Fun Friday with Laura Elliott

This Fun Friday, The Society of YA Storyteller authors are interviewing fellow authors and I'm so excited to be chatting to one of my favourite - the super awesome Laura Elliott - she's one of the most amazing YA authors! Her books are truly brilliant :)

Can you tell us a little about your latest book?

My latest book is an adult romantic thriller/paranormal romance called THE STORYTELLERS. It’s Raider’s of The Lost Arc meets Thelma and Louise. Four female writers’ stories all come true for each other. But some stories have a life of their own. The women’s lives and loves will depend on surviving each other’s stories, defeating a Mayan demon and solving a centuries-old mystery.

What inspired you to write it?
The idea that what an author writes could actually come true has always captured my imagination. And how crazy would it be to write a story that came true for yourself or a friend? Over the years, I’ve enjoyed close relationships with groups of writers. So I mashed up these ideas and decided to write about four female storytellers whose stories all come true for each other.

Do dreams ever inspire your writing? 

Sometimes. 

What did you last dream about? 

*blushes* um...I can’t say, but it was wonderful and I’m sure it will be in a future book.

If your latest book was made into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?
Click here for the link to the dream cast for THE STORYTELLERS. The four main characters include Emma Stone, Zoe Zaldana, Scarlett Johansson, and Mila Kunis.

Who, or what, inspires you?
The Truth. Joy. Sunsets. Friends. Laughter. Finding magic in the every day. My family.

Where is your favourite place to write?
My new apartment. I have views of Eucalyptus trees and the Malibu mountains and the sunset. It’s very peaceful here. I also love to write at the beach.

What is your favourite movie that was based on a book?
Dr. Zhivago

Who designs your covers?
Me, along with a lot of input from fellow writers/designers. I love the collaboration I have with so many talented people. And I love graphic design. It makes me happy to try and capture a story with a single image. I love the challenge.

What were the last two books you read?
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
Transmedia Storytelling

Name one author who you think deserves to be better known.
There are so many. But here are three storytellers that I find absolutely captivating and I think are pretty well known already that I wish would hit the ball out of the park and make the NYT Bestsellers List: Suzy Turner, Fisher Amelie and Michelle Muto.
Aww thanks Laura *blushes :)

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? And did you follow the dream?
I wanted to be an actress. No, I didn’t follow that dream.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
In the 80s, I won tickets to a Phil Collins concert by singing “Against All Odds” on KLOS in Los Angeles.

For more information about Laura, visit http://laurasmagicday.wordpress.com/

YA Author Club: Toni's Journey

 “Got something to live for, I know I won’t surrender.” –Bulletproof, Black Veil Brides

I know I usually end with a quote—and I still will—this just felt right. 

This blog post will be about the importance of music while writing and for writing. 

I never really just listen to music.  I learn from it, in a way.  I hear a song and either love it for what it is or love it because my characters do, or love it because I know it will help me during a scene.

“All the greats are the ones remembered.” New Year's Day, Black Veil Brides.  I know I am taking that line out of context from the song, because BVB was not talking about writers.  But how true is that line? The greats are remembered and their works with stand time.  In this song they also say “Legends never die.”  Which is true.  Stoker, Frank, Shelley, etc., and some modern day writers are going to be the greats, and even when their physical bodies pass their works will remain.  But what makes them great, I mean besides withstanding time and having great stories?  I can’t say for everyone, but some writers listen to music while writing and some even say which songs they listened to while writing, and what songs helped inspire them. 

I do.  I am in no way calling myself a great, but I can tell you this music has shaped my writing:

(I wrote this in 2009 about writing and posted it as a note on FB, I will expand on it after)

Music plays such an important role in everyone's everyday life. Without music in life, in each day, life would be boring. Seriously, think about it. In a grocery store, or in any other store for that matter, without music, it would be an eerie quiet. More than just in places of shopping think about movies.

In any movie especially thrillers music plays a larger and bigger role than even the most famous actor.  For example, look at the movie Disturbia. Even if someone has watched this movie four or more times the thriller, the intense scenes still will get to that person. The music begins with a steady drum like a heartbeat, that soon signals the bass to come in and play a few cords, which then signals the guitar to come in and screech out some high suspenseful notes, and so on. Try to watch a thriller movie muted, or any movie for that matter, it will not be as intense. The reason it will not be as intense, is the music is key to get the heart beating faster.

I am writing books and once I got my iTunes account up and running and got my songs (many thanks to my cousin for helping me with my account) I made playlists for all of my books. Each song has a key element in the books becoming movies.   Listening to Version 1 playlist while typing Version 3 helps, because I know what should not go into the book, as well as listening to Version 3 playlist while typing Version 3, because it helps me to know what needs to be in the book.

It is truly amazing how one song, or one word, or one line, or one sentence, or one verse in any song can say all that is need to be said. It is amazing that either a whole song or a little piece of a song can sum up all of anyone's emotions, and it is amazing how music can help someone heal (emotionally, mentally, physically).

I did edit the above a little just now, but it still applies today.

