Guest Post: Sisterhood of Strength by Diony George

Welcome back to Author Diony George

I’m a wife, mother of seven, and grandmother of two originally from Alaska, but currently live in Utah with my family and now consider myself a true city girl at heart. I will readily admit I don’t miss the giant mosquitoes or the cold and long, dark winters way up North, but I absolutely miss the fresh seafood. Fish and chips made with fresh-caught halibut is my favorite!

My beginning as a writer started in elementary school when a poem I had written for a contest was chosen as a winner, set to music, and sung by the whole school at an assembly. I wrote my first picture book, 11 pages long in fifth grade as an assignment,  bound it myself and have read it to my children several times. The next book I wrote, I was in eighth grade, 48 pages long with photograph’s and was a memoir.

The first edition of my first published novel, Torn Apart was released in July 2008, when I was 42 years old, the second edition under a new publisher was released nationally in February of 2009. So…never give up on your dream of writing. I’m currently working on my third novel.

When I’m not imagining a new plot-line or typing frantically away at my computer, I love to spend time with my family, read (my favorite genre is romantic suspense) travel, cook or bake something delicious, sew, scrap-book, or work on crafts.

The best advice I would give on how to become a better writer is to read and write everyday!

You can find more about Diony at diony-george.blogspot.com.

GUEST POST:

How many of you really believe it’s the small things that matter most?

Giving service to others can be about small things: Taking a bowl of homemade soup to a friend that’s ill or an unplanned visit to someone who’s feeling blue; doing the laundry for a new mom of twins, helping someone stranded in the rain, or watching the children of a friend. This are all seemingly small acts of kindness, however the impact is anything but.

Emotional connections between women—sisters—showing each other they care through acts of service. This is what my new release, “A Sisterhood of Strength” is all about.

Here is one of the stories from the book, submitted by Anne Bradshaw:

Wiped Out by a Sprout

It was a dank September afternoon in Southport, England, and I was in the early stages of pregnancy with our fourth child. As usual with my pregnancies, I felt so ill that all I wanted to do was curl up in a corner somewhere far away. Silent. And minus all smells.

Unfortunately, I was in the kitchen, preparing an evening meal, surrounded by three demanding little people, with no chance of curling up anywhere. Ever. Near or far.

I can still see the Brussels sprouts. As I broke off each outer leaf, a powerful odor, which I don't normally notice switched my stomach to overdrive. It was breaking point. The long, sick day finally got to me and those sprouts wiped me out.

The children had taken their noise into another room, and I collapsed into a chair by the table, dropping my head onto folded arms, weeping. I told Heavenly Father I was sorry I was such a hopeless mother, but I simply couldn't do this anymore. It was all so hard, and I was too sick to cope.

A few minutes later, the front door bell rang. I debated whether I had the strength to go and open the door, knowing that whoever was there would want to talk, and talking created saliva, which also made me throw up.

Somehow, I pushed through the "can't do this" and did it. Was I ever glad? A dear LDS friend who lived miles away, just happened to be passing my house and felt she needed to check up on me. She immediately took in the situation, suggested I went to bed for a while, and told me she would watch the children, finish preparing those nightmare sprouts, and make dinner.

What an angel! I've never forgotten Freda Whiteley's service to me that day, and the way she followed spiritual promptings that answered a prayer. Now, some thirty-four years later, I still think of her every time I peel a Brussels sprout.

One reviewer said: “This book made me want to be a better person and even showed me examples of how to do it.”  A great way to forget about our own troubles and challenges is to go out and do something nice for someone else…small things can make a big difference!

 “One person can make a difference. Each one of you has unique gifts. Use your gifts to serve others. As we walk in His light, we become women of vision, women of destiny, and women of eternal value…”—Mary Ellen Smoot

Sisterhood of Strength: True Stories of Miraculous Service

Experience for yourself the pure love that inspires ordinary women to serve and accept service in a truly extraordinary manner. This inspiring collection of true stories from the lives of women just like you is told with heartwarming sincerity. Perfect for sharing, this remarkable book is sure to uplift, encourage, and cheer any woman, whether it’s her turn to serve or be served.

Please visit the tour page: http://www.cedarfortbooks.com/blog-tour-a-sister-hood-of-strength/

Guest Post & Book Giveaway: Magic Realism... Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary!

