Cara Brookins's Blog, page 11

Slithering Down to New Orleans

Cara Brookins – Mark of the Serpent

It’s been a busy couple of weeks at Inkwell Manor. I honestly can’t finish a thought without twelve items from a todo list invading my head.

Mark of the Serpent, the second journey in the Timeshifters series, has finally hit the bookshelves!

In addition to that exciting moment, we were trapped at the house for four days of ice, during which my sledding skills became family legend when I navigated 300 feet of ice-coated driveway to reach the center of our street.

But when I said busy, I meant it! I’m driving down to New Orleans tomorrow to Heather Graham’s Workshop. Come say hello during Saturday’s “What Will We Tell the Children” panel at 11:15. I’ll be speaking along with fellow YA authors, Jonathan Maberry, F. Paul Wilson, and Molly Bolden. We’ll answer questions and engage in YA discussions moderated by Caitlin Richardson. Of course we’ll be signing books along with other amazing writers throughout the weekend. We’d love to have more writers join the workshop and parties, including a Steampunk holiday ball. (I can’t wait to post photos of our costumes!)

No time to catch up on sleep when I return from NOLA, we’ll be gearing up for a big cocktail launch party for Mark of the Serpent.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that ‘Little Boy Blu’ is officially complete and ready to send to agents and publishers. This is the story of a boy who discovers his mother intentionally had children with a genetic abnormality in order to secure a reality television show. He is the only child in the family without the disorder, and someone is trying to kill him. (I love this novel!)

I’ll be wrapping up two more manuscripts by the end of the year. Did I mention? Things have been busy. I’m off to pack for New Orleans. Steampunk, cocktail dresses, and business suits. This is the most fun my suitcase has had in a long time.

Cara Brookins – Mark of the Serpent

Interview With Author Diana Wallach — Mirror, Mirror

Diana Wallach — Mirror, Mirror

Cara: Tell me about your most recent title, Diana.

Diana: Mirror, Mirror is a short-story collection based on the myths of Narcissus, Nemesis, Nyx, and Dionysus, only in a modern high-school setting. My goal was to reimagine myths that most people, and teens, would know very well. And honestly, within seconds of my brain contemplating Narcissus, I came up with the idea of a paranormal organization that traps Narcissistic souls by judging their reflections in silver compact mirrors. I wish I could pinpoint what part of my brain came up with this idea and how it happened so quickly, because there are times when I’m slugging through a revision and would love to manually click that switch.

Cara: Do you have a secret dream writing project that you’d love time to hide away with?

Diana: Sort of. I’m currently writing my first YA mystery. Or I guess I should say I’m rewriting it. I started it five years ago, and I’ve been working on it ever since. It’s my first crack at a mystery, and even though it’s still YA, there’s a lot more that goes into it. It’s been a long, slow process to learn how to properly craft a good mystery/thriller; and thankfully, I have a very generous editor/beta reader who is currently offering support as I muddle through. Hopefully, one day I will finish this book and see it in print.

Cara: I’ll look forward to reading it! Now, tell me something about yourself that most people don’t know.

Diana: I love football. I’ve been to two Philadelphia Eagles games so far this season, I play in an all-girl Fantasy Football league, and I spend most Sundays watching Red Zone. I blame it on cheerleading. My parents signed me up to cheer for Peewee football when I was seven years old, and I went on to be a competitive cheerleader. Ultimately, you spend that much time standing on the sidelines of a sport, and it sinks it like osmosis. I think I could ref a game professionally.

Cara: What does your family think of your writing? Do you include them in the process?

Diana: Interesting question. Mirror, Mirror, my short-story collection out now, is based on Greek Mythology, so I didn’t dip into my personal background for any inspiration. But my first novel, Amor and Summer Secrets (Kensington Books), was heavily based on my family history.

Mariana, the main character in Amor, shares my ethnic background. There aren’t a lot of Polish Puerto Ricans out there, so that’s a dead giveaway, and many of the experiences that Mariana faces while coming to terms with her multi-cultural identity are similar to my own.

