Sabrina Ramoth's Blog, page 2

YA Scavenger Hunt

In June, I will be taking part in a massive scavenger hunt sponsored by An Alliance of Young Adult Authors. This is an opportunity  to discover new authors, grab a bunch of free books for your summer reading, and sign up to win a whole bunch of epic prizes!Are you ready to join the hunt?RULESThe Scavenger Hunt will begin onJune 1st!Each author will be given a special keyword, which will be bolded and all caps like this: BUTTERFLIES.All you have to do is visit all the author’s sites in order, write down the special keywords to discover the short story, then enter the giveaway with the completed short storyHERE.There will be one main giveaway for the main prize, but most of the participating authors will also have smaller giveaways so make sure you read all their post carefully to see what else they’re offering while you’re on their site for the keyword.THE MAP (PARTICIPATING AUTHORS)1.Cindy Ray Hale2. Katherine Bogle3. Melle Amade4. David Kudler5. A.M. Yates6. Alethea Kontis7. Stevie Rae Causey8. Katlyn Duncan9. Debbie Manber Kupfer10. Meredith Efken11. Meredith Rose12. Lara Ann13. K.M. Robinson14. J.A. Culican15. Heather Karn16. Rob L. Slater17. Dylan Keefer18. Sarah K. Wilson19. L.J. Higgins20. Gina Marie Long21. Em Kazmierski22. Travis Hall23. Heather Young-Nichols24. Anna Santos25. J.L. Weil26. Jo Schneider27. Rebecca Fernfield28. Kristin D. Van Risseghem29. Martine Lewis30. Tara Benham31. Stacy Claflin32. Beth Hammond33. Erica Monroe Cope34. Nicole Zoltack35. Char Webster36. Sabrina Ramoth37. T.J. Muir38. Raquel Lyon39. Beth Rodgers40. S.L. Beaumont41. Eva Pohler42. Melanie McFarlane43. Cheryllynn Dyess44. Audrey Rich45. Amanda Zieba46. Sandie Will47. Elle Scott48. Angie Grigaliunas49. Ashley Maker50. Mandy Peterson51. Audrey Grey52. Elisa Dane53. Amy McNulty54. Melinda Cordell55. Monica Leonelle56. Claire Luana57. Frost Kay58. Preeti C. Sharma59. Bentz Deyo60. April Wood61. Lena Mae Hill62. Angel Leya63. Wendi Wilson64. Wendy Knight65. Chogan Swan66. Tamara Hart Heiner67. Norma Hinkens68. Patti Larsen69. Megan Crewe70. Jamie Thornton71. Jessie Renée72. T.A. Maclagan73. Lydia Sherrer74. Phyllis Moore75. P.D. Workman76. J.A. Armitage77. K.N. Lee78. Angela Fristoe79. Rhonda Sermon80. G.K. DeRosa81. Erin Richards82. Ali Winters83. Larissa C. Hardesty84. Kristine Tate85. Debra Kristi86. Bella Rose87. Cortney Pearson88. Jeff Kohanek89. Kristal Shaff90. Rachel Morgan91. Emma Right92. C.L. Cannon93. Joanne Macgregor94. Lindsey Loucks95. Farah Kuck96. Erin Hayes97. Jesikah Sundin98. Dorothy Dreyer99. Danielle Annett100. C.J. Ethington101. L.C. Hibbett102. Madeline Dyer103. Katie John104. Nicole Schubert105. Rachel Medhurst106. Tee G Ayer107. May Freighter108. Heather Dyer109. Jen Minkman110. J.L. Gillham111. Karen Tomlinson112. Kate Haye113. Tom Shutt114. Martina Billings115. Jo Ho116. Brian King117. Inna Hardison118. Rachel Bateman119. Sally Henson120. J.L. Hendricks121. A.L. Knorr122. T.M. Franklin123. Konstanz Silverbow124. Felisha Antonette125. Jake Devlin126. S.F. Benson127. Laurie Treacy128. Emily Martha Sorensen129. Leia Stone130. T. Rae Mitchell131. J. Keller Ford132. Kat Stiles133. Jessica Hawke134. Elyse Reyes135. Sophie Davis136. Bianca Scardoni137. Jenetta Penner138. David R. Bernstein139. Olivia Wildenstein140. Derek MurphyFor rules, updates or trouble-shooting, please refer tothis main postwhich will stay updated.TIMELINEThe YA Authors will post the rules and the full list of participating authors sometime in June, and have their post up and visible on their site/blog, with their keyword, byJune 1st.Readers just need to go through the list, find the words, and use the story to enter for the grand prize.Join the hunt!

