K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 157

You’re Too Young

Teens around the world have heard the expression, “You’re too young to do that,” more times than they care to count. No matter what they want to do, if it doesn’t meet with parental approval, they’re soon hearing that the activity is too old for them.
Arguments don’t usually make a difference. In fact, those arguments often have the teen finding themselves in a heap of trouble. Sneaking around can prove to be disastrous, with the loss of privileges and trust only the beginning of the issues a teen will have.
What’s the solution when a teen discovers they’re about to get into trouble, but that trouble could be very minor when the bigger picture emerges?
No easy answer exists for this problem. In Ghosties Trouble to the Max, Hailey and her crew are faced with the decision to disobey their parents or let a troublesome bunch of spirits destroy their town. They decide to do what needs to be done, but will they learn that they’re not always going to be right?
Blurb
Ghosts are popping up all over Landry. The town is being overrun and no one knows why—least of all Hailey Hatmaker and her Ghosties crew. Only none of these ghosts are talking. They’re terrified of something that only Hailey and her team can figure out. Something which could prove disastrous for them all.



 Ghosties Trouble To The Max

Listen to Your Mama!

The teen years are perhaps the worst when it comes to children listening to their parents, especially your mom. The woman who made you cookies, kissed away your owies, and made sure you were dressed appropriately for the weather has now taken on a “brainless” persona. She’s clueless about how teens are in this modern age. Your mom does nothing but embarrass you in front of your friends. And she doesn’t want you to have a boyfriend.
Just when you’re ready to consign your mom into the “will never get it” category, she amazes you with advice that actually seems to fit a modern world.
What kind of advice is this?
Well… believe it or not, teen issues today aren’t all that different from twenty, thirty, or even forty years ago. Actually, I’m betting you can go back in history and discover teen issues are pretty much the same since the beginning of time.
Sure, we have all these modern conveniences now that make our lives easier. Your parents might not have dealt with cell phones and all the things that can happen with them when they were younger. They certainly didn’t have twenty-four hour a day, seven days a week social media keeping them in touch worldwide. But… to a degree, their problems really do match yours, just at a smaller level.
Take Lorelei from Mama’s Advice. She’s a normal teen but still struggling with the grief of losing her mother to cancer. Lorelei misses her mama enough to spend time at her grave, and even hears her mama talking to her. Unfortunately, like most teens, when it comes to boyfriend advice, Lorelei believes Mama doesn’t know what she’s talking about. That decision almost gets her into trouble.
Blurb
Lorelei loses what's left of her family close to graduation, but she still has Mama to lean on, or rather she has Mama's ghost. At first, Lorelei ignores the opinion about her boyfriend, Chase, but then she figures out he is acting strangely and has a new tattoo covering a scar he never had before.
Chase, however, isn't one to give up on a girl. He dumps them not the other way around, until Mama's ghost gives Lorelei the strength shut him out of her life.




Mama's Advice 

The Interview Part 4 ~ What You Should Never Do

Here we are. The last installment of how to prepare for an interview. These are things you should absolutely never do.
1.      Sitting back with your hands folded across your stomach. This gives the impression that you’re holding yourself aloof from not just the interviewer but also those watching you.
2.      You are going to be asked questions you find are too personal or irritate you. Never be hostile or twitchy when giving your response. Maintaining a calm demeanor will work for you every time.
3.      Forget the false, huge smile. Don’t bare your teeth. Remember, in a television environment, everything is magnified, especially in a close up. What you might think of as a friendly smile, get all those beautiful teeth showing, may come across that you feel you’re smug and think you’re better than everyone else.
4.      Interviews are long. They can grate on your nerves. This is a test of your nerves, but you can never act bored, disinterested, or let loose of that yawn demanding to come out. The urges are strong to show how you feel, but that is a fast way to lose fans and never be invited back.
5.      Always have a smile on your face. Never frown, grimace, or scowl. No matter how you feel about the questions you’re asked or how an interviewer interprets your answers, you can’t show anything but an acceptance of them.
6.      It’s near the end of the interview. You’re jonesing for a coffee. Or a place to get away from the bright lights, intrusive questions, and feeling like you’re on display. Then the big question gets asked, the one you never wanted to hear. Your initial reaction is to snarl and screech at this person for invading your privacy. STOP! Don’t do that. Swallow back your initial response and slowly speak while you formulate a response that is reasoned and neutral. Remember, it’s the interviewer’s job to get information out of you. It’s your job to give them what you want them to know and hold back on anything you don’t want the public to know.

