Debra J. Edwards's Blog, page 10
December 13, 2013
New Review for Marvin's Curse
Just came across this review on Goodreads from November. Thank you, Yohanna!
'I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
When I first started reading the book, my thought was Ghost Whisperer, only a younger version. My next thought was Sixth Sense.
It is a unique story line and it kicked in my imagination. The scenes were detailed and descriptive enough that the author took me there. This is a book I would recommend. I love and strive to find books that ignite my imagination and this definitely did that.
Read this book, you won't be disappointed. I wasn't :)'
Still just 96p on Amazon!
'I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
When I first started reading the book, my thought was Ghost Whisperer, only a younger version. My next thought was Sixth Sense.
It is a unique story line and it kicked in my imagination. The scenes were detailed and descriptive enough that the author took me there. This is a book I would recommend. I love and strive to find books that ignite my imagination and this definitely did that.
Read this book, you won't be disappointed. I wasn't :)'
Still just 96p on Amazon!
December 7, 2013
A busy week!
The time before Christmas is always busy and for me that has meant attending Christmas craft fairs, Christmas school fairs and signing books in stores. With almost 100 books sold this week I am a very happy author. I have been selling and signing the Aggie Lichen trilogy as these are in printed form, but it didn't stop me advertising my teen e-book Marvin's Curse by showing the trailer on my netbook and giving out info. In fact, I was amazed to see Marvin's Curse 'storm' up the Kindle charts to #13 in the YA horror category. Just shows what promotion can do at the right time and place.
Claire and Lauren
Emily, Ashley and Sharmina
As always, I have met some fabulous people, in W H Smith's, Croydon for example. Some just very excited like Lauren and Claire, who were really pleased to meet an author and bought a set of the books EACH! Emily, Ashley and Sharmina were out shopping and we got talking about the books. Emily was persuaded to by a book, not by me, but by her friends. I hope she hasn't regretted it! Other people wanted to talk about writing as they had the creative urge too. All in all, it's been a crazy week with more to come. Thanks to everyone who bought or helped in the success.
Claire and Lauren
Emily, Ashley and Sharmina
As always, I have met some fabulous people, in W H Smith's, Croydon for example. Some just very excited like Lauren and Claire, who were really pleased to meet an author and bought a set of the books EACH! Emily, Ashley and Sharmina were out shopping and we got talking about the books. Emily was persuaded to by a book, not by me, but by her friends. I hope she hasn't regretted it! Other people wanted to talk about writing as they had the creative urge too. All in all, it's been a crazy week with more to come. Thanks to everyone who bought or helped in the success.
November 5, 2013
5 Star Review from Reader's Favorite
Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite
Marvin has a gift: he can see dead people. He hates his new home, which is near a graveyard, and his stepfather. He considers his gift as a curse. The ghost of his dad, a dead psychic medium, still hangs around, niggling him to use his ability. Then he meets a strange girl who lost her memory and claims that her name is Stella McCartney. From that point on, Marvin has to accept his ability and his dad’s advice if he wants to help Stella. A fascinating paranormal modern tale, Marvin’s Curse is written by Debra J. Edwards.
I found Marvin’s Curse easy and enjoyable to read from start to finish. Obviously it is a YA paranormal story, but very well-crafted so that mature readers like me won’t find it hard to be drawn to it. The young protagonist, Marvin, is a 17-year-old teenager with anger and angst that is familiar to all of us. He misses his time with his dad when he was still alive, but finds his dad’s ghost annoying. This is ironically funny and a delight as I always consider humor an added bonus. Marvin progresses from an angry teenager to a young man who comes to terms with his problems. Debra J. Edwards’s writing style is simple yet deftly done and the plot is uncomplicated, but nonetheless interesting. The pacing of the story is not slow but not rushed either; perfectly balanced.
Simply put, a paranormal novel that I could easily describe with the word ‘comfortable.’ The only question I have is whether there’s going to be a sequel.
Marvin has a gift: he can see dead people. He hates his new home, which is near a graveyard, and his stepfather. He considers his gift as a curse. The ghost of his dad, a dead psychic medium, still hangs around, niggling him to use his ability. Then he meets a strange girl who lost her memory and claims that her name is Stella McCartney. From that point on, Marvin has to accept his ability and his dad’s advice if he wants to help Stella. A fascinating paranormal modern tale, Marvin’s Curse is written by Debra J. Edwards.
