Liz DeJesus's Blog, page 43
November 4, 2012
Shattered Frost
Modern Snow White by ~Kanamm on deviantART
Snow White and Red Riding Hood by ~CarolineGariba on deviantART
8590 / 50000 words. 17% done!
November 3, 2012
Glass Frost ~ Excerpt/Teaser
Bianca grabbed a roll of paper towels and a bottle of Windex from the supply closet. It was time to clean the glass cases. No matter how many times her mother told the children not to, they always pressed their happy little faces against the glass, hoping to get a closer look at their favorite items. They always left behind drool, snots, dirt, and God only knew what else on the glass.
She aimed the blue bottle of Windex to the case and sprayed until there was a thin coat of cleaning solution on the glass. She used a single sheet of paper towel and wiped it clean like she had done thousands of times before. She was almost finished with all of the glass cases in the Princess Room when she noticed the silence. She looked around and found herself completely alone.
“Hello?” Bianca called out.
Nothing. Just deafening silence.
“Mom?”
Once more she was met with a frightening hush.
“Mom?”
Still no response. A chill ran down her spine. She walked toward the Wicked Wing. She had no idea why she headed in that direction. But all she could do was follow her feet.
Not exactly where I want to be when the museum is empty.
Yet, no matter what she told herself, she continued to make her way to the darkest corner of the museum.
She stood in front of Queen Mirabel’s magic mirror. It was a large oval-shaped looking glass. The frame was made out of ebony and had thorns, vines, and leaves carved into the wood.
“What is going on?”
Before she could utter another word, an image appeared in the mirror. It was her own reflection staring back at her.
“Not you again.” Bianca remembered the last time she faced the wicked version of herself that lived inside the magic mirror. Safe to say, it didn’t end well.
Mirror Bianca tilted her head from side to side as though trying to decide what to make of her. Her jet black hair was matted and dirty. She could see little insects crawling in and out of her dark locks. Her reflection looked back at her with bloodshot eyes; it was as though she had gone several weeks without a good night’s sleep. Mirror Bianca gave her an evil smile and held up a fistful of snakes in one hand and toads in the other. Bianca shrieked and jumped back several feet when she saw Mirror Bianca throw the snakes and toads out of the looking glass. The snakes hissed and flashed their fangs at Bianca as they hit the floor. The toads, on the other hand, hit the hardwood floor with a sickly, wet slap. When she looked down at her feet, she was surrounded by reptiles and amphibians: jade, pine, brown, blood orange, ruby red, lemon yellow, and lime green.
“Mom! Mom! Help!” Bianca shouted.
All she could hear was the croak of the toads and the hiss of the snakes that continued to make their way out of the magic mirror. Yet no matter how fast she ran, she hadn’t moved an inch. It was as though the floor had become a treadmill, and there was nowhere to run.
Liz DeJesus © 2012
First Frost review
http://aurorareviews.blogspot.com/2012/10/first-frost-by-liz-dejesus.html
November 2, 2012
Musa Author of the Week
by Lisa Greer
I have a new release an historical gothic romance, The Montmoors 2: The Bastard Returns—second in a set of serials that focuses on a cursed line of male heirs condemned to life inside a crumbling castle in Cornwall. The series moves through generations of Montmoors, and readers will learn whether the curse that rests upon the family—and dozens of other intrigues that pop up—will lead to happiness in the end.
I've been thinking a lot about gothic romance lately and why it's loved by fans old and new. What's so appealing about this genre, and why should you give gothic romance a try?
I think we've all experienced love—the sensation of your heart bumping faster when you see him or her, wondering if you can live without the beloved, feelings so strong for someone else that you don't need to eat or sleep, at least not much. And of course, mature love that is tested and stands strong through the years.
And if not love, then surely you've felt terror. That thumping sound you hear in the middle of the night that makes your heart stop for a minute or how you go looking behind the door after watching a scary movie. If those types of terror aren’t for you, then there’s always the icy grip of death, of impending loneliness, or any number of things perhaps that only frighten you. Terror and love are emotions, states of being, even actions that we all understand.
That is why I write what I do—gothic romance. The beloved authors of the genre like Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels, and Emily Bronte understood that intersection of fear and desire.