Author Spotlight: Melanie McFarlane

One of the best part of my job is I get to become friends with other authors. As a reader, I could only dream to have some real life author friends to fan girl over. But since diving into the Publishing Industry myself, I've made some pretty great friends in the book world, and today one of them has a new release to celebrate!Summoner RisingLaw One: A summoner is responsible for all creatures she lets through from the netherworld.Dacie Cantar wishes someone had explained the Laws of Summoning to her before she watched a shadowy creature crawl out of a painting at the local arcade.But at least it explains the strange things she's witnessed since moving in with her great-aunt, after her mother's untimely death. But who wants to be followed by shadows the rest of their life?Add that to being stalked by a strange boy at school, who just might be her Tovaros or soulmate, and it's about all Dacie can handle in her new life.As she nears her seventeenth birthday, will she be ready for her new responsibilities, or will the shadows that stalked her mother until her death, finally consume Dacie, too?And then there's Law Two...Summoner Rising is available at all major book retailers. Get your copy today!Whether it’s uncovering the corruption of the future, or traveling to other worlds to save the universe, Melanie McFarlane jumps in with both hands on her keyboard. Though she can be found obsessing over zombies from time to time, Melanie focuses her powers on writing young adult stories to keep the rest of the world up reading all night.

Destination - New Orleans

[image error]New Orleans is a city steeped in mystery and rich culture. A place where signs such as this are the norm. So naturally when I was looking for a setting for my novel about witches, New Orleans seemed the perfect choice. During the developmental phase I scoured the internet for all I could  find to get a feel for this beautiful city. But street view and google images could only  get me so far. Ultimately I decided I would get a much better feel for it if I actually went there.So, after completing my first draft of The Curse of the Bruel Coven, I set out on a research trip with two of best friends.In January of 2014 we landed at the New Orleans airport and the smell of the Louisiana Bayous quickly filled the cabin of the plane. We had arrived! We got in our rental car and crossed the Mississippi, heading for the French Quarter.The Cornstalk HotelWe stayed at the Cornstalk Hotel. Built in 1816, it’s listed on the National Historical Register. It gets its name for the cast iron fence in front of the building added in 1840 by the owner for his wife, an Iowa native who had become home sick. It is located on Royal Street, a street that certainly lives up to its name, lined with art and antique shops and is great for window shopping. The hotel is also known for being one of the most photographed hotels in the French Quarter and we soon became well aware of that during our many comings and goings.The inside of the hotel is exquisitely decorated with antique furnishings, similar to how I envision Grand'Meres house.The view from the balcony of the Cornstalk.ToursNew Orleans offers a wide variety of unique tourist attractions, everything from museums to shopping and steamboat rides up the Mississippi. There is something for everyone.The Ghost & Vampire TourThe Ghost & Vampire tour is a nightly walking tour, starting at Flanagan’s Pub where you can have a drink and pose with a skeleton before embarking on your haunted adventure.[image error]One of the stops along the tour was at Madame Delphine’s House of Torture. It is said that if you walk underneath the gallery you might be taking something home with you.  Our tour guide Luke gave us his commentary, safely on the other side of the street.Another was the Andrew Jackson Hotel, said to be the most haunted hotel in New Orleans. Guests have reportedly awoken to find pictures of themselves sleeping on their cameras.But the best of the tour was the Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. It is located on the quieter end of Bourbon and it dates back to 1700’s. Rumored to be one of the most haunted bars in New Orleans, the story we were told is that Lafitte’s right hand man had been caught stealing gold so his head was burned in the very fireplace that stands today.  Legend says, sometimes the pirates face appears in the flames.While in the bar, I took several shots of the fireplace in hopes of catching a glimpse of the face in the fire. Later that night while back in our room I was scrolling back through my pictures of the tour and much to my surprise I got something! If you look closely in the center of the two flames, you can see eyes and a nose. I promise you, this picture is not photo shopped in anyway.Swamp ToursSince some of my characters lived out in the swamp, I figured a swamp tour was in order. With just a short drive outside New Orleans into the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park is the Jean Lafitte Swap Tour.You hop aboard a little boat like this and cruise down a canal and out into the bayou. It was a fascinating experience with a wonderful Cajun tour guide who was very knowledgeable about the local plant and wildlife.[image error]Though January is unseasonably cool, we were lucky and saw quite a few gators soaking up the sun on the warm afternoon.