The Second Sign by Elizabeth Arroyo, Guest Post

My world of angels and demons

I started writing The Second Sign with one image—an exploding demon.

I’ve always been afraid of the supernatural. As a kid my dad would tell us stories about ghosts and demons roaming the countryside of his birth. I heard about the lady in white when I was about ten. How she’d lure men to pick her up and start crying and explode into nothing. I heard about the demon cloaked in black who walked with a gait, a goat’s hoof replaced one foot. And it collected souls.   They were real to us as they were to him, and I was pulled into a fascination—and fear, mostly fear—of the supernatural.

And then there was that ghost thing that happened where we lived, but that’s a whole different story.

Anyways, I developed the world of angels and demons based on those stories. Demons are bad, influencing and possessing humans to do their bidding. But…angels are not all Goody Two-shoes and lollipops either. I also include a hint of magic and other creatures in the story, but as their link to the main characters are limited, so is their time on the page. The story focuses on the two main characters—Gabby and Jake. Love and free will have huge consequences that both characters begin to realize a bit too late.

Set in present day Maine, I didn’t need to imagine much for time and place.  Most of the worldbuilding revolved around the elements of the plot and characters.

Some tips to think about when worldbuilding:

• Have a worldbuilding blueprint. Lay it out, draw it out, and/or write it out. Make sure the dots connect.
• Be sure to include language, culture, dress, governance, etc. in your worldbuilding blueprint. The amount of work needed depends on your story.
• Give the reader only what they need to know, when they need to know it.

How do you begin worldbuilding?

 THE SECOND SIGN

Dark YA Paranormal Romance

Sapphire Star Publishing

Bred to believe in the war between angels and demons, Gabby has come to the conclusion that love is responsible for war, jealousy, and all the other deadly sins she can think of. So when she’s exiled to the middle of nowhere for getting kicked out of her fifth school for fighting, she doesn’t expect to meet Jake. Much less fall in love.

When a demon guardian comes to collect her soul, she refuses to give it up. She’s not a demon. She can’t be. Her father and twin brother are angels. The demon gives Gabby twenty-four hours to decide her allegiance, and then starts killing her short list of friends, leaving a message behind: She is the Second Sign.

                                                                                                                             

As Gabby and Jake begin to unravel the mystery behind the Second Sign, she learns Jake may be the key to saving her soul. But it means a sacrifice has to be made that will change their lives forever.

About the author

Elizabeth has worked in the community for the bulk of her professional career. She enjoys quiet moments, action flicks, and dancing with her four-year-old.  THE SECOND SIGN is her debut novel. You can find more information about Elizabeth at www.elizabetharroyo.com

Casa de Animas Cast

This is a cast list for my Casa de Animas WIP. :)

Grayson "Gray" Guzman (MC)
looks like: Alexis Bledel
age: 16
Ability: Channeler
Victoria has been in and out of medical facilities due to constant nightmares and episodes. Her parents believe the diagnosis from the doctors, a troubled teen, schizophrenic with delusion of grandeur. In reality the nightmares and people that she see are all real.

Gustavo "Gus"  Morse

looks like: Michael Treviño

age: 20

Ability: Channeler

Max works for the Guzman's at their hacienda, which works perfectly well with his university courses, since he is majoring in agriculture and management. He's been a Channeler since he was six, and was presented with the Casa de Animas group. 

Maximiliano "Max" Marquez

looks like: Diego Boneta

age: looks 18 (killed in 1918)

Ability: Ghost

Gustavo Marquez was killed during his 18th birthday party, while talking to his parents, by one of the local witches. He's been trapped since then in the old Guzman house. 

Abuela, Rebecca de Guzman

looks like: Johanna Rosaly

age: 65

Ability: Walker

Abuela fought with Victoria's parents for a year and a half before wearing them both down. She managed to convinced them to let Victoria go to Puerto Rico, and be with her cousins for a year. She's of course already planning on helping Victoria explore her abilities and make sure that she can handle what's to come.

Abuelo, Cervantes Guzman

looks like: Daniel Lugo

age: 68

Ability: Qualified Exorcist

Abuelo oversees his family's farm, and works with the local priests in posession cases in the south-eastern towns of Puerto Rico. He has a PHd in psychology, and has been more active with the Casa de Animas people since he retired from the field. 

Isabella "Bella" Guzman

looks like: Bella Thorne

age: 16

Ability: Walker

Bella is bubbly and fearless. She lives in the Guzman hacienda with her grandparents, and tries to keep her mischief to a minimum. She's proud of what her family does for the "other" side, and is more than willing to help. She welcomes Victoria to the house as if she's her long lost sister, promising to help her find her way. 

