Ghost Writer

Name That Tune

2012-02-24T04:45:00.000-08:00

This week at the YA Carnival we are going to talk about music. Do we listen to music when we write? What music do we listen to? Why is it important?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please leave them below. Also, click on the other Carnis below and see what they have to say on the subject.

Music is extremely important to me when I write. Personally, I think books should come with a soundtrack. :) So what do I listen to when I write? It depends on the scene and what sort of mood I am trying to set. Here is a short list of songs I've used.

1. Crushed: If you've read it, you know there is a sultry and beautiful scene between Zach and Kristen where they dance together and share a romantic evening. I call it 'the red dress scene.' For this scene I listened to Lady in Red by Simply Red. It's the song they danced to, so I listened to it over and over as I choreographed their dance.

2. Witch Hunt: I listened to the songs the kids were listening to at the time. The Squad likes to get together and dance and sometimes throw spells at each other.

3. Bait: This is a top-secret project at the moment, and I don't want to give away too much. So I'll just say that I listen to Chris Daughtery and his band while writing for the lead in this book. Listening to great music while writing makes it awesome fun to write.

4. Vampires Rule: I know I listened to a lot of music while writing this book, but I can't remember a single song now. Wow. Blows my mind how quickly I forget.

5. Crushed: I also listened to a lot of Avril Lavigne while writing this book, or as I like to call it angry-girl music.

So that's it. That's how I use music to write my books. Happy writing!

.	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.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	12.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	14.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls	16.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	18.	TG Ayer
19.	Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy	20.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21.	Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover	22.	Courtney Cole Writes

Teaser Tuesday

2012-02-21T05:55:00.000-08:00

To me nothing is more exciting than the weeks leading up to a book's release. Witch Hunt will be coming out in April. I am totally stoked. Now to get this party started. Every Tuesday until it is out I will be putting up a teaser on Tuesday. This is the first one, the summary of the book. This is what will be on the back cover if you buy a paperback or on the page at Amazon if you get an ebook. Here it is:

A magical game of Hide n Seek begins.
Find the missing player and win.
The game resets.
They all forget... and start to play the game again.

Seventeen-year-old Starr Hughes hasn't believed in magic since her mom died. Cold hard facts. That's what she believes in. As an aspiring reporter, she always gets her story. So when she hears the popular kids (a group calling themselves the It Squad) are about to start a secretive game, she knows she has to get the scoop. Hiding under the headmaster's desk, planting bugs, and breaking into a classmate's house. Starr is willing to do anything to learn the truth, especially since she has a crush on the Squad's leader, a gorgeous boy named Dylan.

Together with her boy-crazy best friend, Starr will risk everything on her hunt for the truth. She discovers not only are witches real, but they need her help... even if they don't know it. Someone is using the game to steal their powers, their memories, and maybe even their lives.

Hope you enjoyed the teaser!

Calling All YA Bloggers!!!!

2012-02-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

Starting either at the end of March or the start of April the Witch Hunt Tour will begin. I am still looking for interested bloggers to join in. You can interview me or if you'd rather, I can do a guest post. I would love to do one a day and spread the news about Witch Hunt. If you are interested, leave contact information below or email me at kblake234@hotmail.com Be sure to let me know if you want to interview me or have me do a guest post. All of the blogs will be listed on this blog when the time comes so interested parties can blog-hop with me. Come on. Join the Witch Hunt Tour. You know you want to. :)

Kissing Scene

2012-02-15T07:48:00.000-08:00

This week the YA Indie Carnival will be posting kissing scenes from their books. At least that's what I think we're supposed to be doing. I missed last week's post because I was sick. Feeling better now, so here it goes. I will post a partial of a scene from Vampires Rule. This is the first time Jack and Silver kiss. It is bittersweet--on his part--because he knows he is about to break up with her for her own good. He wants to keep her safe. So we know she's about to get dumped, but she doesn't have a clue.

Vanessa's words replayed in his head. He needed to say nasty things to Silver, hurt her. Fortunately he'd come prepared. Just in case he decided to break up with her, he'd written a note. Even before Vanessa's advice on being cruel, he'd done it. Maybe it was true what they said about great minds thinking alike.

"I can't get over how cute you look in those pajamas," he said.

She blushed. "Thanks. They're new."

"Even though I'd lost a lot of blood that first night, I was right about you. You are beautiful." He caressed the apple of her cheek. He leaned closer and his voice lowered. "You smell good, too."

Her gaze dropped to his mouth.

He pulled her closer.

She tilted her head and awkwardly bumped noses with him. A short-lived giggle burst through her parted lips. He cupped her face between his hands to keep her still. His eyes closed. Their mouths briefly touched.

They both moved at once, meeting in tempting exploration. His fingers dove into her hair. Her hands grabbed at his shoulders, pulling at him. They kissed like two lovers reunited after years of forced separation. Because he had more experience than her, he let her control the situation. Attuned to the smallest of sounds coming from her and the feel of her hands, he waited for her to decide when it had gone far enough.

Silver didn't know it was a good-bye kiss.

Want more??? You'll have to read the book. :)

Check out the kissing scenes on these other great sites:

.	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.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	12.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	14.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls	16.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	18.	TG Ayer
19.	Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy	20.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21.	Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover	22.	Courtney Cole Writes

Valentine Day Contest WINNER!!!!

2012-02-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

You may or may not remember this, but I announced a contest last month. The entrants had to email me about why they liked one of my books because I am giving away one copy of a print book, autographed. I received many interesting emails. My friends and I picked the winner without too much trouble. This email stood out above the rest. The winner is.....

JENNIFER MCDONALD

Why did we choose Jennifer? Because she saw the underlying theme in Crushed: which is love. I enjoyed reading all of your letters, and I will have another giveaway soon. Thank you all for participating.

Happy Supernatural Valentines

2012-02-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some Supnernatural Valentines I found. Enjoy!

Teaser Tuesdays

2012-02-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

I am nearing the end of my edits on Witch Hunt and will be posting small pieces from it on Tuesdays starting on the 21rst until it is released. This coming Tuesday is Valentine's Day so I will announce the winner of the Crushed Contest then. Thank you, and happy (reading) writing!

Check Out the New Books on KDP Select

2012-02-04T09:51:00.000-08:00

Who doesn’t love FREE books?

TWO DAYS ONLY: Wednesday, February 8th and Thursday, February 9th! Come and get ‘em!

For those with a love of YA paranormal: Family Magic (The Hayle Coven novels, #1) Sixteen year old Sydlynn Hayle is the daughter of a powerful witch and a demon lord but she just wants to be ordinary. Find it http://www.amazon.com/Family-Magic-Hayle-Novels-ebook/dp/B005W5R79A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328361636&sr=8-2

And for those who like a thrill in their YA fiction: Run (The Hunted, #1) Reid thinks life has gone back to normal when his sister rescues him from the foster system. All that changes when he is kidnapped and dumped in the wilderness, forced to run from those who want to kill him. Find it http://www.amazon.com/Run-The-Hunted-ebook/dp/B005HZJX9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1328361816&sr=1-1

Don’t have a Kindle? No problem! Download a FREE app for your computer, iPad, smartphone and more!

Raising the Demon

“Haralthazar,” my mother glided closer to the statue, “we summon you this third night of Power, nine days and nine nights from Samhain Eve, to tighten our bond with you and your realm.” She knelt at the foot of the altar, the picture of the submissive handmaiden. Could she be any more ridiculous? Seriously. “My love, come and be welcome.”

The blinding flash that leapt from her to the statue continued to pour out of her in a deep blue rush of light. I turned my head slightly to the side, squinting in the glare, grateful for the edge of the cowl and the shadow it made. The whole room started to thrum, the floor vibrating with condensed magic as Mom used the energy we had given her to make the doorway that would let my father through.

