Debra J. Edwards's Blog

Kindle Countdown

99p today on Kindle. Book three of the trilogy.

Three months ago Aggie Lichen was a normal fifteen year old. She reluctantly went to school, constantly argued with her sister and spent far too much time looking in the mirror! But while other teenagers were out enjoying themselves, Aggie was sneaking into human bedrooms hoping to collect the perfect pilp.
You see Aggie Lichen was no ordinary girl.
She was a pilp collector – a tooth fairy!

Hero Required 99p

This doesn't happen often, but Hero Required, the third book in the Aggie Lichen trilogy, is at 99p today on Kindle Countdown, Might be worth a look?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aggie-Lichen...

Teaser Time - The Anoulk

I'm being interviewed by Jane Hunt

I'm being interviewed on Jane Hunt's blog today. Here's a snippet. Click on the link at the end for the full interview.
Debra J. Edwards – Author Interview Did a specific event or person motivate you to become a writer? Can you tell us what happened? As a primary school teacher, I once taught a class of 6-7 year olds. They were at an age when their baby teeth would become wobbly and fall out – often during the school day. They used to love telling me about it although it did drive me a little crazy at first. It got me thinking as to what a tooth fairy might do with the teeth, but as there were a few tooth fairy books out already I didn’t pursue the idea. But I couldn’t leave it alone so decided to put a different spin on it all using teenagers in the main character roles. Are you a full time or part time writer? Having taught in primary schools for 20 years, I am now happy to say that I write full time. Before, I worked through the day and early evening making it difficult to find time for writing. I had to squeeze in time after marking each evening which could result in very late nights. Weekends were wonderful though and meant I could find a little extra time during the days to write. I did try getting up very early to write, but that didn’t work for me. I’m just not a morning person. What are the three best things about writing for you? Tricky question as writing brings so much to writers. Okay… I love how the stories in my head start to come to life as soon as my fingers hit the keyboard. Breathing life into a new character is so amazing. It’s great to see just how much they develop as the plot unfolds. Writing brings me a great feeling of accomplishment. I was never an ‘A’ student at school so it gives me so much pleasure when my books are read and enjoyed. To think that the crazy characters in my head are being let loose on the world feels so good. Being a writer is a somewhat lonely profession, but it has actually opened up a great social network for me. I belong to the SCBWI which means I get to talk to other writers about what I’m doing and attend numerous events where I can meet agents, publishers etc. I’m also a lively participant on Twitter where I to chat to other paranormal writers mostly, but also take part in YA chat hours.

 Click here for the full interview https://jolliffe01.com/2016/05/11/author-interview-debra-j-edwards/

My lovely author friend, Lorraine Carey, has just r...

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My lovely author friend, Lorraine Carey, has just released her latest novel. It's going to be big!

About the author
Lorraine Carey is a veteran children's reading specialist, teacher and an International Award-Winning Author. She has taught in many states in the US and provided reading services for students at a private school on Grand Cayman, where she lives with her husband. Five years ago she was a city gal, living in Orange County, California, where life was very different from the one she lives now. Trading in her fashionable heels for flip-flops was quite a change, but led to a lifestyle that allowed for a writing career to begin.

Blurb
 When first-year teacher Daniella Reyes starts teaching at a new school, she is frightened by the crows that follow her everywhere. Being a woman with highly empathic abilities and a victim of child abuse, she is tuned to pick up the vibes from abused children in her classroom. She’s desperate to help them while trying to cling onto a normal life with Luke. As she slowly discovers the secrets of a powerful, ancient cult, she finds out that her life is anything but normal as the hidden world of New Mexico opens up to her. She must make a life-altering sacrifice if she wants to save the children, her father’s soul and her own life.
This paranormal thriller is book 1 of Women of the Willow Wood.

Buy link

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Good-Teacher-Women-Willow-ebook/dp/B01E3Z6AII?ie=UTF8&keywords=the%20good%20teacher&qid=1460655574&ref_=sr_1_4&s=video-rental&sr=8-4

Visit to St Michael's School in King's Lynn

I had a super time at this school during World Book Day Week. As always I started off with a KS2 author talk where I use a Powerpont to walk/talk through the different stages of writing using my Aggie Lichen; Pilp Collector MG books. I like to use some funny anecdotes to explain how I use everyday life to help develop my writing skills.