Welcome to Author Kimberley Giffiths Little

When I was a kid I always wanted to be one of those authors that "lived" inside the card catalog. Let me tell you, it's a fun place to hang out!
 I adore Louisiana, Paris, Bulgaria, England, Scotland, Egypt, and anything old and musty and delicious.
 I grew up in San Francisco, but now live in an adobe house on the banks of the Rio Grande. I think I've drunk so much Land of Enchantment water that some of that ancient magic got into my blood and now spurts out my pencil--I mean ergonomic keyboard.

http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com/

Magical Realism…Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary!

Guest Post and Book Giveaway by Kimberley Griffiths Little.

Gosh, I love that term, Magical Realism. When I think about elements of Magical Realism added to a story, it brings to mind all sorts of delicious and unexpected story plot or twists, whether delightful, creepy, or just plain enchanting. Unexpected  or unusual being the key term here.

*** (Magical Realism is a subgenre of Fantasy. For a Guide to Fantasy and it’s Sub-Genres download this free PDF from my website: The View From Under the Fantasy Umbrella.)

In today’s publishing climate, especially the children’s and young adult realm where vampires, werewolves, fairies and mermaids have been the staple for several years now, a reader might say that any book with a supernatural twist falls under the category of “magical realism”. You might even put ghosts into that category, as well as super-powers, and creatures raised from the dead, but I beg to differ. :-)

The term Magical Realism was coined several decades ago, but began to be more widely used in the 1990s. Up until that point, bookstores and libraries were filled with well-defined categories such as, “Contemporary” “Mystery”, “Romance”, “Western”, “Science-Fiction”, etc.

The basic definition of Magical Realism is, to me, a story where the author creates our very normal, regular world, populated with ordinary, regular people (no Vampires or Centaurs, Klingons or Doctor Octopus) but then adding a touch—mind you, just a touch—of something surreal, fantastic or bizarre that turns the story upside down while staying grounded in that regular world setting. Magical Realism is an added element, NOT in huge doses—but often that one magical realism element turns an otherwise regular story into something entirely different because it affects the characters and the plot in such a unique way. That one element ends up bringing an edge or slant that doesn’t line up quite right with the real world. Instead of looking at the story straight on, it makes the reader look at things in a new light—where the story bats its eyelashes and looks askance, perhaps almost coy, and helps the reader understand the truths of the story in an entirely different way. It might look like a contemporary story, smell like a contemporary story and act 90% like a contemporary story, but that magical realism element takes it somewhere brand new.  

I love me some edgy contemporary stories and read them a lot, in both the middle-grade and young adult genres. I also read widely in the paranormal  and dystopian genres. Titles such as the Forbidden Sea by Sheila N. Nielson, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, Possession by Elana Johnson, or my good friend Carolee Dean’s upcoming novel, Forget Me Not (S&S, October 2012).

Forget Me Not uses some unique twists on structure as well as magical realism elements in the plot.

But! None of these titles just mentioned are stories that use Magical Realism in the Classic sense. Here’s another great link defining Magical Realism.

Reaching into the depths of my often fuzzy mind, I would have to say that the very first book I read that contained magical realism was Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, a wildly popular adult novel that came out almost 20 years ago. It is still selling well in hardcover as well as paperback, audio, and Kindle. The author mischievously appropriates the techniques of magical realism to make her heroine of the story, Tita’s, contact with food sensual, emotional, and often explosive. Love, food, and magical recipes in a kitchen where the character’s emotions and fate are determined by the emotions of the cook. If Tita is sad, then everybody who eats her food is melancholy and weeping. If Tita is happy, then her dinner guests are joyful. Twenty years ago, this novel came out of the blue—who would have thought you could do something like this in a book? And it’s done brilliantly. The story is set in turn of the 20th century northern Mexico on a ranchero and it’s a love story and a story filled with family dynamics. But the author adds that one singular magical realism element of a cook whose emotions affect the food she creates, turning the story upside down. 

A few years later, we got the scrumptious novel, Chocolat by Joanne Harris, performing similar dreamlike plot twists through a chocolate confectioner who works her magic on an unsuspecting French village.

Hmm, all this food talk is making me hungry. (*Takes break to eat a Snickers*).

I personally believe that time travel books could fall into a sub-genre of magical realism. You may disagree, but time travel books are grounded completely in ordinary or historical events, but then turn the story upside down by throwing their characters into a vastly different time period from their own where they must often cope with explosive events and try to get back home in one piece.

