Zoraida Córdova's Blog: Zoraida Says, page 9
February 26, 2014
ONE BROKE GIRL - COVER REVEAL!
Add to Goodreads! One Broke Girl (Edgewood Falls #1) by Rhonda Helms
Publication date: April 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
Anna Parker’s life disintegrates with one phone call. Her dad’s selling their ritzy New York City condo because her Wall Street banker mom emptied their bank account and ran off with another man. Which means Anna has to drop out of her elite college and move with Dad back to their small Ohio hometown. Anna’s determined to reclaim her life ASAP, so she’ll use the next few months to save money, help Dad get back on his feet, and find and confront her mom.
But Anna doesn’t anticipate things going so wrong. The only job she can get is working as a lunch lady in an elementary school. Their money-pit duplex is falling apart around their feet. And her dad is depressed without her mom, who’s proving hard to find.
One bright spot in the chaos is Gavin Metcalf, a kindergarten teacher she dated when they were young teens. With his easy wit and sexy smiles, he makes her forget her stresses—and the fact that her boyfriend Steven back in New York doesn’t know the truth yet about her dire circumstances. When past and present collide, Anna has to decide where her future lies…
----
AUTHOR BIORhonda Helms started writing several years ago. She has a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. She also edits for Carina Press (an imprint of Harlequin Publishing) and freelance edits.When she isn't writing, she likes to do amateur photography, dig her toes into the sand, read for hours at a time, and eat scads of cheese. WAY too much cheese.
Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her family.
For more information on the author and her works, see the links below
https://www.facebook.com/rhondahelmsbookshttps://twitter.com/rhelmsbookshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5555317.Rhonda_Helms
February 13, 2014
February 4, 2014
PUSHED by Corrine Jackson – Official Blog Tour!
I’m so happy to be part of this blog tour. Everyone welcome the awesome Corrine Jackson! Click HERE for the full tour schedule.
Title: Pushed (Sense Thieves #3)
Author: Corrine Jackson
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Kensington/KTeen
ISBN-10: 0758273347
SYNOPSIS:
She didn’t know how far she’d go—until she was pushed. Remy O’Malley was just learning to harness her uncanny healing power when she discovered the other, darker half of her bloodline. Now she lives trapped between two worlds, uneasy among her fellow Healers—and relentlessly hunted by the Protectors. Forced to conceal her dual identity, and the presence of her Protector boyfriend Asher Blackwell, Remy encounters a shadow community of Healers who will put her loyalties to the test. Pushed to the limit, with the lives of those she loves most on the line, Remy must decide whether to choose sides in a centuries-old war—or make the ultimate sacrifice and go to a place from which she may never return…
This is Book Two in the Sense Thieves trilogy.
Buy the Book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million| German Amazon
Add to Your Shelf: Goodreads
EXCERPT from PUSHED
Gabe Blackwell never saw me coming.
In the tick of a hummingbird’s wings, I had launched myself at his back, taking him down in a tangle of arms and legs. Our bodies hit the blue mat in the middle of the Blackwells’ gym with a thud that shivered from my teeth to my backbone.
Gabe’s breath hissed out when Asher, leaning against a rack of weights, laughed at his older brother’s defeat at the hands of a gangly girl half his size. I took advantage of Gabe’s distraction to wrap an arm around his neck, putting the whole of my weight into pinning him. My height rivaled his, with me close to six feet and him just over, but he had a good sixty pounds of muscle on me. Unwilling to loosen my hold for even a second, I considered biting him in retribution for the thousand times he’d insulted me. And then I wondered if I might have given away my abnormal speed. I really hoped not.
“What is it you’re always yelling at me?” I pretended to think about it, enjoying my little victory over my boyfriend’s brother. With his sculpted features, Gabe never lacked for company, and he never let anyone forget it. I savored any opportunity I had to take his ego down a notch. “Oh right. I remember now. Never turn your back on the enemy, Protector.”
Gabe cursed and cut my amusement short when his muscles tightened and gathered under me. He might look twenty to my eighteen, but Gabe had lived more than a century, and his experience with our powers surpassed mine. Too late, I tried to strengthen my grip. The thought had scarcely occurred to me when I found my face planted in the mat with his knee bending my spine like a bow.
“I also told you to concentrate instead of getting cocky.” The cheer in Gabe’s proper British voice grated on my nerves. “Now, be a good little mortal, and say it.”
His humiliating version of saying “uncle,” he meant. Ten minutes ago I’d bet him that I could take him down in a fair fight, and he’d agreed with terms of his own if I lost.
“Come on, Healer. Say it. Tell me I’m the greatest Protector who ever lived.”
