Beth Ellyn Summer's Blog, page 3

August 13, 2015

Bad Blood

This may sound crazy, but I have a soft spot for YA stories where friendships end.


It reminds me that it's a natural part of life and is totally normal. I have a story like this (doesn't everyone?). I no longer speak with some girls who were like sisters to me...long story short, I honestly couldn't believe how bitchy they were starting to act. No friendship is perfect, but these girls were becoming downright awful.



It hurts when a best friendship breaks up. Especially when you had friends who were more like sisters, and then, suddenly one day--bam--you're not even talking anymore.



Here are some of my favorite stories that deal with this topic:


Huntley Fitzpatrick's My Life Next Door handled this beautifully and realistically.


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Genevieve and Lara Jean's former friendship (and how they interact since they still hang out in the same circles) was a really great aspect of To All the Boys I've Loved Before/P.S. I Still Love You.


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Anna and her friend from home hit some realistic rocky moments throughout the story, and I loved it.


 


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Have you ever lost a friend you thought you'd have in your life forever??

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Published on August 13, 2015 21:53

August 11, 2015

Cover Reveal Time!!

 I am SO thrilled to be a part of Stephanie Faris' cover reveal for her new chapter book! Check out this adorable cover and blurb!


 


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Piper Morgan Joins the Circus

 


Stephanie Faris

 


 


Cover illustration by Lucy Fleming.

Blurb:

When Piper Morgan has to move to a new town, she is sad to leave behind her friends, but excited for a new adventure. She is determined to have fun, be brave and find new friends.
And after learning her mom’s new job will be with the Big Top Circus, Piper can’t wait to learn all about life under the big top, see all the cool animals, and meet the Little Explorers, the other kids who travel with the show. She’s even more excited to learn that she gets to be a part of the Little Explorers and help them end each show with a routine to get the audience on their feet and dancing along!

But during Piper’s grand debut, her high kicks and pointed toes don't go quite as planned. After causing a dance disaster, she has to prove to everyone--especially queen of the Little Explorers, Lexie--that she belongs in the spotlight. 

Stephanie Faris:





Bio:

Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.


Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, as well as the upcoming Piper Morgan series. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive. 

Links:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram


 


Huge congrats, Stephanie!!! So thrilled for you and can't wait to read this one!! xoxo

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Published on August 11, 2015 21:00

August 6, 2015

Writing Update and Gotcha Day!

My MS is coming along well! The break really helped and now I'm revising scenes. It's funny to think back when I first learned about revision and would change minor things. Now I know it means REWRITES: scrapping scenes, dropping characters to create better ones, and taking the whole thing up a notch! You can't create great moments until you're willing to let go of the drafty stuff.



(I know this quote was meant for life, but I think it also applies to manuscripts).


In other news, Tuesday is Penny's "Gotcha Day" ! I only learned recently that Gotcha Day is a big celebration for those who've adopted kids or pets, since it's the day they officially became part of the family.


I adopted Penny from the local animal shelter on August 11th, 2014, just a few days after my beautiful Pudding passed away </3 Penny has helped heal me so much.


Here's a pic from the first morning I had her (look at that face!) and now!


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How has your summer been going?? And your writing??

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Published on August 06, 2015 21:01

August 3, 2015

Travelers!

I'm so excited for the lovely Meradeth Houston! Her book TRAVELERS is out NOW! And how stunning is this cover??


Travelers_Front Cover


 


 




Travelers Blurb: 


Sienna Crenshaw knows the rules: 1) no time traveling beyond your natural lifetime, 2) no screwing with death, and 3) no changing the past. Ever. Sienna doesn’t love being stuck in the present, but she’s not the type to break the rules. That is, she wasn’t the type until her best friend broke every one of those rules to keep Henry, her twin brother and Sienna’s ex-boyfriend, alive.


 


Suddenly, Sienna is caught in an unfamiliar reality. The upside? Henry is still alive. The downside? Sienna’s old life, including the people in it, has been erased. Now, Sienna and Henry must untangle the giant knot in time, or her parents and all the rest of the Travelers, will be lost forever. One problem: the only way to be successful is for Henry to die.


Release Date: August 4th, 2015


Add TRAVELERS on Goodreads


 


Author Bio:


Travelers_Meradeth Houston_Author Photo



 


I’ve never been a big fan of talking about myself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about me:


 


I'm a California girl. This generally means I talk too fast and use "like" a lot. Since I now live in Montana, sometimes this is a problem.


I have my doctorate in molecular anthropology. Translation: I sequence dead people's DNA and spend a whole lot of time in a lab, which I love.


I've been writing since I was 11 years old. It's my hobby, my passion, and I'm so happy to get to share my work!