It’s been a long journey to get to this point. We’re finally at the end of the advice on how to conduct yourself in an interview. Is this everything you need to know? Not by a long shot. This is the important information.
Your best bet to survive an interview and come off as the author everyone wants to follow and read their books is to maintain a calm demeanor and be pleasant despite prodding to get you to react in a way you’ll soon regret.

Character Interview: Bonita by Carl R. Brush

For the author:1.      I’ve been writing since I could write, which is a long time now. I had a parallel, very satisfying, career as an educator—English, drama, administration. Over the years, I played around with short stories, novels, and plays. In the last few years, though, I’ve settled on historical novels and now have four of them out there. Three are set in northern California—1843, 1908, and 1910—and one (with co-author Bob Stewart) in the Texas Revolution of 1836.Outside of my scribbling life, I’m surrounded by bundles and bundles of blessings. A super wife, three fantastic stepchildren, and six grandkids. Those of you with grandchildren probably think yours could measure up to mine, but get over it. I live in Northern California where I grew up and where three of those four novels take place. We like to travel around, my wife and I, and between the two of us we have more plans of all kinds than we’ll be able to accomplish in a dozen lifetimes. We’re going to keep at it, though. 



2.      Find me in cyberspace at
 A. Website—carlrbrush.com B. Twitter—@carlrbrush  C. Amazon Author page—http://Amzn.to/1EHRz3P
3.      Links to purchase
Bonita 
Other novels by Carl R Brush can be found at the following locations:The Yellow Rose

The Maxwell Vendetta
The Second Vendetta






For the character:

1.      Introduce yourself to our readers. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?
Not to overstate the case, but the truth is the truth, and I like to lay things out plain and bold. Bonita is about me and by me. It’s starts back when I was twelve and is actually a long letter or diary I am writing to my lost daughter so in case she ever stumbles across it, she’ll know who I am and that I carried her always in my heart. If you’d like an English name for me, try “Bonnie.” It means pretty much the same thing as “Bonita”—pretty. Though when I look in the mirror, I’m not sure I live up to it in either language. Bonita Kelly’s what I go by now, though it was Bonita Richardson till I was twelve when the story begins. I thought I was Captain Richardson’s niece till one day in 1843. As far as I knew, I was a rich girl destined to live a privileged life on San Francisco Bay. That’s what they told me, but it was a lie. My real parents . . . well, that’s getting ahead of myself.I suppose the main thing to know about me is that I don’t suffer dishonesty well. My willfulness gets me into a deal of trouble. Deep trouble. And I fear I won’t survive long enough to find my child, which is one reason I’m writing this tale to her. Just in case.
Besides which I miss her, and talking to her on the page is one way of keeping her with me, even though, thanks to the criminals who stole her from me at birth, I know nothing about her for sure. Not even that she’s really a girl.
Looking back over these pages, I realize that in the last ten years I’ve gone in my young life from rich to poor to rich to poor and back again with much pain of body and mind. Put that way, it may not sound as if Providence has blessed me. But if you knew me, you’d understand differently. Step closer. I’ll be glad to tell you all about it.
2.      What do you think about the author? Tell us everything. We want to know.
Since I’ve advertised myself as getting down to cases, I must state that Carl has enormous audacity to suppose that he can write—in first person—about a twelve-year-old girl with any authority at all. He’s obviously not female, in the first place. In the second place, old as he is (He won’t tell me exactly, but it’s not hard to tell he’s got a little snow on his roof.), it’s beyond presumptuous of him to assume he could know the heart of a girl-becoming-a-woman. I personally think he may have bumped me a ways beyond my maturity from time to time in the narrative, especially in the beginning. But that may not be such a bad thing, since I always imagined and wanted myself to be older and wiser than my years. Even if I wasn’t. We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well, Carl and I, and I am pretty sure he likes me even if he thinks I’m foolish and foolhardy and is afraid for me sometimes. I can tell that he has put me in certain situations that he has no idea how I’m going to get out of. That scares him as much as it does me. But I’m sticking with Carl for the time being. We’re beyond Bonita already, and he’s taken me from San Francisco to New Orleans on another quest. I have no idea how this one’s going to turn out. I don’t think he does either.