Gothic romance in its most common, pure form, the type that makes its fans swoon, deals in scary realities—haunted houses, castles and troubled lords aside. A critic once said, in fact, that gothic romance is the choice between two men. And it is, isn't it? And isn't that choice an all too real one in life, if we broaden the scope a bit? The choice between opposites? For good or evil...one path or the other.
Gothic romance reached its zenith in the 60s and 70s with authors like Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt. They kept going strong in some circles even into the early 90s with their mix of romance, Byronic heroes, ghosts, suspense, and danger—in spite of the fact that they should have been outmoded before they ever became popular.
But that wasn't the case. The genre adapted to the modern and post modern eras and still does and harkens back to the Victorian Era in some cases. Love and terror worked then, and they work now. The characters who play out the dramas of desire and fear are ones we can identify with, too—or at least that we love reading about.
The heroines of most gothic romances are hip and intelligent, but they don't mind relying on a man to do some of the fighting for them when it comes to ghosts or being trapped in the family mausoleum. They drink sherry and beer, smoke cigarettes, and wear miniskirts—or they don't. They write masters theses, act as dutiful daughters to their ailing professorial fathers, or work as art gallery owners. They are orphans, governesses, and heiresses, alone, yet strong. They are all of us as women.
And the heroes, well, the heroes are often Byronic—dark, isolated, secretive. They are mad with old loves and losses or haunted by sordid pasts. But sometimes they're not. Sometimes, the hero is the good friend, the guy who stands beside the heroine, the one who is the picture of mental health. And that's part of the fun. In many gothic romances, you'll have your doubts about the heroine's choice, and she will for a while, too.
Of course, gothic romance has been around since well before the 20th century. The mother of the gothic, Ann Radcliffe, and others were writing Gothic and gothic romance in the 18th century. My favorite gothic romance is still Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. What novel captures the solipsism of first love and the terror of its loss as well as that book? What Byronic Hero is better drawn than the gypsy Heathcliff? The macabre, mysterious, and frightening have always attracted readers. We do understand love... and terror, or at least we want to feel we are not alone with either emotion.
Here's a little from The Montmoors 2: The Bastard Returns for your reading pleasure.
BLURB:
The mysteries of Montmoor Hall deepen with each passing day…and night. A ghost haunts governess Catherine Roth while the master, Andrew Montmoor, is away.
To make matters worse, Catherine is falling in love with the troubled master of Montmoor Hall even though she knows Andrew is lying to her…but about what? And what will happen when the bastard brother, handsome Benjamin Smitt, returns to claim what is his?
EXCERPT:
She woke up in the night, not sure what had roused her. Catherine opened her eyes, and in front of her shimmered the image of Monroe Montmoor. He appeared exactly as he had in his portrait, and glowered with what could only be fury, and his green eyes blazed at her. He stood, silent and strangely translucent.
“No.” The whisper escaped Catherine's lips before she could stop it.
A twisted grin crossed his full lips, and she wanted to scream. A smile on his face struck her as more terrible than a frown. If he was so grotesque in death, what manner of monster must he have been in life?
With his gnarled, blue veined hand, he reached out toward her, and his mouth worked soundlessly, even as Catherine's mind screamed that his hand coming toward her was impossible. She didn't want him to touch her, would go mad if she heard what such a specter had to say. He shuffled a few steps closer to the bed.
He's going to touch me, to do something...
Jolted from her paralysis, Catherine screamed, a gut wrenching sound that made her own ears ring. The figure disintegrated, disappearing by degrees.
Her door burst open within seconds, and a disheveled Montmoor appeared at her side wearing a silken nightshirt that, thankfully, covered his body down to his calves.
“What in God's name is going on?” He sat on the edge of the bed and took her in his arms, and she didn't resist. Catherine sobbed against his warm neck, aware of his arms holding her tight.
“I saw something.”
“What?”
“I think it was a spirit, a ghost, though I've never seen one before. I don't even believe in them!” She heard her voice rise to a hysterical pitch.
His arms tightened around her, and she felt his breath against her hair as his hands twined in the silky strands.
“It's the curse.”
“Why do you say that?” She remembered his words from the night before with a shudder.
“Because I believe what you saw was my great grandfather, his spirit. He’s vengeful. He never rests. He walks the halls.” His voice grew louder with each terrible word, and a wild look entered his eyes.
Catherine pulled away from him, frightened even more by his strange reaction.