Sixteen-year-old Sydlynn Hayle is the daughter of a powerful witch and a demon lord of the seventh plane. The trouble is, she just wants to be ordinary. Syd struggles to survive the minefield of her new high school while being torn between her attraction to football hero Brad Peters and the darkly mysterious Quaid Moromond. When her coven comes under attack, Syd is forced to face the fact only her power can save her family’s magic.

What readers are saying about Family Magic:

“This book has everything. Great family drama, hot boys, magic, witches, demons and difficult choices. This is one of my new favorite books of 2011 and I CANNOT WAIT to
read the rest of the series.”

“With a fantastic, empathetic heroine, plenty of magic, an intriguing mystery and incorporating themes involving the search of self, familial relationships, duty and free will, Family Magic is an enchanting and enjoyable read.”

“I think Syd is one of my all-time favorite characters. She is funny and snarky but has a fierce love for her family. I am ready to follow Syd's journey through this series. I was hooked from the first paragraph. I thoroughly enjoyed Family Magic, and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys paranormal novels.”

(You can read the full reviews on Amazon.com)
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Family-Magic-Hayle-Novels-ebook/dp/B005W5R79A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328361636&sr=8-2

Run.

Kidnapped

Alone, Reid gasps in one deep breath, another. It hurts his ribs, his lungs. He manages to roll over on his right side and regrets it. His shoulder screams in protest. Still, he is finally able to wriggle his numb hands loose from what holds him and claws at the cloth around his eyes.

Darkness. But not complete. The moon is up. Trees loom over him, the smell of spruce and fresh air so sharp it almost hurts. He jerks at the plastic ties around his ankles while. his vision swims through a veil of pain-laden tears. He manages somehow to force his screaming hands to work the ties loose and he is free.

Sixteen-year-old Reid thinks life is back to normal. His sister Lucy pulls herself together and cuts him free from a year of foster care. She promises to take care of him, that her new boss and her new life are what they both needed to start again. Until Reid is taken in the middle of the night, dumped in a wild stretch of forest far from home with no idea why he is there. Lost and afraid, he learns to run from the hunters who prowl the darkness, their only pleasure chasing down kids like him. And killing them.

What readers are saying about Run:

“The fear, the thrill, the emotion that comes through in the writing is amazing. There is never a dull moment in this story of survival.”

“If you're a fan of YA books that make your heart pound with the unknown and leave you cringing at places (but in a totally cool kinda way) then Run's the book for you.”

“Reid is such a great strong character and when the story ends, we are left begging for what is to come in the next of the series. This story was unique and SUPER fast-paced! It was a great festival of suspense.”

(You can read the full reviews on Amazon.com)
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Run-The-Hunted-ebook/dp/B005HZJX9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1328361816&sr=1-1

Thank you for taking the time to check them out!
Happy reading!

About the Author: Patti Larsen is a middle grade, young adult and adult author with a passion for the paranormal. Her YA thriller series, The Hunted, is available now. The first four books of The Hayle Coven series, Family Magic, Witch Hunt, Demon Child and The Wild are also out now. Her YA paranormal novel, Best Friends Forever, and steampunk series, Blood and Gold, are due early in 2012. She is a full time writer and a part time teacher of her Get Your Book Done program. Patti lives on the East Coast of Canada with her very patient husband and four massive cats.

Her Website: http://www.pattilarsen.com/

To Trailer or Not To Trailer

2012-02-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

This week at the YA Indie Carnival we are talking about book trailers. I'll tell you what I think about them. Then you can weigh in if you want. I'd especially like to hear from you if you've used a book trailer or know someone who has used a book trailer.

Personally (and I know a lot of people will disagree, but please don't throw stuff at me) I think book trailers are kind of silly. You can't tell if a person can write or not by watching them. I do think some of them are cool, but I wouldn't bother with one unless I could afford to pay a professional. I've seen some that people have thrown together for themselves that look terrible and I wouldn't rush out to buy the book after seeing it. But that's just me.

What is your opinion on them?

I don't have time to list all of the other Carnis below right now. If you want to see what they have to say on the subject, please go to my January post on Interview with a Villain and click on them. Thank you.

Pandora's Box: FREE for four days

2012-01-31T14:21:00.000-08:00

My romantic suspense will be available for four days at Amazon, free, starting this Friday, Feb. 3rd, in celebration of my mother's birthday. The free deal will go until Monday.

Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0070MHNNS

INTERVIEW WITH A VILLAIN

2012-01-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

Sit back and watch reporter Rebecca Moore interview notorious Jersey Clifford of the Rule Series. The two of them sit across from each other in comfortable chairs with a small, round coffee table between them. She is well-dressed in a dark gray power suit with maincured nails and perfect make-up. He is wearing his usual attire, a solid black ensemble with red sneakers. Neither of them speak or even look at the other before the show begins. She goes over her notes and sips water while someone fixes her hair, giving it a last spritz of hairspray, while he stares into the distance, wondering if Rebecca will live to do another interview. If she makes him angry, she might not.

Someone yells: Five seconds, people!

The extra people on set dash to get out of the way of the cameras. A man with a headset counts down for them with his fingers, mouthing the words. "5... 4... 3... 2... Go." He points at Rebecca.

Rebecca pastes on a phony smile for the audience watching at home.

R: We are here today with a man who claims to be the first werewolf ever created. Please welcome Jersey Clifford to the show. (She pauses for the sound effects guy to play a track of clapping). Mr. Clifford, tell us why we should believe your claims? How does one become the first werewolf ever created?

J: It was simple enough. I fell in love with the wrong woman... uh, faerie.

R: And I'm sure you did nothing to provoke her. Do you have any powers?

J: I have invisible claws that can rip a person to shreds.

R: Oooh, scary. (She fakes a shiver) Can you turn into a wolf like that sexy boy in the Twilight movies?

J: (with a smirk) After more than two thousand years in this world I have learned to control myself. Other werewolves turn into wolves during full moon phases and they kill anyone who gets in their way, but I am not subject to that power anymore. Although I admit there are times when I get angry and a bloodthirsty wolf tries to come out, but I don't need that to kill. If someone, say you for example, needs to be killed, I can do the job with my bare hands. I have the strength of a hundred men.

R: How nice for you. (looks to producer for help and is motioned to keep going) What about this prophecy? Is it true that you and sventeen-year-old Jack Creed are destined to fight to the death?

J: His death, yes, not mine. Because Jack is a good friend I will hold off for as long as possible, but someday I will meet him on the battlefield and kill him. It's our destiny.

R: He's a friend? And you're going to kill him? How does that work?

J: Something in me was drawn to something in him the day we met. Maybe it's because I smelled vampire on him. Maybe it's the love of literature that we share. It could be as simple as me knowing him in a past life. You could say I love him like a brother.

R: Tell me about Jack. What is he like? More importantly, what do you like about him?

J: I love his keen mind, how he's eager to learn. Working in the public school system as I do, I've seen children spending more time on their love life, hobbies, and cell phones than on their education. Jack loves to read. Also, he sees things in a way that no one else does. That alone makes him worth fifty of any other kid in my classes. Also, he has great confidence. The boy knows that I am stronger, smarter, and more powerful than he is, and yet he believes he can destroy me in the end. You have to admire his spunk if nothing else.

R: And what do you hate about him?

J: I loathe the way he turns to the wrong people for help, and how he refuses to believe in destiny, and how he hangs around with that Silver and her useless parents. It's a sin to be that intelligent and that dumb at the same time. In my opinion, he deserves to die for that alone.

R: On a lighter note, when did you discover your love of reading?