Additionally, the town in Puerto Rico where Mariana spends the summer, Utuado, is the same town where my dad grew up. And I gave Mariana’s father, Lorenzo, some biographical tidbits from my dad’s life, including a few of his childhood anecdotes. So when my dad first read the Amor and Summer Secrets, he kept saying, “I can’t believe you were listening!” However, their personalities are completely different. Even still, I was a little worried when he first read it. But my dad, and the rest of my family, has always been very supportive.

Cara: Who is the first author you remember being aware of?

Diana: I used to devour every Christopher Pike book as it was released. I loved all of them: Remember Me?, Fall into Darkness, Chain Letter, you name it. I think that strong connection with young adult literature is one of the reasons I felt drawn to write in the genre.

About the Author

Diana Rodriguez Wallach is the author of Mirror, Mirror, a short-story collection based on the Narcissus myth, which includes Reflecting Emmy, Nara Gazing, and Shattering GiGi (Buzz Books 2013). She is also the author of three award-winning YA novels: Amor and Summer Secrets, Amigas and School Scandals, and Adios to All The Drama (Kensington Books).

In 2011, she published a highly regarded essay in Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperCollins), and in 2013, she will be featured in the anthology Latina Authors and Their Muses (Twilight Times Books). In 2010 Diana was named one of the Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch by LatinoStories.com, and she placed second in the International Latino Book Awards. She hold a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, and currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter.

Connect with Diana on: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Amazon

Diana Wallach –Mirror, Mirror

Interview with Author Heather Davis – Getting Lucky

Getting Lucky – Heather Davis

Cara: Heather, I love the cover for Getting Lucky! Tell me about the book.

Heather: Getting Lucky is a collection of humorous essays about a tired couple’s desire to just be intimate with each other without being interrupted by a sleepwalking kid. It’s not fifty shades of anything but brutally honest and hilariously funny truth as I retell my husband’s and my journey to bringing sexy back into our bedroom.

Cara: What project are you working on now?

Heather: Crazy on Board is a collection of humorous travel essays. It’s about to be handed off to my editor even as we speak.

Cara: We’ll be looking for that one! Do you have a secret dream writing project that you’d love time to hide away with?

Heather: I actually have about a dozen! I’d like to write about family traditions. I’d write a chick lit story that keeps playing out in my head, and I’d love to rescue old, abandoned pictures from flea markets and antique shows and tell their stories.

Cara: Tell me something about yourself that most people don’t know.

Heather: I’m known for oversharing … there’s not much people don’t know about me. BUT, I’d venture to guess that people would be surprised to learn that at one point I considered being a United Methodist pastor. True Story.

Cara: What does your family think of your writing? Do you include them in the process?

Heather: My family is my very first editor. Since most of my writing comes directly from our experiences as a family, they get the first chance to say, “heck no.” Otherwise, they love it!

Cara: What is your favorite thing you’ve hidden in a book? (Name, date, etc)

Heather: In my first book all of our birthdays and anniversaries are hidden in the book. Wanna know where? Read the book and find them.

Cara: How fun! Now I have to search them out. What is the first book you remember reading or wanting to read?

Heather: In middle school, I read Judy Blume’s Forever because I was curious about Kathryn and Michael “doing it” (pg. 97). I even took the copy I had to church with me so my friends could read about it as well. (I wonder why I didn’t pursue that theology degree…) In high school, I read Judy Blume’s Wifey. I thought I was so grown up for reading that adult book as a sixteen year old. Then I was so embarrassed that I hid the book in case my mother ever found it and read it.

Cara: Judy Blume educated our generation and is still popular. I love it! Do you have an interesting writing quirk? Like a lucky pair of socks?

Heather: A couple of my more popular posts on my blog were written at 3 a.m. when I was up with a sick kid. I wouldn’t call that a quirk, though—more like sheer luck.

Cara: Who is the first author you remember being aware of?

Heather: Judy Blume (obviously—see above). She wrote about those taboo things that no one talked to us about in the 70s and 80s. I loved her for that then and I love her for it now. I am also a fangirl of Celia Rivenbark. Not that I’m a stalker, but meeting her is on my bucket list.

Heather Davis overshares her life. On her blog, in her books, even on national television, she always tells more than the average minivan driver wants to know. She’s the author of the wildly popular TMI Mom book series, which includes TMI Mom Bites The Big Apple, TMI Mom: Oversharing My Life and the soon-to-be released Getting Lucky. She and her husband live in Oklahoma with their two daughters. Follow Heather’s Blog, Facebook, Twitter: @MinivanMomma2, Pinterest: Minivan_Momma, and find her on Goodreads, Amazon, Google+!

