L.A. Hendricks's Blog
January 2, 2018
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February 25, 2016
February 22, 2016
#DiverseYA #Giveaway!!!
I’m celebrating the release of my latest novel, Amethyst Rising this week! GL Tomas, author of Mark of Noba and Thelonious Legend, author of Sins of the Father have come together to offer you a chance to get your hands on 3 of the best in YA/Fantasy! Enter today.
February 18, 2016
#CoverReveal – Amethyst Rising – Coming 2/23/2016
Coming 2/23/2016, the second installment of The Skatia Narratives – AMETHYST RISING – will hit the streets.
Queen Marlaveenia has been on the throne for two years and has finally gotten the hand of ruling — sort of. In need of a break, she and her friends travel to Haster, Texas on Earth for some R&R and find nothing but trouble.
Caught in the middle of a plot to minimize her ability to save her people from assimilation by the treacherous Verishe, Marla, along with Madoc, Rhisiart and her mother, Andi, will use every trick up their sleeves and make a few up along the way. And in the process, Marla will discover that she can have everything she wants if she’s willing to fight for it.
PRE-ORDER your copy today!
February 16, 2016
February 11, 2016
#CoverReveal – Half Breed Queen Re-Release 2/23/2016
Coming February 23, 2016 – I’m re-releasing HALF BREED QUEEN, the first book in The Skatia Narratives YA/Fantasy series. With the re-release come a brand new cover! I hope you love it and Marla’s story as much as I do.
Devastating tragedy puts 14-year-old high school freshman Marla Owens, on a fast-paced journey of survival, revival and coming of age. Driven by a force she can’t begin to understand and a burning need to find out the truth, she heads toward her mother’s home in North Dakota. She soon learns more about herself and her family than she could have ever imagined — her mother was royal heir to the powerful Skatian throne! And now the Skatian people need her to protect their world from those who wish to conquer it.
In a classic tale of good versus evil, set on Earth and beyond, a young girl fights to survive to become a young woman—and the reluctant queen of Skatia. Who can she trust? Will she be able to control her own immense abilities and justified anger to do what’s right? One thing’s for sure: Marla’s not in Texas anymore!
PRE-ORDER Your Copy Today!
January 6, 2016
2016 Reading Challenge
Hi all!
This year I’m taking part in a different sort of reading challenge. Using the categories provided, I’ve picked books that are decidedly outside my normal scope – books I’ve been scared to read, or thought may be too challenging, or some I thought may be boring. But 2016 is my do better year because Lord knows I know better. What will you be reading this year?
CATEGORY
TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE FINISHED
A Book Published This Year
Midnight Taxi Tango
Daniel José Older
A Book You Can Finish In A Day
Black Beauty
Constance Burris
A Book You’ve Been Meaning To Read
Bindi
Nnedi Okafor
A Book Recommended By Your Local Librarian or Bookseller
Carry On
Rainbow Rowell
A Book You Should Have Read In School
Native Son
Richard Wright
A Book Chosen For You By Your Spouse, Partner, Sibling, Child, or BFF
Bad Feminist
Roxane Gay
A Book Published Before You Were Born
Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison
A Book That Was Banned At Some Point
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie
A Book You Previously Abandoned
Queen of Shadows
Sarah J. Maas
A Book You Own But Have Never Read
Song Of Blood and Song
L Penelope
A Book That Intimidates You
Between The World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates
A Book You’ve Already Read At Least Once
Queen of Darkness
Anne Bishop
November 19, 2015
New #DiverseSFF Artwork for Amethyst Rising (Book 2 of The Skatia Narratives)
I wanted to share with you Artist Stanley Weaver Jr’s rendering of Marla Owens and her Amethyst Skatian body. All the Skatians have a humanoid and an alien form that the shift between. Tall and strong, a Skatian’s abilities are fed by the power they store in their bodies.
The second installment in The Skatia Narratives, Amethyst Rising tells the story of a young queen battling treason and sabotage while settling into her role as monarch and adult.