J: I had to do something to keep busy. I've been around for more than two thousand years. A person can only watch soap operas for so long.

R: What is your favorite book?

J: I love poetry and frequently quote verses when the opportunity arises.

R: Do you have any friends other than Jack? Are you close to anyone? Is there anyone out there that you show the real Jersey Clifford to?

J: Pagan. She was my assistant, but they killed her when they released the wraiths. (Jersey begins to pull the mic off, interview over)

R: One moment please. Tell us what your plans are. What does the first werewolf ever created want?

J: I want world dominion, of course. I am building an army as we speak. No one will be able to stop me, no mortal, and no former vampire.

R: B-b-but the legend says Jack Creed will stop you.

J: No, it does not. That stupid diary they've been hanging onto was written by the faerie I told you about, the one who cursed me, and she couldn't see the future as well as they all hope. She only saw what she wanted to see.

R: But you must have a weakness. Everyone does.

J: If I did, I wouldn't tell you about it. (smug smile) I don't have one. Not anymore. Ask Jack. He's tried to find one, a small hole in my armor. I think he's given up now.

R: Isn't there anything we can do? (she is literally on the edge of her seat).

J: Yes. You can pray that Jack is smarter and stronger than he actually is. Good day.

Rebecca is stunned speechless. The cameras shut off. That is one show that will never air. Rebecca swallows hard. She will go home tonight and follow Jersey Clifford's advice. She will pray for a former vampire named Jack Creed.
End of interview.

Now please click on the links below and read more interviews with more villains. Enjoy!

	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.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	12.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	14.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls	16.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	18.	TG Ayer
19.	Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy	20.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21.	Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover	22.	Courtney Cole Writes

Just Released: PANDORA'S BOX

2012-01-22T15:17:00.000-08:00

I used to write for Harlequin and still have a few books that didn't get published with them, so I am now releasing them one at a time. The first up is Pandora's Box.

Madison Grey has to clear her father's name. All her life he taught her to put her country before anything else. It's because of him that she became a Secret Service Agent. Protecting the president has been her duty and pleasure. But now her father is accused of trying to assassinate the president, and the people she works with are slowly turning against her... everyone except for Navy SEAL Tyler Law, the president's son. He also thinks her father was set up. Their only clue is her father's dying words: Pandora's Box. These two words will take them on a twisted journey to uncover some secrets that should have remained buried. Through it all Madison finds that she can depend on Tyler and her ex, DeMarco, but this is no time to sort out her love life.

This book will only be available at Amazon as an ebook. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0070MHNNS

If you know anyone who enjoys romantic suspense, send them my way. Thanks!

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: What I have learned from books.

2012-01-21T09:52:00.000-08:00

This week we are going to talk about what we've learned from the books we've read. In my case, there has been so much that I'm sure I can't remember. My mother taught me how to read before I even started to school and I've been reading ever since. I love to read... as all writers do, I'm sure. So let's get started. Hopefully inspiration will hit. Please visit the other carnis below to see what they have to say.

I learned that a weak plot can be forgiven but not terrible characters.

I learned that you have to capture the reader's attention in the first few sentences or you've lost them because a lot of people stand at the bookstore and read a page or two before buying it.

I learned thar a bad cover can ruin a book's reputation before anyone has given it a chance.

I learned that you need to vary your scenes. Too much narration or too much talking can ruin an otherwise good story.

I learned that publishers will publish good books and bad books while turning down other good books and bad books.

I learned you should always start the book with something interesting and end with a bang.

That's it. Hope you enjoyed this short list. Next week join us for the exciting Interview with a Villain.

	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.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
9.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	10.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
11.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series	12.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
13.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	14.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
15.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	16.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
17.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	18.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
19.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	20.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
21.	TG Ayer	22.	Melissa Pearl, author of Golden Blood

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: Books I Am Most Thankful For and Why

2012-01-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

We're baaack!

This week the carnis are writing about the books that they are most thanful for. Please click on the other carnis below and check out their favorite books. Feel free to add yours. Here are mine and the reasons why.

1. Bible: Not only can this book change and save your life, but no matter how many times you read it you still find something new. I am constantly amazed by it.

2. The Outsiders: I read it in junior high. This is the book that made me fall in love with YA books.

3. Pet Semetary: This Stephen King book showed me how real a book could be to a person. I was so engrossed in it that when someone walked in the front door, I screamed and the book flew out of my hands. That is a good book. No other book has done that for me.

4. The Mortal Instrument series: What can I say? I loved these books so much that I'm reading them a second time. I usually don't read a book more than once even if I liked it because once the surprises are known it isn't the same, but these are great books.

5. The Demon's Lexicon: I haven't read the second book in this series yet, but I'm going to. I loved this book because of the emotion. I felt so bad for Alan because he feels unloved. He doesn't realize that Nick does love him. Actions speak louder than words, they say, but some people need to hear the words.

6. The Dark Tower series: Another by Stephen King. This set of books took him twenty years to write. I started them in college and only recently finished them. It sucks to wait for a series to be finished, but it was worth the wait. Loved it!

7. The Rule series: Yes, I have to put my own books on the list too. This series starting with Vampires Rule has taught me a lot about putting a series together. It has been hard. Someday soon I need to go back and read the first two before finishing the third so I don't forget something and mess them up.

8. Mythology books: Can't remember the name of the one I read in high school, but it got me to thinking. I have found a lot of inspiration in myths over the years.

I know there are others, but I can't think of any right now, so I'm going to end my list.

.	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.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
9.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	10.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
11.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series	12.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
13.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	14.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
15.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	16.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
17.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	18.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
19.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	20.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
21.	TG Ayer	22.	Melissa Pearl, author of Golden Blood

Best Writing Advice

2012-01-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

I bought a book on writing last year that came with some interesting cards for writers. Each one has advice on it, usually just a line or two. Some are funny and others are serious. Once in a while I reach into the deck, pull a card out at random and read it. Today I was checking my sales on Amazon and trying to figure out why they are going down instead of up and something popped into my head. This isn't a line off of those cards, but I'm sure I heard it somewhere before.

Just keep your head down and write.

Amazing advice. I wish I knew where I saw that or heard it before. I'd like to give credit to whoever said it first. They tell soldiers on the front line to keep their heads down. That's what it's like sometimes out there in the literary world, bad reviews flying at you like arrows, and people getting in the way like obstacles while you are trying to market your books. Sometimes I feel like I am walking in a mine field and don't know which way to go or what to do.

Just keep your head down and write.

From now on I am going to recite that line in my head every day at least once. I am going to follow the advice too. Instead of worrying about how many books I am selling and how many people have not even heard of my books, I am going to focus on the writing and keep my head down. Now if you have any great advice about writing that you heard or even made up yourself, put it in the comment section and share it with the class. Thanks and happy writing!

Valentine's Day Giveaway

2012-01-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

Hey, I am giving away one SIGNED copy of CRUSHED to a fan. This is not a contest for just anybody. You have to be a fan of either Crushed or Vampires Rule to win.

How do you Enter the Giveaway? Simple.

Send me an email telling me what you loved about either one of those books. Be specific. I sent out an advanced notice on this contest to people who get my newsletter, and I have already received some great entries. One of them may even be the winner. Make sure to put Crushed Giveaway in the subject line of your email and send it to kblake234@hotmail.com

Entries must be received no later than Feb. 12th. I will announce the winner on my blog on Valentine's Day. I'm sorry, but I will only mail the book to someone in the United States. The winner must give me their address. Then I will sign a copy to them and mail it. Good luck to you all!