My taste in music has changed a lot from 2008-2009 era until now.  Back then I would only listen to Lifehouse, Switchfoot, Natasha Bedingfield (still love them, still listen).  Now I still listen to them but I also added, Evanescence, Black Veil Brides, Automatic Loveletter, Juliet Simms, Imagine Dragons, We are the Fallen, Ben Moody, David Hodges, and of course others but those most often.  Now, yes some of these bands weren’t around back then, but if they were I don’t think I would have listened to them, because I didn’t understand the full importance of music while writing, until BVB and Evanescence. 

Here is a funny story, I cannot tell you for which book but one day I was on the treadmill at the gym and listening to music and I remembered that I bought BVB’s “In the End” so I put that on and fell off the treadmill.  From the first notes this beautiful scene played in front of me for the end of one of my series.  I literally forgot how to walk, I just froze in awe, and got thrown from the machine.  I had listened to other songs before and had experiences where I saw scenes I already thought about, but this time it gave me a scene.  Black Veil Brides was already a character favorite in the book and from that their music has helped shape that book.  I have to thank them for that.

Juliet Simms music from Automatic Loveletter inspired the epigraph for one of my books (if we are FB friends there are a few chapters of It Started on a Thursday up if you are interested in reading some works of mine).  And from that I actually want characters to meet through her in that book, I just have to go about it legally, like get permission.  I feel like I am rambling and not getting my point across, but music is so important in writing, for writing. 

I am not the typical bands fan.  And with saying what I am about to say please don’t get offended.  A lot of bands have fans that call them “heroes” because the band saved them.  I get it, I do, but I am not that fan.  I personally don’t think it is not fair to put that label on a band, because yes they helped the kid, but it is a big burden for the band to carry.  For me, I like bands because my characters.  There are very few bands that I just like because I discovered them.  For example BVB I love you and am not labeling you, this was Google.  I have this one fantastically gorgeous boy named Jake in Life’s not a Fantasy.  He originally was going to be this emo character, like full on emo.  So I Googled “emo” and Alex Evans came up as the first result, then I was looking through pictures, (I already had a face for Jake, just wanted to fine tune character traits,) then this beautiful face was on the screen so I clicked on it and it said “Andy Sixx” so I was curious and looked up him and found out that he was a lead singer in a band called Black Veil Brides.  I listened and fell in love.  Since then Andy and the band have gone through image and sound changes and Andy no longer goes by “Andy Sixx” but rather “Andy Biersack”. Actually no band I like was my choice it always has something to do with my books.  Yeah, so I am not the typical fan.  Huh, that’s weird…well this just loops back to my post about writer/character relationships.  I wouldn’t like any bands probably if it wasn’t for my book.

Music helps keep me focused in writing.   I sometimes listen to other books playlists while writing so I remember what goes where and don’t repeat scenes from book to book.  I already have a repeated name in two different books, but the gender and spelling changes so I think I can get away with that. Ugh, I feel like this isn’t coming out right and for some reason I am having a hard time writing this.  I’m listening to music right now, writing this and it is wonderful, I am having flashes of scenes coming to me, so maybe I should just give you an excerpt, yeah, that sounds good.  Oh! Oh! and I will associate a song with it.  Yes!

* * *

Here is a scene from a WIP (to be completed December 2013):

Que the music: Just drums, rolling a beat of various rhythms, but all letting you know something is about to go wrong.

Screaming.  A girl screaming.  A girl screaming and clenching her hair in her fists.  A girl screaming and clenching her hair in her fists while falling to her knees on the ground.

This wasn’t any ordinary scream.  No.  This wasn’t just fear.  This was anger.  This was sadness.  Harper was your ordinary school girl.  She was at the time fifteen years old.

Here is where we begin.

Que the music: quiet and slow the drums some, add violins and flutes playing just a few ominous repeating notes/chords.

I felt like I was stuck in a hall of mirrors.  I could see myself and other people’s reflections, but I was frozen in my terror.  I could not find my way out.  Every turn I made took me further into the maze.  I felt like I was staring at myself from two mirrors that were directly across from each other.  Every motion echoed infinitesimally, but I could see how fake it was. It was me, but it was my reflection.  I started the motion and my accursed doppelgängers mimicked my every motion.  I couldn’t break free.  I wanted to crash through the mirrors.  I wanted to watch them tumble to the ground in a chain reaction like large silver reflective and distorted dominoes.

It wasn’t my fault, but it kind of is.  It is all of our faults.  Possibly mostly mine.  I didn’t see it.  I should have.  I remember Jessica aimlessly pulling me to my feet.  I remember grabbing onto her shoulders just in time for the both of us to fall to the ground.  I was a mess.  I never cried so hard in my life.  April 11 a Thursday.  I will never forget.  This was the day I walked into the school gymnasium for a shortcut because I was running late to school.  I kept my head below the windows and walked in the shadows that when I heard it.  It sounded like a belt being slapped on itself but duller, then came the awful gurgling. (Que the music change again: take away the flutes and a bass playing a low and repeating note, just one, sometimes it is held out, other times it is short) I looked towards the sound and saw his body swinging from the rafters.  I started screaming/I started to scream. 

Que music again: add in a symphony.

Parker was struggling.  He was stuck between life and death.  He was slowly dying in front of me and fighting with every ounce of strength he had left in him to reverse his previous action.  He now wanted to live.  I started screaming and his eyes flashed to mine.  He reached his left hand out to me.  I touched his hand and his finger nails scratched my skin, leaving small red marks.  I pulled my phone out and dialed 911.  I said nothing to the operator I just screamed. 