My other passion is teaching. There's nothing more fun than getting a classroom of college kids fired up about anthropology! This is probably a good thing, since my day job requires me to teach at the local university.


If I could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because I'm terrified of heights.


 


 


Find Meradeth Houston online at:


 


www.MeradethHouston.com


 


FacebookTwitterInstagramTumblrAmazonGoodreads, and of course her blog!



Blog: meradethhouston.blogspot.com


Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MeradethHouston


Goodreads authorpage: 


https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5321667.Meradeth_Houston


Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeradethHouston


Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/115267905673348540313/posts


Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Meradeth-Houston/e/B0083U5AH2/


Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/meradethhouston


Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/merbear95695/


Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/meradethhouston


Instagram: http://instagram.com/merhouston


Website: www.MeradethHouston.com  


 


And here is an excerpt from the book!





I wasn’t sure if I felt more like Alice in Wonderland or Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I sure wasn’t in Kansas anymore, but it felt like I’d fallen down a rabbit hole.


Another girl outside the stall brushed her hair in the mirror. It took me a second to realize she wore a very prim and proper school uniform, complete with an ugly plaid skirt and pressed shirt. She looked me up and down but said nothing. Though from her head-to-toe inspection of me, she clearly disapproved.


I scanned the room, trying to figure out what else was different. The mirrors were clean—no random lipstick marks or haze from cosmetic spray.


A deeper flare of panic kicked my heart into high gear as I realized Joan had ditched me. I checked the other stalls, each as spotless as the one I materialized into, but other than the other chick at the mirror, I remained alone.


My hands shook as I pushed my hair away from my face.


A sob hitched in my throat, but I forced it down. I had to keep control of myself until I got my butt back where I belonged. Then I could freak out, preferably in the comfort of my room, under my blankets. I’d make a little fort and bring ice cream. My room—I just had to think about my room. Wait, did I even have a room here, wherever I was?


The other girl threw me one last carefully bland look and left the room. Something told me she would go report me to the school authorities. For a second, I thought about trying to catch up to her, but my voice caught in my throat. I took a deep breath and realized if I wanted to get back to my school I needed to figure out where I was. Pronto.


I could Travel from here—I didn’t have to know my starting point—but I’d already managed to get myself in the wrong spot once today. The smartest thing to do would be to stay put until I figured out where I’d landed.  


Taking a deep breath and clutching my textbook to my chest, I pushed the outside door open.
As I glanced around, goose-bumps rose across my back. The layout of this school looked identical to my own. Lockers lined the hallway across from the bathroom door, and the low murmur of voices resonated from the classrooms surrounding me. Of course, there was one big difference. This place was most certainly not a public high school—and not the one I’d left a minute ago.


“There you are. What took you so long?”


I jumped and stifled a scream as someone addressed me.


“Um, I think you have the wrong person.” I turned and met the boy’s eyes. A rush of blood swirled under my skin. He had the best green eyes. They were also unmistakable.


My heart froze in my chest.


Joan’s brother, my boyfriend. Dead boyfriend. Alive and kicking—well, currently he laughed and stood a little too close to me. I struggled to breathe.


“Henry.”


Travelers Release Image



 


Order TRAVELERS here!

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Published on August 03, 2015 20:03

July 30, 2015

Taking a Vacation

So this week I decided to take a writing break for about four days. I know this might not seem like a lot but but for me it is, and when I'm just staring at a MS for hours and nothing is coming to me, I know it's time to step away for a bit. I blame summer.



How can I concentrate when the best season of all the seasons is happening RIGHT NOW.



It's too nice to ignore the outside and I just need a few days to enjoy the weather. So as painful as it is I had to tell my MS, I'm sorry, I need a tiny, mini-break from you.



As writers, how do you all determine it's time to take a break? Since we're essentially our own bosses I find it's way harder to force myseld to ease up. Do you set aside the weekends for a break? Or just take them when you need them?

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Published on July 30, 2015 21:10

July 23, 2015

I'm on Goodreads and I'm Terrified!

Terrified in a good way, of course.


Thanks to my friend Leandra for alerting me to this, I had no clue! AT FIRST BLUSH is on Goodreads! so you can add it to your TBR list if you want to! I'm so excited/nervous! I'm also in the process of claiming the author profile as moi, so I can edit it, add a pic, spruce up the book's description, etc. I have a personal GR but want to use this as my author one.


Add AT FIRST BLUSH on GR here!



How did you feel the first time you saw your book on Goodreads? How do you anticipate you will feel when the day comes? It's WEIRD knowing people are going to be reading it!

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Published on July 23, 2015 21:04

July 21, 2015

Cover Reveal for Medeia Sharif's HOT PINK IN THE CITY!