Win Print Copy of Crushed

2012-01-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

I am starting a giveaway on Goodreads for one print copy of Crushed. The giveaway will run until May 3rd, when the winner will be picked by Goodreads. I am still waiting approval for my giveaway, but it should only take a couple of days. Then, if you are interested, you can go to Goodreads, click on giveaways and find Crushed. Then register for it. Once I have the winner's name and address, I will have Createspace ship the copy to them. I will also be doing a special giveaway here on my blog when we get closer to Valentine's Day, so keep your eyes open for that.

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: Indie Resolutions

2011-12-29T10:29:00.000-08:00

This week at the Carnival we are sharing our Indie Resolutions. What did we learn this year? What worked and what didn't? We will be sharing our thoughts, dreams, and wishes for the new year. Feel free to share yours with us.

My Indie Resolutions:

1. Take Reviews with a Grain of Salt: This year I published my first three books as an Indie Writer. Most of my reviews have been good, but there were a couple that had me thinking I should find a new career path. Other people (writers, friends, and family) told me to ignore them, that some people just want to be mean because they are annonymous and know I can't do anything about it. Still, it hurts when someone rips apart something that you worked so hard on and put your whole heart into. If you aren't a writer, think about it this way. How would you feel if a stranger came up to you and told you that your kids were ugly and shouldn't be in public? Because that's how I feel when someone slams my characters, plot, etc. I do want readers to be honest. If they don't like the book, they don't like it. I'm just talking about the ones who are mean and nasty about it and you can tell they are just trying to be funny or show how smart they are.

2. Market without Spamming: Before I got published I'd never heard about spamming in groups on places like Goodreads, but since then I have been accused of doing it. Some places don't want you to mention your book at all. So I vow to find other ways of letting people know that my books exist.

3. Spend More Time Writing: My computer crashed a few months ago and I sort of used that as an excuse to procrastinate. I've been working on finishing up the same book for five months now. That is a long time for me. Usually I work on writing at least a few hours each day and all day long when I don't work. So I promise myself that I will work harder and spend more time with my butt in the chair and my hands on the keyboard.

4. Daydream: I got so caught up in the mess that is sometimes my life that I haven't been daydreaming enough. This is a resolution I know I can keep. In fact I've already started. I love to daydream and let my characters live instead of trying to figure out what they should do. I love to give them room to move.

5. To Write Entertaining Books: Most of all I want to write the best books that I can. I want to touch peoples' hearts, to make them laugh and cry. Then my job is done.

Please click on the blogs below and read their resolutions too.

.	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.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
9.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	10.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
11.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series	12.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
13.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	14.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
15.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	16.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
17.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	18.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
19.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	20.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
21.	TG Ayer	22.	Melissa Pearl, author of Golden Blood
23.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

In this season of pushing people, trying to get everything on your list, going crazy because there isn't enough time, etc. please remember the reason for the season. "God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son."

I was thinking about my favorite Christmas memory last night. It's funny because I don't remember all the junk I got over the years. I don't even remember what I got last Christmas. My favorite Christmas memory was the Christmas when I was fifteen. We had no money. My parents warned me not to expect much. I was secretly afraid I wouldn't get anything. Then one day we found out that a friend had signed us up for a church group to help. They brought us food for Christmas dinner, candy, and I got a little jewelry box. You know, one of those that has the turning ballerina inside. It was way too young a gift for me, but I treasured it because it meant that someone out there cared enough to make sure that I got a present. I also got a Monopoly game, a pack of gum, and some hand lotion that year. It's funny that I look back at that hard time with such joy and wish more Christmas Days could be like it.

Now I do enjoy watching a little kid's face light up when they open a present and discover that special something, but I think every kid should have at least one Christmas like the one when I was fifteen. It makes them appreciate what they have more.

Merry Christmas!!!

And the WINNERS are...

2011-12-23T07:25:00.000-08:00

The Winner of the Grand Prize is....

VANESSA ERIC

She will be notified today and everyone participating from the Carnival will send her coupon codes and links so she can get a bunch of books. Congratulations, Vanessa, and Merry Christmas!!!

Now for my giveaways. The winner of all three books is...

ALIRALUNA

Congratulations, Aliraluna! I hope you enjoy all of the books and Merry Christmas!

Also, winner of Warriors of the Cross (and very excited about it) is...

KELLY FOX

Congratulations, Kelly, and have a Merry Christmas!

Thank you all for participating.

Review for Crushed

2011-12-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

Anyone interested in books set in high school? Teen witches using their powers to play games? Paranormal romance? Then read the latest review on Crushed here: http://thephantomparagrapher.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-crushed-kc-blake.html

This reviewer wrote up a great review. She really understood the characters and plot. :)

Review: Vampires Rule

2011-12-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a review of Vampires Rule on a brand new blog. The wallpaper on this blog is awesome. Go check it out and read the review while you're there. http://theservicemutations.blogspot.com/2011/12/rule-series.html

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: Cover Designs

2011-12-09T04:34:00.000-08:00

This week we are going to post about book covers. What we think works and what doesn't. What covers we especillay love, etc. Please weigh in on the subject. What is your favorite cover?

Because I don't have the money to afford a professional artist, I make my own covers using Gimp. The cover for Vampires Rule is a picture of a dagger charm. I took the picture, changed the color of the stones and a few other things, and made that my cover. I've been told it's boring, but I like it. On the other hand, if you buy the book in print you will get an entirely different cover. It's a picture of trees because Jack and Silver meet in their dreams and they are always in the woods.

Crushed is a stock photo that I paid for of a young girl with a finger to her lips. I painted her lips and her fingernails. I also put a hat over her face. I've had good reactions to this cover. My other Witch-Game books will also have girls with a finger to their lips.

Werewolves Rule is also a stock photo that I paid for. I loved the black and blue elements of the picture, so I didn't change very much with this one.

On to covers that I love. Have you seen the cover for Entice and the other two books in that series? I can't remember their names, but I love these covers, especially the one where the girl is blowing gold dust out of her mouth. Awesome! I also love the cover for Where She Went. There's one for a book with a girl that you can see through like she's partly invisible, but I don't remember the name.

Since Twilight's popularity skyrocketed there are a lot of black covers. I don't like them. I want to see more originality.

Coming December 16! You let us know why you've been naughty or nice and enter to win books at each carni's booth all week, from 12/16 to 12/23. On Dec. 23, find out what books you've won!

'Tis the Season of the Squeee!

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.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.	Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	24.	TG Ayer
25.	Melissa Pearl, author of Golden Blood

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: Recipe for Plotting Stories

2011-12-03T07:42:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun little post idea. We, at the Carnival, are going to give you recipes for plotting your stories. I am doing this at the last second because I didn't understand what I was supposed to do and had to look at the others who posted before doing my own. Hopefully this won't be a big mess So here it is, my recipe for plotting a great story.

Recipe: Crushed

Ingrediants:

5 Witches

A Handful of Conflicts

1 Cup of Sweetness

Dash of Spice

Lots of Romance

A Pound of Magic

Opt: Twists and Turns

Mix all the above ingrediants in a word processor. When it's done, pack it all into the pages of a beautiful book and offer it to everyone who loves to read about magic and love. Enjoy!

I could have probably thought of a better recipe if I'd had more time. Oh well. Please click on the people below and enjoy their recipes. I'm sure they are better than mine.

News: Guardians of the Cross (Second in the Warrior Series) will be released on 12/24 of this year. Warriors of the Cross was awesome. My mom loved it. You should check it out. The author T. R. Graves is one of the Carnis. Check out her blog below.

	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.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.	Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	24.	TG Ayer

Have a Kindle Christmas

2011-11-29T12:29:00.000-08:00

Thinking of giving a Kindle as a gift?

Do you already have a Kindle and want some free books to put on it?