My newest novel, Circle of Secrets (Scholastic, 2011) is grounded in the very real but often spooky world of the Louisiana bayous with its murky waters and hidden alligators. The story is about a girl and her family in crisis—and almost everyone is hiding a secret. City girl Shelby Jayne has to go live with her estranged mother deep in the bayous—and she’s got the weirdest mamma in town! A mamma called a traiteur, or a healer who uses charms and potions—or is it just plain old herbal medicine? 

The blue bottle tree in the backyard is filled with secret—and danger-filled—notes and Shelby is desperate to learn who wrote them—and why. She also finds a mysterious charm bracelet in which every dangling charm has a hidden meaning. After a series of weird events, Shelby realizes that her mamma holds the key—and the secrets—to all the mysteries that surround her. But is Shelby living in a fantasy world and best friends with a ghost—or is Gwen a real, live girl who’s parents have deserted her?

I loved writing this book and I loved reading books like this as a kid. (I’ve been thrilled to learn that it’s a bestselling title in the Scholastic Book Fairs, too).

I take the elements of Magical Realism a step further in my upcoming 2013 novel, When the Butterflies Came (Scholastic, April). Take the richest girl in town, her eccentric scientific grandmother, a box of letters written from the dead, ten mysterious keys, an island in the South Pacific, a pesky older sister with blue hair, an island boy—and anything can happen! 

In the comments, please share one of your favorite Magical Realism books! (Anybody read NINTH WARD or BIGGER THAN A BREADBOX? Some more great MG Magical Realism books.)

You can also win a gorgeous signed hardcover copy of Circle of Secrets by commenting! 

Please find me in all these other cool places, too:

Website: http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com (Book Trailers, Teacher's Guides, Mother/Daughter Book Club Guide)

Blog: http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kimberleygriffithslittle

Twtitter: https://twitter.com/KimberleyGLittl

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/484627.Kimberley_Griffiths_Little

Meanwhile, keep working on your own terrific speculative fiction, whether it’s a dystopian, some sort of outer-space zombie, or just an ordinary ghost with a terrible secret that lures you into the swamp to die . . .

Kimberley

Circle of Secrets:

Critically acclaimed author Kimberley Griffiths Little weaves a haunting story of friendship and family and the power of faith, once again set against the lush backdrop of the Lousiana bayou.
After her mother walked out on Shelby Jayne and her dad, Shelby thought she'd never speak to her mamma again. But with her dad leaving the country for work, it turns out she doesn't have a choice: Shelby has to move back into her mamma's house, deep in the heart of the Louisiana bayou.
Her new classmates tease and torment her, so Shelby's relieved to finally find a friend in Gwen, a mysterious girl who lives alone on the bayou. But Shelby can't help wondering if Gwen has something to do with the puzzling messages she finds hidden in the blue bottle tree behind her house. The only person who might be able to explain is her mamma -- but Shelby's not ready to ask. Not yet. It may take a brush with something from the beyond to help Shelby see that the power to put her own ghosts to rest is within her reach. 
Kimberley Griffiths Little's haunting and powerful tale brings one girl's attempt to grapple with family, friendship, and forgiveness to beautiful, vivid life.

Giveaway Details:

1 copy of Circle of Secrets

Open to US only

Ends 9/5/12

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Blog Tour Guest Post: All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Welcome to Author Sarah Wylie

Sarah Wylie spent her growing-up years reading anything and everything she could get her hands on. One summer, she read one page of the dictionary every day. This did not make her an exceptional speller. Mainly, it took away precious time she might have spent furthering her obsession with boy bands, rereading Enid Blyton novels, and/or developing a sense of direction.
Sarah has always loved writing. One summer (a different one), she wrote a poem a day. Again, this time could have been better spent since, as it turns out, angsty poetry is not her calling.
These are a few of her favorite things:
daydreaming, Twizzlers, cloudless days, going to the movies, and that moment when a good song comes on the radio.
Sarah graduated from college in June 2011 with a degree in Neuroscience. She lives in Canada, where she now spends her summers watching too much reality TV, reading good books, and writing young-adult fiction. ALL THESE LIVES is her first novel. She is hard at work on her second.