* * *

So I don’t officially have a song for this scene, for other scenes, yes, but that is further in the book, and they are not written yet and would give away too much. 

30 Seconds to Mars is another favorite of mine, and thank god I wasn’t driving, I had the BVB experience with them. A song of their newest album, Love Lust Faith + Dreams, made me freeze.  I saw a character rising from something, while another fell to their knees screaming.  Can’t tell you the song specifically, the scene, or the book, mostly because it will not be in the book.  This will be something that is a movie exclusive only once I’m published and have movie rights, so fingers crossed!

I have a few ideas for my next post, but I want to see what you guys want me to write about so tweet me at twitter.com/write_to_live or write a note to my on instagram and tag me both on the picture and in a comment on your picture username: write_to_live

I will pick my favorite or favorites and write those over the next few weeks. 

Peace, Love, and Inspiration

Keep writing and remember

#itsawriterthing

Toni-Anne Lombardo

Listening to: “In the End”, Black Veil Brides, Wretched and Divine

Quotes: “Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't.” –Johnny Depp

“Music is the universal language of mankind.” –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Where words fail, music speaks.” –Hans Christian Andersen

Indie Author Series: To Free Or Not To Free

I'm a huge believer in giving away ebooks for free. In fact I credit this marketing ploy with making The Raven Saga such a bestseller in the first place.

When I first started on this journey to become an indie author, it was tough, really tough, to get myself out there and find the readers I craved. However, after reading up on marketing tactics and so on, I figured I'd try the old 'loss leader' approach by giving away the first book in the series. Since then Raven has been downloaded probably well over 100,000 times! Cool huh?
Unfortunately, this hasn't had the same effect on my second series when I made both the novella (Daisy Madigan's Paradise) and the first full length book in the series (The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw) free. Although downloads are constant, they're nowhere near as many as for Raven. Its tough to know what to do next. I do have some ideas up my sleeve but work is so hectic at the moment, it's difficult to find the time to dedicate the right amount of time to everything! When I talk about work, I'm talking about writing, promoting my books AND blogging. Since creating my women's fiction blog, Fiction Dreams, I've barely had time to think!
It's becoming hugely popular what with my exclusive interviews with some of the top female authors out there including Joanne Harris, Paige Toon, Mangy Baggot, Amanda Egan, Jinx Schwartz, Lois Winston, etc. I've even got one with Gena Showalter soon!!!
I've also just launched my very first chick lit novel, Forever Fredless! Eeeeeeekkkkkk! But on that soon :)
In the meantime, pop on over to my colleagues at the Indie Author Club and find out what they think about going down the 'free' route!

1. Laura A. H. Elliott 

2. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
3. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga 

4. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
5. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter 

6. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
7. Ella James 

8. Maureen Murrish
9. YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings 

10. A Little Bit of R&R
11. Melissa Pearl 

12. Terah Edun - YA Fantasy
13. Author Cindy C Bennett

Indie Author Series: Pinterest (Getting It To Work For You)

My name is Suzy Turner and I'm a Pinaholic.
There, I said it.
Honestly... whenever I open my Pinterest page, I'm like a women obsessed. I can't seem to stop.
'Dinner's ready!'
'I'll be two minutes.'
'Our guests have arrived!'
'Okay, just give me two minutes...'
'I think I've broken my leg...'
'Okay babe... just give me two minutes...'
Alright, maybe I'm not quite that bad, but it is bad. Pinterest should come with a warning.
But seriously, if you're not on Pinterest, why the heck not? It's awesome. Especially if you're a writer and need a little inspiration. I have a few boards that are dedicated entirely to my series. For instance, check out my Raven Saga mood board and my Morgan Sisters mood board. Whenever I see a picture that reminds me of my books or of a person that would make a great character, I pin it to my book boards and then when I'm writing, I check in every once in a while, have a really good browse and it's like pinspiration has gone off in my head! (Did you see what I did there?!)
I also have more fun / personal boards like recipes, art work I love, gorgeous houses, decor, movie stars, etc. You can check it all out at http://pinterest.com/suzyturnerbooks
As far as marketing is concerned, I'm not sure if it works for me or not. I always pin my books (and trailers) when they become available, but it's tough to tell whether it leads to any sales.
What about you? Are you an avid Pinterest user? Share your profile pages below :)

Don't forget that I currently have THREE FREE books!! Yes, THREE!! Daisy Madigan's Paradise, The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw and Raven. If you haven't got your copies, what are you waiting for?? And my next book (a chick lit novel) is due out soon. Read more about it here.

Now go check out my awesome buddies...

1. Laura A. H. Elliott
2. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
3. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga & The Morgan Sisters
4. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
5. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
6. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
7. Ella James
8. Maureen Murrish
9. YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings
10. A Little Bit of R&R
11. Melissa Pearl
12. Terah Edun - YA Fantasy
13. Author Cindy C Bennett

YA and more... Facebook fan pages

I love my Facebook fan Page. Since I created it, I've managed to amass some 3,600 fans! How awesome is that?? And not only that, I also have the most gorgeous banner image across the top, designed by the amazing Phil (a friend since I was ten years old and a very talented tattoo artist).
I guess I don't use my page nearly half as much as I ought to. Actually, I probably don't post that much on my personal page either - which currently has about 1,600 friends, most of whom are fellow authors! But I do spend a lot of time commenting on other people's posts and sharing whenever they post something fun  or book launches, etc.
I guess I haven't found my feet yet when it comes to promoting myself on facebook. The main thing that tends to happen on my fan page is that all blog posts automatically show up on the page feed, and whenever I have a new book out, I will put a few brief posts with all the necessary links.
I could probably use some advice on how best to use my facebook fan page to engage with readers... I'm all ears if anyone has anything to offer!!