YA and MG Time Travel Reading Challenge

2013 YA and MG Time Travel Reading Challenge Guidelines:

Hosts: Fragments of Life - http://shusky20.blogspot.com/2012/12/2013-ya-mg-time-travel-reading-challenge.html and Oops! I Read a Book Again - http://oopsireadabookagain.blogspot.com/2012/12/2013-ya-mg-time-travel-reading-challenge.html

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. You can sign up anytime of the year.
2. Anyone can enter. You don't have to be a blogger but you'd have to be a reviewer (Goodreads/Shelfari/Amazon/anywhere).

3. You can read any YA or MG time travel books. There aren't lots so we don't want to restrict you to a publication date, just with the genre.

4. If you're a blogger, make a post about your joining the challenge on your blog and put the direct link when you sign up for the linky. You can include a list of Time Travel books that you want to read for the challenge. It can serve as your guide. If you're not a blogger but a reviewer (you can post your reviews on Goodreads, etc) tweet about your joining the challenge and put the direct link when you sign up! Here is a sample tweet: I'm joining the #YAandMGTimeTravelReadingChallenge @precious_shusky @oopsireadagain http://shusky20.blogspot.com/2012/12/2013-ya-mg-time-travel-reading-challenge.html!

5. You can move up levels but we do not encourage moving down.

6. At the end of each month, the hosts will put up a wrap-up post. It will feature a time travel book and an interview or guest post from its author (and maybe a giveaway). All you have to do is link up reviews to the YA & MG time travel books you've read for the month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry for the giveaway. The giveaway will run for one week and then we'll choose the lucky winner!

7. If you miss a wrap-up post and the giveaway, you can join the next one. Please be guided though that reviews can only be linked ONCE. We will definitely check your entries (and read your reviews).

8. Lastly, for bloggers, post the button on your sidebar and link back to us!

Levels

Nostalgic Traveler - 3 books
Year Hopper - 5 books
Time Slipper - 7 books
Era Switcher - 10 books
Temporal Explorer - 12 books
Time Travel Junkie - 15 or more
For a list of time travel books, refer to the Goodreads list we made. You can also add books to the list!

INTERRED'S BLOG TOUR CALENDAR

Launch Tour Dates/Stop Types

January 21^st:

Paulette's Papers - http://paulettespapers.com - Promo Post

Lust For Stories - http://lustforstories.blogspot.ca - Review

Bookworm Dreams - http://bookwormdream.blogspot.com/ - Review

In the Best Worlds - http://inthebestworlds.blogspot.com - Review

January 22^nd:

Fragments of Life (Read/Review)

Oops! I Read a Book Again (Read/Review)

Chocolate Coated Reviews - http://chocolatecoatedreviews.blogspot.com - Review

Raizza's Book Blogging Adventure - http://rmcinque.wordpress.com/- Promo Post

We Fancy Books - http://wefancybooks.blogspot.com – Promo Post

I Heart YA Books - http://iheartyabooks.blogspot.com/ - Review

Overflowing Bookshelves - http://overflowingbookshelves.com/ - Review

January 23^rd:

A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books - http://bibliophilesthoughtsonbooks.blogspot.com/ - Promo Post

The Book Gazer  - Thebookgazer.blogspot.com – Promo Post

Library of a Book Witch - http://www.booklovewitch.blogspot.com – Review

Frankie Blooding's Bookshelf - http://frankieblooding.wordpress.com/ - Promo Post

ReadingToTheStarsAndBack - www.readingtothestarsandback.wordpress.com – Review

Moosubi Reviews! - http://www.moosubi.blogspot.com/ - Review

January 24^th:

Ever and Ever Sight - http://everandeversight.blogspot.com/ - Review

WTF Are You Reading?  - http://wtfareyoureading.com - Review

Escaping... One Book @ a Time - http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.ca/ - Review

My Life is a Notebook - http://adkwriter15.wordpress.com - Promo Post

The Dark Heroine - http://the-dark-heroine.blogspot.com/ - Promo Post

The Reading Diaries - http://thereadingdiaries.blogspot.com/ - Review

January 25^th:

*Girlz and Their Books (Read/Review)

Books I View - http://booksiview.com/ - Review

A Diary Of A Book Addict - http://adiaryofabookaddict.blogspot.com/ - Review

Book- Marks the Spot - http://caughtinasnyderwebb.blogspot.com/ - Review

Heather's Book Chatter - http://authorheather.com – Review

Mother/Gamer/Writer - http://mothergamerwriter.com - Review

January 26^th:

Delirious About Books - http://deliriousaboutbooks.blogspot.com - Promo Post

Bookcase to Heaven™ - http://mystorywithyouandher.blogspot.com- Promo Post

Sweet Southern Home - www.sweetsouthernhome.net - Promo Post

Sunday, January 27^th

*Nikki Jefford (Read/Review)

Monday, January 28^th

*Chandara Writes (Promo Post)

*Writing, Stuff & Nonsense (Read/Review)

*A Diary of a Book Addict (Promo Post)

Tuesday, January 29^th

*Bethany Lopez (Read/Review)

Wednesday, January 30^th

*I Read Indie (Promo Post)

*Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (Promo Post)

Thursday, January 31^st

*Jess’s Book Blog

Friday, February 1^st

*The Book Hookup (Promo Post)

Saturday, February 2^nd

*Writing on the Sunny side of the Street (Promo Post) 

Sunday, February 3^rd

*Team Nerd (Promo Post)

Monday, February 4^th

*Dream Reads (Read/Review)

Tuesday, February 5^th

*Indie Writer’s Review (Read/Review)

*Step Into Fiction (Promo Post)

*The Bibliophile’s Corner (Read/Review)

Things that make you go hmmm, my blog tour giveaway

Hello, Stonehenge! Who takes the Pandorica takes the Universe!

Wait that's not right! Today is not Whovian Wednesday. So let's start again, shall we?

Hello, world! Stonehenge included because that's just such an awesome place, isn't it?

With exactly fifteen days left until INTERRED's publishing date, I want to share with you, a few of the things that I'm putting together to giveaway at the end of the blog tour.

A tote bag for your books, the beach, shopping :) as well as a magnet :)

The amazing back , because we are all Time Benders, right?


Interred's wristband

Baxter's Angel brooch

Declan's pendant

I still have something else up my sleeve :) However, I'm not revealing what that is until the blog tour starts! Keep your eyes on the blog tour for a chance to win! I shall link you to the blogs that will be hosting INTERRED, so don't forget to visit those amazing bloggers and authors and enter the giveaway! 

Interred's cover Sneak Peek!

Ha! I got your interest right?

Go visit The Writer's voice here, and check it out!

Writing Update November 2012

I've finished my edits! So Interred is back in the very capable hands of Raine Thomas. Hopefully *fingers crossed* this will be the last round of edits, before it goes to betas. *throws sparkling confetti around*

I can't wait to share the story with you guys. So until then....

I'm going to leave you with one of the songs that has inspired many scenes in the book. :)

Review; Night school by Michell Cornwell-Jordan

Blurb
Fifteen year old Dasheen Bellamy’s world is turned upside down, when she is accused of killing her father and godmother. Dasheen cannot remember the events of the night her world is destroyed, but she feels inside that she is innocent; due to lack of evidence against her and with no other family; Dasheen and her younger brother Jordan, are sent to the elusive and mysterious Ame’ Academy ; a residential school where all is not what it appears. There all goes well, until Jordan, begins to become distant and behave strangely as if he is afraid of something or someone. Jordan is transferred to Ame’ Academy’s Night School track, which is usually only open to special cases. In order to discover what is happening with her brother, Dasheen is finally allowed to also transfer, attending classes in the evening while the rest of the world sleeps. Soon Dasheen’s world changes again as she discovers that things out of fairytales and horror stories exist, that she has ancient powers and is the major player in a mystical prophecy; and then she falls in love with a boy, whose mission is to see that she is destroyed before her destiny is fulfilled…


Review,

I have to admit that the way the novella is written as if it were a blog post, threw me off a bit. I had to re read the first pages, and then I got so absorbed by the story, that it really didn't matter.

Michelle Cornwell-Jordan has created a very nice world, inhabited by amazing creatures (including jinns!!!!!!!!

Since it's a novella, there were things that couldn't be expanded upon, I guess because of length constraints, but the essential points of the story were well written, and moved along at a good pace. Still, I absolutely loved Angel's voice

I am definitely looking forward to the second book.

Review: Duplicity by Nikki Jefford

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good reads blurb,

If Graylee Perez thought sharing a body with her twin sister was bad, dealing with a duplicate of herself is two times worse. Gray the second doesn’t seem to get that Lee’s boyfriend, Raj McKenna, is off limits. Then there’s the problem of Adrian Montez. He expects one of the Grays to be his.