Author Website 
Blog 
Twitter 
Goodreads


The theme of this tour is "9 Things to Love About All These Lives".
My stop is "Thing #4: Family RV Camping Trips"

Families have to be one of the most complex things in existence. Take a bunch of people – similar, but not quite – and stick them together. Make them equally passionate about diametrically opposed things. Make them skilled in discovering every last thing worth despising about each other, yet just as apt to forget all those faults when voiced by an outside party. Give them an unparalleled ability to make each other laugh, to telepathically convey thoughts, to fill the void of sadness or loneliness or failure; give them an unparalleled ability to disappoint one another, to make each other sad or lonely, to break each other’s heart.

ALL THESE LIVES is a family story. Mostly about sisters – but a family too. When something crappy happens – a loss or an illness – families (the whole, not just the parts) react. They crumble or hold each other up; they scurry off in different directions. They…rent an RV?

Dani’s family does.

In honor of their family trip, I’ve compiled a list of 9 events most likely to happen on a family vacation*.

1. Two or more people are fighting by the end of Night 1. A possible though less likely alternative: one person has figured out the previously unfathomable art of fighting with one’s self.
2. Somebody has forgotten an exceptionally important article of clothing. Including but not limited to: swimsuit, towel, hat, underwear, flip-flops, and sunglasses**. If you are of remotely comparable size to a family member who has remembered an extra [exceptionally important article of clothing], your mother will insist the vacation stores are far too expensive. End result: http://blissfullydomestic.com/wp-content/uploads/thinkbig.jpg
3. You wind up hopelessly and irreversibly lost. Cue: discussions about whether we have enough gas to be hopelessly and irreversibly lost, whose fault it is anyway, and why the next restroom is further away than the moon. See #1 for end result.
4. One family member has to provide backing vocals to whatever is on the radio from one end of the state to the other. It is vitally important.
5. Whoever is scheduled to keep the driver awake during their shift? Asleep. Oh, they’re just resting their eyes? ASLEEP.
6. In addition to [exceptionally important article of clothing], you will forget some combination of the following: camera, blank film/memory card for camera, sunscreen, bug spray, water bottles, and the address of your destination. Hopefully not a family member.
7. Your hotel room will not look nearly as swanky as it did in those pictures online.
8. Good intentions aside, you will never take as many pictures as you planned to at the start of the trip, or as many as you’ll want when you think about the trip years later.
9. You will be awed at the size of your family and/or their ability to take up space. (And the fact that your inability to understand the words “pack light” is genetic.) There’ll be more limbs and sweaters and backpacks and general space evasion than you bargained for. But in the end? You probably won’t even mind that much.

Bonus: Cleaning out the car/RV might take as long or longer than the entirety of your trip.

* Any and all similarities to real life people or events are totally coincidental, especially #6.
** Sunglasses count as articles of clothing for our purposes.

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky.  She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal.  And Jena is wasting away.  To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives.  Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one.  Someone like Jena.  But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization.  Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all.  Maybe she really only ever had one.

Visit Sarah's blog to enter into her All These Lives prize pack giveaway. 

http://sarahwithachance.blogspot.com/2012/05/itsexactly-fifteen-days-until-all-these.html

She is giving away:

• 1 SIGNED copy of ALL THESE LIVES;
• 3 ALL THESE LIVES bookmarks; and
• Your choice of ANY 3 Apocalypsies books!

Visit All the Tour Stops:

5/21 – Books Complete Me
5/22 – A Good Addiction
5/23 – Reading Lark
5/24 – Frenzy of Noise
5/25 – I Am a Reader Not a Writer
5/28 – The Story Siren
5/29 – Once Upon a Twilight
5/30 – Books With Bite
5/31 – Supernatural Snark
6/1 – Portrait of a Book

Guest Post: Antony John author of Thou Shalt Not Road Trip

Welcome back to Author Antony John!


Bio:
Antony John was born in England and raised on a balanced diet of fish and chips, obscure British comedies, and ABBA's Greatest Hits. In a fit of teenage rebellion, he decided to pursue a career in classical music, culminating in a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Duke University. Along the way, he worked as an ice cream seller on a freezing English beach, a tour guide in the Netherlands, a chauffeur in Switzerland, a barista in Seattle, and a university professor. Writing by night, he spends his days as a stay-at-home dad—the only job that allows him to wear his favorite pair of sweatpants all the time. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

Music Guest Post

Here’s a funny thing: If you had asked authors for their “book playlist” about ten years ago, they might have thought you were crazy. It’s not that authors didn’t listen to music while they wrote, just that the notion of long and carefully scripted playlists didn’t exist in the same way back then.