I found Marvin’s Curse easy and enjoyable to read from start to finish. Obviously it is a YA paranormal story, but very well-crafted so that mature readers like me won’t find it hard to be drawn to it. The young protagonist, Marvin, is a 17-year-old teenager with anger and angst that is familiar to all of us. He misses his time with his dad when he was still alive, but finds his dad’s ghost annoying. This is ironically funny and a delight as I always consider humor an added bonus. Marvin progresses from an angry teenager to a young man who comes to terms with his problems. Debra J. Edwards’s writing style is simple yet deftly done and the plot is uncomplicated, but nonetheless interesting. The pacing of the story is not slow but not rushed either; perfectly balanced.
Simply put, a paranormal novel that I could easily describe with the word ‘comfortable.’ The only question I have is whether there’s going to be a sequel.
October 18, 2013
New interview at The Cult of Me
Guest Author Interview - Debra Edwards http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/guest-author-interview-debra-edwards.html We start the week with a new guest author interview, in today's interview we welcome Debra Edwards, you can find out what she has to say below:
Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
Hi, I‘m Debra Edwards and I write fantasy fiction for children and YA paranormal. I’m a former primary school teacher, mostly teaching pupils of 10-11 years. I finished teaching last year so that I could spend more time on my writing, although I do spend more time promoting books at the moment. I have been writing for about 10 years now and love everything about it – apart from editing! I live near London in the UK and although I have travelled extensively, I really wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
What first inspired you to start writing?
I really never saw writing books as something I could do. I totally lacked confidence. In fact, before writing I wasn’t even reading that much. Teaching gave me a way in.
My first books were for 8-12 year olds and about stroppy teenage tooth fairies. I used to teach a class who were always losing teeth and constantly wanting to tell me about the tooth fairy. This got me thinking as they could never say what happened to the teeth after the tooth fairy took them. For me, this was the start of my writing career. I had to solve the problem, create a world where tooth fairies did something with the teeth and as such, Aggie Lichen; Pilp Collector was born.
And what attracted you to the paranormal?
I have always, from teenage, had an ‘unhealthy’ interest in vampires, werewolves, witches etc. I can’t really pinpoint when it started or with what, but I like to watch films and TV programs of that genre. I think I would have quite like to be a vampire at one point!
Where is your happy place?
This is mostly holiday memories. I am a poor sleeper and to clear my head, I trawl back to a holiday and walk my way through the events. I’ve travelled extensively, so I have many wonderful memories to fall back on.
As a physical happy place, the seaside town of Brighton in the UK is somewhere I feel totally relaxed. It is such a unique place to wander around.
If you could spend a day with anyone from history, who would it be and why?
William Shakespeare would be great to spend a day with. I’d like to see when and how he would write. I’d be curious about his relationships with fellow playwrights at the time. There have been many debates about whether he actually did write so much and I could question him to get to the truth!
What is your favourite song lyric?
I love the lyrics from Imagine by John Lennon. They never date even though it’s nearly 40 years since its first release. The lyrics are truly inspirational.
What book did you last read?
I have just finished reading Poison Heart by S B Hart, another YA book. I would definitely recommend it. It’s very different from what I’ve read before, no fantasy or paranormal. It’s about a girl who wants to take over another girls’ life. A really good read – must get the review done for it! And just started Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse. I love Percy Jackson books and so far this one, number 3, is just great! Loved the first film too. That’s what drew me into wanting to read the rest of the books.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am writing another YA book now. It’s kind of a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Hunger Games. My working title is, Buffy the Dragon Slayer’! In the book, it falls to a teenage girl, Rae, to save the world from dragons. Here’s a snippet!
‘I am George, the original George as in George and the Dragon?’ said George, taking a Peter Pan stance. ‘And this is my trusted friend, Ascalon.’ He pulled a small wand like stick from his pocket. ‘…the dragon slaying lance.’