Nearly a year later, the council is onto them for past misdeeds; Lee, along with the rest of the coven, has lost control of her powers; and Gray is being stalked by what looks like the Grim Reaper. 

If they work together, they may stand a chance of setting things right and making it out alive.

*****

Suitable for ages 15 and up.

Book, Duplicity
Series, Spellbound
Author, Nikki Jefford
Book, provided by author

Review,

Let's just say that my name is on the Acknowledgements, but this has no bearing on this review, for when I first read entangled as it appeared on Death by Chocolate Anthology, Nikki's characters had me at Hello. :)

And yes, Raj McKenna is one of my YA boyfriends.

Let's just start with this.

Witches, crazy twins, a new body, and FREAKING hot Raj McKenna. *coughs*

Nikki Jefford has built an awesome universe, where now we have two Graylee's. :) Her plot is exhilarating and makes you (or at least it made me) want to be a super reader. I have to say that though Entangled hooked me because of the innovative plot, and the writing, Duplicity has me dreaming about these characters.

Raj is my favorite character. We are exposed to his flaws, and his virtues, and everything he does, even if sometimes can seem off, or weird, reflects on his love for Graylee. I wasn't overly keen on one particular passage that dealt with Raj and Gray, but I understood.

I'm not keen on Adrian, though I want to know more about him and his motives.

I can't wait to read the third book!

All the cookies :)

Teaser Tuesday: Casa de las ánimas #2

Another excerpt from House of souls. Warning:  ROUGH excerpt ahead :)

I place my bag on the side of the bed, and sit down. My mind pictures the photos that covered my bedroom walls in the old house. Actors, singers, musicians, and a few family photos. It felt mine. This bedroom is less mine than my tiny bed in the dorm.

“Oh, here you are.” My mother walks in the room squeezing her hands before she grabs my bag. She then proceeds to empty the contents in the laundry bin. Even though the contents are cleaned. I washed them all before coming home.

“Yes, here I am.” I echo her voice as she nods.

“So, at what time…”

“First flight out. There have been a few changes.” She begins as she grabs a small suitcase from the closet and then places it on the bed, nudging me off it.

“Changes?” I hope she means that I don’t have to go for a long time.

“The Federal government has been limiting the amount of people with your condition that go in the island. We were lucky that both my parents offered to testify that you wouldn’t be a problem.”

Rage burns deep into my stomach as I stare at her. “Right.” I spit the word out as I watch her packing the few belongings that hang in the closet. They are all new clothes, expensive, with tags on them. Surely, Mom still wants to show off.

“Please be mindful. Take your medicines.” She continues without a beat as she turns to grab a small bag with what I believe to be toiletries.

“So I don’t go insane.” I mumble as she arches an eyebrow.

“You don’t know the strain we are under.” She hisses as her eyes fix on me.

“I don’t know?” I ask annoyed. “I don’t know? I was the one that was taken, and locked up.”

“Because you are sick!”

“Because you let them!” I reply storming out of the room. 

Interview with Shevi Arnold

Interview with Illustrator and Writer, Shevi Arnold.

1 As we share a common background (I studied French and Theater), I’ve got to ask, do you still find time for acting? Or were/are you more involved with Production or Backstage work?

Most of the classes I took in Theater Studies involved theater history, production, and analyzing plays. Acting classes were optional and didn’t offer much in the way of credits, so I didn’t take any. I designed sets and costumes (although only on paper) for several classes, but my favorite class was one on playwriting. I wrote and performed a play for that class, and the professor who taught the course liked it so much he told me I should be a writer.  

2 As a storyteller, what is your favorite thing about live audiences?

I believe anyone who tells a story is a storyteller, and that it doesn’t matter what the medium is. There are storytellers who write books, but there are others who write songs or make movies. They’re all storytellers to me. I tell stories in writing and in drawings, so I haven’t had a live audience in years. I call myself the Storyteller’s Storyteller, because I wrote Toren the Teller’s Tale, which is a literary fantasy about a teenage girl who is a magical storyteller.   

3 What are some of your pet peeves?

I’m very relaxed and don’t really have pet peeves, although I don’t like people who are mean, dishonest, unfair, hurtful, or just plain users. I hate seeing anyone get taken advantage of or treated unfairly. That’s not really a pet peeve, though, is it? It’s not like getting annoyed by someone leaving the cap off the toothpaste.