Well, that’s all changed now. A lot of authors I know write in coffee shops, which almost forces an author to listen to something, if only to drown out all the background noise. And since songs can affect one’s mood, even transport one to a different place or time of life, selecting just the right mix has become almost an art form.

Fortunately, when I was writing ROAD TRIP, I had a great starting point. I’d recently watched the movie, “Into the wild,” which as well as inspiring my already abundant wanderlust, also boasted an extraordinary soundtrack by Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam fame). It was atmospheric and eerie, melancholy and moving, much like the movie itself. To this day, I can’t get that movie out of my head, and 90 percent of that is because of the music.

I used Eddie’s soundtrack as the basis for my mix, and built around it. That way, even though there were almost one hundred songs in the mix, I was periodically pulled back into Eddie’s world. Those songs were like anchors. I never got too far from my vision as long as I was listening to them.

As for the rest of the songs on the playlist, I mostly went for pop and rock, because I wanted to go for a realistic, contemporary feel. (In contrast, I mostly listened to classical music while writing my new fantasy novel, ELEMENTAL, which comes out this fall, because I was trying to evoke something mysterious and atmospheric.) I concentrated on upbeat, almost humorous songs in the early stages of writing: “Do-Wah-Doo” by Kate Nash; “One of the boys” by Katy Perry; “Extraordinary” by Mandy Moore. Then, as the novel progressed, and the situations I was depicting became increasingly fraught, I preferred darker songs: “Perfect Day” by Lou Reed; “Back to black” by Amy Winehouse; “Mad World” by Gary Jules; “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead. (These are some seriously depressing songs, by the way. Don’t listen to them without a friend nearby, okay?)

But every now and then I just needed to imagine how it felt to be in that car. Just driving, thinking, arguing, dreaming. And then I’d turn to the road trip classics, from the bluesy (“Hit the road Jack” by Ray Charles) to the rockin’ (“Born to be wild” by Steppenwolf) to the nostalgic (“America” by Simon and Garfunkel) to the downright peculiar (“Road to nowhere” by Talking Heads).

I like to think that Luke, Fran, Matt, and Alex would have approved of my selections!

Thanks for having me along today, Kathy. And a big hi to your readers!

Title: Thou Shalt Not Road Trip 
Author: Antony John 
Series: None 
Publisher: Dial Books 
Released: April 12, 2012 
Website: http://antonyjohn.net/


Book Summary: 

Sixteen-year-old Luke Dorsey is sent on a cross-country tour to promote his bestselling spiritual self-help guide accompanied by his agnostic older brother and former girlfriend, Fran, from whom he learns some things about salvation.

Be sure to enter my signed ARC giveaway by 4/26/12: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/04/signed-arc-giveaway-thou-shalt-not-road.html

 

Guest Post: Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan

Welcome to Author Rachel McClellan


Bio:

My mind only knows how to write. Other people perform simple tasks like cleaning their house or using the bathroom without a distracting thought.

I can't.

Yesterday I meant to vacuum, but ended up scrubbing blood out of my carpet instead. The body's still in the freezer. And when I went to take a shower, a little girl in a red dress and pigtails appeared to me in the vanity mirror. Again. I wish she would go away.

See what I mean? My life is a story and the only way to stay sane is write it all down. I only hope others can find joy in my insanity.

Author Blog: http://www.blackbirdinmywindow.blogspot.com/ 

Author Website: http://www.rachelmcclellan.com/

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRachelMcClellan

Book page: http://fracturedlightbook.com/ 

Teenage Garage Sale
What kind of items would we find in a garage sale of stuff from your teenage years? You can assign values if you’d like.

~Collection of my first cassette tapes, which includes Firehouse, Metallica, Gearge Michael and Maddona.
Price: Will part with them for $20.

~Collection of Blossom hats. Did I really wear those? Um, yeah, along with metal peace sign necklaces.
Price: $1.00

~Collection of sports junk – sun bleached basketball, racquetball racquet and ball, snowboard + gear.
Price: Free if buyer agrees to use all items.

~1980 Plymouth Colt. It’s white with red interior that’s only partly peeling up in every corner. The coolest thing about this car is it vibrates when you drive over 40 mph. For this reason alone I’m asking $1000.