After the talk, we moved into classrooms where the workshops would take place. During these sessions the children created a superhero who would help the tooth fairies in my books fight back against their enemies, the Grublins. Each group of four/five had a bag of props to help them determine what to use for their character.


It was a lovely day albeit very busy. I was told that 'The staff and children had greatly enjoyed the visit'. Makes it all worthwhile. 

Marvin's Curse Cover

I'm going to have to play around with the cover of Marvin's Curse before going to print. I really like the cover, but it's one I put together in Powerpoint and the image is standing out from the background even though they are both black. Luckily, I have an illustrator friend who might have a look at it for me as I don't have the knowledge or program to do this properly.

Landry in Like Blog Tour

My lovely friend, Krysten Lindsay Hager's latest book has just been launched. Contemporary clean teen fiction, Landry in Like is the third book in the series.


The Landry's True Colors Series is a clean reads young adult humor series about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, crushes, and self-image.
Things seem to be going well in Landry Albright’s world—she’s getting invited to be on local talk shows to talk about her modeling career, her best friends have her back, and her boyfriend Vladi has becoming someone she can truly count on…and then everything changes. Suddenly it seems like most of the girls in school are into hanging out at a new teen dance club, while Landry just wants to spend her weekends playing video games and baking cupcakes at sleepovers. Then, Yasmin McCarty, the most popular girl in school, starts to come between Landry’s friendship with Ashanti. Things take a turn when Yasmin tells Vladi that Landry is interested in another boy. Can Landry get her relationships with Ashanti and Vladi back or will she be left out and left behind?  

Here is an excerpt from the book: I wanted to call my friends and tell them about being on the talk show, but Mom said we had to be at the TV station super early — even before school started. She said I could text them, but I had to turn off my phone and go to bed. “I’m waking you up at four a.m.,” she said. “You have to be there at five-thirty.” “Can I just call Peyton and Ashanti? Please?” “Fine, but you have five minutes and then that phone is mine and you’re in bed.” I dialed Peyton, but her mom said she was in the shower. I told her mom about the show tomorrow and said my mom wouldn’t let me stay up any later to call Peyton back. “How exciting! I will make sure Peyton knows, and I will be watching you tomorrow. Good luck, honey,” Mrs. Urich said. I called Ashanti next and told her. “Get out. Get. Out. No way. This is so exciting!” “I’m so nervous. My stomach is already doing cartwheels. I can’t do one, but my stomach can. Seems unfair. What if I throw up before I go on? I did that right before I went on at the statewide Ingénue modeling competition in Detroit, and my mom had to give me a cough drop to cover up the smell.”  “I’m sure you’ll be fine, but… just in case, take a cough drop with you,” Ashanti said. “Good luck. You’ll be great and I’ll go set the DVR now.” I hung up and sent a text to Vladi, India, Devon, Thalia, Tori, and Ericka, so no one would be mad and feel left out. Then I shut off my phone. Mom poked her head in the door to make sure I was in bed. “Night, hon. Try to get some rest,” she said.Easier said than done. I stared at my ceiling while thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong tomorrow. Seeing as the show was on in the morning, I never got to watch it, so I had no idea what the set was like — did it have super high chairs and I’d struggle to get into them? And what if it had those higher stools that were kind of tippy and my rear overshot the seat and I fell off? Or what if the prep questions got lost and the interviewer asked me random things like my feelings on nuclear war or asked me about some foreign political leader who I had never heard of before, and I appeared stupid? Why did I say I’d do this? I tried to get comfortable and it felt like I had just dozed off when I felt my mom shaking my shoulder.“Rise and shine, TV star,” she said.

Author bio: Krysten Lindsay Hager is the author of the Landry’s True Colors Series, a clean reads young adult series and the new ​Star Series. Krysten writes about  friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image in True Colors, Best Friends…Forever? And Landry in Like, as well as in, Next Door to a Star (Star Series). Her sequel to   Next Door to a Star will be out March 22 2016.
    
Krysten is a book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and writes YA, MG, humor essays, and adult fiction. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in southwestern Ohio w

True Colors (Landry’s True Colors Series Book 1): What people are saying about True Colors (Landry’s True Colors Series Book One):From Teenage Book Recommendations in the UK: “This is a fantastically relatable and real book which I feel captures all of the insecurities and troubles which haunt the modern teenage girl. It is about a young model who has to go through tough times when she is torn between a life as a model and managing her friendships. You learn which friends she can most trust and which will create the drama typical of teenage life. Follow the life of Landry and try to see if you can find out which are her true friends before their true colours are revealed. This book is all about relationships, hopes and truth. I loved this book!”
 
