Debra J. Edwards's Blog, page 11

Bella Harte part 2! The interview.

The Sunday Spotlight ~ Talking with Debra J. Edwards ♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥
Welcome to another installment
of
The Sunday Spotlight
I hope you've been enjoying a nice and relaxing weekend.  Mine is progressing nicely with perhaps a little editing stint on the horizon, as I really need to get 'Crimson Fire' Book II in The Seraphoenix Saga ready for publication.  Fingers crossed it won't be too long now!
Yesterday my guest author, Debra J. Edwards was here sharing her latest novel - see below - and today she's back sharing writing, life and a little of everything else.
The Saturday Showcase

Talking with Debra J. Edwards
on
The Sunday Spotlight
Welcome Debra and thanks for joining us today.
Firstly can you tell us a little about yourself?I am a former primary school teacher, mostly teacher 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.Have you published any other novels, if so can you share the details?I have three children’s fantasy novels published for the 8-12 year range although I have sold a lot to teenagers and adults. In fact, my oldest reader for these books is in her sixties! They are stories about a group of stroppy teenage tooth fairies and how they try to say their world. Here’s the blurb for the first book: Aggie Lichen faces the same dilemmas as any other thirteen year old; what to wear, how to keep out of trouble at school. But while other thirteen year olds are doing their homework or settling down to watch T.V., Aggie flits from house to house in search of prize pilps. That’s where Aggie is a little different. You see, Aggie Lichen is a pilp collector – a tooth fairy!
One nightsgritch – a tooth collecting evening – Aggie is attacked by a bright, mysterious light. Is it just a low flying glow worm or a bad tempered giant bluebottle? Or, as Aggie and her gang suspect, is it something more sinister?
Unknown to them, Aggie and her gang have just thirty days to solve the mystery and save their kind but time is not on their side … neither are the Sprites or the Grublins …
Are you working on anything new right now?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!’  What is your all-time favourite novel?Can I have more than one? Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit are up there on the list. Brilliantly written and a fantasy world created like nothing else I have read.  I am also a great fan of Herbie Brennan, author of the Faerie Wars series. Seriously, if you haven’t read these you should. They are YA fantasy and the writing is amazing. After reading these I contacted Herbie to see if he would read my books and he did! He provided some fabulous quotes for me to use on the covers! I also love the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett. They are hilarious and you really grow to love the characters who pop up at different times in different novels.Can you tell us who your favourite indie author is?Although now traditionally published, I got hooked onto Amanda Hocking’s books when she was self-publishing. I loved the Trylle series of books and they were something fresh to read in this genre. I have yet to try some of her others. I also was able to meet Amanda when she visited her publisher’s offices in the UK last year. There was just a small group of us who shared pizza together and were able to put questions to her informally. She’s a lovely person and so deserving of her success.What are you reading at the moment & would you recommend it to us?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.Do you have a favourite quote, if so what is it?"I ATE'NT DEAD"  This is by Granny Weatherwax, a witch in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books.  When she goes off ‘borrowing’ she overlays the minds of other creatures, leaving her body in a death-like trance, so to avoid any misunderstandings, she wears a placard with this quote around her neck.How many novels/books do you typically read in a month?I can read very quickly and it makes my husband mad as he’s so slow at reading! Time allowing, I can probably read 4-6 books a month. It doesn’t sound much, but that’s because other things like writing have to be done and I spend an awful lot of time on promotion.What is your favourite genre to read at the moment?I’m not good at trying other genres so I mostly stick to children’s and YA paranormal.  Books like the Septimus Heap series and Charlie Bone series are children’s books I have loved. In YA, I am enjoying the House of Night series and have just read through all the Iron Fey books by Julie Kagawa.Apart from writing, do you have any other hobbies that you’d like to share with us?I love travelling and so far have been to nearly 50 different countries! I’m such a travel geek that I have a world map in my study with pins placed in where I’ve been. It’s great to see the sights and experience different cultures. I am not a beach person, so for me it’s being able to do all the touristy things then find my own way round villages, towns and cities. One of the most exciting times was visiting China and using overnight sleeper trains to get to Beijing, Xian and back to Shanghai. I also like to cruise! I get a lot of writing done that way too as they have quiet areas and libraries where I can work. India is next on the long list, but may have to do a few short journeys to complete Europe first.Are you a morning person or a night owl?Oh, I’m most definitely not a morning person! When I taught, my colleagues knew not to speak to me until mid morning, after I’d had a coffee or two. I would mostly just grunt at anyone who spoke to me before that as sentences were hard to form at that time of day! Now, I get up when I please so no more grunting! Who would be your dream cast if your novel was made into a movie?I’d kind of hoped Jay Baruchel would play Marvin, but I’m not sure he’d be cast in the role of a 17 year old anymore! I loved him as ‘Dave’ in the Sorcerer’s Apprentice with Nicholas cage. For Stella, possibly Helena Bonham-Carter, again cast as a 17 year old???  Tell us one thing that no-one else knows about you – your darkest secret if you dare! It’s not a dark secret, but… I’m terrified of the dentist! And I mean, knees knocking, tears in the eyes kind of terror! Which is ironic as the books I’ve written previously are about tooth fairies. I just remember lots of visits when I was little and the mask they used to give gas when taking teeth out. It makes me shudder just to write about it! I look after my teeth carefully now so that I don’t have to make a visit and so far have survived not having to go to the dentist for quite a while…
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Book Buy links:
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374315355&sr=8-1&keywords=marvin%27s+curse
Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1374313372&sr=1-1&keywords=marvin%27s+curse
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/marvins-curse-debra-j-edwards/1115835656?ean=2940044588752
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/325225
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Give-Away:  