~A full body cow suit equipped with six utters. This costume is guaranteed to turn a boring night into an adventure you’ll never forget. It worked for me.
Price: Pay what you think it’s worth.

~8mm Video Camera – Let your creative juices flow and make some amazing home video’s. I’ll throw in my old episodes of Saturday Night Life for inspiration.
Price: $5.00

~A pair of calf high Converse shoes, you know the kind where you could fold over the top half and they were a different color, like florescent pink?
Price: Priceless

Fractured Light

I’m dying, I thought. This was unexpected and not at all how I envisioned my death. I was supposed to die gardening in a flowerbed as a hundred-year-old woman, not as a seventeen-year-old trapped in a lake beneath inches of ice.
Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down. Big mistake.
As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something even bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.
In this breathtaking and romantic adventure, Rachel McClellan delivers a truly mesmerizing story that will keep you guessing to the very end.

For all the tour stops please visit: http://theteenbookscene.weebly.com/fractured-light-tour-details.html

Book Giveaway: Dead Radiance by T.G. Ayer

Welcome to Author T.G. Ayer

I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognise that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practise given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes… I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It’s a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each others loves – it works wonderfully…
My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands – I shall forever remain crosseyed.

LINKS:
Blog: http://tgayer.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TG-Ayer-Author/207741835951976
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TGAyerAuthor


EXCERPT:
From Bryn's POV - from the beginning of the book:

I've seen the glow all my life. You could say it is the bane of my existence. I mean, how many kids have psychiatrists at age five? My dad was great though. At least he seemed to understand me. He didn't behave like he didn't believe me. My mother, on the other hand - well I'd rather not talk about her right now.
Besides, I don't have much luck with people. They either die on me or they leave. People just don't waste time hanging with the Freak. The stupid name is more appropriate than the kids at North Wood high could ever have known. What would they think if they knew I saw weird golden glows around people? Bet they'd have a field day with that!
The thing that upsets me the most is that it had to be Joshua that has the glow too. It was okay until I figured it out. Joshua, the best friend I've ever had, is going to die. Sometime soon, and I can't do anything about it. Risk telling someone what I suspect? You've got to be kidding. I've spent way too much time under a psychiatrist's scrutiny. Not going to happen.
I've resigned myself to waiting. Waiting for Joshua to die. I have no idea how it will happen. Just that he doesn't have much time left. And in the meantime all I can do is keep smiling, keep acting like nothing is wrong. Keep acting like I can't see the blindingly bright glow around my dearest friend. An achingly beautiful golden aura that hurts so deeply.
I am already grieving for him.
I wish I could change it, prevent it. But I know I don't have the power.
Joshua is going to die and there is nothing I can do about it.

Dead Radiance

For as long as she can recall Bryn Halbrook has seen a golden aura around certain people, and it is only when her new best friend Joshua dies that she understands the glow means death. Bryn struggles to adapt to a new town and a new foster home while trying to deal with the guilt of being unable to save her friend. Until mysterious biker-boy, Aidan Lee arrives.
When Aidan unexpectedly takes off he leaves behind a shattered heart, a tonne of unanswered questions and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn is a Valkyrie. Bryn is faced with questions about Aidan’s real identity, the real reason he came to Craven, and that Odin, Freya and Valhalla just might be real.

As if accepting her new wings, new life and new home in Asgard isn’t difficult enough, Bryn is forced to find and return the precious necklace of the Goddess Freya. The only problem is – if she fails, Aidan will die.

The mystery of a Mythology is easy to enjoy. The reality is much harder to accept.

Giveaway Details
1 Ebook copy of Dead Radiance plus swag (metal bookmark with bead and tassel & Bryn's necklace)
Open Internationally
Ends 3/22/12


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post & Book Giveaway: Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut

Welcome back to Author Darby Karchut!

All her life, the archetypal hero and his journey have enthralled Darby Karchut. A native of New Mexico, Darby grew up in a family that venerated books and she spent her childhood devouring one fantasy novel after another. Fascinated by mythologies from around the world, she attended the University of New Mexico, graduating with a degree in anthropology. After moving to Colorado, she then earned a Master’s in education and became a social studies teacher.
Drawing from her extensive knowledge of world cultures, she blends ancient myths with modern urban life to write stories that relate to young teens today.
Darby is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Pikes Peak Writers Guild. She lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with her husband, where she still teaches at a local junior high school. She enjoys running, biking, and skiing the Rocky Mountains in all types of weather.
Griffin Rising is her first novel. She is currently working on the next books in the series, Griffin's Fire (April 2012) and Griffin's Storm (both from Twilight Times Books). Her middle grade novel, Finn Finnegan, will be released March 2013 from Spencer Hill Press.