Don't forget that I currently have THREE FREE books!! Yes, THREE!! Daisy Madigan's Paradise, The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw and Raven. If you haven't got your copies, what are you waiting for??

Now go check out my awesome buddies...

1. Laura A. H. Elliott
2. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
3. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga & The Morgan Sisters
4. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
5. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
6. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
7. Ella James
8. Maureen Murrish
9. YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings
10. A Little Bit of R&R
11. Melissa Pearl
12. Terah Edun - YA Fantasy
13. Author Cindy C Bennett

Indie Author Series: Blogging (Do's & Don'ts)

Okay, so I'm certainly no expert on this subject because I often find myself neglecting my blog - personal blog posts I mean. I quite often post book blasts, cover reveals and take part in other author's blog tours when I really ought to be posting more from me, you know?
So my blogging number one don't is - don't neglect your blog!
Number two, which I feel quite strongly about is - if you're a children's or YA author - don't post anything rude / erotica / swear words, etc because chances are your blog is being read by children as well as adults.
Number three - always try and put a little bit of yourself into every post. If someone new happens across your blog, you want them to stay, right? So show a little personality, give us a hint of who you really are. If you're funny, be funny; f you're a geek, be geeky; if you're quirky, be quirky (I love quirky and often wish I was the quirky girl but alas, it wasn't meant to be). When I worked as Assistant Editor for a local magazine, the editor made me take out all personality from my articles, to such an extent that they became boring (and were boring as hell to write), so when I was approached by a US Travel Magazine to write an article about the Algarve, I struggled at first. My first effort was so devoid of character that they had to send it back! They asked me to add personality. Can you imagine how embarrassing that was? All because the editor drummed it into me to be (basically) boring. Now I refuse to take my personality out of anything I write.
Number four - don't post exclusively about your books. Yes we get that you want to promote your work (and promote it you should), but c'mon, you're just going to bore us if you only do that. Be a bit more varied once in a while.
Number five (and this is just a personal irritation of mine) - get ride of those awful Captchas! I HATE them. I want to come over to your blog and I want to leave a comment but when I have to read something that is so stupidly illegible, and then I have to re-type it in five times to finally get it right, I'm gonna get so ticked off that I'm just gonna go without having left a comment. Captchas = Annoyance!!
So there you have it. My five blogging dos and don'ts. I'm sure there are lots more but I don't want to bore you (ha! there's my sixth - don't make your posts too long!).
In the meantime, don't forget that three of my books are FREE at the moment. So go grab a copy while you can! Raven, Daisy Madigan's Paradise, The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw.

Now go check out my awesome buddies...

1. Laura A. H. Elliott 

2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series 

4. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
5. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 

6. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
7. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter 

8. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
9. Ella James 

10. Maureen Murrish
11. YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings 

12. A Little Bit of R&R
13. Melissa Pearl 

14. Terah Edun - YA Fantasy
15. Heather Sutherlin - YA Fantasy 

16. Melika Dannese Lux, author of Corcitura and City of Lights
17. Author Cindy C Bennett

YA Author Club: Toni Lombardo

 
The YA Author Club is expanding its author presence and bringing on new talent every single week. This week, we are introducing the newest member of our team, Toni Lombardo. She is not an indie author, and she does not plan to become one. She's working hard at establishing herself within the traditionally published world. We wish her the best of luck in her efforts and thought it might be kind of cool to offer our fans/friends/followers a new voice within the club. 


Instead of posting information about indie publishing, Toni will take a few minutes every few weeks to fill us in on her trials and tribulations as she journeys toward the Big Six.

Also... leave us a comment and let us know which Big Six pic you like best #1 (first one) or #2 (second one). The one getting the most votes/comments will be the one we use to introduce Toni's posts from this point forward.

Social Media Sites for Toni:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/write_to_live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamLifewriter

Without further ado, we are pleased to introduce Toni Lombardo:

Hello there blog readers! Toni here, I am going to talk about myself now.  Hope you don’t mind.

Okay, so first off I am a twenty something (21)  and striving to be a writer!  I am currently(ish)  a student at a community college (although at the moment I am taking a break from school)  and my plan is to major in meteorology.  Of course I’ll have to transfer to a four year.  In some moments I want to major in English, because I am in love with words (a good thing for a writer, right?) .  I would like to teach an elective class in a preppy school to do with the appreciation of old timey writers (Stoker, Melville, Shelley, etc.) and introduce the kids to modern day writers who I think are fantastic such as John Green (The Fault in Our Stars) , Jay Asher (Thirteen Reasons Why) , *clears throat* T.R. Graves (not kissing up, she is actually really great, like go read her books now!) .

