L.J. Higgins's Blog, page 12

Blurb Reveal : On Delicate Wings

I’ve been working on a book that is very different from the Dreamer Trilogy. It’s a contemporary young adult novel, that deals with some of the issues faced by teens today. I remember how hard it was to fit in at high school while trying not to submit to peer pressure, so it was important for me to write this story. It deals with themes such as drugs, alcohol and sex, so may not be appropriate for younger teens, but I do think it should open conversation between a guardian/parent and their teen about these topics.

So here it is, the blurb for my next book which I hope to release in late November 2016.

On Delicate Wings

Mia Walters, is optimistic that her final year of high school will be different. She’s tired of watching the cool girls from afar, and is sick of being a stereotypical loser.

When new girl, Chelsea Saint, arrives at school with her sassy and confident persona, she offers Mia the very thing she wanted. The chance to be one of the cool girls.

Alcohol, boys, sex and drugs tear Mia in two. Caught between the good girl she used to be and the illusion of the person she wanted to be, Mia needs to be careful she doesn’t lose herself in the new world Chelsea has introduced her to.

Is it too late for her to go back to the girl she was before?

 

I would love to hear about your thoughts in the comments below and look forward to revealing the cover soon!

Inspiration – Guest post by Michelle Lynn

“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” -Saul Bellow

I know what you’re all picturing right about now. A stereotypical writer, lying in bed – maybe some crumpled papers surrounding them because they fell asleep trying to make sense of the book they were writing. It was frustrating. The writer’s block was fierce until they finally closed their eyes, glasses slightly askew, hair mussed. Their eyes suddenly pop open. A sly grin tugs at the corner of their lips. Their husband or wife grumbles something unintelligible as the newly energized writer rolls out of bed, pulls on a robe, and sits down in front of their type writer – because, why not?

You don’t fool me, that’s exactly what you think of when someone says “writer’s inspiration” as if it’s a singular “AHA” moment where the story floods their mind. Well, I’m here to tell you that those moments aren’t enough. Your book can’t survive on rare golden nights. They would starve without the coffee filled mornings or the average, not-so-special days of writing.

So, what does the writer do? Why, they create inspiration of course! Some would call it finding rather than creating, but I am not one of those people. In order to be inspired, you have to be open to it; you have to look for it. You must let the ordinary seem extraordinary. This is creation – taking the mundane and seeing it for what it is. Life. Life is inspiring.

There are two lines from an iconic Willy Wonka song that stick with me as a writer.

“Take a look and you’ll see into your imagination.”

“What we’ll see will defy explanation.”

You can’t explain it, but you must look for it and it will be there. The best writers have learned to channel the energy of their daily lives into their works. Family, jobs, pets, friends, big life events. All fodder for books; all things that inspire creativity. For those of you that surround an author, keeping their life interesting, don’t stop.

This one might surprise, but sporting events can inspire. I’ve written an entire book based on a hockey team and I’ll tell you a little secret. It’s my best book.

Things in life that bring you joy, grieve you, anger you, or make you laugh. Take Willy Wonka’s words to heart and you’ll see. You’ll find what you need to be inspired and to inspire others. Don’t forget, you too are a piece in someone else’s story. They may not need that “AHA” moment either. They might just need you.

September is inspiration month at MichelleLynnAuthor.com. So visit her blog to hear from other authors about finding what works for them!

Michelle Lynn is the Author of the Dawn of Rebellion series and also the New Beginnings series. You can find her books on Amazon HERE!

The Evolution of Writing

At the last book club get together, one of our members mentioned that, although she didn’t enjoy reading The Time Travelers Wife this time, she remembered thoroughly enjoying it years ago when it first came out. It made me think about how much writing has changed over the years and how different our expectations are when we’re reading books. The world itself has changed. People want more for less, and want things to be easier to purchase and to have it in their hands as soon as possible. Could this be what has changed books and how we enjoy them?



There was a time when, to read a book you would either have to search through hundreds of titles at the library to find the one that stood out to you, or find your favourite genre in a book shop. Then the internet made it easier by offering online shopping. You could sit at your computer and read through the blurbs of every book and look at every cover until you chose your favourite one, then you could pay with the click of a button and it would be delivered to your door. Released in 2007, the Amazon Kindle changed reading again. You no longer had to wait for your book to be delivered in 3-7 days. With the click of a button it would arrive miraculously on your kindle device and you could begin reading immediately.