3.      What are your feelings about this story?
There are a lot of things in this story that should never have happened, and if people had been honest and forthcoming, they never would have. I’ve been put through hellish circumstances unnecessarily, and I wonder if people regret what they’ve done to me. I try not to resent and hate them, but I don’t always succeed. You wouldn’t either, believe me.
4.      How do you feel about being a character in this book?
Going in, I thought it would be exciting to be the main character in a book named after me. I didn’t really know what I was getting into, and I wonder now if I would have made the same decision if I had it to do over again. No use thinking that way, though. I decided. I did it. I’m here now and moving on.
5.      What do you see in your future? (No spoilers please!)
I can tell you haven’t read the novel if you’re asking that question. There is so much left undone and unresolved that I can’t begin to tell it all. I’ll just say that I can’t wait to get started solving some of these dilemmas.
6.      Is there another (Bonita) in the future? Will you be part of it?
I already mentioned a slight bit about what’s in progress. And yes, it will once again be about me and by me with Carl along for the ride.
7.      Say a movie producer comes knocking. What actor/actress would you want to play you and why?
I don’t know enough about young actors to name a twelve-year-old me at this point. However, it would take a brash and flashy Jennifer Lawrence to play the twenty-something Bonita who takes San Francisco by storm. Because that’s what I do. Are you up for it, Jennifer from Louisville, Carl’s wife’s hometown?

Why the Past is Never Past

One fun thing about being an author is that you can live in any time you want—then, now, or the future. As for me, I like to wander around in years gone by because I can dress up the present in period costume, say whatever I want, and pretend it’s all for show.
Want to give it a try? And who wouldn’t? Read on.
First thing, you probably have a favorite historical period or two. Maybe you like those old Western movies. Or Civil War dramas. How about the French Revolution with all tall hairdos and guillotines? Pick one and pretend you’re going to set your story there. Now the part that scares many people. You need to start your research, correct? Nein. Non. Nyet.
You start where every story starts. With your characters. I know many authors like to dive into plot and outlines and genealogy and whatnot. Fine, but you have to get to your people before long, they matter most of all. It’s they who will guide you through the story, and the research you need will follow naturally.
Take this example: Suppose you know all there is to know about Gettysburg. How many days and dates. How many assaults. How many deaths. How much rain. Good for you, but who gives a grain on the beach? You’re writing a novel, not a textbook. No one will care a drop about any of your facts without your people.
What is General Lee feeling, thinking? Or maybe you think, as I do, that there’s already been such an avalanche of military history and biography around that clash, that there’s nothing much left to say. So you begin to wonder about the soldiers’ folks back home.
George Pickett’s charge was a big deal in that battle. Reams have been written, miles of film shot. But what about his family back in Virginia? It doesn’t take much Googling to connect with George Pickett’s third wife, LaSalle Corbell Pickett, who refurbished his disgraced reputation after his death. Whoa, now! Maybe Pickett’s Wife would make a hell of a book, and she’s your protagonist.
So you start with her, dive in. Let her lead you wherever she chooses. I’ll wager there’s little enough known, so that you have plenty of creative room, which means more fun. And as for modern relevance? I can think of a tarnished warrior or two. Does the name Petraeus ring a bell? How about McChrystal? Not that I’m writing about either of them. Am I? Wink wink.See what I mean about dressing up the present in historical costume?
In my own case, my late co-author of The Yellow Rose, Bob Stewart, invited me to join him in composing a tale of the Texas Revolution of 1836. All I knew of that event was the Mitch Miller song, “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” from the mid-fifties and that Sam Houston was somehow involved. Bob, a native of San Antonio, introduced me to a couple of key facts: 1) There was a real historical Yellow Rose—a mulatto (high yellow) woman named Emily—who was by legend a key factor in the revolution; and, 2) The Texans, led by Houston, defeated Santa Anna to establish the Republic of Texas well before Texas joined the union. So, now we had two key characters, a legendary romance (Probably mythical, but who cares? This is, again, a novel, not a textbook.), and a battle that founded a country. Enough material for ten novels, though Bob and I planned only five.
As to the modern connection? What does 1836 have to say about today? Illegal immigrants (Anglo-Mexico this time). Racial conflict. Illicit romance by the brass. What more do you need to get your creative juices flowing and to connect the 19th Century with the 21st?
Of course there was research to do. From what kind of skirts to put on Emily to what kinds of rifles to put in the hands of the revolutionaries and their enemies. But it was fun because it all started with a love story, the core of which is in the hearts of Sam and Emily and the love they shared amid the cannon fire.
So, in the life of the historical novelist, the past is never past. It’s not even prologue. It’s always the present and the past and the future. Only the costumes change to protect. . . well, nobody’s really safe.  You could be next.