I have been writing since I can remember.  I wrote short stories or was forced to by teachers, but I always enjoyed it and nine times out of ten exceeded the length required or well wanted (sometimes they weren’t happy) .  My dad also made up stories for me when I was little, I hope to one day publish and anthology of them (I do attribute that to my love of the plot) .  I actually sat down to write a book when by hand when I was fourteen? Maybe? But I gave up on that book (I will one day reapproach that book, but for now the characters and I are not mixing…it’s not my fault blame them)  to write what I wanted to publish as my first.  I started that book when I was fifteen and finished it when I was sixteen and went onto the next.  I am on the third in the series and am currently rewriting the first book.  I was young when I wrote it and afraid of words like sex, so I would dance around the word.  Plus other things I wrote in it are just cringe worthy and embarrassing.  Trust and believe if a writer says their work is cringe worthy it is…we are our biggest critic yes, but if we can make ourselves cringe it is pretty correct to believe that the reader would wonder what the heck the writer was thinking.

I spend my days working at a clothing store.  I love it.  I work with kids ranging from size 6-20.  I love working with the girls who aren’t societies standard of ‘beauty’.  It’s great because you can see the kid coming in so self-conscious (because they are a size 16 not 12 like their friends)  and leave smiling because you told them they are beautiful and helped them pick out clothes and raved over how amazing the kid looked and sometimes the kid even hugs you.  I know this sounds like I am saying ‘oh look at me.  I’m so great.  Blah, blah, blah.’  That is not my intention.  Today’s society is so messed up, these kids are so self-conscious at such a young age, and they are getting bullied.  Their parents telling them they are beautiful is one thing, when a someone else makes a big deal about it the kid feels good.  I think it’s a thing everyone should do.  Encourage people, because one day you will need it.   Okay enough about my job.

I also spend my days plotting up stories and plot twists.  I like listening to music and sometimes it even inspires or curbs scenes. I like going to the gym and reading, it is where I get most of my reading in.  In one day at work…working on stock in the back room, five new book ideas came flooding in.

I have one dog, a Beta named Platelet in one tank with a snail, eight goldfish all named after characters in my books and a Plecko and a snail in another tank that is huge.  I have the plecko and snails to help keep the tanks clean.

I’d like to write more often and I need to.  It is the best and worst thing in the world, if you are a writer you will understand that sentence; if you are not a writer ask one that you know.

I use Twitter and Instagram and Facebook to interact with writers and friends and share stuff about my books and from time to time excerpts! 

I hope to change the publishing world by introducing them to new styles of writing!  And once you get to know me you know I don’t just dabble in things, I jump in whole heartedly with both feet, and most of the time without a safety net.   I am beginning to blog under the supervision and guidance of Graves (I just love her) .  Please come back bi-weekly to join me on my journey of publishing and writing on my blog series called Toni’s Big Six Journey. 

It can be found here: http://yaauthorclub.blogspot.com

Listening to: Wishing Well by Ben Moody: All for This

Quote: “Just know, when you truly want success, you’ll never give up on it. No matter how bad the situation may get.” - Unknown

Spotlight Interview Questions:

1) What is your all-time favorite book and why?

“The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green (TFIOS) .  It is just perfect.  I cried on every page and went hysterical at Chapter 21.  I re-read the book within two months and re-experienced all that beautiful pain (readers of this book will get it #nerdfighter) .  Also, I bonded with my IBBF (internet best friend forever)  over this book.  We’ve known each other for a little over two months as of 7.12.2013, but it is one of the greatest friendships I have had.  So, beyond being a great book it brought me a great friend.

2) Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why?

Oh gosh, this is a biggie.  I don’t really know.  I have my own style, but some of my darker pieces, like “The Tale-Tale Heart” which is a re-doing of “The Tell-Tale Heart” by E.A. Poe for a final English paper, have been associated to Poe.  I’m actually about to start a second mirroring piece of his, that T.R. Graves is up-to-date about.

As far as characters…People are going to think TFIOS for some of my characters, because I talk about the book ALL the time and it is a book about kids with cancer.  But my book is about a kid or two with cancer but there is more of a story to it than that, just like Green’s.

As far as my characters relating to other characters…oh I don’t know, never thought about that.  I’ve read books with characters that reminded me of mine, but never really thought about it that way.  I think Devon would like Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

3) Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it?

“If you don’t know, you do not deserve to know!” –Devon

Oh my, how can I explain, Devon?  Okay so in this scene Devon just found out something in his family. Sorry for being vague, don’t want to give away plot points. He is really struggling in his life at the moment and this news was just devastating.  Like a lot of teens Devon struggles with the idea of self-harm and when his brother is talking to him he (Devon)  hints to wanting to hurt himself, and when his brother doesn’t get the hint he says the above quote possibly angrily. 

4) What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing?

Things that inspire me to write…I don’t know.  Sometimes I just see something, okay I was in a store the other day and saw a beautiful all glass frame, free standing.  I saw it and instantly knew it belonged to a character in one of my W.I.P.s, and when I got home it was already done the character would have it in their house.  So it is just kind of random, if I see something and it attaches to a character, I say it inspired me.

People- My best friend Anne is who I write for along with a few other people.  Anne is my muse and my ‘first reader’.  She keeps me going when I don’t want to write and pushes me to finish projects. So she inspires me as well as Graves, Green, Asher, and others.