Website: http://www.darbykarchut.com
Blog: http://darbykarchut.blogspot.com/

Guest Post: Griffin Rising's Book Cover
Thanks, Kathy, for hosting me today to talk about my book cover.

Book covers are a unique art form. Besides projecting the essence of the story, a cover must also be appealing.

I was fortunate to be involved right from the beginning with the cover for Griffin Rising. One of the stipulations I requested was an illustration; no photographs or people. I also wanted a cover that was more “old school” in keeping with the antiquity of the Terrae Angeli.

Ardy Scott, the cover artist, came up with the idea of a griffin perched on top of the symbols of earth and fire. The larger diamonded spiral is a modified earth symbol, while the smaller triangle is a modified fire symbol.

I loved it right from the start. And since each of the four books in the series corresponds with a particular element, the use of brown and gold for book one (Earth) was perfect.

With the next book in the series, Griffin’s Fire, Ardy took the griffin symbol and changed it to imply a sense of movement. She also changed the color palette to red and gold, which works for book two (Fire).

I’m eager to see what Ardy Scott comes up with for book three, Griffin’s Storm (Water). Any suggestions as to the color palette?

Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut

For centuries, rumors have abounded of a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, these warriors secretly serve as guardians for mortals in danger.
But for one young angel-in-training, Griffin, life is hell as a cruel master makes his apprenticeship a nightmare. On the verge of failing, a new mentor, Basil, enters his life and changes it forever.
Taking on the identity of father and son, Griffin and Basil forge a special bond where honesty and trust go hand in hand to secure Griffin’s destiny as a Terrae Angeli. Griffin’s belief in himself and the love of a mortal girl are the perfect combination in overcoming the darkest days of his life. But will it be enough for him to succeed?

For Griffin, it’s time to angel up.

Giveaway Details
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Open to US only
Ends 2/28/12


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Character This or That: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

Welcome to Author Melissa Jensen

I grew up in San Francisco, which gave me a love of fog and funny-colored houses. My mother is an amazing watercolorist, my father an architect. I can’t draw. Never could. But I always loved telling stories (occasionally of the sort involving passing Vegetable Fairies and disappearing sweet potatoes at dinnertime). I read lots of pretty wonderful books as a kid, but haven’t been quite the same since I was fourteen and my English teacher handed me a copy of Pride and Prejudice. I still want to be Elizabeth Bennet when I grow up. Elizabeth Bennet with a career and jeans, anyway. My husband got a second date by telling me he had once played Mr. Darcy on stage. There would have been a second date, in any case, but still…

I’ve written lots of stuff over the years, including a few novels, magazine articles, and even a syndicated newspaper etiquette column. I like dinner parties. I don’t give nearly enough of them. I love to make lists of whom I would invite if I possibly could. My fab friends aside, there’s always a spot for Jane Austen (who probably would always politely refuse), Robert Burns, and Charles Darwin. Then there’s Oscar Wilde, Eleanor Roosevelt, the Dalai Lama, and William Steig. Abigail Adams and Oprah. Orlando Bloom (anyone have his phone number?) and Julia Child. Bonnie Robinson: that long-ago English literature teacher, later my creative writing teacher, who told me that I’d better spend a lot more time in England if I was going to insist on writing about it.

My fave places in the world are London and Dublin, neither of which are as foggy as literature would have us believe. I spend as much time as possible in Ireland, often on the edge of one cliff or another. It makes my family crazy. It makes me feel like a Bronte.

Now I live most of the time in Pennsylvania, in a house old enough to have hosted Elizabeth Bennet, if she had cared to visit the Colonies. Of course, as Mrs. Darcy, she would have been very grand and my house isn’t, but then, she was all about having a curious and open mind. Not a bad philosophy. I do my best, but it doesn’t always work. Nothing will ever make me like sweet potatoes.