“That's foolish. I couldn't have seen a spirit. It must have been a nightmare from being in a new and different place.” She almost believed it herself as long as she avoided looking at him.
“Tell me exactly what you saw.” He ground the words out, and all at once Catherine grew uncomfortable with his closeness to her on the bed. She crossed her arms over the thin chemise she wore, one of the lacy ones left by his sister, Alice. And did she really elope? There was something so strange about the story, about the way Lord Montmoor had not met her eyes when he had told it.
He leaned back, looking into her eyes.
“I saw the man in the portrait. Your great grandfather.” She forced herself to meet his gaze. The skin at the nape of his neck glowed in the light from the brass candelabra he had laid on the bedside table.
“As I assumed. He doesn't want you here.”
“Why wouldn't he want me here? And how do you know?”
Montmoor broke the intense gaze between them. “My destiny is sealed—or that is his wish—for me to be cursed and lonely.”
BUY LINK
Watch the YouTube trailer HERE .
Learn more about Lisa Greer on her website . Stay connected with Lisa on Facebook and Twitter .
October 31, 2012
October 30, 2012
Book Reviews
294 people have added it to their to-read list.
45 ratings
29 reviews
So...how do I do it?
Reviewers and bloggers. That's how. They are the bread and butter of indie authors. I'm going to talk a little bit about what I do and hopefully this will help you get some more reviewers reading your book.
1. Research. I start by looking at books that are similar to mine and I look at the reviews it has on goodreads. Some of those reviewers have links to their websites and blogsites on their page. Then I click on the link and check out their blog. I look at the types of books and what genres they like to read.
2. Policy. Almost every blogger has a review policy. Read it thoroughly. You don't want to give anyone a reason to delete your email without a second thought. And also, if they're not into a specific genre and you know your book is in the genre that he/she isn't interested in reading, do yourself a favor and don't submit your book. Nothing is going to change their mind. It's like sending a nonfiction book to a reviewer that reads paranormal books. Stick to the policy.
3. Followers. I also look for how many followers this blogger has. Most of the time I'll submit to a blogger/reviewer if he/she has 100 followers or more. Why? You want someone how has people constantly checking in on their site. You'll have a higher chance of getting someone to purchase your book.
4. Be polite and professional. A lot of the reviewers I submit to are interested in Young Adult books and some of them are older (21-30 years old) and some of them might be younger (13-17 years old) and the younger group might even have their parents monitoring their email (which I agree with 100%) so you want to come across as a professional. Here's a sample email that I'll send to bloggers that don't have a specific guideline in their review policy.
Dear Insert Bloggers Name Here(Another tip: Always find out what the bloggers name is, it lets them know that you actually did read their blog and that you are genuinely interested in them reading your book. Try to be personable, you know what I mean?)
My name is Liz DeJesus, I have a young adult fantasy novel that has been released through Musa Publishing titled First Frost. I was wondering if it was something that you would be interested in reading and reviewing.
Here's a quick blurb:
For generations, the Frost family has run the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts, handing down guardianship from mother to daughter, always keeping their secrets to “family only.”Gathered within museum’s walls is a collection dedicated to the Grimm fairy tales and to the rare items the family has acquired: Cinderella’s glass slipper, Snow White’s poisoned apple, the evil queen’s magic mirror, Sleeping Beauty’s enchanted spinning wheel…Seventeen-year-old Bianca Frost wants none of it, dreaming instead of a career in art or photography or…well, anything except working in the family’s museum. She knows the items in the glass display cases are fakes because, of course, magic doesn’t really exist.She’s about to find out how wrong she is.
I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,Liz DeJesusAuthor of First Frost, The Jackets, and Nina
http://lizdejesus.webs.com/
See? Simple. Direct.Polite. To the point.
5. Rank. On Goodreads, you'll sometimes notice a little rank of sorts. Some of the reviewers on there are ranked by top users, best reviewers, librarians, readers, and more. Some of these are listed by country. I've found amazing reviewers that are from the US, UK, Netherlands, Canada and India.
6. Bloggers follow other bloggers. Sometimes instead of writing (it does happen) I'll focus two or three hours just clicking on links on other bloggers site. I found about 30 links on one bloggers site last week. I found a WHOLE bunch of reviewers that were willing to read and review my book.