 
I'm so thrilled to share the cover and blurb for Medeia Sharif's latest book, HOT PINK IN THE CITY, available next month!!
 
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HOT PINK IN THE CITY, Prizm Books
Author: Medeia Sharif
Release date: August 19, 2015
 
Asma Bashir wants two things: a summer fling and her favorite '80s songs. During a trip to New York City to stay with relatives, she messes up in her pursuit of both. She loses track of the hunk she met on her airplane ride, and she does the most terrible thing she could possibly do to her strict uncle…ruin his most prized possession, a rare cassette tape. A wild goose chase around Manhattan and Brooklyn to find a replacement tape yields many adventures—blackmail, theft, a chance to be a TV star, and so much more. Amid all this turmoil, Asma just might be able to find her crush in the busiest, most exciting city in the world.
 
Find Medeia – YA and MG Author
 
Blog   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads   |   Instagram   |   Amazon
 
this sounds so great--a perfect summer read, and I can't wait to read it!
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Published on July 21, 2015 21:01

July 16, 2015

Know Your Audience

We hear this a lot in the publishing world: We're supposed to write for our audience. For me that would be tweens and teens and some young adults. But what happens when you start going all over the place, and writing for multiple age groups? Do you think this can ever work??


Like a lot of people my age I've been watching the show Girl Meets World on Disney Channel. If you grew up in the 90's, you probably watched Boy Meets World obsessively like I did. Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Eric were my idols.


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They seemed so much older and wiser than me, and they were SO DAMN COOL.


Well, Girl Meets World follows Cory and Topanga's daughter, Riley, and her wild best friend Maya.



Other than a few fun references to the old gang (and of course the fact that Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel are reviving their original roles) there weren't a ton of references to BMW in the first season of GMW. And the ones that were thrown out were cute and fun.



Mainly, the show was all about Riley and Maya's school life, Maya getting into way too much trouble, the girls' annoyingly loveable friend Farkle Minkus (yes, the son of Stuart Minkus), and Riley's massive crush on Texas boy, Lucas.



These were storylines I enjoyed. The girl who plays Riley is adorable and is the PERFECT choice for the role. She reminds me exactly of a female version of young Ben Savage.


My issue this season is that they're focusing WAY too much on the past Boy Meets World plots. I can't help but feel like they're writing the season more for the BMW fans and not the tweens that they should be aiming for. Shawn even has his own storyline now as a love interest for Maya's mom/father figure for Maya. Shawn's father (who died in BMW) came back as a ghost to help guide Shawn during a scene, leaving the entire target demographic like



so do you think writers should know their audience and stick to writing for it?? Or is it okay to try and pull in different demographics?? Personally I think they should pepper in a few BMW references but really try to focus on developing the young cast with their own storylines and plots.

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Published on July 16, 2015 21:02

July 10, 2015

WIP Joys and Bad Weather

Not much to say this week! I'm working hard on my WIP and hoping to have it finished and ready for CP/betas sometime in the next month or so (I'm hoping that by announcing that it makes me accountable!)


Also, the weather has been awful here the past few days! All cloudy all the time. I am a huge fan of summer (it's my favorite season) so I'm not too happy.



It's also been annoying me how I can have a few days stumped on my WIP and then a few great days where I write for hours, then run into more problems. I'm not really a procrastinator but in the summer it is harder to focus. One day I'm committed to progress and others it's more like



What do you do when you run into problems with your WIPs? Do you step away or try to push through?

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Published on July 10, 2015 06:06

July 2, 2015

The Ampersand Club & Summer Goals

I have a few summer goals.


1. I want to properly display my ampersands!


Yes, I have joined the cool writers' club and I am the proud owner of ampersands.


Like most writers, I have loved the adorable symbol ever since I was little and thought it was a delicious looking pretzle. I first learned what they were on Wheel of Fortune (yes, back in the day they used to have an ampersand that Vanna revealed before the round began. Now, the word a-n-d is always a part of the puzzle, earning the contestant more money. #Wheelfacts).


Anyway. Here are my ampersands!


Untitled


 


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The second one is a an ampersand made up entirely of ampersands.


I love them!


2. I would very much like to write outside in the warm, fresh air. I could also stand to gain a little color.


I'm not saying I'm pale. I'm just saying Edward Cullen would probably be like "girl, get some sun."



3. ALL THE READING


I was looking through my TBR the other day and FREAKED when I realized so many new books are out, or have been out for a few weeks! SO many new and pretty books.



I mean, it just doesn't get better.


Happy 4th of July to my American blogger friends!! And to everyone overall, happy summer!! What are everyone's plans this weekend??

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Published on July 02, 2015 21:05