Interracial Relationships

We live in the twenty-first century. Interracial relationships have been accepted for many years. Recently, though, a certain divisiveness has made us step backward in history, to a time when the color of a person’s skin was more important than the individual’s relationships or abilities.
Love doesn’t see color. It doesn’t take divisiveness into consideration. All live is about is what’s in a person’s heart. Couples from diverse backgrounds, equally diverse races, but who have a common interest have been known to love each other without realizing it.
One particular time for this divisiveness to become more prevalent is during the holidays. It’s a time of stress. People are preparing for get togethers. They’re caught up in being happy without knowing that it’s all right to step back and take stock of what’s going on around them.
When trouble in the form of a shooting happens in an area where race relations are already strained, the potential for driving apart those who would normally go forward with their relationship is huge. They will suffer in ways they never thought possible. Their unhappiness is palpable. Nothing goes right—they’re so unhappy they think their problem is unique, when in fact it’s very common.
In An Angel Sang Tonight, Caryn and Johnson have been friends for almost twenty years. They share a love of music, and are in fact a often paired duo—she singing and he creating magic on his saxophone. Yet, as Christmas approaches this year, they find themselves unable to hear their music, unable to connect emotionally.

Blurb
Christmas was almost here.
Caryn O’Brien and Johnson Angel lost the music in their lives when circumstances tore them away from each other. Together, they were a talented team, but separate, all they had were empty spaces in their souls. It didn’t help that the gulf between them was being forced open even wider by the bigotry and anger that surrounded them.
They had no way of knowing that those very things, which drove them apart, would also bring them together.





An Angel Sang Tonight 

The Interview Part 3 ~ What To Avoid If You’re Nervous

Nerves are part of an interview. We all suffer them. It doesn’t get any easier with the more interviews you do. (You really expected me to say it did. Right?) One way to transmit your nervousness is to use these mannerisms. Try at all costs to avoid them.
Short answers that break the flow of the discussion. You are an author. You just wrote a fabulous novel that you’re talking about. Don’t respond to a host/hostesses questions with Yes. No. It was fun. Or something equally trite. You’ve just broken up the flow of the discussion. Instead, be animated. Smile. Answer the questions in a way that you would with a group of friends on social media. Let the responses flow with ease. This your chance to shine, and you will if your response invites related questions.
Ensure your responses aren’t cryptic. For example, if you are asked if there’s a new book in the works. Don’t assume a mysterious expression and respond with, “Well, I’m not prepared to discuss that at this time.” People will assume you have nothing but that first book and will be turned off. Instead, you should try something like this, “Of course I have a new book in the works. It’s quite different from the first.” Then you can give a few minor details, perhaps a short plot synopsis (nothing more than three sentences please), and that you’re working day and night to bring this book together. Granted, writers are secretive when working on a book, but you can give information without giving away the important elements.
Maintaining eye contact with your interviewer and/or the audience is important. I can’t stress this enough. Even if you hate public speaking, even if you can’t bear the thought of staring someone in the eye because it makes you sweat with nerves, you have to maintain eye contact. That gives the interview a more personal touch.
Sometimes you’ll be at a table or in a chair with arms when you’re being interviewed. Nerves will be playing hard on you. You have to release those and find your fingers itching to do that thump, thump, thump or the nails to do the annoying tap, tap, tap. No finger drumming, please. It’s annoying and distracts everyone.
Fidgeting is also something you should avoid. Assume a position at the interview table, or in the chair and keep it. Don’t let those nerves take over. All you’re doing is giving a bad impression to everyone watching.
We’ve all had that moment when we’re talking and forget what we want to say. Don’t use uh… uh… uh… to fill the dead air. Instead, let the next thing you wanted to say flow out of your mouth, as if you meant to do that all along.
The most important thing you need to do is remember to show up. Most interviewers will send a reminder of the date, place, and time. Ensure that information is written down. Don’t trust your electronic devices not to decide to take that moment to crash. If there’s an emergency that will make it impossible for you to be there, call ahead and explain why. Are you ready to go to that interview yet? Are you practicing these things to avoid? There’s one more round in this discussion. Come on back next week to find out what it is.