Music!!! Ahh, such an inspiration!  Don’t want to say too much here because this topic is going to be a whole blog post for me!

What makes me want to keep writing—my characters.  I get a points where I miss them and I physically feel missing them, I feel pain of sorts.  Sometimes just thinking and plotting and writing notes just does not suffice, so I write to subdue the longing for interacting with them.  And I love writing, so that helps.

5) Describe your typical writing day or week.

They are random.  I write whenever and wherever.  At one point I was writing (more than this at home)  every Friday night at the bar in Red Robin, where one of my friends works.  I would buy an unsweetened peach tea with EXTRA regular syrup and she kept me in well supply.   It was a great writing environment and the support was great!

6) Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing?

I love, love, love peach tea, but I can’t have too much caffeine otherwise I can’t sleep.  So at one point it was that, but now….yeah, it is still that, I just can’t have it all the time.

7) Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover) ?

Sooooo many things! The book I am working on to get published first is Life’s Not a Fantasy I have a cover idea, but no cover yet!  An excerpt? Sure!  Here is the introduction.  It is written by Devon:

It wasn’t ever supposed to be like this.  Our family was always so torn apart, even before what I’m, about to write.  Dad was out fighting for ‘our safety’ but was never home... he was a ‘lifer’.  Mom chose her favorites and clung tightly to them, and I fell to the bottom of that spectrum.  I was okay with it though.

I was always the ‘untypical typical’ teenager, meaning I was or still am the loner.  I’ve done my fair share of stupid things, but more on that later.

He, Cameron always held us together.  He was our rock.  He could make or break our family and now his name resonates with pain.

How can one name ruin everything?  How can one name bring so much pain?

It’s been days, moments, but his name already feels like a curse. 

Thanks for reading!  Hope this was entertaining.

Keep writing,

YA Author Club: Social Media - what works for you?

Today, the YA Author Club is talking about social media, what works and what doesn't. I've found the best for me is Facebook and Twitter. I'm also an avid Pinterest user but I'm not sure how beneficial it is for me as an author. It's particularly good for giving me inspiration, but other than that, I can't really comment.
Facebook and Twitter, on the other hand, really do seem to work when it comes to getting word out about my work. So far I have managed to garner over 3,000 likes on facebook and almost 6,000 followers on Twitter, which is totally awesome. Whenever I post something about my books, I usually find that quite a few people share my posts - especially on Twitter. Having said that, I don't really know whether this equals more downloads / sales or not.
But what about you? What works for you?
Don't forget that I currently have THREE FREE books for you to download!! Yes that's right - THREE. Raven, Daisy Madigan's Paradise AND The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw. So what are you waiting for? Go grab yourself a copy now!

Check out the other YA authors in the club!

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
4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
8. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
10. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
12. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
13. Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy
14. Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
15. Courtney Cole Writes
16. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
17. Ella James
18. Maureen Murrish
19. Valerie Sloan
20. YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings
21. Terah Edun, author of Red Madrassa and An Amlah's Diary

Click here for more Indie News:

YA Author Club: Distribution

Today, the YA Author Club is talking about distribution and distribution lists. For my ebooks, I tend to use Smashwords to distribute my ebooks to all the major retailers (except for Amazon and Kobo which I do directl) because it is so easy and far less time consuming!
For my paperbacks, I use Createspace. Again, it's a convenient site. My only criticism is that the books are only printed in the US so when someone (including me!) orders my books, it can takes quite a while for them to arrive anywhere else in the world. This is also why I haven't been able to organise autographed copies yet! But I hope to sort that out soon enough.
For email distribution lists, I use mailchimp (I can never remember what that site is called... I usually have to google 'email monkey' to find it! lol), which is an amazing site. Anyone interested in receiving my newsletter (which is only a few times a year), can easily sign up on the form which can be found to the right (scroll down a bit) of this blog, on my website and even on my facebook page (just under the header). The email list is crucial for authors and if you haven't got one, I'd sort that out straight away!
For blog lists, my current favourite is bloglovin - again, its easy as pie and enables you to see what everyone is up to in a single email. I love it. To sign up, just click on the bloglovin face to the right of this post. :)
Have a great weekend, everyone!

Check out the other YA authors in the club!

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
4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
8. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
10. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
12. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
13. Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy
14. Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
15. Courtney Cole Writes
16. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
17. Ella James
18. Maureen Murrish
19. Valerie Sloan
20. YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings
21. Terah Edun, author of Red Madrassa and An Amlah's Diary

Click here for more Indie News:

YA Author Spotlight: Cindy C Bennett

Author Bio 

Cindy C Bennett was born and raised in beautiful Salt Lake City, growing up in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains. She and her husband raised two daughters, two sons, and a plethora of pets without wandering far from the fold. They’ve now added two beautiful daughters-in-law to their family. In addition to writing YA fiction, she volunteers her time working with teen girls between the ages of 12-18, all of whom she finds to be beautiful, fascinating creatures that constantly inspire her stories. She developed a love of writing in high-school English, when a teacher introduced her to the joys of escaping reality for ten minutes each day in writing. When she’s not writing, reading or answering emails (notice there is no mention of cleaning, cooking, or anything vaguely domestic) she can often times be found riding her Harley through the beautiful canyons near her home. Learn more at www.cindycbennett.com.