[image error]Along the Bayou the knees of the cypress trees stick out above the water. These knees are actually the plants root system, where the tree gets its oxygen. Most of the trees are draped in Spanish moss, which we learned doesn’t kill the trees. It was once used as stuffing for beds.[image error]Plantation ToursWhile visiting New Orleans there are many Plantation Tours to choose from. I strongly recommend seeing one, it was without a doubt the highlight of our trip.Oak Alley PlantationWe chose Oak Alley because I had been using it as the inspiration for the Shady Oak Plantation in my novel. I later found out it is also the house Louie burns to the ground in the movie adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. The grounds of this plantation are simply stunning with beautiful gardens and these magnificent three hundred year old trees, planted sometime in the early 1700’s, well before the house was built.The sound of the ringing bell every half hour, signifies the start of the guided tour of the main house, given by staff dressed in antebellum period clothing.  On your tour you will learn about the history of the house and all its owners.We also learned about some fun customs of the Antebellum time period. Like placing a pineapple on the bed of a guest was a polite way of letting them know they had over stayed their welcome.[image error]We also learned about the courting candle. If you have a daughter you may want to pick one up at the gift shop before you leave.The besties and I on the upper gallery overlooking the front alleyWe also had a bite to eat in the restaurant. It is where I tried alligator bites. They were actually quite good, they tasted like chicken if you’re curious but not adventurous enough to try them. And my first mint julep.Jackson Square & Saint Louis CathedralSaint Louis Cathedral overlooking Jackson Square, by day art vendor set up displays and at night fortune tellers take their place. It is also where you will find the horse and carriage rides, they line up along Decatur Street in front of Jackson Square.CemeteriesGuided tours are available for a price, we opted to go the free route and go it alone for our visit. St. Louis Cemetery Number One is one of many cemeteries located in New Orleans. Whether you visit any of the Saint Louis Cemeteries or The Lafayette over in the Garden District, a stroll through the cemetery certainly won’t disappoint.New Orleans has a unique approach to burial not seen anywhere else in the continental U.S. The above ground tombs or crypts house the cities dead. The tombs come in wide variety of designs, some being elaborate works of art, while others being of simple brick.Crypts or vaults as they are sometimes called are, generally family tombs meaning that they are used by the entire family.  After a person passes away their body is placed in the crypt for a year and day. The extra day given out of respect of the anniversary of death. During this time frame the inside heats up much like an oven cremating the body in the Louisiana heat, hence the term “oven” vaults. After this time period is up, the grounds keeper will open the vault, and sweep the remains into a grate located in the back of the tomb where they will join all those who have passed before them.St. Louis Number 1 is the where you will find the tomb of the New Orleans Voodoo Queen, Maria Laveau.[image error]CUISINEWhile there is no shortage of places to eat in New Orleans I have chosen to highlight a few of my personal favorites.Just across from The Cornstalk we found a quaint little eatery. Café Amelie. Unfortunately, it was raining and we missed the opportunity to dine out in the court yard. But the inside was equally as charming with the antique furnishings and combination of plaster and brick walls. It later beer became the inspiration for the cafe Desmond takes Vivienne and Savannah to in my book.Oh and the food, excellent! Do try their Jambalaya.[image error][image error][image error][image error]Breakfast didn’t seem to be a popular meal among New Orleans locals, but Beignets and Café au lait at Café Du Monde are a must! Though I will warn you, getting a table at this iconic establishment can be a bit of a hassle. It’s self-serve seating, so when you see someone getting up from a table, make a run for it.  Even if there is a long line Café Du Monde is well worth the wait!And of course no trip to New Orleans is complete without a trip to Bourbon Street.Whether it’s dining or a party you’re looking for, Bourbon Street never closes. But don’t venture too far down past the bars, unless half naked ladies is your thing. At night a section of Bourbon is blocked off to motor vehicles and becomes a huge block party. You can hang out in the street drinking if you so choose, watching various street performers. There’s also plenty of bars to choose from, live music can be heard pouring out from each establishment.While in New Orleans, balcony dinningon Bourbon Street is another must!We ate at a little dive bar called Johnny White’s Pub & Grille. To get up to the balcony you had to climb an old steep spiral staircase so don’t get too drunk or you may have a heck of a time getting back down.  I was undecided with what to eat so I went for their Cajun Sampler, a dish that consists of red beans & rice, crawfish etouffee’ and shrimp creole. To describe it in one word would be delish!I hope that you all enjoyed some of the highlights from my trip. Should you ever have the opportunity to visit New Orleans, I hope you love it as much as I did.

Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Book Cover

We've all heard the phrase, don't judge a book by it's cover. But let's face it, it's something we've all done. Walking down the isle of our favorite book store, we skim the shelves looking for that cover, the one that jumps out and beckons us to pull it from the shelf.A books cover is our first impression and we all know how important first impressions can be. And as an indie author, deciding on the cover for my book was the single most important task. Aside from writing a good book of course. So today I want to take you behind the scenes on the making of a book cover.First, and foremost was finding a cover designer. But let me add a word of caution: As with all freelancers, please do yourself a favor, get references and samples of their work before hiring anyone. Lucky for me I already had one in mind. Jenny at Seedlings Design Studio came highly recommend from several of my author friends. Almost all of my production team has come to me via author recommendation. Which is why networking is so important. If your an author and you don't have a tribe, don't go it alone! Email me and I'd be happy to plug you in with some people.After the legalities of deposits and contracts were complete, Jenny sent me a questioner to fill out to get information about my book. A few days later, Jenny, being the talented artist that she is sent me several different design concepts.Since The Bruel Family Grimoire plays a huge role in the story, naturally, a grimoire was one of the design concepts. Jenny thought Lizette's ring could tie in with this option as well.Another design concept was to use Tarot Cards as a design inspiration. Ultimately, it was the bold colors of this option won me over.After choosing a design concept, next on the list was to choose a font. Since the Tarot Card concept was to be heavily type-driven, choosing a font was was super important.Now that the font and concept choices were made, we needed to decide on specific Tarot Card elements to include. Since the moon was a key to one of the pivotal spells in the book and New Orleans is also know as The Crescent City, it was decided that the Moon Card would be the focus of the overall design concept for this book. With all the design elements in place, Jenny sent me a final image board to look over and approve before she began work on her designs.[image error]A few days after approving the overall concept, I got my composite covers. And boy did Jenny nail it! The choices were stunning. How the heck was I suppose to choose between them? Looking at them today, and I still find it difficult, if not impossible to make a decision.Being the indecisive person that I am, the sole responsible for such a huge decision was a tad bit overwhelming, so I decided to poll people. I polled people in various writing groups online, but even they were a 50/50 split. So I decided to poll my cousins High School English students. Besides, who better to ask then my target audience?As you can see, the black option won with an overwhelming majority. Fun Fact: Originally the swirly crescent moon symbol wasn't mentioned in the book but I later added that since the symbology of the design tied in so well with the story.In the end, the process of designing a cover was a fun and exciting experience. And working with Jenny made it a true pleasure. From day one she was able hone in on possible concepts for my book. I honesty don't think I could have gone wrong with any of her suggested ideas. If you're an author looking for a cover designer for you next book,Jennyis your girl!Well, I hope you enjoyed today's behind the scenes look at The Making of a Book Cover. Be sure to come back next week, where I'll be taking you on a little trip to New Orleans.

When Inspiration Struck

With the writing anniversary of The Curse of the Bruel Coven approaching, I thought it would be approrpate to share a little about how the story came to be.Initially titled, Entwined, The Curse of the Bruel Coven came to me on a whim. After coming off a Twilight hang over, I'd been in search of other books to read. I devoured many during that time frame, but I still couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.Then on March 23, 2013, while driving my oldest daughter to a birthday party an idea struck me. I recall jotting the initial concept, which focused more on Lisette and Oliver onto a scrap piece of paper I found on the floor of my minivan while stopped at a red light. I spent much of that day absorbed into day dreaming about them and thinking about whether or not I should attempt to tell their story.Later that day, I called my best friend Katie (I run all my good ideas past her) to see if she'd read a story about about x,y, z, to which she replied, "Yeah!. What book is that?" I told her it was an idea I'd come up with for a book. She immediately got all excited and told me I should write it. I suppose if it weren't for her encouragement that day, the story may never had gone any further than a few words scribbled on a scrap piece of paper.That very night when I opened up MS Word on my computer, I had no idea what I was doing. I had never written anything before. All I had was the idea for Lisette's story, but the more and I thought about her and how her story would connect to the modern day, the story began to shift in a whole new direction. Being a bit of a panster, I went with it and I couldn't stop.Night after night, I would put my kids to bed, fire up the laptop and I would loose myself into the story. Often times the characters seemed to inset themselves with little to no warning. So the process of writing felt a whole lot like reading a book for the first time. Before long I was creating a world of magic and characters I couldn't wait to discover more about.In honor of where it all began, here's a mock cover for Entwined. I had a photographer friend make it for me. I know now, it's not very good. But cover design is a whole other blogpost.To celebrate the writing anniversary, I will be choosing one lucky person from my Mailing Listto win a signed copy of The Curse of the Bruel Coven and some book swag.

Makeover in Progress

Website and Blog are currently undergoing a makeover. Please check back soon for new content.