The books above will engross you for a lifetime.

Frieda George reads whenever she can, and she hopes she never stops. She is a contributing writer at http://www.travelinsurance.org.

Meme Time “Lucky 7″

25.6.12

I got tagged! Today’s post is the Lucky 7 post; I was tagged by Liz Long, author of Gifted.

Here’s how it works:
Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript
Go to line 7
Copy down the next seven lines/sentences exactly as they are
Tag 7 other authors

This excerpt is from page 77 of The Lost Soul:

"It is impossible to pass," whispered Zalea, gripping Jack's hand tightly.
"You're right," he said looking around. "But there is one way through," he said, pointing to the river beside them. "We shall have to travel by water."
"But we cannot swim for such a length of time. We'll drown."
Jack shook his head and released his grip on her hand, "We can build a raft," he said turning back from where they had come. "We passed some trees a little earlier and these reeds will do to bind them together."
Zalea shrugged her shoulders helplessly, "I guess it's our only option."

Intrigued?

And now I need to choose 7 authors to do the same! Hmm? I have so many awesome author pals to tag... who to choose? I know... here goes... But don't worry if you're too busy to play ;)

LOVE: Thicker Than Blood by Shalini Boland

25.6.12


OK... so perhaps it's obvious that I'm one of Shalini Boland's biggest fans but I can't help it - her books are just so brilliant. I've been eagerly awaiting Thicker Than Blood, Part 2 of the Marchwood Vampires series since I read Hidden (twice!). I completely fell in love with the first book well over a year ago and you can therefore imagine my excitement when I saw that she was finally releasing the sequel! SQUEAL!
Needless to say, I couldn't put the book down, it gripped me from the very first page and continued to do so throughout. I am so excited that there are going to be more in this series, my only hope is that I don't have to wait too long for the next one.
A superb read! Well done Shalini!

#yaindiecarnival: baddest, nastiest YA characters

22.6.12



Baddies are great aren't they? And writing a nasty character is enormous fun. I particularly enjoyed creating Olivier Duran in The Raven Saga. He's a terrifying, heartless (well, aren't they all?!) vampire who loves nothing more than to play with his food.
But who is my favourite all time YA baddie? Hm... that's a tough one. Lord Voldemort (shhhhhhhhhh, I hear you say.... sorry!) has got to be the ultimate evil doer, don't you think? Victoria in the Twilight series was a total cowbag too! I recently read a fantastic book by Shalini Boland, it's the second in her Marchwood Vampire Series, and there are some pretty horrendous nasties in there too! Ooh I can't think, I can't think.... most YA fantasy books have got some kind of horrible evil guys and all are usually as bad as each other! But I'm going to stick with Voldemort as the 'nastiest character in YA'! What do you think?

For more YA baddies, check out my awesome fellow carnis...
1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
Click here for more Indie News:

#YAIndieCarnival: A tribute to Dads

15.6.12



This week to celebrate Father's Day, we're dedicating our blogs to our favourite YA dads and/or suggesting great Father's Day reads.
I'm the one in the middle!
My Dad and I have always shared a love of reading... although our genres tend to be quite different as he loves reading about war and I really don't! However, quite a few years ago, he recommended a book by Ken Follett. It was called Pillars of the Earth and it was completely different from anything I'd ever read. It was probably one of the most incredible books I've ever read. It was my first foray into historical drama and I loved it. It really is the perfect Father's Day read.
Since then, we have swapped reads a couple of times (another one which was excellent was Labyrinthe by Kate Mosse). It's so wonderful to share a love of reading with my dad (we don't have much else in common!) although he's yet to read any of my books... because I'm worried he'll hate them as YA fantasy is totally NOT his cup of tea!
On a separate note, my trilogy, The Raven Saga, is all about Lilly's search for her father who disappeared at the very beginning of the first book. Her sadness threads through the books as she does everything possible to track him down, with the help of her best friend, December.

For more tributes to dads, check out my awesome fellow carnis...
1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
Click here for more Indie News:

The Karma Kids by Simon Walton

13.6.12

A Facebook pal sent me this link last night and I just had to share it with you. What Simon Walton is trying to achieve is pretty awesome...

 

#YAIndieCarnival: Round Robin/WIPs

8.6.12


This week, many of my fellow YA Indie Carnis are hosting a special Round Robin of short stories that has been going in and out of their inboxes for the past few weeks. Sadly, due to prior work commitments, I was unable to take part so instead I am going to post an excerpt of my WIP. It's not YA Urban Fantasy but Chick Lit. This is by no means finished, it has yet to be completed and yet to be edited and proofread so do bear with me if you spot any awful errors!!
The novel is entitled Forever Fredless. Deep breath... so here goes...