One of the Carnis came up with a great idea. We are going to give away some ebooks for Christmas. I'm going to start this one early. I'll add other books to this list as I get the codes for them, but here is mine. You can get a copy of Vampires Rule on Smashwords for free. Just go to the Smashwords link for Vampires Rule on the Buy Links page or on the Vampires Rule sample page. Click on it and use the code when you are asked how you will pay for the book.
The coupon code for a free copy is KA98G
This is a LIMITED coupon that will only last until a few days after Christmas. Pass the word. You can also get the book on Nook and other ereaders.
If you give it as a gift, let them know the second book in the series Werewolves Rule is also available... if they like the first one enough to read on.
Merry Christmas (early).

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

At the Carnival this week we are writing about Thanksgiving. I have decided it's a good time to make a list of the things I am thankful to God for. Sometimes as I fall to sleep at night, I kind of play a little game where I name off one hundred things that I am thankful for. Today I think I'll keep the list to fifty. So in no particular order, here they are:

Family, friends, colors, rainbows, soft rain, fluffy clouds, my home, fuzzy kittens, my dancing puppy, music, movies and shows that inspire me to write, books, mountains, the ocean, the different seasons, pretty trees, my computer, funny things kids say, shopping, creative people, chocolate, dreams, technology, quiet walks in the woods, food from different cultures, birds, good night's sleep, christmas lights, the people who read my books, fire to roast marshmellows over, twinkling stars, beautiful sunrises, pretty shoes, diamonds, ideas for books that come out of nowhere, things that make me laugh, candles, a warm house, the time to write, hot cocoa, cute clothes, cookies on Christmas Day, the Bible, church, freedom to worship God, online communities like Goodreads, my blog, followers on my blog, money to pay the bills, fireworks, a big kitchen, bubble baths, warm socks, patient people, medicine for when you're sick, a clean house, Facebook games, music boxes, presents... I lost count.

Oh well. I am thankful for many things this year. Are you? Feel free to add something to the list that you are grateful for, and remember to check out Thanksgiving stories below on these other great blogs. :)

	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.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.	Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	24.	TG Ayer

Books

2011-11-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take a moment to let people know what books I have available at this time. They would make a great Christmas gift for anyone who likes to read.

Vampires Rule: A seventeen-year-old vampire turns mortal but still has to fight werewolves. You can read a sample chapter here on the blog. Just press the button for the Vampires Rule page above. This book can be found at Smashwords, Amazon, B&N, etc. It is available as an ebook and in print.

Werewolves Rule: This is the book after Vampires Rule. You can also find it at the same places. I don't have a sample chapter here, but you can read a sample before purchasing at Smashwords or Amazon.

Crushed: This is the first of the Witch-Game books. Kristen and her sisters are playing a dangerous game at school using their powers. They Crush the boys and make them do whatever comes to mind. Unfortunately this year Kristen has picked on the wrong boy. You can read a sample of this book on the Crushed Sample Chapter page above. It can also be found at Smashwords, Amazon, B&N, etc.

Coming Soon: 1. Witch Hunt (the second book in the Witch-Game series). You do not have to read Crushed to enjoy this one. It has different characters and a different game.
                        2. Pandora's Box: This is a romantic suspense book. I used to write for Harlequin. In this book a woman named Madison wants to clear her father's name after he tries to kill the president. She and the president's son, a Navy SEAL, work together to uncover a dark secret, and they try not to fall for each other, but it's hard when they have to work so closely together.
                         3. Mystery of Moore House: This book might be published under a different name. It was originally called Borrowed Identity and published by Harlequin. I am in the process of getting my rights back so I can put it out as an ebook.
                         4. Married to a Stranger: Also published by Harlequin, this book was called Would-Be Wife, a title I always hated.
                         5. Shifters Rule: The third book in the Rule series. Hopefully I can get it out there by next summer. It was supposed to be released soon, but my computer crashed and I've been having a lot of problems getting to it.

Books in the Future: Here are some that I would like to write in the next year or two.
                        1. Raven's Claw: The third book in the Witch-Game series.
                        2. Bait: The first in my hunter series.

Anyway, some of these books are written and some are in the dreaming stage still. I hope you will pick up a copy of at least one of them and give it a try. My greatest wish is simply to have people read and enjoy my books. Thank you. Happy Reading!

Keeping the Pace

2011-11-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

I have been told several times over the years that my books are fast-paced. Editors, agents, etc. have told me that my books travel from start to finish like a speeding train without brakes. Sometimes this isn't a good thing. Some people want a nice, slow ride. My books are not for them. I write YA books because teens seem to enjoy a book that moves along without slowing down. I decided to write this post after receiving a review on Smashwords about Crushed from a guy. Usually guys don't read my books because they are paranormal romance, but he gave me four stars and said I have mastered the art of pacing. Good to hear. Now if I could just get a handle on other aspects of writing.

I spent some time last night thinking about pacing. I know of a few author friends who have trouble with it. They have asked me a few times how I do it. I never really know what to say, but I'm going to give it a shot here and see if I can figure it out.

1. Don't Waste a Scene: I try to make sure every scene has a reason for being in my book. It has to share a new piece of information with the reader, develop the characters further, take the reader on an emotional ride, or move the plot forward in some other way. Also, if I am bored while writing the scene then the reader will be bored reading it. In that case, I start over.

2. Conflict: There are always several things happening in my books. The protagonist has a main problem but also several smaller ones. I think conflicts help the story move at a faster pace.

3. Sentence Structure: Shorter sentences make things move faster, but you have to watch it or your book will be choppy. That was the number one complaint from my former editor. I had to really work on varying my sentence structure. However, I do use a lot of short sentences during fight scenes or other scenes where the protag is in danger. As far as I know this approach works well. I haven't had any complaints from professionals when it comes to my action sequences.

4. Dialogue: Conversations make the story go faster and long, detailed paragraphs slow it down.

5. Shorter Chapters: This is a trick I picked up from another writer. To pick up the pace, make the chapters shorter towards the end of the book. When you are doing suspense, maybe a mystery, you want to pick up the pace near the end. This works. Also shorter scenes help make it seem to move faster.

Okay, that's all I can think of right now. I don't do any of these things intentionally when I write though. When I sit down at the computer, I am not thinking about making the pace move fast. I just write.
Hope this info helps someone. Happy writing!

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: 11/11/11

2011-11-11T04:39:00.000-08:00

This week on the Carnival we are going to give you the number eleven because it is 11/11/11. Some will give eleven reasons to read their books, while others will give eleven tips on writing or marketing, etc. Check them out after you've read my list, and thanks for your support.

Top Eleven Duos from Film, Shows, and Books::

1. Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural: I love to watch these guys. They are so much like brothers I've known. They can beat each other to a pulp, but no one else had better try it. They have an interesting love/hate relationship.

2. Elena/Stephen or Elena/Damon from Vampire Diaries: Whether you want Elena with Stephen or with Damon, they're interesting to watch.

3. Buffy/Angel or Buffy/Spike: Personally I liked Spike better but thought Buffy should be with Angel if that makes any sense.

4. Sonny/Jason/Carly from General Hospital: Okay I kind of cheated here by adding Carly, but back in the day they were great to watch. Jason works for Sonny (a mobster) and Carly is his best friend, but Carly was married to Sonny for a while. They divorced and started to hate each other, but somehow they are always in each other's face with Jason trying to keep the peace without taking sides.

5. Kirk/Spock: The chemistry between these two made the show.

6. Jack/Jersey in Vampires Rule: I thought I'd throw in one of my own pairings. Jack and Jersey are destined to kill each other, but they have this weird friendship going on. Their love of literature has brought them together. I love it that Jersey values Jack's opinion on books.