Rae stared hard at George then transferred her fierce look to the stick/lance he was holding. Then she burst out laughing. ‘Oh, please! George and the Dragon?’ She fell back against the tree. ‘Are you for real?’
George shook the stick several times. ‘It does that sometimes. It gets stuck. I think it’s all the crap it’s collected over the last few hundred years.’
‘Oh my god. You’re still talking, George,’ said Rae. ‘And it’s still just a stick. Look!’
Tell us about your latest book and how we can find out more.
My latest book is Marvin’s Curse, a YA paranormal novel. It’s my first YA book as all previous writing was aimed at the 8-12 year range. It’s about a boy who’s just lost his dad and one year later he’s still grief stricken. It examines how the different ways he deals with grief and the darkness that consumes him. Here’s the blurb:
How would you handle the dead? After losing his dad, 17 year old Marvin finds he can see and talk to the dead, an inherited 'gift'. Bonus, you might think, but Marvin hates it. It makes him different and he just wants to be 'normal'. He meets Stella in the graveyard that backs onto the house he's just moved into. 'My name is Stella, Stella McCartney. It says so inside my trousers.' (!?!)
A mysterious business card reveals that Stella has lost her memories and all signs point to Moghador, a gateway to hell where a pawnbroker holds the answers. And Stella is DEAD! She just doesn't know it... yet!
Book Buy links:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/
http://www.amazon.com/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/marvins-curse-debra-j-edwards/1115835656?ean=2940044588752
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/325225
Your Links:
Website: www.purpleraypublishing.co.uk
Blog: http://trialsofaself-publishedauthor.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/MarvinsCurse?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/debra_J_edwards
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18115238-marvin-s-curse
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/DebbieEdwards
Authonomy: http://authonomy.com/books/53981/marvin-s-curse/
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpNB65nYyRM
Books by Debra Edwards on Amazon:
Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
Hi, I‘m Debra Edwards and I write fantasy fiction for children and YA paranormal. I’m a former primary school teacher, mostly teaching pupils of 10-11 years. I finished teaching last year so that I could spend more time on my writing, although I do spend more time promoting books at the moment. I have been writing for about 10 years now and love everything about it – apart from editing! I live near London in the UK and although I have travelled extensively, I really wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
What first inspired you to start writing?
I really never saw writing books as something I could do. I totally lacked confidence. In fact, before writing I wasn’t even reading that much. Teaching gave me a way in.
My first books were for 8-12 year olds and about stroppy teenage tooth fairies. I used to teach a class who were always losing teeth and constantly wanting to tell me about the tooth fairy. This got me thinking as they could never say what happened to the teeth after the tooth fairy took them. For me, this was the start of my writing career. I had to solve the problem, create a world where tooth fairies did something with the teeth and as such, Aggie Lichen; Pilp Collector was born.
And what attracted you to the paranormal?
I have always, from teenage, had an ‘unhealthy’ interest in vampires, werewolves, witches etc. I can’t really pinpoint when it started or with what, but I like to watch films and TV programs of that genre. I think I would have quite like to be a vampire at one point!
Where is your happy place?
This is mostly holiday memories. I am a poor sleeper and to clear my head, I trawl back to a holiday and walk my way through the events. I’ve travelled extensively, so I have many wonderful memories to fall back on.
As a physical happy place, the seaside town of Brighton in the UK is somewhere I feel totally relaxed. It is such a unique place to wander around.
If you could spend a day with anyone from history, who would it be and why?
William Shakespeare would be great to spend a day with. I’d like to see when and how he would write. I’d be curious about his relationships with fellow playwrights at the time. There have been many debates about whether he actually did write so much and I could question him to get to the truth!
What is your favourite song lyric?
I love the lyrics from Imagine by John Lennon. They never date even though it’s nearly 40 years since its first release. The lyrics are truly inspirational.
What book did you last read?
I have just finished reading Poison Heart by S B Hart, another YA book. I would definitely recommend it. It’s very different from what I’ve read before, no fantasy or paranormal. It’s about a girl who wants to take over another girls’ life. A really good read – must get the review done for it! And just started Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse. I love Percy Jackson books and so far this one, number 3, is just great! Loved the first film too. That’s what drew me into wanting to read the rest of the books.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am writing another YA book now. It’s kind of a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Hunger Games. My working title is, Buffy the Dragon Slayer’! In the book, it falls to a teenage girl, Rae, to save the world from dragons. Here’s a snippet!