Follow the author:Website: http://www.krystenlindsay.com/Instagram: http://instagram.com/krystenlindsayAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/Krysten-Lindsay-Hager/e/B00L2JC9P2/Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KrystenLindsayHagerAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/KrystenLindsayGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8298036.Krysten_Lindsay_HagerAuthor talk show interview: http://wdtn.com/2014/11/06/true-colors/


Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CsGREKFQco&feature=youtu.bePurchase:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Landry-Like-Landrys-True-Colors-ebook/dp/B01AL6AUA2/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Landry-Like-Landrys-True-Colors-ebook/dp/B01AL6AUA2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453196883&sr=8-2&keywords=krysten+hagerBarnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/landry-in-like-krysten-lindsay-hager/1123253456?ean=2940157767242Nook UK: http://www.nook.com/gb/ebooks/landry-in-like-by-krysten-lindsay-hager/2940157767242Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/landry-in-likeItunes/ibooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/landry-in-like/id1076225388?mt=11

Still editing

So I'm still editing The Iron City, but now I'm following Darcy Pattison's Novel Metamorphosis to help me on my way. It's really helping to shape the novel and allows me to see where some parts are just not working.
So far I have made an inventory of my chapters noting the plots and emotional elements, and picked out the strongest chapters. I've also printed out the whole book in 6pt (80,000 words) resulting in just 34 pages. Once arranged in three rows, I could see where the strong chapters were and start to analyse where I might need to make some changes to lift the conflict in the novel.
The next stage is looking at scenes...

NEXIS Book Tour

Today is so exciting as I have a visiting author. Please welcome A.L.Davroe, author of Nexis.



Taking time out of her busy schedule, A.L. kindly answered a set of questions for me.

1. Which book character are you most like?From my own book or any book?  In my own book, I suppose I’m most like Ella.  Not because I really feel like I’m like her but just because I’m not like any of the other characters, really.  As for any other character…I have no idea.  I’ve never really resonated with a book character on that kind of level -- though that doesn’t stop me from loving them – and perhaps one day I will resonate with someone.

2. Which Hollywood stars would you like to play the characters in your book?
Maiara Walsh is my top actress to play Ellani Drexel.  I don’t have Hollywood picks for anyone else, though I have a few models I’d like:  Marlon Teixeira would be my choice for Guster and Benjamin Jarvis would be Quentin.

