K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 141

A Winter Holiday 2016

Societal Interest

Society, as a whole , is of great interest to everyone. We’ve become a population that concentrates on not offending people, of hiding our true feelings about a situation, or speaking out and if what we said hurts someone else, tough. Social media has taken the globe and brought us closer but also separated us as each person seems focused on their own needs over anyone else.
What has brought us to this point? When did it become okay to bully someone because their political or religious beliefs are different? Have we devolved to a time when everyone looked upon their neighbors with suspicion? Are we now to report any actions we see as wrong, and gleefully watch people we’ve known and respected for years have their lives ripped shreds?




Far too many people have said these problems were with us all along and we were fooling ourselves to think that it was any different. That can’t be further from the truth. The hatred has always been with us, true, but there have been people who stood out in their stance to make our world a better place, a place where we really can get along.
In 1971, a man named Bill Backer, was stuck in an Irish airport with many, many angry travelers. Their flight to London had been delayed to a very heavy fog. M\r. Backer was late for an appointment to create a new commercial for Coca Cola. As he observed the people around him lashing out, raging about being stuck in the lounge, he sat down and penned memorable words that soon had a commercial for a soda being thought of as a song by a great new group.


That was only the beginning. I’d Like Buy The World A Coke was recorded on a mountaintop in Manziana, Italy in 1971 by a group of young adults. Their clear voices and obvious belief in what they were doing shown through. A year later, The New Seekers had a release of a rewritten version of this song, I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing.Perhaps instead of feeding on the ugliness of hating everyone who believes differently than we do, we should look back in history and see that on a hillside in Italy, a group of young adults sent out a message of love to everyone—a group of young adults that encompassed every ethnicity, religious, and whatever background anyone claims. 
How does this relate to writing? As authors, it is responsibility to look for ways to bring people together with our books, give them a common goal. Instead of hiding behind "this is my way and no one will change my mind, examine how much closer to countries that were once just an occasional mention on the news, and learn more about them.

Charity Anthologies

Surrender in the Darkness - a charity anthology...





There are times when it is important for authors to literally give away their work. The most important I can think of is to support an important charity. That’s the case of Surrender in the Darkness, from Wolf Paw Publications.






Love can be found in the darkest places...

Wolf Paw Publications presents the 2015 Charity Anthology.

From the minds of 10 of today's up and coming indie authors come 10 tales of Fantasy Romance that are sure to please.

From simple boy meets girl to BDSM, there's a little something for everyone. Each story shows how the heart can make anything happen and that love can be found in the strangest of places.

Join us as we surrender in the darkness.

Proceeds from this anthology go to THE ANTI-VIOLENCE PROJECT (http://www.avp.org/)

The New York City Anti-Violence Project empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy.

***WARNING: some of these stories are unsuitable for anyone under the age of 18. Reader discretion is advised***

Get Surrender in the Darkness on Amazon today!
I am not including an excerpt for this particular anthology. All I’m asking is that you pick up your copy today, in order to assist this very important charity.

Series

Many of us have toyed with the idea of writing a series. We are in love with our characters and their predicaments. Before we can enter this difficult area of writing, we must first ask ourselves many important questions.
The first is this one, and if you can’t say yes, you can do this, then walk away from the idea of a series. Are your characters memorable enough to stand the test of a series? Remember, a series is at least three novels, but usually much more.
Next, ask yourself if you are ready to have a myriad of notes about the places you’ve used or plan to use in the future. Have you developed how your characters will grow throughout the series, and I don’t just mean in age. Will they mature, continue on the same track they stared with, or will you eventually end up “killing” them off because they’re dragging down the storyline.
Other things you need to consider is the amount of time a series will take away from other stories you’re plotting. Oh, it’s easy to say that will never happen, but as someone who has three series currently available and at least one more waiting on time to develop it, I can tell you it is very difficult to juggle.
Once you’ve thought about all these things, before you write a single word of your series, sit down and decide on names, ages, locations. Set up who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist. What will your main character’s goal be? Both the ultimate goal and a separate goal for each book. Develop their appearance and background. Ensure both your antagonist and protagonist have less than stellar traits that seem to contradict their place in your book. Remember—no one is all good or all bad.
Think you’re ready for this major undertaking to start? Hold on. Just a minute there. What about the different stories? Have you set up blurbs for them? A synopsis not just for the full series, but also every book? Are you ready to commit what could be a significant chunk of the rest of your life to this series?
Now that you’ve made all these decisions, and are still determined to write a series, go ahead and start. A good reminder though. Be sure your first book can end this plan fast, if it appears no one likes what you’re doing.