Forever Fredless: an (as yet unedited) excerpt
Standing perfectly still, I watched how they danced all around me, arms and legs flinging around like puppets dressed in high top trainers, faded jeans and over sized brightly coloured T-shirts. Their parents stood some distance from the dance floor., chatting, drinking and taking photos of their beloved children.
But I couldn't stand still for long. The moment the next song began, a giggle burst from my lips and I jumped upwards, fists banging an imaginary ceiling above my head. As the music began to speed up, I began to join in the fun.
Singing along and dancing to the tones of Right Said Fred's I'm Too Sexy, I felt something gently brush up against my back. When I turned around, I lost my breath as butterflies exploded from deep within my stomach. The most beautiful boy stared back at me. His eyes were deep blue and his jet black hair brushed just above his slim shoulders, while his high cheekbones were flushed a deep pink.
It was as though all the other kids disappeared in that very second. It was just the two of us, standing still, silently staring into each other’s eyes. I felt ever so slightly giddy and light headed that my face flushed every shade of pink, but I just couldn’t look away. My body felt as if it would to melt into the floor at any moment. Even now, twenty years later, that moment continues to be the most overwhelming experience of my life.
Suddenly life fast forwarded again as my dad appeared out of nowhere. Grabbing my hand, he gently pulled me away from the dance floor, “come on sweetheart, it’s time to go. Your mum’s waiting for us outside”.
As we reached the exit, I pulled my hand from his and turned to look back but the boy had vanished. The song had changed and kids were now dancing around to the sounds of Snap's Rhythm Is A Dancer. It had been one of my favourite songs at the time but it was soon replaced by another. One I would never forget: I'm Too Sexy.
I scanned the crowd, but the boy was no longer there. I stood still, looking to see if he'd found someone else to dance with but I couldn't see him anywhere. My dad grasped hold of my hand again and tugged me gently. "Come on," he said above the thud of the music.
www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mum stood outside in the drizzle, puffing away on a cigarette, “darling you were fantastic. My lovely little dancing Kate”, she whispered as she bent down and hugged me and kissed my cheek. I could smell tobacco and alcohol on her breath. She must have had another fight with dad. Arguments were pretty much the norm in those days but I tried to block them from memory. I’d rather remember all the fun times we’d had together. Although looking back now; they were pretty few and far between. I should have known at the time what was about to happen. Mind you, I was only eight. A mature eight but still, I shouldn’t have had to worry about things like that.
“You two wait here, I’ll just pop round and fetch the car. Just hold on a minute. I’ll be right back”, dad said in a poor attempt to sound cheerful.
Moments later, the car drove up beside us and I climbed into the back seat. Just as mum slammed her door, I looked out of the window and there he was, standing by the side of our faded red Peugeot as the engine chugged into motion. He was staring at me with such a sad expression on his face with a flower in his hand. He must have disappeared outdoors to go and pick one for me. Glancing from his eyes down to his hands, I saw that it was a bright yellow daffodil.
The car began to lurch forward, so I climbed onto my knees, turned around and looked out of the rear window. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. I pushed my hand against the glass and a single tear slid slowly down my face. He held up his hand and casually rubbed his eye, as if he was rubbing away a tear, too. Our eyes locked on each other’s just for a moment, until the car turned the corner, and he was gone. Out of my life.

For the Round Robin and possibly other excerpts of WIPs, check out my awesome fellow carnis...
1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
Click here for more Indie News:

YA Indie Carnival: Listopia Demystified

1.6.12



Hmm... listopia. What is it for a start? Well, I'm not entirely sure myself lol! I'm guessing it's a list of your favourite books? Clearly this week's subject matter has me in a tizz and I feel mighty silly not really knowing anything about it. I googled it and was confronted by a writer's website, lists on goodreads that members vote on and not much more. So I'm assuming we're referring to Goodreads lists.
Ok then. Well, hmm. I do recall voting for a few of my favourite authors last year... I think they were favourite urban fantasy and favourite covers. But since then I've spent very little time of Goodreads, but then I've spent little time online up until recently. I was so busy writing and editing my most recent book, The Lost Soul, and then working as Script Supervisor that I just didn't have the time. But now that I'm back glued to my computer writing my next book (a chick lit novel!), I must investigate this phenomenon further.... listopia.... hmm....

For real listopia demystified, check out my awesome fellow carnis...
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
22. Courtney Cole Writes

Click here for more Indie News:
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