3. If you weren't a writer, what would you do?I have no gosh darn clue.  I’m almost thirty years old and still don’t know what I want to be “when I grow up.”  The only thing that ever seemed clear to me was the writer’s path, so I followed it.  Sure, I have a day job, but that’s just a job, it’s not who I am and I’m in no way shape or form married to it.  What makes me is my artist’s path, so I guess if I didn’t write then I’d pursue some other form of creative art.
4. Is there a book you wish you had written? I’m going to be practical and not answer with the “I wish I had written this amazing book over here” response.  Instead, I’m going to say, “I wish I’d written a best-selling book/series with a massive movie deal, tons of merch, and world renown.”  Something like Harry Potter, Twilight, or The Hunger Games (not that any of those are not fantastic books in their own right).  I’m saying that because I’d love to have enough money to not have to have a day job or worries – to just write all the time -- and *possibly* have it a lot easier to get a deal on anything else I ever write.  I love my own worlds and characters enough to feel like they are wonderful, and I’d never think someone else’s are better than them (I have author-mommy-complex, what can I say?)  But, I do wish I had the ability to spend all my time with them and give them the best ability to shine.
5. When did you first realise you wanted to write?I first got interested in writing when a friend of mine in high school asked me to co-write a fan-fiction of a mash-up between our favorite anime shows – Digimon and Dragon Ball Z.  That was the first time I’d tried writing a story and I enjoyed it so much.  It got harder and harder to wait my turn to for the manuscript to get handed back to me.  To pass the time I started reading a book by Tamora Pierce.  One day I was waiting outside the school waiting for my mom to come pick me up, I finished the book, closed it, then stared off into space for a minute – wishing I had the story to work on, wishing that I didn’t have to leave the world I had just been reading about.  It occurred to me then that I could keep the story going, do what I had done with the fan-fic…I could even make my own characters in a world like Pierce’s.  So, I took out one of my notebooks and started writing my first book.  That was freshman year of high school and it was just for fun, but it was the birth of a monster, LOL.
6. What do you like to do when you are not writing?Oh, I love a lot of things!  I like to spend time with friends and family, going out to dinner, shopping, sitting in a coffee shop.  Obviously, I love to read, snuggle my cats, and drink lots of tea.  I love to visit gardens and art galleries, go to museums and fun events like fairs and concerts and conventions.  I cosplay, do a little art and song-writing on the side, and I’m very slowly learning how to belly-dance and fire spin.  I also love a good pizza and Netflix night watching sf/f shows or anime.
7. How do you choose the character names in your books?I like to say that the characters name themselves, for the most part; meaning the names just come to me out of nowhere.  Ellani had to have the nickname “Ella” because this book was originally a Cinderella retelling; but the full name Ellani Drexel just came out of nowhere.  Quentin and Zane originally had different names and they were later changed.  Quentin’s because the editor wanted a different one and Zane because his personality changed throughout the editing process and his original name didn’t embody who he was anymore.  Everyone else named themselves – Guster, Delia, Bastian, Sadie…
8. Do you respond to reviews, good or bad? I read most reviews that people write, good or bad.  I like to see what my readers think.  The positive reviews let me know what I’m doing right and the not so good ones help me to grow as an author – I always try to push myself and learn from everything I can.  I’ll occasionally respond or “like” a review, but I try not to make my readers feel like I’m hovering or anything, so I don’t do it too often.
About the book:In the domed city of Evanescence, appearance is everything. A Natural Born amongst genetically-altered Aristocrats, all Ella ever wanted was to be like everyone else. Augmented, sparkling, and perfect. Then…the crash. Devastated by her father’s death and struggling with her new physical limitations, Ella is terrified to learn she is not just alone, but little more than a prisoner.
Her only escape is to lose herself in Nexis, the hugely popular virtual reality game her father created. In Nexis she meets Guster, a senior player who guides Ella through the strange and compelling new world she now inhabits. He offers Ella guidance, friendship…and something more. Something that allows her to forget about the “real” world, and makes her feel whole again.
But Nexis isn’t quite the game everyone thinks it is.

About the Author:A.L. (Amanda) Davroe writes both YA and adult speculative fiction. She prefers revisionist tales in paranormal, romance, Steampunk, and fantasy. She is the author of Salvation Station (adult psych horror), The City Steam Collection (adult psych horror), For Your Heart (YA Paranormal Romance) and her YA Sci-Fi novel, Nexis, is coming out with Entangled Publishing  December 1, 2015!
By day, Amanda lives in Connecticut with her two feline hench-creatures and makes cheese.  She’s a terrible blusher, has a weak spot for cuddly animals, loves Laffy Taffy and Cadbury MiniEggs, and she’s a huge advocate of alternative healing methods.  Amanda also wears purple shoes and corsets…Though not always in the same ensemble.  She’s a Capricorn, a Hufflepuff, a bit gothic, and a few nuggets short of a Happy Meal.

Nexis (Tricksters, #1) by A.L. Davroe
Release Date: Dec. 1, 2015
Genre: YA Sci-Fi / YA Science Fiction
Published by: Entangled Teen
Goodreads Book Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21480858-nexis
Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Nexis-L-Davroe/dp/1633750175?tag=entangpublis-20&link_code=ur2&creative=9325&camp=211189
Barnes & Noble Buy Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nexis-al-davroe/1120919370?cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-je6NUbpObpQ-_-10:1

Entangled Page:http://www.entangledpublishing.com/nexis/
Author Website: www.ALDavroe.com
Author Blog: www.ALDavroe.com
Author Twitter:  @ALDavroe
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALDavroeFanPage
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5212441.A_L_Davroe
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/RBlXP

The Giveaway:Fire HD 7, 7" HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB + Nexis Swag Pack (US/Canada)
$50 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
$50 Amazon Gift Card (US/Canada)
Nexis Swag Pack (US/Canada)
Opportunity to Name / Build the Look of a Character in the next book in the Trickster series with any of the Mods and Alts you can imagine! (INT)


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