I can’t help but think that the changes in how we purchase and read books also altered what we like to read. There was a time when books were full of beautiful prose, describing every element of every scene. And although there are many books still written this way, many of the best sellers and most popular novels are written with less descriptive text, more dialogue and shorter chapters. Making it easier, and less time consuming to read a book.

Perhaps, despite the changes in how you can purchase books, my friend simply outgrew The Time Traveler’s Wife. Our preferences change as we mature and experience different things in life. Some books appear to span across ages (one of my favourite series is still Harry Potter by J K Rowling), and you can love them for years, where as others you outgrow and move on.

Another reason could be because books are so cheap now on kindle, people are less invested. When you pay $20 or more for a book, maybe you force yourself to sit, read and enjoy it much more than if it was $0.99 on Amazon?



Do you find your tastes for reading have changed over the years? Where you use to love contemporary young adult stories, you’re now drawn to more fantastical adventures? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

Book Club – The Time Travelers Wife

 

This month we all met up at Kristy’s house where we were served a delicious paella before we started discussing the months book choice, The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

Usually if I decide a book isn’t for me I don’t write a review. I keep my thoughts to myself realising that not every book is for everybody. But, seeing as this is my monthly book club post I will relay what myself and my fellow book clubbers thought. I’m going to be honest straight away, and admit I didn’t finish reading this book. It’s actually the very first time I’ve put a book down half way through and wasn’t able to push myself to pick it back up again. I found the story over descriptive, lacking dialogue and I didn’t connect with the characters or the story. Harsh, I know. But similar opinions were given by the rest of my book clubbers. The struggle to read it was a common theme at our monthly get together. One member Katie was surprised she found it so hard to read as she remembered reading it when it first came out in 2003 and loving it. I guess that says a lot about how writing itself has evolved along with peoples taste and expectations in books.

Those of us who have seen the movie all agreed it was much better than the book, which is rare in itself. But if you love reading lengthy description to help create a picture in your mind, this could very well be the book for you.

We gave it an average score of 4.25 out of 10.

4 Books I Enjoyed Reading in August!

I’ve been making a huge effort to fit more reading time into my life over the past month or so, and I’ve been rewarded by reading some amazing books. As an author I think it’s important to read as much as possible, not only to see how other authors write, but to extend my vocabulary and to inspire more ideas of my own. Four of the books I read really drew me into their worlds, so I thought I’d share them with you.

 

Firstlife (Everlife #1) by Gena Showalter

4 STARS

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death. In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision.

 

  The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

5 STARS

The 5th Wave is set in a world that has been taken over by aliens who will do all they can to make the human race extinct. The problem? They look just like us. Cassie is on her own after losing her mother in the 3rd wave, her father to ‘them’ and her brother has been taken to the safety of a government run facility. With her focus on finding her brother and surviving, she is confused by the sudden appearance of Evan Walker. She’d though surviving meant doing it alone but could Evan help her find her survive long enough to find her brother?

 

 

Strain of Resistance (Strain of Resistance #1) by Michelle Bryan

5 STARS

Strain of Resistance is a new twist on the end of the world, alien invasion story. When Bixby was 12 she witnessed an alien species (known as leeches in the book) viciously take over human bodies and destroy life as she knew it.

The new world has hardened her and I loved Bixby’s tenacity and smart mouth humour. The cast of survivors around her only added to my love of the story. Michelle Bryan sucks you right into the story and I found it almost impossible to put this book down.

Mature themes. 17+ Rating

 

Eve of Tomorrow (Dawn of Rebellion #3) by Michelle Lynn

5 STARS

I couldn’t put this book down. I was so excited to finally read the final instalment of the Dawn of Rebellion series, Eve of Tomorrow, and I was not disappointed.

I really enjoyed watching Dawn grow into a strong, independent, young woman, while I felt Gabby softened throughout the book with the help of her new love interest, which was a welcome change from her harsh attitude in Book two.

Eve of Tomorrow is packed full of action which makes it hard to stop reading, and it was easy to get swept up into Dawn and Gabby’s world. They go through hell in the final instalment, and there are times I just wanted to reach out and give each of them a hug and tell them it was going to be okay.

 

I highly recommend you grab a copy of each of these books (all are available on Amazon) and I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have read any of them or have recommendations of your own! If you want to see whats on my TBR (To Be Read) List head to Goodreads HERE.

Tranquility

Tranquility ~ The quality or state of being tranquil; 

It’s easy to say you need more tranquility or serenity in your life, but sometimes it’s hard to find. With work, kids, school, housework and other commitments, sometimes it’s easy to forget to stop and spend time finding your peace of mind. I, for one, am guilty of this. I over commit myself, then get to the end of the day realising the one thing I forgot to make time for, was myself.