Heather Davis – Getting Lucky

I’m Giving Away Treasure!

Family Treasure – Cara Brookins

Ok, make that two treasures. One is a  free kindle book, Treasure Quest, and you’ve only got two days to grab it, but the more important one is something you already have.

I’ve been thinking about treasure all week, and I don’t mean the gold and jewel kind—or even the book kind.

I’ve always been the sort of person who sets huge goals and loves challenges. I’m always reaching, striving, working and moving toward something new. There are positive reasons to do this, of course there are. But I need to remind myself to balance more often. Because life is not about what might happen tomorrow, but what is happening today. Where are you right this moment? What amazing detail did you just forget to be delighted by?

A friend of mine lost her son this week. He was an amazing young man who deserved a hundred thousand more days to reach for something grand.

I am resolving to not wait for tragedies to remind me how amazing each moment is. Remind yourself often. Live a life of gratitude. Pursue your passion and help your family and friends find theirs. We’re all in this crazy hunt together, and we’ll find the most important treasures in each other.

It’s rainy and cold where I’m at. I have a fire and a great book, and I hope you do too.

Treasure Quest -Cara Brookins

Download Free at Amazon! (December 22-24)

Fifteen-year-old Cooper would rather spend the summer playing the latest Zombie Civil War Style video game than with his ailing great-grandfather, Orson. But when Orson’s Civil War stories reveal a treasure buried near his home in Pea Ridge Arkansas, Cooper not only pays attention–he gets involved.

An ancient map and journal lead Cooper to the same spot in the forest where dozens of people have searched for the legendary treasure. Cooper is trapped by a ferocious dog and forced to fight for his life while he tries to uncover the mystery and locate the treasure that is unlike anything he ever imagined.

In this young adult adventure story, Brookins gives readers a treasure that’s the perfect length for busy tweens and teens.

BONUS: Treasure Quest also includes the first three chapters Cara Brookins’ new time-travel series,Timeshifters, beginning with Journey 1, Mark of the Centipede. Journey 2, Mark of the Serpent arrives December 3rd!

How Many Legs am I Holding Up?

At the Beach – Cara Brookins

The ocean is my eternity. Standing on a beach, a long splintery pier, or the deck of a boat, I shield my eyes and see plainly that it goes on forever. And there is something timeless about the creatures and sunken bits of humanity below. A six-month-old soda can covered with barnacles, home to tiny fish, looks as aged as a brass bell lost in the depths for a hundred years. But, as with most things that captivate me, there is a downside to my fascination.

I suffer from terrible motion sickness. Like my father before me and each of my stricken children, car rides, tilt-a-whirls, and even porch swings make me puke. Despite their beauty, ocean waves are no exception. I’ve had the opportunity to puke off the coasts of Cancun and Cozumel, as well as the Southern and Eastern United States.

In Cozumel, the dive master sliced a fresh pineapple between dives, which did wonders to settle my rolling stomach. In Cancun, it was watermelon; the light salt spray from the ocean seasoned it perfectly. But I recall a dive 25 miles off the coast of Florida where I found no relief.

The captain claimed the swells were six feet tall, but he measured with a shorter stick than I. By the time we anchored over the shipwreck I had emptied my stomach all the way to my toes. I was shaking with weakness. I actually crawled from the side of the boat to my dive gear, where a stranger lifted me and shook me down into my tight wet suit.

As I stood on the dive platform, someone asked, “You know how to throw up through a regulator?”

I gave a testy thumbs-up and fell backward into the blissfully cold water. The wreck, 130 feet below the surface, was truly spectacular. I was miraculously cured––until the minute I climbed back aboard the boat.

The other divers extended special treatment since I was the only woman on a really tough dive. An elderly man¬ actually fed me grapes. I closed my eyes and imagined he was much younger, Italian, and that I wouldn’t be immediately depositing the grapes over the side of the boat. He seemed to have an endless supply, and I was too weak to resist, too weak to consider any escape other than flinging myself overboard. And that sounded like far too much work.