4 If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would you pick and why?

That’s easy. I’d pick Toren, because her magical storytelling powers would let us travel to anywhere either of us could imagine, and she could make that day last forever. Although I love Gilbert Garfinkle (from my upcoming book), I think he’d be scared of me. He’s generally scared of girls, and it probably wouldn’t help the situation that I killed him at the start of his first book.  He’d also find it scientifically impossible to meet his own author, which would blow his mind. I already put him through so much that I’d hate to put him through that too.

5 Can you tell us anything about your next project?

Why My Love Life Sucks, book one in The Legend of Gilbert the Fixer series is the humorous YA science-fantasy novel that shows it takes the ultimate geek to be the ultimate hero.

Seventeen-year-old super geek Gilbert Garfinkle knew the future was going to be perfect, because he was going to invent it himself. He had it all planned. But a funny thing happened on the way to the future. . . .

Amber is the most beautiful girl he’s ever met. He can’t understand why she asks to go home with him, asks him to sit next to her on his vintage Star Wars sheets, and starts kissing him. Now once bitten and twice terrified out of his brilliant mind, Gilbert lies alone in his room in the dark, paralyzed, and pondering the ultimate question: “Why me?”

Why My Love Life Sucks, book one in The Legend of Gilbert the Fixer was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards quarterfinalist, and readers have compared to the writing of Christopher Moore, but for teens. Let the meek inherit the earth—this geek plans to inherit the stars. The adventure starts now!

6 If you could invite four authors to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

Douglas Adams, Dave Barry, Mark Twain and Julia Child. Douglas Adams, Dave Barry and Mark Twain would make me laugh, and as for Julia Child, well, someone would have to do the cooking.

Brief bio: Shevi Arnold writes funny fiction, fantasy and science fiction for kids and teens. Her books include the humorous middle-grade novel, Dan Quixote: Boy of Nuevo Jersey; the literary fantasy, Toren the Teller's Tale; and the romantic YA ghost story, Ride of Your Life, which won third prize in SmartWriter's Write It Now Contest in the YA category as judged by Alex Flinn, the author of the bestsellers Beastly and Cloaked. Shevi is currently editing Why My Love Life Sucks, book one in The Legend of Gilbert the Fixer series, which is a funny, YA, science fantasy novel about the ultimate geek's ultimate nightmare.

Here are links to the book trailers:
Toren the Teller's Tale: http://youtu.be/4i3lKbXyYis
Why My Love Life Sucks: http://youtu.be/HHSVkegWeWM

Stalk  Connect with Shevi Arnold!
Shevi's http://shevi.blogspot.com
Shevi's website http://shevistories.com
Shevi's Twitter @SheviStories
Shevi's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SheviStories

Back to school Guest Post; Rose Garcia

A Beachy High School Memory

By Rose Garcia

When Marilyn asked me to be a part of her blog showcasing author high school memories, I cringed. My biggest memory of high school is dating the most gigantic jerk on the planet. For real. And these memories are best left untold (except for when I write a book about it), because they SUCK! So, let me share with you a good memory. Here we go…

When I finally dumped my crappy (and stupid) boyfriend, I had the second half of senior year to enjoy myself. You see, I was the good girl. I was in band, had straight A’s, was the president of my senior class, and had already been accepted into college. With that pressure removed, I was free to hang out, have fun, and maybe get into a little trouble—things I hadn’t done before.

One day, my best friend and I decided to organize a senior skip day to the beach. I was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, a beach town, and we spent a lot of time at the beach. (Hence my love of the beach…and flip flops.) Back then we didn’t have computers or internet or cell phones (man, talk about dating myself), so we spread the plan the good ‘ole fashioned way—by passing notes in class.

I didn’t know how many people would actually skip, but when the day came, there were a TON of us at the beach. And we had the BEST time! But then, the next day, I paid the price. The principal called me into the office and asked if I was the skip day organizer. I never ever lie, so I told her that I was. She stripped me of my class president title right there on the spot, but I didn’t care. The year was over! The beach was a blast! I’m sure I was in trouble at home, too, but I don’t remember that part. I guess that means it couldn’t have been that bad.

Anywho, when graduation day came, the program listed the student council on the back. To my surprise, my name appeared as senior class president. I guess the school administrators took pity on me, probably because I’d never been in trouble before.

So, that’s one of my favorite high school memories! Thanks for letting me share, Marilyn!

Be sure to stalk Rose on twitter @Roseonprose and/or on her website, http://www.rosegarciabooks.com/

Random and Possibly mad thoughts of a YA author

Random things about me, or filler post, because I have not been able to think of a post for Saturday. Even though Saturdays are awesome, I mean seriously, DOCTOR WHO IS BACK!