So how can we make sure we bring tranquility back into our life? Sometimes it’s as simple as noticing when you are stressed or overwhelmed and taking a moment to take deep breaths. Taking some simple deep breaths can calm your heart rate and slow your thoughts, allowing you to approach your next task with a still mind and a less stressed attitude.

Some other ideas are:

Reading; It’s a great way to escape life for an hour or so and immerse yourself in a completely different world.
Writing or being creative; You use different parts of your brain when your being creative making it easy to forget your everyday stresses.
Grounding yourself; Get outside and back to nature. Take off your shoes and feel the grass, sand or dirt beneath your feet to re-energise yourself.

These are just some things I like to do, but no matter what you chose to do, take a moment every day to calm yourself. Your body and mind will thank you for it.

What do you do to bring tranquility back into your life?

Where is the most tranquil place you’ve been?

Thank you to Katherina Schwarz for the topic of todays post.

Rise of the Dreamer Launch Party

What a night! Rise of the Dreamer’s launch party was a great success on Saturday night, with over 60 people attending Crow Street Creative. 18 of those people got to take home amazing lucky door prizes, and everyone got to eat the delicious food including risotto, pulled pork rolls, thai chicken balls, pumpking soup, sticky date pudding, caramel tarts and much more! I owe Katie Wilson a HUGE thank you for catering for me, if it’s the food that makes the event, then the food alone made the launch amazing. It was so nice to see friends, family and many new faces all keen to celebrate with me and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for supporting me.

I have many people to thank for making Rise of the Dreamer’s launch party the success that it was.

My MC Tash, I’m not someone who is overly comfortable speaking in front of large groups of people, but it was much easier knowing I had her by my side. My friends and family who gave up their own time to help me set up, serve food, give out tickets and more; My mum Jane, sister Lisa, Kylie, Charmaine, Aimee, Valeria, Casey, Petra, Katey and Jacqui. They made the entire night stress free. I was also incredibly lucky to have my good friend Kylie do my hair and help pick my outfit, and to have Robyn from Mary Kay to do my make up. Ann-Maree, not only is she my very talented cover designer, she also designed my flyers, made my banners and created the DREAMER projection for the wall. I am incredibly lucky to have such supportive friends and family and I couldn’t do this without their help and encouragement.

Always cheering me on from the sidelines is my husband Tim and our two beautiful children. They inspire me and encourage me to do what I love every day… WRITE!

Something that made the night extra special was all of the prizes I got to give away for lucky door draws. Thank you to the following for their donations towards the event! Be sure to check out their ranges on their pages.

Author Michelle Bryan, Author Michelle Lynn, Amanda from Your Inspiration at Home, Sarhan from SA Ultimate Fitness, Tash from Younique, Christine from Created by Christine, Kath from Kaths Krafty Korner, Nelly from Scentsy, Allison from Jamberry, Trev & Casey from Blackdog Stickers & Signs, Robyn from Mary Kay, Jaki from Lorraine Lee Linen, Gladstone Area Writers Group, Stacy from Baby Mumma, Danielle from Euphoria Candles and Amy from Tupperware.

Thank you again to everyone who made Saturday night so amazing. And congratulations to all of the prize winners!

Couldn’t make it? Check out the photo’s below.

Winners of the Rise of the Dreamer Giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who put in entries for the Rise of the Dreamer Giveaway that ended at midnight last night!

Here are the winners!!!

Prize 3: Sylva F 

Prize 2: Jane O

Prize 1: Yvonne P

Congratulations to all of you,  I hope you enjoy your amazing prizes.

Also a HUGE thank you to Luminique’s Boutique, Intuitive Creations by Nicole and Blackdog Stickers & Signs for their donations towards the giveaway!

Rise of the Dreamer – Launch Week!

It’s finally here, Rise of the Dreamer is now available for purchase as both an eBook and Softcover from Amazon and Our Tiny Emporium.

It’s hard for me to believe that the trilogy is now over, and that I will have to put Amelia and her friends aside and work on something new. But they will forever have a place in my heart and I hope they’ve found their way into yours too.

The best part about me releasing Rise of the Dreamer, other than the fact you can now read what comes after the cliff-hanger ending of Fall of the Dreamer, is that I have lots of exciting things going on. I wanted to make sure you don’t miss out on any of them!