Summer Breeze

Sun, waves, a California beach, and the summer solstice set a couple of teens into the throes of a romance that feels like forever. Can Beth and Trane get past their very different upbringings and keep the magic alive?






 Get Summer Breeze on Amazon!!

A special bikini puts courage into Beth to approach the guy of her dreams. Trane looks forward to the waves and talking to a girl who has caught his eye. The Summer of ’72 on the longest day of the year, two teens discover love on the beach, amid adventure and fun.






“Oh, that is so gorgeous!”
Beth Ramsey ignored the tiny, square bedroom lost in the sixties to admire her slim figure in a mirror hanging on her door. The orange bikini she now wore offset her dark tan so well. The tiny gold clasp holding the top on tight might cause problems later, if she didn’t lather up that area with a lot of Swedish Tanning Secret. But she was prepared with not one but three tubes of the lotion that had helped her achieve the healthy glow on her skin.
“I can’t wait until Trane sees me.” She blew a kiss at her reflection and yanked on a pair of short shorts that were nothing more than a pair of her old jeans she’d cut off. A flimsy, see through, white blouse would provide some protection against the wind later, when she returned home from what she planned to be a celebration of the summer solstice on Malibu beach tonight.
Only one thing could mar her happiness, and she planned to avoid that situation at all costs.
“Mom and Dad won’t give me any of that ‘you’re so establishment’ stuff today.”

Coming of Age

Teen novels can be classified in many ways. They cover all the usual categories—sci-fi, romance, fantasy, and horror to name a few, but they are also about children in their most formative years, from twelve to their mid-twenties. Therefore, the subjects in those books can range from sheer entertainment to a serious look at their world.
Some of the subjects we have seen in abundance are drug abuse, alcoholism, family struggles such as incest and abuse, and bullying. When an author has written a book on  these issues, they are often at a loss how to classify them. These books don’t fit neatly into the usual categories and there are hard choices to be made.
One place we can put these novels is coming of age—which describes what these teens go through following these experiences. There is a lot of peer pressure to use drugs and alcohol. Don’t fool yourselves, Mom and Dad, the pressure is even more today than it was when you were a teen, although you might get your teen to open up more if you relate some of your less than stellar experiences.
Books are also a good way to get your teen to see drinking, drugs, and the other problems as something that happens to others. They won’t feel alone and might be able to face getting help for their problem, even if that help comes from outside the home. These books weren’t written to point fingers at parenting skills, but rather to show the world that these problems haven’t gone away, that some have gotten worse, and not talking about them won’t solve anything.

Summer Thrills Summer Chills

What kind of adventures can you come up with for your summer adventures? There are many, as evidenced by all the fun you can learn about in this great anthology!




 Get Summer Thrills Summer Chills on Amazon!

The fear of being alone and lost. The nerves that come with starting over. Strange visitors. The sense that something, somehow, is off. 
Plan to shiver. But not from the cold.
Sit back and enjoy tales from ten very talented authors: A.A. Schenna, Barbara Weitzner, Charmaine Pauls, Cynthia Ley, E.B. Sullivan, K.C. Sprayberry, Margaret Egrot, Penny Estelle, S Cu’Anam Policar, and Silvia Villalobos.