His knee pressed harder, as he settled in with more of his weight. Grunting, I tested my range of motion and felt an electric storm of agony gathering inside my body. Powerful energy, but not enough to turn the tables. Almost there, you smug jackass.
“All right.” Defeat colored my tone, and my body went limp. “You win. I’ll say it.”
I could picture the smirk on his carved, handsome face, and I used the anger to steel myself against the coming pain. In an explosion of movement, my body jerked backward, forcing his knee to dig in that little bit more I needed. A disk popped in my spine and slid sideways. The tempest exploded out of me, firing my pain into Gabe. Another pop and he collapsed with a thump next to me, his back now screwed up, too. Poetic justice. In the quiet that followed, I pressed my cheek into the cushioned mat and studied my nemesis, curled up in the fetal position next to me.
My voice came out weaker than I intended when I declared, “I am the greatest Protector who ever lived.”
“From Synopsis to the Page: When a Character Derails Your Story” Guest Post
I am a plotter. I outline my entire story before I begin. I create character profiles with personality traits, habitual tics, and any other information I find interesting. I use spreadsheets when I outline, and I like process. And still, despite all of my best efforts, I had a character derail PUSHED, the second book in my Sense Thieves series.
Sometimes, no matter how much planning you do, a character comes to life for you more than others. It becomes apparent when you find yourself liking any scene that character is in. The dialogue flows easier, and the scene almost trips off your fingers. You start thinking of ways to add that character to other parts of the story because they are the epitome of writer crack: a surety that a scene will come to life. And because your joy/addiction is apparent, readers may respond more readily to that particular character.
That’s what happened with Gabe Blackwell in my Sense Thieves series. He’s a bad boy who scares the hell out of my heroine, Remy. He’s her boyfriend’s older brother, and his demeanor and strength intimidate her. And the idea that she should have bonded to him (read the book to find out more) freaks her the hell out. His brand of arrogance was fun to write in TOUCHED, the first book in the series, and I wrote him into the synopses for PUSHED and IGNITED. Mind you, he was a secondary character, but a beloved one. My editor even warned me to keep him reined in when we discussed the plans for books two and three.
Then I wrote PUSHED, and Gabe began to steal any scene he was in. He morphed into my favorite character to write and it showed. I had to do some heavy editing to my early drafts because they were too Gabe-centric, and it killed me to cut him in some places because I had such a great time writing his scenes.
The lesson I learned from all of this may not be the one you think. I love plotting, and I will always be an outliner. But it was a freeing experience to let a character speak to me and take the time to listen. It was thrilling and scary to let go of my rigid idea of what the story should be and allow it to take a new form.
One of my secret joys these past months has been to read the reviews for PUSHED and see how readers have responded to Gabe. I feel this sense of kinship with readers who are surprised by their feelings toward him when they started the book as die-hard Asher fans. Honestly, I didn’t see him coming either, but I promise you, there are many more surprises to come in IGNITED, the final book in the trilogy.
Have you ever had a character take over your story? 
AUTHOR BIO:
Young adult author Corrine Jackson lives in San Francisco and has over ten years experience in marketing. She has bachelor and master degrees in English, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. Her novels include If I Lie (Simon Pulse) and the Sense Thieves trilogy (KTeen), comprised of Touched, Pushed, and Ignited (5/27/14). Visit her at CorrineJackson.com or on Twitter at @Cory_Jackson.
PUSHED by Corrine Jackson - Official Blog Tour!
I'm so happy to be part of this blog tour. Everyone welcome the awesome Corrine Jackson! Click HERE for the full tour schedule.
Title: Pushed (Sense Thieves #3)
Author: Corrine Jackson
Genre: YA Paranormal RomancePublisher: Kensington/KTeen
ISBN-10: 0758273347
SYNOPSIS:
She didn't know how far she’d go—until she was pushed. Remy O’Malley was just learning to harness her uncanny healing power when she discovered the other, darker half of her bloodline. Now she lives trapped between two worlds, uneasy among her fellow Healers—and relentlessly hunted by the Protectors. Forced to conceal her dual identity, and the presence of her Protector boyfriend Asher Blackwell, Remy encounters a shadow community of Healers who will put her loyalties to the test. Pushed to the limit, with the lives of those she loves most on the line, Remy must decide whether to choose sides in a centuries-old war—or make the ultimate sacrifice and go to a place from which she may never return…
This is Book Two in the Sense Thieves trilogy.