I currently have two giveaways running. A HUGE Rise of the Dreamer Giveaway where you could be the winner of one of three amazing prize packs. All you have to do is head HERE to enter for your chance to win!

The second giveaway is to celebrate my books being available at Our Tiny Emporium, Tank Street Gladstone, QLD. If you are in the Gladstone area all you need to do is head into their store and take a selfie with my books on the shelf. Then share the picture on my Facebook page or Instagram using #ljhigginsbooks for the chance to win one of two Dreamer Prize Packs.

So, once you’ve finished entering all of these amazing giveaways, the other thing you can do is head to my official launch party at Crow Street Creative, Gladstone on the 30th of July. There are over fifteen lucky door prizes to be given away and all you have to do is turn up for a chance to win one.

Can’t make it to the launch party? That’s okay, I will be part of an online book launch called the Fierce Four Book Launch, with three other amazing authors, Michelle Lynn, Kayla Howarth and Kimberly Readnour. All you have to do is show up at 10am AEST on the 1st of August to be a part of the fun and games.

Thank you so much for your continued support. Without your encouragement and inspiration I wouldn’t be where I am today, doing what I love… writing. I am excited to share my upcoming projects with you and hope you enjoy the Dreamer Trilogy as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Keep Dreaming,

L J Higgins

Real World Dreamers – Ann Maree

This weeks Real World Dreamer is my talented cover designer Ann-Maree. She may be the final Real World Dreamer I will be introducing you to in this blog series, but she is full of talent and has a great eye for design. Ann-Maree is a FIFO wife and a work at home mum of a 2 and 6.5 year old. Her favourite colours are burnt orange, eggplant purple and olive green and her family have two gold fish (Zoe and Jack). She gets butterflies working on her iMac and just she’s a list writer and note taker who loves taking photos and compiling DIY projects.

 

LJ: What are your dreams?

Ann-Maree: To find/make ‘home’; but never stop random road tripping.

LJ: What do you think makes you a Dreamer?

Ann-Maree: I’m a day dreamer, a fire/cloud/star/beach gazer – the world is a little simpler if you allow your mind and heart to wander.

LJ: Where is your favourite place to do what you love and why?

Ann-Maree: My favourite place . . . Tasmania – the most breathtaking scenery, beautiful historical architecture, supportive contemporary art culture, fresh air, amazing hospitality, incredibly fresh food, spectacular seasons and ‘Fiji’ time.

LJ: What do you do to take some time out for yourself?

Ann-Maree: ‘My time’ comprises of a cup of tea and chocolate after little people bed time.  I love to people watch and take great pleasure in the treat of tidy eyebrows, a pedi and grey coverage.

LJ: What are you reading right now?

Ann-Maree: I’m currently studying Typography, my favourite resource is ‘Graphic Design Australian Style Manual’ – contemporary yet informative. The anticipation of waiting for ‘Rise of the Dreamer’ has not been easy, as the cover/event designer – ‘details’ have had to have been discussed.

LJ: What advice would you give someone who has a dream they want to pursue?

Ann-Maree: I think dreams keep us free, we don’t have to grow old if we keep chasing the progression of our dreams.

LJ: If you weren’t doing what you are right now, what do you think you’d be doing?

Ann-Maree: I’m sure I’d be stuck in SE QLD peak hour traffic and wearing a uniform.

LJ: Where and how can people find and contact you?

Ann-Maree: www.facebook.com/CreatetheOccasion  Print Design | Ann-Maree Macmillan

LJ: If you were stuck on a deserted island with food and water, what 3 other items would you want to have with you?

Ann-Maree: My family, Sketch book, Pencils.

I really enjoyed getting to know Ann-Maree even better. As my friend and designer I get to spend a lot of time talking with her and bouncing creative ideas back and forth with her, and I was so happy to introduce her to you. I look forward to continuing to working with Ann-Maree on my future book covers and marketing material, I’m excited for what is on it’s way for us both.

As well as thanking all of my Real Life Dreamers for taking the time out of their busy lives to answer my questions so that we can learn a little about them, I want to thank you for reading. I hope that by reading their stories you can find a little inspiration to follow your own dreams, no matter how big or small they may be. As a Dreamer myself, I encourage you to take time out of your day to stop, take a deep breath, and appreciate the amazing world around you. Find some shapes in the clouds, admire the many years it took for a tree to grow, or be amazed by the amount of stars that dot the night sky.

Have a dream you are pursuing, or a Real World Dreamer yourself? I’d love to hear about it below in the comments!