Social Media Sites 

My Blog Facebook Twitter Goodreads

Geek Girl:

Jen’s teenage life of rebelling and sneaking out is growing stale. In an effort to combat her boredom, Jen makes a bet to turn Trevor, a nice geek, into a “bad boy.” Unexpectedly, she is pulled into Trevor’s world of sci-fi movies, charity work, and even--ugh!--bowling. Jen discovers that hanging out with Trevor isn't so bad after all.

But when Trevor finds out about the wager, all bets are off.

Heart on a Chain:

17-year-old Kate has lived her whole life in abject poverty, with an alcoholic father and drug-addicted mother, who severely abuses Kate. At school, her second-hand clothing marks her as a target. Her refusal to stand up for herself makes her the recipient of her classmates taunts and bullying. That is, until Henry returns.

Henry Jamison moved away six years earlier, just as he and Kate had begun to develop feelings for one another. He returns to find the bright, funny, outgoing girl he had known now timidly hiding in corners, barely speaking to anyone around her, suspicious of even him.

Kate can't figure out what game Henry is playing with her - for surely his attempts at friendship are a game. What else would the gorgeous, popular boy from her past want with her?

Immortal Mine:

Niahm (pronounced Neeve) Parker is thoroughly content with her life in the small town of Goshen. When Shane Coleman and his nephew Sam move into town, it's the biggest event to happen in as long as anyone can remember.

Sam is drawn to Niahm against his will. He'd prefer to not be bound to this angry, stubborn, unlikeable girl. For Immortals, love is not only forbidden, but dangerous for her.

Niahm finds herself attracted to the tall, copper-headed boy, who becomes her friend and then her support when tragedy strikes. Soon, she begins to realize that there may be more to Sam than she ever suspected... much more. But what he truly is, she can't begin to imagine.

Rapunzel Untangled:

Rapunzel is not your average teenager. For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction.

But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is.

Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairytale.

Enchanted Fairytales: (Anthology)

Enchanted Fairytales is a retelling of five different fairytales from the imagination of Cindy C Bennett.

Beautiful Beast: Though she knows it's cruel, Calli agrees to accompany her friends to Monster House where it is rumored the beast howls at the moon each sunset. Alex believes Calli has bribed her way into his home in order to get a look at the beast of Monster House, and is determined to hate her. He isn't prepared as she batters down the hard walls of his soul with her kindness and humor.

Red and the Wolf: Three years ago, Rafe Wolfe left their tiny mountain burg of Piera, leaving Ruby Hood behind to mend her shattered heart. Now, Rafe has come home to compete with his brother Lowell for Ruby's heart. But Rafe and Lowell have intimate knowledge of the wolf attacks that threaten their home. Can Ruby live with the same knowledge, or will it forever destroy her?

Snow White: Left at the mercy of her stepmother Katarina, Snow White is sent into the forest to be killed. Escaping, she stumbles upon an enchanted village created by Katarina to entrap Prince Philip after he spurned her. Philip believes Snow White is the one spoken of who can break the curse that holds Fableton. Snow's only hope of winning freedom for herself and Fableton is to defeat the evil and powerful Katarina.

The Unmasking of Cinderella: Amella Augustus has lived under her stepmother's cruel reign since her father's death. Then she runs into Char - literally. Just when Amella begins to believe she's found her happily ever after, Iona pounces in threatening to take away Amella’s dreams of happiness. Now Amella must take charge of her own destiny, and make a decision that can either give her the peace she’s longed for . . . or return her to the misery she’s lived in for so long.

The White Swan: Benno von Rothbart, a powereful sorcerer, is jealous of Odette's love for Victor. Victor and Odette are unaware of Benno's powers and manipulations to come between them and win Odette for himself. When Benno uses his powers to transform Odette into a swan, she finds herself in a fight for her freedom and for Victor in this retelling of the classic Swan Lake fairytale.

In the Beginning: (Short Story from It’s a Love Thing)

Before coming to Earth Alashon and Vindar vow to find one another. The vow is not made lightly: if they fail, they will spend their eternity’s alone.

Drake has lived a hard life. In and out of trouble with the law, sentenced to juvenile corrections and finally released to the custody of his parole officer, the strange, surfer-dude Tom, Drake is forced to move to the tiny beach town of Seaside. There, he meets Megan, Tom’s off-limits daughter. Though he tries to avoid her, it seems she turns up constantly in his life. It isn’t long before he finds himself looking forward to visits from the ultra-optimistic Megan. But does she really care for Drake, or is he just another charity case? And why does she seem so very familiar to him?

Reluctance: (Short Story)

Twenty-year-old Dahlia hates the life that she is forced to lead. But the time is quickly coming when she must make a decision that will shape the rest of her life. She's set her sights on Jace. He is someone her family will approve of, someone that will finally gain her acceptance among her people. Then Cam comes into her life, making her question what she assumed was her inevitable destiny, giving her hope that she might be able to lead the normal existence that she longs for. But fate has its own plan for Dahlia. Now she has to find courage she didn’t know she possessed to fight for her own future.

Watched: (Short Story from Screams in the Night)

Sixteen-year-old Stephanie Beasley has it all. She's a top student, head cheerleader, popular, with a great boyfriend. But she also has it.