Debra has very kindly offered my readers the chance to get a FREE copy of YA Novel Marvin's Curse.  
For your chance to get your hands on one of the 5 e-books available, in either mobi or PDF format.
All you have to do is answer a quick question:
Which of the following would you pick and why? 
In the Grave yard on Halloween?
or
In the Forest on a Full Moon?

Leave your answer in the comment form below, the winners will be notified by the author.
♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥
Join me again tomorrow as I'm back with a Book Blog Tour.

Great Blog post from Bella Harte - Book giveaway at the end.

The Saturday Showcase with Guest Author Debra J. Edwards ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Welcome to 
The Saturday Showcase
featuring
Marvin's Curse
by 
Debra J. Edwards

Book Genre: YA Paranormal
Book 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:
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374315355&sr=8-1&keywords=marvin%27s+curseAmazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1374313372&sr=1-1&keywords=marvin%27s+curseB&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/marvins-curse-debra-j-edwards/1115835656?ean=2940044588752Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/325225Author Bio:
Debra J Edwards is a full time writer living in Surrey, UK. She lives in a rambling Victorian house with husband and pyscho staffy, Buster.

Debra currently has four books published. A trilogy about stroppy teenage tooth fairies; Aggie Lichen; Pilp Collector, the sequel, Aggie Lichen; Pilp Collector - Arty's Revenge with Hero Required, the third book in the series.

Marvin’s Curse is her fourth novel although the first for YA readers. For this latest book, Marvin’s Curse, she worked under cover as a ghost whisperer in order to bring that something extra to her central character. Debra feels this has paid off well and is now training to be a dragon slayer for her next novel… Your Links:
Website: www.purpleraypublishing.co.ukBlog: http://trialsofaself-publishedauthor.blogspot.co.uk/ Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/MarvinsCurse?fref=tsTwitter: https://twitter.com/debra_J_edwardsGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18115238-marvin-s-curse Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/DebbieEdwardsAuthonomy: http://authonomy.com/books/53981/marvin-s-curse/Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpNB65nYyRM
**~*~*~*~**                     Publish date: July 2013                       Publisher: PurpleRay Publishing