The dive master finally called us to the water for our final dive. I was dehydrated from baking in my wet suit, having lacked the strength to peel it off after the first dive, but I made it to my gear and was strapping on my air tank when the man next to me reached down and pulled firmly on his right thigh. His entire leg detached, and he propped it between us before slipping a neon green fin on his remaining foot.

My face faded from lime green to ghostly pale. I stared blatantly as he hopped backwards to the dive platform. Before falling backward into the frothy wave, he shook his head and, with a crooked grin in my direction, mumbled,

“Damn sharks.”

Dive Boat – Cara Brookins

Live Dangerous

Cara Brookins Hooping with Fire

This weekend my eight year old was playing out in the yard and waved me out through the kitchen window. “I have an idea but it’s really, really dangerous. I’m gonna need a ladder. Tallest one we’ve got.”

A big part of me wanted to pull the 25 foot extension ladder from the shop and stand back for the epic project he’d imagined. He and the dog had been out for hours, building an obstacle course that included a tire swing, a noose-like rope dangling from the tree house, a broken slide, a 12 foot 2×4 with a few protruding nails, and assortments of buckets and lawn chairs. Aerial art and fire were the only dangers missing.

But it’s my job to crush his big dreams when they are in danger of crushing his little skull, so I made him describe the project. His eyes dulled, the magic in his mind sounding silly even to his own ears when he put it into words. The combination zip line, death-halter was quickly scrapped. We went indoors and mourned his dream over honeyed tea and cookies.

I told him he could build one when he was older, both of us knowing grownups rarely take time to fulfill childhood dreams. When’s the last time you remembered a childhood dream and jumped in with both feet despite the rusty nails?

You really can fly like superman, just don’t forget the chute. Climb walls or rocks like Spiderman. Be the president. Be someone’s hero. Climb a mountain. Drink cocoa for breakfast every day. (I do.) Build a house with a decadent library. (I did.) Stay up past bedtime even though you’ll yawn through tomorrow’s meeting. Let the whole family eat spaghetti with their fingers tonight. (Close the dining room curtains and don’t answer the door.) Throw the fighting kids in the back yard in their underwear with paintbrushes and paint and tell them to paint each other. (Did it.) Dream. Step outside your rules. Live dangerous. Ride your bike and open your umbrella in the house. Hula hoop with fire.

Risk and change open our minds. They make room for growth. Turn off your filters and checks. Try it. Do it. Dream of success and give yourself permission to fail.

Cara Brookins’ Sons OWN Mountains

Cara Brookins Climbing

Interview With Author Jenny Peterson – Creature Discomforts

Creature Discomforts by Jenny Peterson

This week I interviewed Jenny Peterson, a fun YA author you won’t want to miss!

Cara: Tell me about your most recent title, Jenny.

Jenny: CREATURE DISCOMFORTS is the first installment of an e-novella trilogy that actually grew out of short stories I wrote for Buzz Books. Which means you have two (two!) short stories you can enjoy before the novella release. (Cue movie announcer voice) In CREATURE DISCOMFORTS, best friends and college freshman Rachel and Kendra are well past ready for things to go back to normal … or as normal as it can get for a demon hunter and a half-mermaid. But when girls on campus start disappearing, Rachel, Kendra and fellow demon hunter/annoyance extraordinaire Sid begin investigating. The closer they get to the truth, the more they realize there’s something hiding in the Georgia mountains that is much older and deadlier than your everyday demon. Forget studying for finals, these three will need to fight just to survive. (Aaaand, scene) You can read more about the novella and the world of the Descendants on the series website.

Cara: With that one out the door, what project are you working on now?

Jenny: I’m working on the sequel to the demon exploits of Rachel, Kendra and Sid, called EAT YOUR HEART OUT. It’s slated to launch in spring 2014. In the meantime, I’ve gone old school and am releasing a serialized novel (like Dickens! Except with alternate realities and, you know, less classic talent). THE INBETWEEN is a reality-hopping sci-fi adventure being released one installment at a time through JukePop Serials. It’s got surly redheads and guys with tattoos and some fairly epic fight scenes.

Cara: JukePop is new to me, but if it has adventure with tattoos, fights, guys… I can’t wait to check this out! Now, I love to hide names, dates, and treasure hunt ideas in books. What is your favorite thing you’ve hidden in a book?