Buy the Book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million| German Amazon
Add to Your Shelf: Goodreads
EXCERPT from PUSHED
Gabe Blackwell never saw me coming. In the tick of a hummingbird’s wings, I had launched myself at his back, taking him down in a tangle of arms and legs. Our bodies hit the blue mat in the middle of the Blackwells’ gym with a thud that shivered from my teeth to my backbone. Gabe’s breath hissed out when Asher, leaning against a rack of weights, laughed at his older brother’s defeat at the hands of a gangly girl half his size. I took advantage of Gabe’s distraction to wrap an arm around his neck, putting the whole of my weight into pinning him. My height rivaled his, with me close to six feet and him just over, but he had a good sixty pounds of muscle on me. Unwilling to loosen my hold for even a second, I considered biting him in retribution for the thousand times he’d insulted me. And then I wondered if I might have given away my abnormal speed. I really hoped not. “What is it you’re always yelling at me?” I pretended to think about it, enjoying my little victory over my boyfriend’s brother. With his sculpted features, Gabe never lacked for company, and he never let anyone forget it. I savored any opportunity I had to take his ego down a notch. “Oh right. I remember now. Never turn your back on the enemy, Protector.”Gabe cursed and cut my amusement short when his muscles tightened and gathered under me. He might look twenty to my eighteen, but Gabe had lived more than a century, and his experience with our powers surpassed mine. Too late, I tried to strengthen my grip. The thought had scarcely occurred to me when I found my face planted in the mat with his knee bending my spine like a bow. “I also told you to concentrate instead of getting cocky.” The cheer in Gabe’s proper British voice grated on my nerves. “Now, be a good little mortal, and say it.”His humiliating version of saying “uncle,” he meant. Ten minutes ago I’d bet him that I could take him down in a fair fight, and he’d agreed with terms of his own if I lost. “Come on, Healer. Say it. Tell me I’m the greatest Protector who ever lived.” His knee pressed harder, as he settled in with more of his weight. Grunting, I tested my range of motion and felt an electric storm of agony gathering inside my body. Powerful energy, but not enough to turn the tables. Almost there, you smug jackass.“All right.” Defeat colored my tone, and my body went limp. “You win. I’ll say it.” I could picture the smirk on his carved, handsome face, and I used the anger to steel myself against the coming pain. In an explosion of movement, my body jerked backward, forcing his knee to dig in that little bit more I needed. A disk popped in my spine and slid sideways. The tempest exploded out of me, firing my pain into Gabe. Another pop and he collapsed with a thump next to me, his back now screwed up, too. Poetic justice. In the quiet that followed, I pressed my cheek into the cushioned mat and studied my nemesis, curled up in the fetal position next to me. My voice came out weaker than I intended when I declared, “I am the greatest Protector who ever lived.”
"From Synopsis to the Page: When a Character Derails Your Story" Guest PostI am a plotter. I outline my entire story before I begin. I create character profiles with personality traits, habitual tics, and any other information I find interesting. I use spreadsheets when I outline, and I like process. And still, despite all of my best efforts, I had a character derail PUSHED, the second book in my Sense Thieves series.
Sometimes, no matter how much planning you do, a character comes to life for you more than others. It becomes apparent when you find yourself liking any scene that character is in. The dialogue flows easier, and the scene almost trips off your fingers. You start thinking of ways to add that character to other parts of the story because they are the epitome of writer crack: a surety that a scene will come to life. And because your joy/addiction is apparent, readers may respond more readily to that particular character.
That's what happened with Gabe Blackwell in my Sense Thieves series. He's a bad boy who scares the hell out of my heroine, Remy. He's her boyfriend's older brother, and his demeanor and strength intimidate her. And the idea that she should have bonded to him (read the book to find out more) freaks her the hell out. His brand of arrogance was fun to write in TOUCHED, the first book in the series, and I wrote him into the synopses for PUSHED and IGNITED. Mind you, he was a secondary character, but a beloved one. My editor even warned me to keep him reined in when we discussed the plans for books two and three.
Then I wrote PUSHED, and Gabe began to steal any scene he was in. He morphed into my favorite character to write and it showed. I had to do some heavy editing to my early drafts because they were too Gabe-centric, and it killed me to cut him in some places because I had such a great time writing his scenes.
The lesson I learned from all of this may not be the one you think. I love plotting, and I will always be an outliner. But it was a freeing experience to let a character speak to me and take the time to listen. It was thrilling and scary to let go of my rigid idea of what the story should be and allow it to take a new form.
One of my secret joys these past months has been to read the reviews for PUSHED and see how readers have responded to Gabe. I feel this sense of kinship with readers who are surprised by their feelings toward him when they started the book as die-hard Asher fans. Honestly, I didn't see him coming either, but I promise you, there are many more surprises to come in IGNITED, the final book in the trilogy.
Have you ever had a character take over your story?