7. King Aragorn/Legolas in The Lord of the Rings: I wish there'd been more scenes between these two. They have awesome chemistry. I think Legolas has a little bit of a man-crush on Aragorn.

8. Frank/Joe Hardy in the Hardy Boys books: I kind of think that Sam and Dean were patterned a bit after these guys, only they are more hardcore. When I was a kid, I loved these books.

9. Rock Stars/Lead Guitar: Okay, Okay. This is real life and not a book or movie, but I've always been fascinated with the tight relationship that seems to develop between rock stars and their main guitar player. Think about it. Jagger and Richards, Bon Jovi and Sambora, Brett Michaels and C. C. Deville. I could go on.

10. Clark Kent/Lex Luthor on Smallville: Back when Lex was with the show, I loved it that these two wanted to be friends but were so distrustful of each other. They both had secrets from the other, yet they both thought the other should be an open book.

11. Kristen Noah and Zach Bevian from Crushed: Another one of mine, but I love the way Kristen and Zach interact. He's the town bad boy, teasing her and taunting her, thinking she's too good to ride a motorcycle with him. Then she pushes him back and drives the thing. I love her spunk.

Anyway, that is my list. I'm sure I've forgotten some good duos, but these are some of my favorites. I hope you agree with at least a few of them. Do you have any examples of great chemistry between duos that I forgot?

Remember to click on the links below and check out some more top eleven lists.

	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.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.	Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	24.	TG Ayer

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: Blast from the Past

2011-11-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

This week's assignment from the Carnival is all about our high school short stories, books, etc. We're supposed to post something that we wrote in high school. Unfortunately I threw out everything I wrote in high school a long time ago. Yes, I know, that was stupid. I've regretted it ever since, but there's nothing I can do about it now. So I am going to post a short scene from Crushed, a scene that takes place in the high school.

This scene takes place in the hallway after the bell has rung and most students are in class. Kristen has had a rough morning, and she's angry:

The hallway was empty with one huge exception: Zach Bevian.

It didn't surprise her to see him talking on his cell. She'd had a class with him once. Tardy was his middle name. If he was going to show up at all, it would be five to ten minutes late. The loser probably wanted to make a grand entrance so everyone would look at him. He finished the conversation and tucked the cell into his snug jeans. She was suprised there was room in those pockets something wider than a quarter.

Too bad for him, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She could be wild and fun and impulsive. She would show Brittany that Kristen Noah was not your typical good girl. There wasn't any reason why she couldn't get decent grades and have fun at the same time. When she got done experimenting with her wild side, Brittany would beg her to play nice again.

She reached into her purse and pulled a long, skinny glass vial out. Emptying the pink dust into one hand, she walked straight up to Zach. Before she had the chance to come to her senses or count the number of ways this could go wrong, she blew the dust into his face. A pink cloud floated around him for a second. It dissipated quickly. He stared at her in stunned silence.

The Crushed spell had that effect on people. Boys gazed into space once they were hit with it. The spell momentarily distorted their thinking. Soon he would be following her around, doing her bidding, and making puppy-love eyes at her. She couldn't wait.

The vision of him following her around brought a smile to her face.

She continued to walk, barely missing a step.

Cyndi's shocked voice reached her ears. "She didn't."

"She did," Brittany said.

"But we aren't supposed to start the game until next week."

"Tell that to the cheater."

Kristen felt better already. She felt so good that she stopped to fix her face. She pulled a mirror from her purse and reapplied her signature lipstick before heading to class. Candy Apple Crush. It was deep red, her favorite color, with diamond-like sparkles and a hint of gloss. Her mother had it specially made for her in New York.

She compressed her lips to evenly distribute the color. The mirror caught Zach Bevian's reflection. He was still standing there with wide eyes and open mouth. Poor guy didn't even look like he remembered his own name.

Regrets began to pile on top of her head. Someone with a will as strong as Zach's was going to be hard to control. She might actually lose the game this year. She really shouldn't have Crushed him, but she needed the money that a side-bet with Brittany would give her.

His expression changed from puzzlement to pure hatred. He glared at her with a murderous glint in his eyes. Startled, she whipped around to look at him, but he was rummaging around in his locker again.

She must have imagined the hatred in his eyes. Victims of the Crushed spell were instantly in love with the witch who brewed the potion. A painful lump lodged in her throat, and remorse hung over her like a dark cloud. Blowing the dust into his face had been a huge mistake. She had a feeling she was going to be more sorry than sorry before this was over. This could ruin everything.

Check out these great writers and read their high school selections:

	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.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.	Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	24.	Abbi Glines: Breathe, The Vincent Boys, Existence

Book Signing Update

2011-11-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you who were wondering how the book signing went, here's the scoop. I learned a lot from it. This was my first book signing. How did I do? That depends on the way you look at it. I didn't sell an incredible amount, but I made 71 dollars in four hours. That's not bad at all. Of course a few of those were to friends. I met some interesting people. We had a great time. I'll post some pictures of it when I get the chance.

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: Best Indie Scare

2011-10-28T04:39:00.000-07:00

This week we are promoting our favorite scary books that happen to be Indie. I haven't read any, so I'm going to continue my Supernatural countdown with the rest of my top 20 favorite episodes of all time. As always, at the end there will be a list of other Indie authors with blogs. Please click on them and check out their favorite Indie scares.

10. Supernatural Convention: At one time we found out that there were Supernatural books out there. The guy writing them had no idea Sam and Dean were real. In this episode the boys wind up at the first-ever Supernatural Convention. It was too funny, watching all these other guys dressing like Sam and Dean and saying lines from old shows. Then there's this girl with a crush on Sam. She licks her palm and blows him a kiss. He looked like he was hoping the ground would swallow him whole.

9. Werewolf Girl: I love the episode where Sam falls in love with a werewolf. I'm not kidding. Of course he didn't know she was a werewolf. This is a heartbreaking show, very well acted by the boys. I didn't like how easily the girl gave up though or how Dean wanted to blow her away without a thought. If I was her, I'd be like Wait a second. What if I take sleeping pills? Maybe she wouldn't turn on those nights. Just a thought.

8. The FBI Arrest Sam and Dean: This episode comes in at number eight for me because it was a turning point. We see Lilith for the first time, the agent harrassing the boys finally get them, and we see the boys' matching tattoos. Favorite line: The agent kills the sheriff and is stunned that he did it. He says 'I shot the sheriff.' Dean says 'yeah, but you didn't shoot the deputy.' It was so dumb, so inappropriate, and so Dean.

7. Make a Wish: Have you ever thrown a coin into a fountain and made a wish? On this episode the wishes come true, but you know what they say about being careful what you wish for. One little girl has made her teddy bear come to life. It's huge and depressed. Sam and Dean don't know what to do about it. There's also an invisible boy sneaking into the women's shower at the Y and a little boy with super powers.

6. Ghostfacers: The ghost chasing nerds are back, and this time they're shooting a pilot for their new show. This was an awesome ep. because it looks like it's shot by some kid with a video camera. The nerds go to a haunted house, hoping to see something and get famous. Sam and Dean show up to do what they do best. Awesome!

5. Sam and Dean in Another Universe: They are sent to another universe where they are the actors in a tv show. They have Sam's real life wife playing his wife. She is the actress who played the demon Ruby on the show. Sam's mansion is beyond great. And he has a camel in the backyard.

4. The Fairies: Dean shouts, "Fight the fairies!" I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. Sam doesn't have a soul on this one, so he doesn't seem to care that much when Dean is abducted. They think by aliens but later find out it is fairies doing the kidnapping. Love it when Sam says his brother was abducted, and this girl says, "Oh no!" Sam says, "It's okay. I've learned to adjust." "Did it happen when you were kids?" "No. Just about half an hour ago." Then she sleeps with him.