Jenny: Water! I tend to put water scenes in everything I write. I grew up on lakes—and in the Great Lakes—so I’m a water girl. I’m a lot like free-diving, half-mermaid Kendra in that way, except without the fabulous hair or gills. I’ve also planted two small things about Sid as an homage to a couple of my favorite things. Sid uses a bow and arrow as his weapon of choice, which is a nod to my very favorite noble-hearted, anthropomorphic fox, Robin Hood. Sid also wears bow ties just like one of my favorite sci-fi characters. Bow ties are cool. (Bonus points if you know what that references!)

Cara: What is the first book you remember reading or wanting to read?

Jenny: My Papa read these early 1900s children’s books to me called Old Mother Westwind by Thornton Burgess. He had read them as a child then read them to my mom before reading them to me. There were dozens of them, all about animals in the forest and the little adventures they went on; there was Grandfather Frog, Jenny Wren (which became my nickname), Bobby Coon (we shared a last name! Jenny Coon Peterson). I loved the playful imagination in these stories and how much they reminded me of my nature-loving, storytelling Papa. Today, I actually collect Thornton Burgess books, adding to the collection I got from my Papa.

Cara: Okay, just added Burgess to the list of books I NEED! Who is the first author you remember being aware of?

Jenny: That’d have to be Laura Ingalls Wilder. I had the complete series and read it repeatedly, especially FARMER BOY. I loved the way she mixed real history into her storytelling and could lose myself in those books and the time period about which they talked. Oddly enough, I never watched the television show. Now a program I did watch to go along with the books was ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. I was absolutely in love with author Lucy Maud Montgomery and the adorable Gilbert Blythe. Okay, mostly Gilbert Blythe. He was my first book crush, and LMM was my first writer crush.

Cara: Thanks so much, Jenny! I can’t wait to read what you’re up to next.

Jenny Peterson’s BIO

I’m a writer and editor based in Denver, CO. Reading and writing YA and new adult is my first love, and I spend an inordinate amount of time dreaming up fantastical worlds for kick-ass heroines. I also split my time as an assistant editor for a YA publisher. The Descendants Series, my e-novella trilogy, is being released by indie publisher Buzz Books USA.

When not writing or editing, I enjoy exploring the mountains and lakes of Colorado, shopping local, dominating at trivia and traveling. I live in an old Victorian house with my husband and two lazy tabbies named after Harry Potter characters.

Learn more about me, my writing and my travels at http://jennycoonpeterson.com/. Or, you can follow me on Twitter @JenC_P, Facebook, Goodreads, or even Pinterest. Happy reading!

Jenny Coon Peterson

Never Too Old For The Tooth Fairy

Cara and Roman Waiting for the Tooth Fairy

When is the tooth fairy the best financial and psychological option? It’s all about perspective. Sometimes a handful of coins is exactly the right choice.

I’ve always been very open with my kids about the value of money and I work hard to demonstrate appropriate financial decisions. A few days ago my crown popped off my molar while I was eating rice and veggies. (My rice is occasionally a little sticky, but it’s a long way from taffy-like, I swear!)

My eight year old gleefully envisioned the double haul we were going to pull in from the tooth fairy with his front tooth waiting nearby in an envelope. When I suggested I might have mine glued back in, he had that look the teens get when they are suggesting I may soon need full-time care. I was insistent despite his suggestion that you’re never too old for the tooth fairy. He shook his head in disappointment. In the 2nd grade world, gaping smiles are a status symbol and cash trumps teeth any old day.

I ran to a downtown dentist on my lunch hour, hoping that carrying my own tooth in an envelope wasn’t going to become a new trend. The dentist uses metered street parking and I rarely carry change. I found two nickels in my son’s drink holder that he’d picked up by an ice cream shop. I ran to the meter—scanning nearby shops for a place to make change—and found that the meter had one hour and thirty-seven minutes waiting for me. I was inordinately happy. Not only did I jot down a one and a thirty-seven to play on my next lottery ticket, I changed my attitude about the tooth. It was going to lead to great things, and I wasn’t thinking only of properly chewing dark chocolate with nuts.