‘I am George, the original George as in George and the Dragon?’ said George, taking a Peter Pan stance. ‘And this is my trusted friend, Ascalon.’ He pulled a small wand like stick from his pocket. ‘…the dragon slaying lance.’
Rae stared hard at George then transferred her fierce look to the stick/lance he was holding. Then she burst out laughing. ‘Oh, please! George and the Dragon?’ She fell back against the tree. ‘Are you for real?’
George shook the stick several times. ‘It does that sometimes. It gets stuck. I think it’s all the crap it’s collected over the last few hundred years.’
‘Oh my god. You’re still talking, George,’ said Rae. ‘And it’s still just a stick. Look!’
Tell us about your latest book and how we can find out more.
My latest book is Marvin’s Curse, a YA paranormal novel. It’s my first YA book as all previous writing was aimed at the 8-12 year range. It’s about a boy who’s just lost his dad and one year later he’s still grief stricken. It examines how the different ways he deals with grief and the darkness that consumes him. Here’s the blurb:
How would you handle the dead? After losing his dad, 17 year old Marvin finds he can see and talk to the dead, an inherited 'gift'. Bonus, you might think, but Marvin hates it. It makes him different and he just wants to be 'normal'. He meets Stella in the graveyard that backs onto the house he's just moved into. 'My name is Stella, Stella McCartney. It says so inside my trousers.' (!?!)
A mysterious business card reveals that Stella has lost her memories and all signs point to Moghador, a gateway to hell where a pawnbroker holds the answers. And Stella is DEAD! She just doesn't know it... yet!
Book Buy links:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/
http://www.amazon.com/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/marvins-curse-debra-j-edwards/1115835656?ean=2940044588752
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/325225
Your Links:
Website: www.purpleraypublishing.co.uk
Blog: http://trialsofaself-publishedauthor.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/MarvinsCurse?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/debra_J_edwards
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18115238-marvin-s-curse
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/DebbieEdwards
Authonomy: http://authonomy.com/books/53981/marvin-s-curse/
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpNB65nYyRM
Books by Debra Edwards on Amazon:
October 9, 2013
Successful signing at Waterstone's Croydon
I had a great time at Waterstone's last Saturday. Lots of Aggie Lichen books were sold and signed and many took advantage of the 'buy one get one half price' offer. Something that rarely happens to me is a return visit by a happy mum. Her daughter had bought the first book from me some time ago and came back a little later to get the second book, but the store had sold out so she bought the third book instead. On finding out I was back in store, her mum bought the third book in for me to sign and took a copy of the second book for her daughter's 15th birthday. Now that was nice to see.
I also had a lovely compliment from another girl, Caitlin, who was with her family and had read all my books. She said how much she'd loved them and had reread them all. Again, great to hear that kind of feedback.
A special hello to Swaraa who also bought books. Her family seemed really happy to have met an author and have signed copies so they took photos of us together.
As always, big thanks to the store, especially Katherine, events organiser, and Holly who looked after me on the day.
Swaraa
Caitlin
I also had a lovely compliment from another girl, Caitlin, who was with her family and had read all my books. She said how much she'd loved them and had reread them all. Again, great to hear that kind of feedback.
A special hello to Swaraa who also bought books. Her family seemed really happy to have met an author and have signed copies so they took photos of us together.
As always, big thanks to the store, especially Katherine, events organiser, and Holly who looked after me on the day.
Swaraa 
Caitlin October 3, 2013
BOOK SIGNING WATERSTONE'S CROYDON SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER
I will be signing copies of the Aggie Lichen trilogy at Waterstone's Croydon this Saturday between 11am and 4pm. If you are in the area do pop in for a chat. The books are part of the 'buy one get one half-price' promotion so there's a bargain to be had too!
October 1, 2013
Promotion for this week only!
SPECIAL PROMO!