I was thirteen the year my grandparents decided to send me to Camp Linnenmyer. It was a sleep away camp in the Pocono Mountains, far from any sign of civilization. I did not want to go. I had never been off my block, let alone out of my state before.
“It’ll do you good to get out of New York for a few weeks, Shanala,” my grandmother stated. I cringed inwardly as she called me by my Hebrew name. She only called me Shanala when she was buttering me up.“But Gram, I won’t know anyone there. And I’ll get made fun of because I’m not rich like the other kids,” I complained.
That part was at least true. I was far from rich. My grandparents were, but my mother was the black sheep of the family. I guess that made me the black lamb? Who knows. I just knew there would be issues if anyone at this place figured out I lived in the ghetto.

Bye-Bye Baby

Ah, our babies. We love them dearly. Most of us wonder how we can ever let them go out into the big bad world all by their lonesome, to be ridiculed and gawked at by those who have no idea how much we love them.
By now, you’re asking yourself if I’m talking about your children. I am, but not your human children. I’m addressing your books.
Ah, yes, those lovely books. We authors love them as much as we do our children and pets. They are as protected as children and pets are too. Nothing will happen to our book unless and until WE the author has approved that occurrence and only after we’ve asked the opinion of thousands of our “friends.” Those friends can be our Facebook friends and fans, our Twitter followers, of the many so-called experts that abound on the internet.
Once someone makes a critical comment about our cover art, we are immediately demanding that it be changed, improved, completely redone. One slur against the blurb and it must be rewritten. If a reviewer says the ARC (advanced review copy) is in horrible shape but they can fix the missed edits and formatting for this “small” fee, we are all over their offer, forgetting in the process that we’ve signed a contract with a publisher.
Hold on right there before you charge into your editor in chief’s inbox, demanding to have this done, at the expense of your publisher, of course. Because, of course, this reviewer would never lie about something so important. They’re only doing this out of the goodness of their heart.First of all, I seriously doubt your editor is going to allow another edit of your book, especially if you were given the chance to go over the work with a fine tooth comb before publication. Secondly, really? I mean, really? Does this reviewer truly have your interests at heart? Of this individual trying to drum up business and fill in their bottom line, making money?
“Bu-bu-but,” you argue. “No one would ever lie about something so important.”
They would. They can. And they will, but that’s a topic for a future blog post. Back to the topic at hand. You signed a contract with your publisher. That means once you have approved the book and it’s published, you don’t get a second round at edits, unless it can be proven incompetent your editor was unfit. Most editors are fabulous without any issues at all, but like all professions, there are a few who aren’t worthy of the name.
So, take a deep breath and learn a very good lesson from this experience. Once you sign that contract, it’s time to say, “Bye-bye, baby!” and let your little one try its wings.

The Curse of the Wolf

Paranormal stories span from witches and cauldrons to ghosts to werewolves. In most cases, the lycanthrope is a person bitten by another werewolf. In The Curse of the Wolf, Chrissie upsets a group of inept witches, specifically their leader, and is cursed into this life. How will she handle being transformed once the clock strikes five every evening, instead of just on the full moon?







 Get The Curse Of The Wolf on Amazon!

 Blurb
Never offend a group of inept witches! Chrissy Thomas learns this the hard way, through no fault of her own. For once, their curse works—right until it backfires onto them.






This is not one of my best days. In fact, it is probably one of the worst days of my senior year. See, Mama says she forgot to pay the electricity and water bills.
Forgot. Yeah. Right.A whole load of guilt busts up my rage. Well, she has been real busy lately, but she could have asked me to pay the bill.
We lost our utilities about five last night, right as I began to make supper. In addition to not having any way to prepare the food, and therefore going hungry, I could not take a shower or wash my hair. Thankfully, I shaved a couple of days ago, or I would be a hairy ape. No amount of deodorant I slathered on my pits helps. I can smell myself; everyone can smell me, including Layla Jersey, one of the Pigeon Mountain witches.
They’re trouble, sometimes. Usually, this little clique of a few teens swears they can get revenge on a guy for dumping you. They’re also into spookier stuff, but it fails about seventy percent of the time.
Not that I believe all that stupidity. But I’m not a fool. Like the rest of Landry High School, I go out of my way to avoid upsetting Layla.