So in honor of that, let's roll!

took this picture back in 2009 :)

My least favorite place in the world to live is....

I had a love and hate relationship with Paris, and erm France in general. It was a great place

don't get me wrong. What's not to love? Wine, Food, Pastries, the language... Ok I hate some of the conjugations because I can't make sense of the subjunctive. I just couldn't get used to the sort of lay back attitude. I still remember turning in my husband's suit to be pressed, and being told it would be done by the next day. When I went to pick it up, by 5 pm as I was told... the lady told me she was very busy and if I could come back later... possibly instead of Wednesday, which was the next day, by Saturday. I got into trouble with my in laws, when I said that Paris reminded me of a beautiful woman. A beautiful woman with nothing in her head... ok next!

Allergies

I'm allergic to everything! No seriously, I just wonder what my next allergy will be like. I'm not a glutton for punishment but come on. I'm allergic to bees stings, to ants, to mosquitoes, to wheat, to dust, to pollen, to pollution, to dust bunnies, to mangoes, to avocados, to nuts, to aspirin, to peaches, to something in Diet products...

My first doctor, The Fifth Doctor :) Peter Davison

Whovian

I've been a Whovian since I was ten. And trust me, most of the time, I'm more excited about the new episodes than my 12 year old son.

Star Wars/Star Trek

I've loved Star Wars since I was three, when my mum took me to see the movie, because she thought it would be good for me. She never knew that she was fueling a long life passion. Star Trek, erm, well let's say that my interest stemmed from my 13 year old hormonal self and my huge crush on Wil Wheaton. Since then I have worshiped at the house of Captain Kirk and Doctor Spock. It's only logical :)

Buffy

After having been subjected to the HORROR that was the Buffy the Vampire slayer movie, I didn't want anything to do with it. My crush on Luke Perry suffer, as I couldn't watch him on anything because I would just remember the useless movie. Of course that all change, when I watched a promo for Buffy and ...

*coughs*

My favorite city to live in is....

You would have to live under a rock and not read my blog to not know that I'm still a Londoner. :)

Have a Great Saturday Everyone!!

Always and Forever OUT TODAY!

Karla Nellenbach's debut YA novel, Always and Forever is out today! Check it out on e-book format Amazon 

Amazon blurb:

Mia's first reaction is outright disbelief. Obviously, a mistake has been made. Sixteen-year-old girls don't die. But, when the diagnosis is confirmed, she dives headlong into anger. If she has to die, why should it be of cancer? In fact, anything would be preferable to cancer. Better for her to say when, where, and especially how.

Determined to meet death on her own terms, Mia devises scheme after scheme to get the job done. A “fall” down the basement stairs, driving her car off a bridge, and even a dance with a train all end in her survival.

And through it all, Mia keeps her family and friends at arms' length with her destructive and hurtful behavior. With each failed suicide attempt and burned relationship, she slowly realizes that it’s not the dying that she’s afraid of, but the life she’ll be leaving behind. Now, that life is in a shambles. As time begins to slip through her fingers and death is upon her, Mia fights to rebuild the bridges she has destroyed, but can she do it before the clock runs out?

Interview with Cynthia Omololu YA Author of Transcendence

I am so excited to share this interview with you guys! I found Cynthia through Twitter, where all the good YA Authors hang out :) And her book cover drew me in, however, the real hook is when you read the blurb for Transcendence and you find yourself dying to read the book. So go check it out on Good Reads   Amazon and Barnes and Noble. And don't forget to say hi to Cynthia on Twitter, she's awesome! And her middle name is Lyn so you know, she's got to be awesome :D

I love this cover so much! 

1 Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind Transcendence? The idea for Transcendence was born at the saddest funeral I’ve ever attended. A friend’s thirteen year old son had died suddenly and I just couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that he was just gone. I started thinking how much better it would be if we truly could come back again, but keep the memories of the times before and that was the spark that started it all. His name was Griffon, which is why I named my love interest after him.

2 Are you a pantser or a plotter? I try SO hard to be a plotter, but I’m just not very good at it. I use some of the principals in the book Save the Cat and try to outline on index cards, but I usually only get about halfway through before I start writing. It’s so hard for me to know what happens before the book has unfolded and the characters so often have their own ideas.