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Book Excerpt:
He’d never had a teenage ghost come to him before, let alone a girl. He felt his face flush as a wave of excitement rose through him. But she was still a ghost. She would still want something. Didn’t they always? No, she had to go. ‘What do you really want?’ he said. ‘Only I’m rather busy, as you can see.’ ‘And rather rude!’ said the girl, retreating to the back of the bench. She wore a black jumper with a glittery skull motif on the sleeve that sparkled in the fading light.‘Just tell me what you want then I’ll send you on your way,’ said Marvin. ‘And rather patronising too!’ The girl made her way round to the front of the bench and sat down, crossing one leg over the other.‘Look, this always goes a certain way,’ said Marvin, trying not to stare at her. ‘You want me to do something. I refuse to do it and then send you away.’‘What if I don’t want anything?’‘Sorry?’‘What if I don’t want anything from you?’‘Well, that would be a first! First time in a year that any sp…’ He stopped suddenly. No unfinished business? They always have unfinished business! Oh god! She doesn’t know. She doesn’t know she’s dead. A slight panic came over him. How the hell was he going deal with this? Within seconds he had his answer.‘Do you see a light?’ he asked, pushing his hands towards the sky. ‘Do you see a very bright light?’‘At this time of day?’ said the girl. ‘Don’t be stupid!’No, she definitely doesn’t know.‘And you’re sure that there’s nothing that you want. Nothing you need to find out. Nothing you need to have finished…’She stared at him, widening her eyes. ‘Just this conversation!’ She turned to leave, but Marvin was quick to jump in front of her.‘Hey!’ he said as she stopped walking. ‘Sorry, I’m just not good with sp… er, people.’‘Understatement! You are rubbish with people!’ Marvin led the way back to the bench where she sat and he leant against a tree.After a short awkward silence the girl spoke, ‘So what are you doing here – in my graveyard?’ She pulled at the hem of her jumper. ‘I’m Stella by the way.’‘Marvin,’ said Marvin. ‘So how is it your graveyard?’ He waited, hoping she’d find a way of answering, a way of acknowledging her deadness, but nothing. He continued, slipping in the odd comment where possible. ‘Surely you share it with other people.’‘Well, it’s not exactly mine,’ said Stella, ‘but I like to hang out here. It’s always so – peaceful.’Marvin grunted in agreement and edged his way onto the bench ensuring there was a good distance between them.‘Have you always lived here? I don’t remember seeing you before,’ said Stella pulling her knees up under her chin. ‘And why are you here?’‘You ask a lot of questions,’ said Marvin. The last thing he wanted to do was to talk about his family to a complete stranger, a completely dead stranger. He decided to go for the simple explanation. ‘Just moved in,’ he said then added. ‘And I’ve come here to draw.’Stella threw back her head and laughed. ‘What rubbish! No one really comes to a graveyard to draw! People come here to escape life.’ She paused. ‘Is that what you’re doing – escaping?’Marvin tapped his fingers on the bench handrail. ‘So what are you escaping from then, huh?’ ‘Nothing! I just like it here.’ She jumped up and ran towards a tree, hugging it. ‘I love the trees, I love the grass. I even love the gravestones.’

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Give-Away:  

Debra has very kindly offered my readers the chance to get a FREE copy of YA Novel Marvin's Curse.  
For your chance to get your hands on one of the 5 e-books available, in either mobi or PDF format.
All you have to do is answer a quick question:
Which of the following would you pick and why?  
In the Grave yard on Halloween?
or
In the Forest on a Full Moon?
Leave your answer in the comment form below, the winners will be notified by the author.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
I'm back again tomorrow with Debra on
The Sunday Spotlight
Where we'll continue the Give-Away Competition and on to Part II of my Weekend Author Showcase.

Great new reviews for Marvin's Curse

5 stars from Billie Jo

Marvin's Curse is a terrific read from start to finish. I liked that the author mixed a great ghost story with the hardships of being a teenager. With this story you get tons of suspense, mystery and a touch of romance that keeps you interested throughout the course of the story. This will be a great addition to anyone's reading list teen or adult. The characters are all very well developed and the story line is true to life and believable.Marvin's character just pulled at my heart-strings. He's dealing with the loss of his father and is angry and hurt,then on top of everything else he finds out he can see and hear ghosts, which he hates at first but comes to accept eventually.Overall this was a very well written story and I enjoyed reading it. I would love to see more of Marvin in the near future and hoping for another installment. Job well done Ms.Edwards!!!!  