3. Meeting the Trickster: Some of my favorite episodes involve this guy called the Trickster. He can create things that seem very real. For instance, he makes this one guy slow dance with an alien. I loved this ep. because Sam and Dean tell their friend Bobby what's been going on, and they both make the other look bad in the retelling. We get to watch the same scene in two separate flashbacks, as different as night and day. It was definitely different.

2. Dean Scared: My runner up for favorite Supernatrual show of all time is the one where Dean gets ghost sickness. Dean who never seems to be afraid of anything (if he is scared, he jokes around and acts macho), but when he gets the sickness he is afraid of everything. He won't drive his car over the speed limit, won't stay above the first floor at the motel, and won't help Sam hunt ghosts. At one point he yells, "Only crazy people hunt ghosts. We are insane."

Drum roll please......

My favorite episode is.....

1. Groundhogs Day: This is my favorite episode of the series because Dean gets killed over and over again. Dean doesn't remember any of it, but Sam does. Sam wakes up several times to the same song. It's Tuesday. They eat at the same diner, Dean tells the same jokes, and the waitress drops the hot sauce bottle. The only big difference is how Dean dies. Sometimes it is Final Destination type deaths like when the desk falls on him. This is also another episode with the Trickster in it.

Maybe you don't agree with my list. There are so many shows to choose from, so many great episodes, but I think these are my top twenty... at least this month.

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.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.	Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	24.	Abbi Glines: Breathe, The Vincent Boys, Existence

NEWS: 13 on Halloween & Winnemucca by Laura A. H. Elliott now for sale at A Children's Place Bookstore and Broadway Books in Portland, OR

Twelve-year-old Roxie wants to be like Adrianne, the popular girl, the peacock, who gets everything she wants––a trampoline, a flock to prowl around the mall with, and most especially invitations to parties. But everything changes when Roxie invites all the popular kids in the eighth grade to her thirteenth birthday party on Halloween and they all come. And a boy, the boy, actually talks to Roxie. Roxie has the best night of her life until the peacocks decide they want to celebrate her birthday in a way Roxie never expects––in her attic, with a gift that is out of this world, and a pact to never tell a living soul what happens next.

Enter Cheri Schmidt's Library Giveaway from Oct. 20- Nov 20th & win a chance win signed copies of The Fateful Trilogy & have Cheri donate her books to your library!

A huge fan of Jane Austen, Danielle hopes to find her own Mr. Darcy when she leaves Colorado to attend art school in London. Of course she knows it's silly to wish for that, naive even. But she's met enough males who lacked respect for women, a growing trend it seemed. And at nineteen...well.... However, on only her second night there she gets lost and is threatened by a stalker who proves to be immune to her martial arts training. Before she is completely overpowered, she is then saved by Ethan Deveroux.

The Reckoning by M. Leighton, the second and final book in the Fahllen series, will be available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble on Monday, October 31st. Halloween day!
Visit http://mleightonbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/reckoning.html for excerpts and the latest on her new release!
CHAMELEON by Cidney Swanson Now Available in paperback!

When Sam learns of her nemesis Helmann’s Nazi-like plan to establish a Thousand-Year Reign, she’s determined to fight him. Along with Will and Mickie, Sam flees to France to meet Sir Walter—their best hope for stopping Helmann’s brave new world.
But Sam isn’t any safer in France. Someone is following her. Someone invisible. Sam will have to figure out how to hide from an enemy she can’t even see.

Happy Reading!!!

Halloween Book Signing: CRUSHED

2011-10-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Time is running out... for me. This Saturday at Vintage Stock at the Northpark Mall in Joplin, MO, I will be signing a limited number of copies of my book CRUSHED. If you live in the area or know someone around here, I'd love a chance to meet you (or them). There will be fun, prizes, a woman dressed as a witch handing out Halloween candy. I'm giving away digital copies of Vampires Rule, also. Can't wait. I will be taking pictures and hopefully will be able to post a few next week.

It starts at noon and will go on until four (or until I run out of books).

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: Favorite Halloween Story

2011-10-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I don't have one. We were not allowed to Trick or Treat. So you can go below and click on the other Carnis. Read about their favorite Halloween times. As for me, I will make a list of my favorite Supernatural episodes. Anyone here watch Supernatural? It is my all-time favorite scary-fun paranormal show. Here are my top twenty (you get half this week and half next week while the other Carnis discuss their favorite Indie books that are scary. Once again, I have nothing to offer the conversation. So here are the first ten in my top twenty Supernatural episodes:

20. The Pilot: I love this episode for obvious reasons. We are introduced to the brothers, get a look at how they work together, and hear some awesome background on them. It's also the first time that Sam calls Dean a Jerk and Dean calls same the B word.

19. Sam Possessed: I loved the episode where Sam seems to have lost time. He tries to convince Dean to kill him, even taking Jo as a hostage and threatening to off her. Dean refuses to hurt his baby brother and hits him with holy water instead. My fav thing about this ep. is how Sam snaps out of it at the end and asks, "What did I miss?" Dean punches him. Good times.

18. The Bank Job: They are searching for a shapeshifter in this episode. It likes to rob banks, so Sam and Dean are inside of the bank when a well-meaning guard tries to capture the thing by taking the entire bank hostage. He is killed and Dean takes over the bank heist. I love how this girl keeps telling Sam how great Dean is. "He's like a hero." Sam looks unimpressed. It's hilarious.

17. Killer Clowns: In this episode we find out that little Sam was afraid of clowns while growing up. My fav lines from the show? "You're afraid of flying." "Planes crash." "Yeah, and apparently clowns kill." LOL
I'm with Sam on this one. Clowns suck.

16. Dean has Out of Body Experience: In this episode, Dean almost dies in a car crash. Sam has to communicate with him through a Ouiji Board. I loved it because this is when their dad dies. They all did an awesome job.

15. Dean Returns from Hell: This is the episode when Dean comes back from Hell. First Bobby tries to kill him, thinking he's a fake Dean. Then Sam tries to kill him. I loved the hug between these two when Sam realizes Dean is really back. Very emotional. I also liked this episode because we meet Castiel.

14. A Jinn Grants Dean's Fondest Wish: In this one Dean wakes up in an apt. with a girl he doesn't know. He has a whole new life. His mom is still alive and Sam is in law school. It's so funny when he calls Sam a 'B' and Sam looks confused. I also love it when they make a big deal out of Dean mowing the lawn.

13. The Christmas Special: I almost turned the TV off when the words Special Presentation came on the screen and a cheezy Christmas movie started. Then this old guy gets yanked up a chimney and killed. I'm like okay, guess I'm watching the right show after all. The bad guys in this ep. were hillarious. An old couple. The woman told Dean not to cuss, to say Fudge instead.

12. Meeting the Ghostfacers: I enjoyed this episode because Sam and Dean were pranking each other the whole time. We find out that Dean put Nair in Sam's shampoo when they were kids. Sam glues Dean's hand to a beer bottle. Dean puts itching powder in Sam's underwear. All very funny.

11. Supernatural Books: The boys find out that someone is writing books about their lives, and the guy knows more than he should. Love it when this girl (a fan of the books) meets them. She keeps touching Sam and saying how firm he is. LOL.

Join me next week for the rest of the list. In the meantime, hop over to these other blogs to read about their Halloween stories.

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.	Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7.	Lexus Luke	8.	PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy	10.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	12.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13.	Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga	14.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15.	Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews	16.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	18.	Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind	20.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	22.	Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter

Courtney released her Bloodstone Saga finale, My Tattered Bonds.

