Debra J. Edwards's Blog, page 5

My new study is finished.

So now that the study is up and running, here is a photo of the shelving unit. And yes, the books are all in author order. So sad, I know. Shelves B,C, D are at the top here with F,G, H underneath. I'm not normally this good at arranging my books, but had to find a way to access all the wonderful authors I have yet to read quickly.



Alas, the great ordering of said shelves cannot be applied to my new desk set up. I seem to accumulate so many notebooks, post-it notes, book marks, scissors, pens etc. I'm sure they breed while I sleep. The upside is that the desk now looks out over the front garden, providing a much nicer view than the wall I had in the old study. The chair is still the old uncomfortable one, but I write more if I am not too settled and that chair definitely keeps me on edge.

I'll be here 25th/26th April in the Town and Country marq...

I'll be here 25th/26th April in the Town and Country marquee. Why not pop in and say hello!

The Iron City - teaser

New author blogs to follow

New blogs to follow!


Chris Weigand

http://www.weigandchris.com/http:/l-is-for-love-m-is-for-maeve-and-magda?hc_location=ufi






 Cathy Collar

http://www.creationsmystique.blogspot.co.uk/?hc_location=ufi



 


 Darlene Foster
https://darlenefoster.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/storyboards-for-amanda-in-arabia/?hc_location=ufi

#UKYADAY Why I write YA

My first three books were middle grade fantasy novels about stroppy teenage tooth fairies. At the time, I was teaching Year 6 (10-11 year olds) in primary school so I had a captive audience for my stories. I was able to read parts of the books out and get feedback from the pupils too. Some took home the whole manuscripts to read which was a little scary, but they were truthful in what they liked and what they thought didn't work. So why change to YA?



I saw YA as a challenge, something I didn't really think I would be able to do. There were so many good YA writers out there already. Why did the world need another one, especially an inexperienced one? But the need to do something different burnt away at me as I was reading more and more YA novels and enjoyed them. I also started interacting online with YA writers and readers, seeking advice about the different things I should take into account when writing YA - like swearing and love scenes! I was already a member of SCBWI which also helped.

Fantasy has always been my first love. Books like Faerie Wars, The Hobbit, LOTR played a huge part in my early YA reading. For me, it was a natural move from middle grade fantasy into YA paranormal writing. There had been a lot written about vampires and werewolves so I consciously didn't want to write about them. Having had a fascination with ghosts from an early age, I knew that was the route I wanted to take, but it needed something different, an edge.


Marvin's Curse is about a 17 year old boy who inherits the gift of communicating with the spirit world, something he sees as a curse. After meeting a confused teenage spirit who does not realise she's dead, Marvin reluctantly agrees to help her find her memories.The book takes the reader to an underground world, Moghador, a halfway place where those who cannot or will not crossover dwell. A decrepit pawnbroker holds the key to their problem.

Middle grade is something I would go back to, but for the moment, I'm sticking with YA.

As he turned...

Marvin's regret.

Blog page views for March, 2866.

I was looking at the breakdown of page views on my blog for March and it makes interesting reading. At 2866, it was the best month I have had for views since I first started the blog in 2009. Amazing how many views came from other countries rather than the UK where I actually live. Also, I can pick my friend Lorraine out as a viewer from the Cayman Islands which is cool. Three views from India! Wow! I would love to hear from anyone who takes the time to look at the things I write so do drop a comment/photo in so I can give you a mention. Thank you for looking.



United States 2522 United Kingdom 108 France 31 Russia 25 Switzerland 21 Germany 21 Ukraine 14 Cayman Islands 4 India 3 Spain 2

Amazon Ratings

This is nice to see on Amazon - Marvin's Curse.


#73 in Kindle Store > Books > Teen & Young Adult > Horror > Ghosts

Marvin the Hypnotist

The huge man’s eyes fell on the chain, watching as it swung left then right then left then right… It was a good start!‘Your eyelids are heavy, very heavy.’Still the man’s eyes were focused on the chain although his eyelids weren’t closing as fast as Marvin had hoped…‘Your eyelids are very, very heavy. You can hardly keep them open…’ Marvin now clasped both hands together, hoping to contain the tremor that had started to develop in his right hand. The chain swung out, the silver catching the light. Go to sleep, damn you!‘Your whole body is tired and exhausted! You need to sleep!’With cold, dark eyes never leaving the swinging chain, the huge man lumbered forward, each step bring him closer to Marvin.‘I said, you’re very tired, you need to sleep…’ Marvin started moving backwards and found himself walking in a large circle, the huge man still mesmerised by the chain yet, incredibly, wide awake. What the hell was it going to take…THUMP!A large brick by all accounts!

 Marvin's Curse - 99c/99p Amazon