4 stars from Victoria

 Marvin hates that his gift in life is to commune with and help the dead; a gift that passes from father to son for generations. His dad is forced to stay in spirit form to teach his son how to use his gift....though Marvin belies its a curse....before he can move on to the afterlife. Marvin misses his dad terribly and doesnt get along with his stepdad. Like any normal teenager he rebels, runs off and refuses to use his gift to help people. Marvin has had a rough life. Everything changes whem he meets Stella McCartney, a young female ghost who has lost her memories and adds many humourous moments to the book. Marvin wants to help her, but it means using his a Gift he has been trying to ignore for a long time. Seeking her memories from a ghostly market situated beneath an Angel in a graveyard, marvin and stella are thrown in to an adventure of evil spirits, demonic encounters and a twisted tale of murder, lies, secrets and slavery. I really felt for Marvin when he was rebelling and missing his dad and seeking peace from ghosts who needed him to finish their business so they could 'cross-over'. Not only does he lose a dad but gains an unwanted gift. When he starts caring for Stella and helping her, Marvin really begins to grow up and see the good he can do for those who cant move on. The ending of this book was emotional and sweet.

 5 stars from Robo

I loved the characters that the author has created. A gripping read that was so tense as the plot unravelled. Kept me from going to sleep.

Sutton Guardian Article

Buy one get one free!

So, I venture into my local Waterstones (Sutton) to see how the books are doing and... couldn't find them. Slight panic then I find them here! Only on the buy one get one half price stand, no less, sandwiched between Jacqueline Wilson and Percy Jackson. This is a first for me. My books normally have to fight against any offers in store. Grab yourself a bargain!

 

New 5 star book review!

5 star review on Amazon from 'Bookworm'.

'I thoroughly enjoyed Marvin's Curse and struggled to put the book down.

The story line wasn't predictable and kept you guessing right to the end. I loved Stella and Marvin from almost the start.'

Still available on Amazon £1.98!




http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377631742&sr=8-1&keywords=marvin%27s+curse

George and the Dragon

Rae Gandos, Dragon Slayer

I've had to research a bit for this new book. I remembered seeing a particular painting in the National Gallery some years ago by Paolo Uccello; Saint George and the Dragon c1470. And there is Ascalon, the lance! Trouble is, I really like dragons so I have to work out how I'm going to use them to fight humans in the book.


  

The Dragon Slayer in my book is also different in that it's a girl! She needs to be contemporary yet futuristic at the same time. I think once she's grown into her new role, Rae might look a bit like this Manga image by Ayakohi! Ascalon the sword gripped in her hand.


Then there are the dragons! 






[image error] Proud and beautiful!    Down right scary!

Cute!

New book reveal!

Excerpt from the new book I'm working on.
It's YA Paranormal - Buffy meets the Hunger Games (ish!)
 