Queen Marlaveenia has been on the throne for two years and has finally gotten the hand of ruling — sort of. In need of a break, she and her friends travel to Haster, Texas on Earth for some R&R and find nothing but trouble.
Caught in the middle of a plot to minimize her ability to save her people from assimilation by the treacherous Verishe, Marla, along with Madoc, Rhisiart and her mother, Andi, will use every trick up their sleeves and make a few up along the way. And in the process, Marla will discover that she can have everything she wants if she’s willing to fight for it.
Coming December 2015
November 18, 2015
#Interview with Jessica Cage (@writa_jlodi)
Jessica Cage
Who is your biggest literary influence?
I find myself inspired by authors who break the mold. Those who bring something new to the table no matter how widely accepted those storylines may be. I have a recent love for the work of L.A. Banks. Her books not only entertain, but inspire. I get lost in the pages and find it hard to come up for air. I want to write books like that. I want to captivate an audience. I love Stephenie Meyer though I often get shade for saying it. Twilight brought me back into reading when I had strayed from the book world. I got tired of reading the same thing over and over. Yeah, her vampires sparkled, but they were different and I enjoyed that. I like that readers come back to me after reading my work and say that they had never read anything like it. That they can’t wait for more. That is the best part of this.
What is your writing process like? What inspires your writing?
My process is pretty chaotic, or at least I think others would feel like it is. I usually write about half of the story and then go back to edit. This is also to remind myself of what I’ve written and inspire little ah ha moments for the second half. I feel like it really keeps me in tuned with my characters. My inspiration of writing is pretty random. I’m a creature of emotion so I am touched by things at different times whether it sparks happiness, frustration, anger or passion, if I feel it would lead to a great story I write it down. Some of those (most) never become more than a few words on a piece of paper, others blossom into so much more.
Where did your creative spark begin? Can you trace the path/timeline that got you where you are today?
It began when I was a very young girl. I used to read a lot, and one day I realized that I had all of these little stories in my head and just decided to start putting them on paper. It was a true epiphany for me. That is what the authors of those books were doing. They took those creative imaginings from their mind and shared it with the world. Now, it took me a long time before I was comfortable with the idea of letting others read my work. It wasn’t until after I had my son that I decided to publish. I wanted to be something of an inspiration for him. I wanted to show him an example of someone following their dreams. Lately I’ve come to realize that I did it more for myself as well. Taking that leap of faith and trying to build something, it kept me motivated and busy. It gave me my escape from the world again. From there I have been lucky enough to have worked with some awesome people and I’m just so thrilled to see what else is in store.
When did you know writing was for you?
These first time I wrote a story. All 100 words of it. I gave it to my grandmother who is an old school book junky. Thinking back, she may have been blowing a bit of smoke but she gave me the biggest smile and told me how much she loved it. I just remember that feeling. Even as a young person to be able to make someone happy with what I did. My grandmother was the only person allowed to read my stories for years.
Why speculative fiction? What other genre(s) do you write?
It’s what I love. Is there any other reason? I grew up watching vampire movies and aliens (which I twist into some of my work). Every time I attempt to write a book that doesn’t involve some supernatural / paranormal element…well, it never quite pans out. Currently, I don’t have much published that steps outside of the lines of speculative fiction, though there is one that is a Thriller/Suspense read. I plan to put out some work in the coming year that will be Romantic Comedy. It’s my other love and I am excited for the challenge.
How can people connect with you?
Fantasy lovers can feel free to connect with me via Facebook, Twitter, or by following my blog. I am also on Instagram @jcage_author!
November 4, 2015
#Interview with Cerece Rennie Murphy (@cerecermurphy)
Cerece Rennie Murphy
Who is your biggest literary influence? Hhmmm. That’s hard to say because I love so many writers and I’m always learning, but here are a few of my favorite authors – Toni Morrison is at the top. She writes for all 5 senses and some we don’t even know we have. Alice Walker is another author that I deeply admire. An author friend of mine, who goes by the name of Sarah Elizabeth is also a wonderful talent. Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed and Frank Herbert’s Dune are my 2 favorite science fiction books. I’m reading Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon right now and I love it. Her writing is just like poetry. It’s teaching me a lot about how to take your time and still tell a captivating story. Gosh, I could go on and on so please, stop me now!