3 How hard/easy was to create the world in which Cole and Griffon live? The actual setting is contemporary San Francisco and I live near there, so that part was easy. Creating the world of the Akhet – the group of people who remember their past lives - took a lot of time and a lot of trial and error. I was floundering a little bit, and happened to visit a museum that had the King Tut exhibit. I saw a mirror with an ankh on it and it all just fell into place after that. All of the words that relate to the Akhet are from ancient Egypt and have special meanings – Akhet means the place where the sun rises and sets, which to me was the perfect metaphor for reincarnation.

4 If you could spend a day with Cole or Griffon where would you go? I’d love to go to London with them and have them tell me what it was really like back in the sixteenth century when they lived there before.

5 What inspired you to write Dirty Little Secrets? DLS is a story about a girl living with a mom who is a compulsive hoarder. I got the idea from a magazine article about adults who grew up with hoarders and that just sparked my imagination. I had a lot of help from several women who dealt with hoarding in their lives and they really brought the story to life.

6 If you could invite four authors, dead or alive, to dinner who would they be? Such a hard question. Probably Malinda Lo, Daisy Whitney, Robin Mellom and Cate Tiernan because they’re my best writer friends in real life and we all have a great time together. It’s so important to have people around you who really get what you’re going through at every stage – your family can sympathize, but they won’t really understand. This reminds me – maybe I should have a dinner party soon.

Author Bio: Cynthia JayneS (CJ) Omololu majored in English at U.C. Santa Barbara because she liked to read, not because she liked to write. After her kids were born, she discovered that the voices in her head often have interesting things to say. Her most recent book is TRANSCENDENCE (Walker/Bloomsbury), the paranormal romance about reincarnation and destiny was released in June 2012 and will be followed by the sequel INTUITION in June 2013. DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS (Walker/Bloomsbury) about a teen living in a hoarded home was published in 2010 and was a Border’s Original Voices selection and was included in the ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Reader’s list.

Interview with YA Author Janine Caldwell and giveaway

1 What attracted you to write "REMATCH"?

Wow, so many things! Where do I begin? First off, I guess I have to explain that I have a lovely group of teenage girls in my life that inspired me to write in the YA genre. They're seniors this year and I'm dreading they'll be going off to college next year. I've always loved literature--reading and writing. I was an English major in college, worked as a technical writer for years after, but also dabbled in writing screenplays in my younger years. However, these teenage friends introduced me to the Twilight series about 5 years ago and something clicked. With Stephenie Meyer being our neighbor one town away and the excitement and love we all shared for her books, I knew the YA genre was right for me. I've been scouring through YA literature ever since. Secondly, I'm such a sucker for teen romance because I think it takes me back to those painful, yet sky rocketing feelings you experience when you're in high school. There's nothing like your first love. Nothing.

Finally, as a descendent of the Brothers Grimm, I seem to favor stories of fantasy. I believe it must be in my DNA or something. Combine all those elements and the fact I live 45 minutes away from one of the most intriguing places I've ever been (Sedona, AZ) and you've got my inspiration for THE VORTEX SERIES.

2 Did you have an outline for your book, or did you write without one?

Since REMATCH was my first book ever, I have to admit I did not have an outline when I began the process. I knew the essential pieces of the story, but it really took me spending time with the characters to flesh out the details of the story. Since I published the first two books of the series at the same time (REMATCH and DOUBLE FAULT), I was able to go back and forth between the two books to keep the story congruent.

3 If you could spend the day with Cassie or Trent, who would you pick?

Oh, that's an easy one. Trent, of course. He's my dream guy, but I think my husband would have a problem with me hanging out with a hot guitar player with supernatural abilities. : )

4 Do you draw from your personal experiences when creating your characters' voices?

Yes, I do. I think that's natural. However, I would have to say all my characters, in the end, become their own unique voice. They take on a life of their own that surprises even me.

5 What inspires you the most?

I guess I would have to say all the fabulous YA books already written. Every time I finish a moving, exciting, brilliant YA novel, I'm inspired to be that much better. I'm blown away by people's talent.

6 If you could invite four authors to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be?

This might be who every author might say, but J.K. Rowling, number one. Her Harry Potter books are considered middle grade literature, but they appeal to everyone. She is a story-telling goddess.

Another relative of mine that has long passed away I would like to meet is Anita Loos. She wrote "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" and was one of the first women to be hired by MGM to write scripts for when movies became "talkies."

Now, to go back in time to the classics, I would want to meet Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte. I'm sure they would be astounded at how much their writing is still influencing us.