Working title: Rae Gandos, Dragon Slayer




   ‘Look there’s something we need to talk about,’ said George, slumping down to the ground. ‘Something really important. Something I should have told you before, but you just weren’t ready.’   ‘George, this is not the time to profess your love for me. Besides, we’re best friends aren’t we?’ said Rae, grinning. She sat down next to him, slapping his leg, playfully. ‘We really don’t need those sorts of complications.’   ‘It’s not that, although you know I do have a soft spot for you, right here.’ He pointed to the sole of his boot.   Rae pushed his shoulder. ‘Oh, shut up and get on with it! Go on, spit it out.’   ‘It’s not really something you can exactly spit out, Rae. This isn’t going to be easy for you to hear.’   ‘Oh for god’s sake, George. Just say it!’   ‘Okay, but stay still ‘til I finish, right?’   Rae rolled her eyes then nodded.   ‘You, Raelyer Gandos, are the… slayer, er, the Dragon Slayer as in you are the chosen one, kinda thing.’   ‘Shut the hell up!’ was the best Rae could muster.   ‘It’s true, Rae. Can’t you feel it, like, inside?’   ‘George, what I feel inside is hunger, that’s all.’   ‘Hunger, that’s good, hunger for the fight.’   Rae punched his arm hard. ‘Pack it in George. We have enough to contend with without you trying to screw with my head too.’   George took both of Rae’s hands in his and looked deeply into her eyes. "Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the, insert dragons, and the forces of darkness…’   Rae shook her hands away. ‘Don’t go all Buffy the Vampire Slayer on me!’ she said. ‘These are not vampires.’   ‘But it’s the same principal,’ said George.  ‘‘To stop the spread of their evil and the swell of number. She…’’   ‘…is the slayer.’ Look, I’m no Buffy! You’ve got the wrong girl.’    ‘Oh, seriously! Have you never looked at your name?’ said George, wearily. ‘It’s an anagram, for crying out loud. Did you never do that, not even in primary school? How sad.’   ‘I was at school to learn, George, not mess about like some people.’   ‘Okay, well humour me,’ said George, handing her a bag of stones with letters scratched on them. ‘They spell your name.  Move the letters around.’   ‘I will not!’ said Rae. ‘What am I, eight?’   ‘Just move them, Raelyer – please,’ said George, stroking her hand softly.   ‘Okay!’ she snapped, tipping the stones onto the ground.   ‘Now move them around. See what you come up with.’    Rae rolled her eyes again, but shifted the stones around as George asked. At first she couldn’t find anything that even looked remotely sensible. ‘Lardy oranges?’   ‘Oh, please! I’m going to all this trouble for lardy oranges?’ said George. ‘Try again.’   Muttering under her breath, Rae pushed the stones around again. They felt cold against her fingers. ‘Found it!’ she cried after a few minutes. ‘Nasal dry ergo?’ She fell back laughing.   ‘You’re just not taking this seriously enough,’ said George, flicking her hand away from the word ‘Nasal’. ‘Put the ‘d’ first, Rae.’   Rae sat up and pushed the ‘d’ into a new line.   George placed the ‘r’ next to it then the ‘a’.   She stared at him unbelievingly then pulled the other letters into position until two words glared out at her. ‘Dragon Slayer?’ Rae inched backwards, her mouth open.

Writer CV

Now, I have written CVs before, you know, the usual kind of stuff; education, work history etc. It was always straight forward apart from that little box under your name where you had to sell yourself in as few words as possible.

Well! Creating a writer's CV is a whole different ballgame, I can tell you! I've checked out a few sites and managed to put together a fairly reasonable CV using ideas from each one. List publications - yes, can do that. List memberships - yes, can do that too. Then I'm supposed to make myself look a bit interesting... and have it link to writing. Yikes!

Firstly, I couldn't even think of anything remotely interesting about me let alone, connected to writing. It was only when I recalled an evening out last week with some friends that it hit me! We were just chatting about holidays and my writing and this is what came back to me:

1. I've written stories about stroppy teenage tooth fairies, but I am actually terried of the dentist. I mean, seriously! It's apparently called dental phobia or odontophobia or dentophobia. Even writing about the dentist right now causes me grief. I have actually cried when checking in at the dentists reception and my knees literally knock together!

 [image error]
2. My latest book is a YA paranormal novel. Now I've been a huge fan of all things paranormal for a very long time, but did you know that my honeymoon was a Count Dracula tour of Romania? I visited Bran Castle, went to where Vlad Dracula was born in Sighisoara and the island in the monastery where his tomb is.
 
A little bit interesting and linked to my writing... best I can do!

Marvin's Curse doing okay!

My Young Adult/Adult paranormal e-book is doing nicely. I have had some lovely reviews, mostly 5 star which is fab. You can still grab it on Amazon or Smashwords for a mere £1.99 - less than a pint! Makes a good summer read.

 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marvins-Curse-ebook/dp/B00DCDC1OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374483905&sr=8-1&keywords=marvin%27s+curse 


Honestly, it's not THAT scary!