What is your writing process like? What inspires your writing? So far, every story I’ve written has started out with a dream or vision that came to me so strongly that I fell in love with it. It is that love that inspires and drives me to write. I want to know what happens. I want to see how it ends. I want to know these characters and do their story justice, so I listen to them, ask them questions and have them tell me their story. When they do tell me, I write it down into what becomes my story outline. From there, I start asking my characters how it happens. I try to see the story as it unfolds in my mind because there is a big difference between knowing what happens and understanding how it happens. The “how” is the actual story that you’re telling. The “how” becomes my chapter outline and then I write each chapter based on the chapter outline. The structure of the chapter outline then allows me to get full immersed in just writing/telling the story because I’ve worked out the plot. I know the story’s twists and turns and I know the journey of each character. Now all I have to do is discover the details and surprises. It’s my favorite part of the process because, at this point in my writing, I’m the audience and the conduit. I’m not trying to work anything out; I’m just running with my characters and trying to record everything that I feel and see and know so that you, the reader, will feel it, too.
Where did your creative spark begin? Can you trace the path/timeline that got you where you are today? Honestly, I never thought I would be here – an author of 4 novels. This was not in my plan, but I can tell you that I’ve been a science fiction fan since I was 7 years old, watching Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back in the Uptown Theater with my mom and sister. So when I got the idea for the Order of the Seers Trilogy, I was so excited and so humbled that I had an idea for my very own science fiction story that I knew I would not let it go. A lot of my life has been about focusing on what I wanted to do vs. what I thought I could do. If I wanted to learn something, do something or try something, I’ve always been the kind of person who would just focus on the steps to getting it done and try hard. Even now, I almost never stop to think, “Can I do this?” Up until very recently, my answer to that question would usually be “No! Of course you can’t do that! What are you thinking?” But I don’t give myself a chance to have that conversation. Usually I think, “Do you want to do it?” and if the answer is “Yes” then I focus on the how and, eventually, when I look up, I’ve gone farther and accomplished things that I never imagined I could do.
When did you know writing was for you? I’ve been writing poetry since I was 11 or 12 years
old. I’ve always enjoyed the process of giving voice to your thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams. I kept a journal pretty actively right up until my mid-30s, but I never shared my poetry or essays with anyone and honestly never wanted to. Up until I published my first book, writing was always a process of internal discover and that was enough for me. I published Order of the
Seers because I believe that the idea for the story, and every story idea I’ve gotten since, is a blessing to me and a blessing is not complete until it’s shared. I never wanted to be a writer who shared their work, but I believe that the stories that are coming to me now are meant to be shared. But at the end of the day, I still write because I love the story. I don’t think that will change.
Why speculative fiction? What other genre(s) do you write? The idea for Order of the Seers came to me 4 years ago while I was washing the dishes. I connected with it immediately because I’ve loved sci-fi for a long time. Speculative fiction is a genre that has given so much to me as a young girl looking for new ways to see the world. I’m so honored that the story of Order of the Seers came to me because I never would have attempted speculative fiction otherwise. I just completed my 1st children’s book, titled Ellis and the Magic Mirror with my son, so I guess now I’m a children’s book author, too. We wrote the book together because my son asked me to write him a book that he could read and I’m so grateful that he did. We had a wonderful time creating that book together. Right now, I’m working on a historical romance and once I’m finished with that I will start writing a 2 part-space opera along with the 2nd book in the children’s book series. So I guess I write in whatever genre I feel like. LOL! It kind of makes sense for me though because I read almost every genre, so I’m open to inspiration from any direction.
How can people connect with you? Folks can check out my website at cerecerenniemurphy.com. They can also find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Cerece-Rennie-Murphy-205753729546299/ and on Twitter @cerecermurphy. Thanks again for the opportunity to do this interview. It’s been a pleasure.