Check out The Paranormal Plumes Haunted Book Tour in Savannah Halloween Weekend! http://www.theplumessociety.com/

30% of the royalties of Lexus Luke's Manitou The Sky People Saga go to the ASPCA.

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines will release on Oct 21. Here is the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aAp6chU-d6o

For a limited time, Kimberly Kinrade is selling signed copies of her YA paranormal thriller/romance Forbidden Mind. As an All Hallow's Read bonus, she is also including some awesome gifts with each purchase... including a very special bonus to the first 5 lucky people who place an order. Get a copy for yourself and buy one for a friend in celebration of All Hallow's Read. For more details, visit http://bit.ly/qGMQkz

Filter Giveaway on Gwenn Wright's blog! http://hereventuality.blogspot.com/2011/10/von-strassenbergs-giving-it-away.html. When she reaches 100 followers she will give away a signed copy of Filter AND one of her fancy new mugs!

Happy early Halloween!

Finding Something Original to Write About

2011-10-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Now that's a hard one. I swear, every time I come with something I think has never been done, one of my friends tells me that they either just finished reading a book about it or saw a book about it online. My reaction? WHAT??? Are you kidding me?

No, they are not kidding. This has been happening to me since I first started writing. I remember being sixteen and thinking I had a killer idea that no one else had thought of. Then I went to the store, looked at the books, and found that not only had someone else already thought of the same idea, but they'd beaten me to it. This also happens to me frequently with titles. Sucks!

Can you guess why I'm writing about this subject today? That's right. It happened again. Because there are sooo many books about vampires and werewolves, I decided to go out on a limb and do something different. I came up with what I thought was a wild idea. Then I spoke to a friend in Ohio, and she tells me that she's reading a book that has the exact idea. ????

How does this happen? Am I psychic and picking up on other peoples' ideas, or does God give these ideas to several people at once? Kind of depressing.

Does this happen to anyone else, or is it just me for some reason?

YA INDIE CARNIVAL: Favorite Fan Experience

2011-10-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

This week on the Carnival we are writing about our favorite fan experience, but to be honest I don't have one. I met a woman at Wal-mart one day who was reading one of my Harlequins and was nearing the end. She kind of threatened me. I think she was kidding. She said if the main guy died she was going to hunt me down. I just looked at her like 'okay, that's an overreaction.' She also asked about my cats and some other personal stuff, and that kind of freaked me out until I realized she'd read my author's bio.

I guess I would have to say that my favorite fan experience was not really a fan experience at all but rather a sweet gesture. My first book had come out and my best friend's 12 yr old daughter was visiting. She sat at my kitchen table with a notepad and a pencil and quickly scribbled out a short letter. Then she gave it to me. I was like: What's this?

"It's your first fan letter," she said. "I wanted to be the first person to write you one."

Aw, isn't that cute?

Anyway, it meant a lot to me, and I stilll have it somewhere. Of course she hadn't read the book at the time. She was too young to read a romance novel as far as I was concerned, but it's the thought that counts.

News: For a limited time, Kimberly Kinrade is selling signed copies of her YA paranormal thriller/romance Forbidden Mind. As an All Hallow's Read bonus, she is also including some awesome gifts with each purchase... including a very special bonus to the first 5 lucky people who place an order. Get a copy for yourself and buy one for a friend in celebration of All Hallow's Read. For more details, visit http://bit.ly/qGMQkz

Courtney released her Bloodstone Saga finale, My Tattered Bonds.

Check out The Paranormal Plumes Haunted Book Tour in Savannah Halloween Weekend! http://www.theplumessociety.com/

30% of the royalties of Lexus Luke's Manitou The Sky People Saga go to the ASPCA.

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines will release on Oct 21. Here is the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aAp6chU-d6o

Here is the list of my other Carni writer friends. Take a peek at their favorite fan experiences. I'm sure they have to be more interesting than mine. :)

T. R. Knight
P. J. Hoover
Madeline Smoot
M. Leighton
J. L. Bryan
Suzy Turner
Dani Snell
Patti Larsen
Nicole Williams
Rachel Coles
Cindy Tefft
Cheri Schmidt
Laura Elliott
Fisher Amelie
Courtney Cole
Cidney Swanson
Lexus Luke
Amy Maurer Jones
Kimberly Kinrade

Happy writing!

Romantic Suspense

2011-10-10T04:42:00.000-07:00

As some of you already know, I used to write for Harlequin. I found out something interesting that I did not know. After a certain amount of years I can get back the rights to my books and publish them again. All I have to do is contact the Contract Department at Harlequin and get a release in writing. Awesome!

What does this mean? I am going to re-publish my old Harlequin Intrigues as ebooks. Plus, I have a couple of romantic suspense novels that were never published. They have been sitting around, collecting dust. It's time to put them to work.

I have no idea what name will be on them yet. I originally used Kasi Blake, but I signed away the use of it to Harlequin, so I would have to get the rights to that back to if I was to use it. I'm thinking of using a pen name instead like Braile Chandler, Brenda Blake, or something with the last name stone. Which one do you think sounds better for a romance writer?

I don't want to use K. C. Blake because that is on my YA novels.

YA INDIE CARNIVAL- Favorite Character to Write For

2011-10-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

This week we are writing posts on our favorite characters to write for. At least this is my understanding on what we're supposed to be doing. Below, as always, I will list the other writers/bloggers so you can check out their posts as well.

My favorite character to write for would have to be Jersey Clifford in the Rule series, probably because I've been living with him for so long. I actually created Jersey for a different book over twenty years ago. It didn't work out, so I put him on a shelf for a while. Then when I began to write Vampires Rule I knew that I would need a strong, compelling bad guy. Jersey seemed like the perfect fit.

What do I love about him?

Well, he's deliciously insane for one thing. Writing for a crazy person can be liberating. They will say and do things that other characters can't or won't. Jersey is fun too. He wears solid black with a splash of color like red sneakers, a dark blue tie, etc. He's been alive for about three thousand years, so he's had plenty of time to educate himself and broaden his mind. His love for literature is what ties him to Jack and gives them common ground.

Jersey often quotes poetry. On reviewer of Vampires Rule said: Jersey is a gentleman, and he willl quote Robert Frost while ripping your face off.

Unfortunately, Jersey had to leave town after the first book, but he still finds ways to annoy Jack in the second, and he will be back for a big chunk of the third book.

Favorite scene with Jersey: When he gets angry while talking to his assistant, and a freaky wolf face imposes itself over his own until he calms down.

Favorite quote from Jersey: After Jack says he's going to win the battle against Jersey, Jersey replies, "That's what I like to hear Jack. Confidence. Even if it is unfounded."

News: Rachel has a new anthology of ghost stories called Beyond The Veil: A Ghost Story Anthology. It will be available Friday on Kindle and is at Smashwords here: at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94161

From Darby:
Griffin Rising is a nominee for the 2011 Cybils Awards (YA fantasy).

From Laura,
In Portland, OR? Tonight 6:30-8:15 pm at the West Linn Library, West Linn, OR 97068 I'll be on tour with The Rain Boots Required Young Adult Authors talking about "The magic of magical realism" *knees knocking*!Also at Wordstock Oct 8-9:)
Check out these other sites and see what these writers fav characters to write about are:

T. R. Knight
P. J. Hoover
Madeline Smoot
M. Leighton
J. L. Bryan
Suzy Turner
Dani Snell
Patti Larsen
Nicole Williams
Rachel Coles
Cindy Tefft
Cheri Schmidt
Laura Elliott
Fisher Amelie
Courtney Cole
Cidney Swanson
Lexus Luke
Amy Maurer Jones

Thank you!!!