AUTHOR BIO: Young adult author Corrine Jackson lives in San Francisco and has over ten years experience in marketing. She has bachelor and master degrees in English, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. Her novels include If I Lie (Simon Pulse) and the Sense Thieves trilogy (KTeen), comprised of Touched, Pushed, and Ignited (5/27/14). Visit her at CorrineJackson.com or on Twitter at @Cory_Jackson.
January 23, 2014
The Vast & Brutal Sea Cover Reveal!
I started writing The Vicious Deep when I was 20. I had a bottle of tanning oil, a towel with a merman on it (still own it), a lined notebook, and an idea that wouldn't go away. At that point the title was Mermaids of Coney Island (sooooo original). I had one goal: write the mermish story that I want to read. So I did. Six years and fifteen pounds (pizza and coffee diet does this to you) later, I've completed my trilogy. I'm the luckiest mer-girl in the whole world.
Now, I'm super excited to share with you guys the cover of the third and final book in The Vicious Deep Trilogy. When my editor asked me for a rough idea of what Tristan's Scepter of Earth (one of the three pieces that makes up the full trident) looks like I drew this:
And cover designer came up with THIS:
Isn't it lovely?
Now, to celebrate I'm doing a swag bag contest. Items include bookmarks, stickers, pins, and a hardcover copy of THE SAVAGE BLUE! All you have to do is enter here! Leave a comment and share the cover! Just do the Rafflecopter thang!
Now, let's look at them together because it will give pleasure to your eyeballs <3
a Rafflecopter giveaway
September 23, 2013
October Events
If you're looking for me in October, you can find me in good ol' New York, or Pennsylvania.
* October 2nd * Teen Reading Night @ Jefferson Market NYPL
6-7:30 PM
425 Avenue of the Americas (on 10th St.)
This is the awesome line up for the reading:
Kate Brian, HereafterZoraida Cordova, The Savage BlueJocelyn Davies, A Radiant SkySarah Beth Durst, ConjuredJennifer Hubbard, Until It Hurts To StopKass Morgan, The100Emil Ostrovski, The Paradox of Vertical FlightAllyson Schrier, How (Not) to Find a BoyfriendJon Skovron, Man Made Boy
* October 19th * Celebrate the Book Festival @ St. Patrick's Parish Activity Center
If you're in or around Carlisle, Pennsylvania, you must come and check out the super awesome YA panels!
Click HERE for the full flyer. Everything starts at 10 AM!
Happy reading, Z
May 16, 2013
THE VAST & BRUTAL SEA
Let's dance, ya'll! This is from Publisher's Marketplace.Now, off to writing like,
Zoraida
April 30, 2013
THE SAVAGE BLUE BLOG TOUR IS HERE!
Oh, yes, here we go again. The Savage Blue is out May 7th. Pre-order it and enter THIS contest for sweet one of a kind Zoraida-crafted prizes.
Every day I'll update with the link to the next stop and guest post, so check back here often.
Adiamo!
May 1st - ON MERMAN LIVING - Vlog - www.thebookrat.com
May 1st - Book Review - LATER TODAY!
May 2nd - Book Review -
May 2nd - Flash Vlog -
May 3rd - ON MY AUTHOR JOURNEY - Vlog -
May 4th - Q&A with Brad Sells - Vlog -
May 5th - THIS or THAT with TRISTAN -
May 6th - Vlog - Jeremy West
May 7th - LAUNCH DAY!
May 7th - MERMAID MONTH POST -
May 7th - Q&A with Ashley Chen - Vlog -
May 7th - ON BOOK 1 Vs. BOOK 2 - Vlog -
May 8th - A SAVAGE BLUE PLAYLIST -
May 9th - Q&A with LAYLA -
May 10th - Q&A with Erin Sawyer -
May 10th - ON MY GROWING MER-COLLECTION -
May 11th - Q&A with Jena Freeth -
May 12th - Book Review -
May 13th - TRISTAN'S BUCKET LIST -
May 14th - Book Review -
May 14th - ON RT & MISTI-CON - Vlog -
April 25, 2013
PRE ORDER SAVAGE MADNESS NOW - MAY 14th
I've been thinking about what to give away to you, dear readers. After all, you make this book awesomeness happen by simply buying and reading our books. So here's the thing. Pre-order THE SAVAGE BLUE, and you're entered to win one of different prize packs. Each one is unique. See here my handmade charm bookmarks featuring the king's crown and the infamous venus pearl. See here a photo of my original take on Nieve, the sea witch with a snippet of The Savage Blue, handwritten by yours truly. See here some Coney Island swag. That's what Coney Island mermaids look like during the parade, BTW. FUN TIMES!
Also, save your pre-order receipt! You'll need it to claim your prize.
Open internationally.
crow & venus pearl a Rafflecopter giveaway