7. Always be nice. I cannot stress this enough. ALWAYS. BE. NICE. Just last week I submitted a book to a reviewer and I got a two star rating. It happens. I mean, don't get me wrong, it SUCKED. But I'm not the type of person that will go around arguing with other people on the internet. But the reviewer remembered that I was nice (she even wrote it on her review, so for all I know I got an extra star just because of it). Anyway that's the risk you take when you submit your book to be reviewed. Even when you follow the guidelines, and all the rules put into place that's the risk. All you can do is hope that you get more good/positive reviews than negative ones.
8. Stay in touch. If you're in this for the long haul (not just writing one book and then vanish in a puff of smoke) you'll want to remember all the reviewers (if not all then at least most of them) that way you can submit your other books to them. Especially if you're like me and you're writing a series. It helps that you already know some reviewers that have read and enjoyed your past work. Even if it's on twitter or facebook pop in and say 'Hi' every once in a while. Try to be sincere (people can smell a fake a mile away).
9.Thank you. When the reviewer has posted the review of your book (whether it's positive or negative) stop by and leave a comment on their blog thanking them for taking the time to read and review your book. What they do takes up a lot of time and effort, they do it for free and for the love of books. It's nice to know that they're appreciated.
Anyway it would be great if I had another tip so it would make an even ten but this is all I have for now. I'll also include a few links to some review sites to get you started. They've read and reviewed my book (so you know they have excellent taste in books). Good luck and may you receive many five star reviews!
http://bookwormrflects8.blogspot.com/
http://bound2astound.blogspot.com/
Digital Book Today
So this week I'm a featured author on Digital Book Today! We talk about writing, my characters, and my novel First Frost. Please stop by and leave a comment.
1) What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story?
My novel First Frost takes place mostly in two places: the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts and Everafter. The museum is run by Rose and Bianca Frost. The building is home to a lot of the items that you would find in popular fairy tales. Some of the items on display are Snow White’s poisoned apple, Cinderella’s glass slipper, Rumplestiltskin’s spinning wheel…among other items. And Everafter is the magical land where all of the fairy tales took place. It’s imaginary, so the reader quickly figures out that anything can happen. And that broadens the scope of the story in every way. Even though the museum is in the ‘real world’ there is a whimsical nature to it that lets you know that you are surrounded by magic.
2) What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?
Honestly, I just wanted to tell a fun story and entertain the reader. But some of the themes that come across in the book are the power of friendship, love and magic. Bianca is very good friends with her mother, which is similar to the relationship I have with my mom. Ming, her best friend, also follows her to Everafter to rescue her mother from an evil witch named Lenore.
I also think that the reader watches Bianca grow up and mature as the story moves along. She goes from being a nice, smart, easy going teenager to a brave, decisive young woman. (Granted she’s still nice, but as I continue writing for her she has much more bite this time around which makes her a kickass character).
3) Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?
I think Bianca and Ming are totally believable. I wrote Prince Ferdinand and Terrance to be a little bit more proper due to the fact that they’re in Everafter and it’s still kind of stuck in the 1800’s. But the prince was so much fun to write. Take every stereotype about princes that you can think of and you have Prince Ferdinand. And Terrance (Bianca’s love interest) is sort of the opposite because he’s very reserved, calm and thoughtful.
I can’t relate to their predicaments because this is a fantasy novel after all, but I can relate to the relationship Bianca has with her mother and with Ming. I have the same snarky back and forth with some of my friends. Ming is a combination of all my friends and everything that makes them awesome. I’m very lucky in that aspect.
Bianca is a little bit of me (she has my sense of humor…which is a self-defense mechanism and she uses it the same way I do) and a little bit of who I think Snow White would be if she were in the modern world. But Bianca is who I wanted to be when I was seventeen. I was extremely shy, introverted and very nerdy. It’s gotten better now that I’m older.
Read the rest of the interview here.
October 29, 2012
My Little Pony as Babies!
Little pony: RaimbowDash by ~FreeWingsS on deviantART
Little pony: Baby Pinkie Pie by ~FreeWingsS on deviantART
Baby Twilight Sparkle by ~FreeWingsS on deviantART
These were my favorite ones. :D
October 28, 2012
Another idea
Heyoga: - VI - The Lovers by ~Nacrym on deviantART