An Open Letter...

Dear Parent,
Christmas is upon us and there will be lots and lots of lovely books being released over the next month. Authors will hope you purchase these stories for your friends and family… and your children.
This is what I want to talk about today. Your children and the books you give them. All of this comes about because of a review I wrote three and a half years ago, a review a parent read, but I don’t think he read the full review.
First of all, he purchased the book for his eight and nine year old children. He admitted he “rewrote” the ending of the book, so his children weren’t offended, scared, or whatever. Okay, here are my first big problems with his message.
One: this author wrote a book and properly categorized it as young adult and science fiction and fantasy/fantasy/sword and sorcery. These categories should have screamed at the parent that the book was inappropriate for children who are eight and nine.
Why is the first question some people would ask.
Because young adult books now approach subjects such as death and elements of sword and sorcery in the same way books written for adults are done. Teens today are more aware of their world. They watch The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, following both shows with a zeal once shown for family favorites such as The Flintstones and The Jetsons. In other words, if you are looking for a book for your younger child, stay away from young adult fiction and check out juvenile fiction, where the stories are geared for those ages.
My second reason for finding this person’s irate response to my review off is that he rewrote the ending, changing the storyline so significantly as to be unrecognizable by its author.
Here is my message to this individual. I’m sorry you were offended by this story and its contents but I am not apologizing in any way for you being offended. Why? Because if you had fully read my review, you would have seen the disclaimer that this book was not appropriate for anyone who is not a mature thirteen. Yes, that statement is in the review and has been there since I wrote it. In other words, the second you indicated you let your eight and nine year old hear this story after you doctored it to fit what you thought was right you were in the wrong.
You, sir, violated a copyright when you did that, and you indicated you planned to do so in the future, if your children wanted to hear book two, in order to continue your fiction with them.
That is wrong. You have not only violated a copyright, you chose to vilify an author for their work publicly even though you ignored the warning that the book was inappropriate for your children. Perhaps instead of taking your anger out on the author, you should examine your own motives. You decided a book that starts “cats and dogs living together” was right for younger children and ignored the warnings it was for teens and older. That was your choice, a wrong one, and you should have owned up to that.
My message to all parents this holiday season is this…
Authors, myself and many others, want nothing more than to entertain your child. Those of us who write for children, from babies through teens, work very hard to fit our book to a certain age group. We study what is appropriate for that age and ensure that anyone purchasing the book knows what lies beyond the cover. Please don’t blame us for a mistake you made in sharing a book with dark subjects meant for teens with a younger child.
When you are looking for books, ask around. You can even contact an author and say you’re interested in purchasing their book for their child. Most of us have websites and fan pages on Facebook. We are more than willing to discuss your choices with you. If we feel our books will be too mature for your child, we won’t hesitate to tell you that. But, please, don’t ignore those warnings and then attack us for writing an inappropriate book, when in fact, the mistake was yours.
One other thing. Authors literally sweat out those books. They become part of our lives while we are writing them. We can quote sections without having to look at the pages. In many ways, these books are also our children, as much as the ones we’ve raised are. To have someone admit they have not only rewritten parts of our books and will continue to do so with others in a series hurts as much as if you had literally struck us.
Oh, and if you ask for a recommendation for an age appropriate book, we might know of someone who has written one well for your child. Or we might suggest that you speak with your local librarian, who will be more than willing to talk to you about what’s new and exciting for children the same age as yours. There are many resources available to the parent seeking reading material for their child. You only have to ask.