It stands in the corner of her bedroom in the dark of night, watching, waiting. Always waiting. Until it follows her out of her room for the first time ever, bringing her terror to a new level.

Soon, Steph is losing sleep, unable to function, stressed about when it will make its move. And when it does, she'll be forced to do anything she must to protect those she loves. 

Interview: 

1) What is your all-time favorite book and why? 

Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale, which is odd since it's completely outside of the genre I write and generally read (YA). It's a historical romance so it's strange that it's my all-time fave, but I love the language used in the writing and descriptions, the flawed hero, the unusual heroine, the intensely romantic love story. 

2) Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why? 

I don't compare myself to anyone because I feel authors are unique with their own voice, and I don’t think it’s fair to try to say my writing is as good as someone elses. My characters are mostly teens or young adults, living in a contemporary world, so I suppose they'd relate to other characters in the same situation. 

3) Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it? 

“You, Kate, I fell in love with you! With your strength and courage, with your naiveté and innocence, your unschooled sense of humor. With your loyalty and how willingly you gave your love and trust.” 

This quote is from Henry to Kate in Heart on a Chain when he’s trying to convince her to take him back. I like it because he’s taking about her qualities without mentioning anything about her physical self. It’s important to me for my characters to fall in love with someone not because of how they look but because of how they are. 

4) What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing? 

Almost everything in the world can be an inspiration if you just open your mind. Romantic stories, lyrics, movies probably inspire me more than anything, but honestly, just the world in general. My husband and I recently returned from a trip and I have oodles of characters in my head bursting to be released simply from observing others around me. Sometimes something as simple as a thunderstorm inspires me, or the way the sun slants through a tree. 

5) Describe your typical writing day or week. 

I write best in the middle of the night. I begin writing heavily around 10 pm and write usually until around 4 or 5 am. I sleep until noon, then get up, get ready, and work on marketing. Marketing is something I can fairly easily stop in the middle of to take care of family, life, whatever. I hate stopping in the middle of writing, so that's why nighttime writing works best for me - no one to interrupt me. 

6) Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing?

Water always to drink, because I don't want to have to get up if I'm thirsty. And usually I have chocolate of some kind nearby. 

7) Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover)? 

I'm nearly finished with a book I'm writing with Jeffery Moore, a YA sci-fi, again outside my usual genre. I don't have a cover yet, nor an official blurb, but it's about a creature who wakes up on earth inside of a human teen with no memory of who she is or where she came from. It's a novel of self-discovery, and finding the person she’s meant to be with. I'm also writing a book (I'm about 1/2 way through) that's a contemporary YA romance with a hero who feels no emotion, and a heroine who has extremely unusual home circumstances (not abuse), making them both a bit broken. (I may have the one book finished before 6/21 so if I do I'll send the info at that time and change this answer) 

Excerpt: Rapunzel Untangled 

RG: If I can discover my address, then I'll tell you where to find the correct trellis. There might be more.

Fab Fane Flannigan: You genuinely don't know your address? Huh. Weird. Okay. Maybe I can find you by your last name if it's not common.

RG: I know the name of my house. Does that help? It's actually my own last name.

Fab Fane Flannigan: Your house has a name? Can't be too many of those, so maybe that will help. Especially if it's also your last name and your last name isn't Smith or Lee.

Rapunzel took a deep breath, then plunged.

RG: My last name is Gothel. I live at Gothel Manor. Do you know where it is?

The cursor flashed for so long without response Rapunzel thought he'd signed off. It showed him as still online, though. Maybe he was Googling the information. She smacked her forehead. Of course. Why hadn't she thought of that all this time? She probably could have discovered her own address in that same manner and not had to let him know that she didn't know where she lived. She moved her mouse to open a new tab for that very purpose when his message came.

Fab Fane Flannigan: Sorry. Just a bit stunned, here. Are you saying you live at GOTHEL MANSION??? The Gothel Mansion? I'm having a hard time believing that. You’ve been playing me this whole time? Is that the reason for all the secrecy? I'm just kind of feeling . . . disbelieving, I guess.

Rapunzel stared at his words. Was her home well known? Why did he call it Gothel Mansion instead of Gothel Manor? And why did he think she was kidding about living here?

RG: My mother calls it Gothel Manor, so maybe that's different?

Fab Fane Flannigan: No, Rapunzel, there's only one that I know of. It has to be the same. Are you telling me the truth here?

RG: Yes, of course.

She made a decision.

RG: Okay, time for me to stop being so "secretive" as you say. But I have good reasons for being so. I have a disease

She stopped and deleted the last four words.

RG: I can't go outside because if I do I will get very sick. I live in a specific area of the house. It's the southeast corner. I only know that because I have a compass. I don't know my address because I've never had any reason to need to know it. I suppose I could have Googled it, but honestly the thought never crossed my mind. Is it weird that I live here?

There was no response again for a few long minutes before he answered.

Fab Fane Flannigan: No, not weird, just . . . never mind. So you live in the tower?

RG: Uh, the tower? I don't know. Is it a tower?

Fab Fane Flannigan: Yes, it is. I know where it is. I'll be there Friday at 8.

Rapunzel sensed the difference in his tone. Something wasn't right.

Fab Fane Flannigan: Rapunzel, promise me one thing.

RG: Okay.

Fab Fane Flannigan: Don't Google your house.