The dentist glued the crown back in place without touching a drill. I’ve never been so happy to pay $65 for a drop of glue. When I told the hygienist about my luck at the meter, he said, “When you leave, you should put your money in. You’re not out any additional cash, but you’ll make someone else as happy as you are.”

As I fed a handful of quarters into the meter before pulling out, I had a flashback of stuffing a similar handful under my son’s pillow the night before, and I imagined it was a tooth fairy who had filled my meter. Turns out my boy was mostly right, a handful of coins can still make this girl grin from ear to ear—even without a missing tooth.

Pay attention to the details and celebrate the small stuff. Then, no matter how many teeth you do or don’t have, you’ll find all the reason you need to keep smiling.

Interview With Author Cyndy Hoenig – PR Rock Star

PR Rock Star by Cyndy Hoenig

This week I interviewed author Cyndy Hoenig, author of PR Rock Star. Check out her Pure PR website for market research, PR materials, PR counseling, speakers, media kits, blogs and more PR info to perfect your image!

Cara:  Tell me about your most recent title, Cyndy.

Cyndy: PR Rock Star is a business book describing my time in Hollywood representing celebs and television shows. But, more important, it gives tips and tricks on how to do your own PR if you’re a small business.

Cara: Authors definitely fall into the small business category, and you have many relevant tips to keep us on track with image. What project are you working on now?

Cyndy: A series of PR books: PR for Attorneys, PR for Bankers, PR for Home Based Business Owners, PR for Realtors, PR for Retail Store Owners, PR for Restaurants and more.

Cara: Do you have a secret dream writing project that you’d love time to hide away with?

Cyndy: I would love to write the story of my live, including raising my 4 daughters as a single mom, my 4 marriages and why and how they went wrong, and my time as a Hollywood publicist.

Cara: Memoirs are emotional to write, but I hope you get that one out. I’d love to read it. Tell me something about yourself that most people don’t know.

Cyndy: I’m a lover of true crime. I watch it, read it, study it. I only wish I could write it.

Cara: I’m glad the true crime passion is separate from the desire to write a memoir. I hope you get to write both. But there is nothing wrong with loving a genre you don’t write. That makes it more of an escape from your everyday life. What does your family think of your writing? Do you include them in the process?

Cyndy: I don’t, other than mentioning them in the “Acknowledgements.”

Cara: I love to hide names, dates, and treasure hunt ideas in books. What is your favorite thing you’ve hidden in a book?

Cyndy: I have not done that as this is my first book, but what a great idea!

Cara: Now we’ll all be looking for hidden things in your next novel. What is the first book you remember reading or wanting to read?

Cyndy: Black Beauty, as a child in the ‘50’s.

Cara: Do you have an interesting writing quirk, like a lucky pair of socks?

Cyndy: I only write from 6a – 630a. It is the best piece of writing advice I ever received.

Cara: Who are some of your favorite writers?

Cyndy: My faves are Ann Rule, Sidney Shelton, Danielle Steele.

Connect with Cyndy and learn more on: Facebook, Facebook Author, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, & PR Rock Star.com

Cyndy Hoenig Author of PR Rock Star

Explosive Language

My favorite moment of back-to-school week had nothing to do with school. Telling it requires a huge mommy confession.

Roman is in second grade. Being my fourth child, and because his siblings are 22, 21, and 17–his rules are rather relaxed. Specifically (deep breath) he’s allowed to play video games with questionable content. Let’s face it, anything that requires real skill and reasoning has some bad language, violence, or likely both. The rules are simple, repeat ‘bad words’ or violent actions and the games will disappear. The only argument we’ve had was about keeping the games hidden when other 2nd graders stop by.

Roman was unwinding with Uncharted 3, a treasure hunter game, after his first day of 2nd grade. It’s his favorite and he has played it through at least a dozen times. I was filling out health forms and signing documents when I heard him say under his breath, “where the bad word are these guys going?”

I know mommy points are deducted every time I giggle in place of a reprimand, but this demonstrated brilliant rule skirting. He hadn’t actually said any forbidden words, so what’s a mommy to do? I tucked the milk-money check into his backpack and reviewed the holiday schedule. I remember second grade, and I understand how an occasional bad word could slip.

Now where the bad word has the time gone? I have editing to do.