Website: http://www.melissajensen.com/
Blog: http://www.melissajensen.com/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melissa-Jensen/213465748691349
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/meljens

This or That with Frankie from The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
Skittles or M&Ms
M&Ms. Skittles make my teeth stick together. Have you ever tried to channel Bruno Mars without being able to open your mouth?

Night Owl or Early Bird
Please. No one looks good before 10am.

Summer or Winter
Again. Sweat versus cashmere sweater. No contest.

Black or White
Black. Ever see Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin in a white suit? Didn’t think so.

Hot or Cold
Cold. See above, “cashmere”.

Chocolate or Vanilla
Ginger.

Twitter or Facebook
Twitter. I have two good friends and not enough time for Facebook. Plus, I can be fabulously pithy in a very small space.

Sunshine or Rain
Really? Remember who you’re talking to. I don’t care what anyone says; plastic coats and rubber boots are not attractive. The only people who look good in the rain are the Irish.

Books or Movies
Books by David Levithan, Marian Keyes, and Evelyn Waugh. Movies by Richard Curtis. Vogue Hommes International.

Mac or PC
Mac. For about fifty reasons, the first being that, after Happily Ever After and a closet full of Helmut Lang, the thing I would sell my soul for is an iPhone.

Print or Ebooks
See above re: Frank and Dean. Can you imagine them with a Kindle? Totally lacks elegance.

Reader or Writer
Writer. What I have to say is usually more interesting than what other people have to say.

Christmas or Halloween
Hmm. Let me think… A holiday where I get to be reminded just how much money my family does not have, or one where I get to look fabulous in a dozen different ways…?

Coke or Pepsi
Veuve Cliquot.

Pizza or Pasta
Either, as long as it’s from Marino’s. See, here’s the thing. The Willing School is full of god-awful, stick-up-the-butt kids from Society Hill. Then there’s Ella Marino. South Philly all the way.  So smart and crazy talented and beautiful to the core. One of, oh, maybe six people in my life who make me feel like I’m perfect exactly as I am. You want to have dinner in the warmest place in Philadelphia? Go to Marino’s. Tell ‘em Frankie sent you.

Title: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
Author: Melissa Jensen
Series: None
Publisher: Speak
Released: February 16, 2012
Website: http://www.melissajensen.com/

Book Summary:

Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming romantic comedy.

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they're dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?

Also by Melissa Jensen:

Guest Post: In Too Deep by Amanda Grace

Welcome to Author Amanda Grace

Amanda Grace is a pen name for young adult author Mandy Hubbard. She's the author of PRADA AND PREJUDICE, YOU WISH, RIPPLE, and other novels for teens. She lives outside Seattle, Washington, with her husband and young daughter.

LINKS:
http://www.mandyhubbard.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/MandyHubbard
http://www.facebook.com/mandywriter




GUEST POST: In To The Past
Guest post on Amanda's favorite books at ages 5, 11, 15 and 20.

Oh, what a fun topic! At five years old, I loved the LITTLE CRITTER and BERENTSTEIN BEARS. My mom had always encouraged us to read, and on both sides of my bedroom door (in the hall) we had huge bookshelves. The books were paperback and super thin (usually about 20 pages). I’d take about a foot-tall stack of them, place it by my bed, and read them one at a time before bed.

By eleven, I was obsessed with THE SADDLE CLUB by Bonnie Bryant. I actually tried to write her a little hand-written letter, but it came back to me. I later found out the series was created by a publisher and Bonnie didn’t write all of the books.

At fifteen, I alternated between R. L. Stine (I must have read at least thirty of his books. My favorite were the evil cheerleader ones) and adult suspense books by Mary Higgins Clark. At 20, I was still very much into the Mary Higgins Clark books. I would read at least one or two a month.

I actually read very little YA until I signed my first agent, six years ago. I had written a chick-lit novel with characters my age (23), and she felt I had a more teen-centric voice. I immediately devoured every teen novel I could get my hands on, and I haven’t looked back since.

In Too Deep

I never meant for anyone to get hurt. All I wanted to do that night was make a play for Carter Wellesley. His heartless rejection was mortifying, but people got the wrong idea when they saw me leaving his bedroom, crying. That's how rumors of rape started.

Now girls at school are pouring out their sympathy to me. Guys too. But not everyone's on my side. The school has become a war zone and the threats are getting scary. What began as poetic justice has morphed into something bigger--forcing me to make a terrible choice.

Also by Amanda Grace


By Mandy Hubbard