Author bio:
As a descendant of the Brothers Grimm and a relation to Anita Loos (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), I would like to believe that fantasy writing is in my DNA. After years of technical writing for a semiconductor company (definitely the wrong sort of science fiction I wanted to be in), I wound up in the legal field as a paralegal. Throughout my career, however, I kept up a feverish love for reading. When the time came for me to stay home and start a family, I was finally given a chance to write creatively for the pure joy of it.
After a stint of writing screenplays, I began to get involved with my church's youth group. It was in that time I felt my true calling to write for young adults. 
I love hanging out with teens and learning about how complex life is for them; how it's different from my high school life in the '80's (yep, that makes me pretty old, huh?). They also remind me how some things in the life of a teen never change.

While leading a group of 7th/8th grade girls in a Bible study slash counseling session, I was introduced to a little book called Twilight. I was addicted immediately, shamefully begging the girls to bring me the next book in the series before I spontaneously combusted from the wait! The girls informed me that Stephenie Meyer lived in a city not twenty minutes away from us. All that wonderful storytelling and she was practically my neighbor! I was so jealous of the fun she was having with her characters that it inspired me to create my own fantasy world. I’ve been diligently working on my own series ever since (sorry, sans vampires).

-----Giveaway-----

Janine has very kindly offered an e-book copy of her book for a lucky winner. So comment down below, make sure you follow and like Janine's accounts on www.twitter.com/J9fiction 

and Facebook  www.facebook.com/pages/Janine-Caldwell-YA-Fantasy-Author/329809230384310  

don't forget to leave your email address so you can be contacted when she picks a winner!

Interview with Redemption's YA Author, Veronique Launier

I am so excited to share this interview with you guys. I met Veronique Launier back in 2009 when I joined Absolute Write, and back then she was graceful enough to let me interview her. I hope my interviewing skills are better this time around, because I'm so excited about her YA debut novel. Redemption is an awesome story that includes Gargoyles, romance and action, but don't take my word for it, go check it out on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Good Reads because it's officially out today!

1 Your debut YA Novel, Redemption, deals with Gargoyles; something that is not very common in YA Paranormal books, how did you come up with such an original idea?

It was all thanks to my aunt Doris. Not very long after I started writing, she told me about the gargoyles on the parliament buildings here in Ottawa and how they were supposed to protect these buildings. She mentioned I might be able to write something about that. As she talked, I had a vision of Guillaume, he was moody and leaning against a building, smoking a cigarette.

2 Was it your intention when you started to write Redemption, to share a bit of Canada's own uniqueness through your writing, by including the French side through the Gargoyles and the Native American folklore?

I don't usually have clear intentions when I start to write. My gargoyles were always French Canadian, for some reason. I guess partly because I love the soul of Montreal. The Native American folklore comes from my research. When I stumbled upon the prophecy of the seventh generation, I knew I just had to use it.

3 If you could spend a day with any of the characters in Redemption, who would you pick as your partner in crime?

I think would Aude intimidates me a little, and Guillaume's intensity might make me a bit uncomfortable. So though I would love to spend time with them, if I wanted a fun time, I'd hang out with Garnier!

4 Are you a pantser or a plotter?

I'm a hybrid of the two. I cannot plot until I have at least written something to get a feel of where the story is going... but I also can't pants my whole way through. At one point, I need to sit down and plot and untangle all the thoughts and ideas I have in my head.

5 Complete the following sentence, When I'm not writing I'm ______________.

daydreaming

6 If you could invite four authors to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be? 

Guy Gavriel Kay, Jacqueline Carey, Kristin Cashore, and Cindy Pon. In my opinion, these four authors all have at least one thing in common: Rich, and vibrant world building.

About Redemption

Guillaume: For five hundred years I've existed as a gargoyle. Perched atop an old Montreal church, I've watched idly as humanity wanders by. With the witch Marguerite gone, there is no one left to protect, nothing to care about. I never planned to feel again. But then a girl released me from my stone restraints, allowing me to return as a seventeen-year-old human boy. I must find out all I can about this girl's power . . .

Aude: Getting attacked twice in as many days is strange in itself, but even stranger is the intriguing guy I keep running into. There's something so familiar about him, like a primal drum rhythm from my dreams. But spending time together only raises more questions--about my heritage, a native Mohawk prophecy . . . and an unearthly magic threatening our city.

Author Bio:

If you were to look up random in a dictionary, you might find a picture of Véronique. She is the servant to two little girls and three demanding cats. She is also an avid reader, a dreamer, and an Internet addict. Her highly obsessive personality is often the subject of many jokes amongst her family and friends, but it has served her well; she wouldn’t have written a book without it. She is studying everything Persian from the language, to the history, to the cuisine – another side effect to her obsessive personality – and likes to dance.