Just for this week, my YA paranormal e-book, Marvin's Curse has been reduced to just 99p. It has many great reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Why not take a peek and see?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380621136&sr=8-1&keywords=Marvin%27s+Curse
Just for this week, my YA paranormal e-book, Marvin's Curse has been reduced to just 99p. It has many great reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Why not take a peek and see?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380621136&sr=8-1&keywords=Marvin%27s+Curse
September 25, 2013
Great review from Satarupa
A Great Review from Goodreads Member, Satarupa.
'This is an awesome book with a totally unheard of story line and plot where a physic teenager falls in love with an unique ghost.
I loved the concept of the dark world and all the fighting scenes that spiced up the story. Stella is cute and she didn't know that she's dead and all and Marvin and Stella falls in love after Marvin meets her at the graveyard.
The description of the dark world is really vivid and I totally liked the writing style of the author.
The suspense that the author kept till the end is remarkable and the slow revelation of many unanswered questions and the twists and turns with which the story is laced was really great to experience.
I liked the new take in the paranormal romance genre and enjoyed it thoroughly.
All in all a great read and totally deserves a shot so go for it and find out more about this unique love story and the horrors of the dark world.'
'This is an awesome book with a totally unheard of story line and plot where a physic teenager falls in love with an unique ghost.
I loved the concept of the dark world and all the fighting scenes that spiced up the story. Stella is cute and she didn't know that she's dead and all and Marvin and Stella falls in love after Marvin meets her at the graveyard.
The description of the dark world is really vivid and I totally liked the writing style of the author.
The suspense that the author kept till the end is remarkable and the slow revelation of many unanswered questions and the twists and turns with which the story is laced was really great to experience.
I liked the new take in the paranormal romance genre and enjoyed it thoroughly.
All in all a great read and totally deserves a shot so go for it and find out more about this unique love story and the horrors of the dark world.'
September 23, 2013
Waterstone's Sutton Book Signing
I had a great day selling and signing my Aggie Lichen trilogy at Waterstone's Sutton last Saturday. I met some lovely people there and had a good chat about screen writing with one fellow writer. It's alway nice to meet new readers and it was a real pleasure to talk about the books with so many. I also had a reader who had read all the books and wanted to know what was next so I was able to direct her to my e-book, 'Marvin's Curse'.
A special 'hello' to Georgia and Madison from Blenheim High School in Epsom, who over the period of the day, bought all three 'Aggie' books each, so a big thank you to them.
Overall, a really great day. Many thanks to the staff at Waterstone's for accommodating me again.
Madison and Georgia, Waterstone's Sutton
A special 'hello' to Georgia and Madison from Blenheim High School in Epsom, who over the period of the day, bought all three 'Aggie' books each, so a big thank you to them.
Overall, a really great day. Many thanks to the staff at Waterstone's for accommodating me again.
Madison and Georgia, Waterstone's Sutton
September 21, 2013
Self-publishing talk SCBWI Oxford Group 18th September
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I had a lovely time talking to the SCBWI Oxford group last Wednesday. Organised by Sue, I spent about one and a half hours speaking about self-publishing using a presentation to prompt my terrible memory. I'm no expert, but was able to share my experiences. It seemed to go well. I just hope I didn't put them off going down that route.
•
We spent some time looking at why some people choose to self-publish and what that entails with the printed book. Then we looked at publishing e-books and what that involves. The last part of the talk was about marketing, going through the many different ways of promoting books etc.
I did go away thinking about how much work self-publishing actually takes. Sometimes when you do things you don't realise the full extent of it. Would I do it all again? Most definitely!
Thank you the invitation, ladies. I had a really good time.
I had a lovely time talking to the SCBWI Oxford group last Wednesday. Organised by Sue, I spent about one and a half hours speaking about self-publishing using a presentation to prompt my terrible memory. I'm no expert, but was able to share my experiences. It seemed to go well. I just hope I didn't put them off going down that route.
•
We spent some time looking at why some people choose to self-publish and what that entails with the printed book. Then we looked at publishing e-books and what that involves. The last part of the talk was about marketing, going through the many different ways of promoting books etc.
I did go away thinking about how much work self-publishing actually takes. Sometimes when you do things you don't realise the full extent of it. Would I do it all again? Most definitely!
Thank you the invitation, ladies. I had a really good time.