Character Interview - Amy, Bryce, and Jane from The Lie

For the author: K.C. Sprayberry1.      Talk to us about The Lie.
To understand the lie, someone must answer the question: How well do you know your friends? That is the underlying theme of this young adult psychological thriller. Amy has always been a loyal friend to Jane. Despite her family’s dislike of Jane, Amy continues to support her friend, to take the blame for minor incidents, until a cold Friday night in November that changes the lives of an entire community.
 Pre-Order The Lie now!

1.      Author BioBorn and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Some of her short stories have appeared in anthologies, others in magazines. 




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For the character: Amy PearsonIntroduce yourself to our readers. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?


Hi, I’m Amy. This is my story, of trying to get rid of a weird friend and also trying to get my family to believe I’m not a total fool. I’m a senior at Landry High School and totally bummed. After all my hard work, I may not be able to go to college next year—because the football team and cheerleaders will get our funding. And that made all of the band so mad that we did something totally off the way… and we… we… we kind of made something really bad happen. I can’t talk about that. It’s too hard to even think about that night and if I do talk about it, a lot of good people are going to get into trouble.


What are your feelings about this story?
Sometimes, I think this story is a great way of showing people that you can’t always trust your friends. But then I start thinking about all the bad that happened for the next year, all the incredibly scary things we learned about the people who were the real masterminds of what happened, and I just want the whole thing to disappear, for it to have never happened. Only, that would be a lie. And that’s what got us here in the first place. A lie. A really big, horrid lie.
How do you feel about being a character in this book?

This is my story. A mistake I made. I’m not happy that people will see me having panic attacks or trying to get rid of a friend who wasn’t a real friend at all, but that’s what happened. We can’t change that now. Would I rather everyone watch my music videos and tell me want a great singer I am? Sure, but that wouldn’t be the whole truth.



The only good thing about this story… well, one of two good things… is Trey. He and I, we had the chance to fall in love. I mean really in love. I’m sure of that now and it hurts to know how sad he is but I’ll always have those special moments. (smiles softly) Do you think they can get Brant Daugherty to play Trey in the movie? You know, that guy from Pretty Little Liars?



What do you see in your future? (No spoilers please!)
My future is kind of going to stay like it is. Can’t really say anything else
Is there another The Lie in the future? Will you be part of it?
I don’t think there will be a sequel to The Lie. If there is, I doubt I’ll be part of it. Can’t say much more now.
Say a movie producer comes knocking. What actor/actress would you want to play you and why?
Oh, Sienna Miller. She looks exactly like me. And I’ve seen all her movies. She’s totally cool.

For the character: Bryce Pearson
Introduce yourself to our readers. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?
Hey, guys, I’m Bryce. A great gunner on the special teams for the Landry High School Wildcats. I’m also Amy’s two years younger brother. She’d want me to tell you that. But I’m more than a pesky brother. I’m the person she comes to whenever Amy gets caught up in a Jane disaster. Let me tell you, Jane is a total loser, a user, and someone that should just fall off the face of the earth.  




What should you know about me? Other than the whole on the football thing? Well, I’m not a total jock. I have a 4.0 GPA, with a heavy emphasis on science and math. I want to be a volunteer firefighter with my dad at his station, when I’m old enough, and my future goal is to go to Jacksonville State University in Alabama, be a Gamecock. Oh, and get a date with Ziva from NCIS. That’s one hot chick!
What are your feelings about this story?
This story is important. People have to know about the Jane’s in this world. They’re users. They’ll take down anyone that gets caught in their web of deceit. And mostly, they will destroy anyone who stands in their way of getting what they want.
How do you feel about being a character in this book?
I have to be in this book. The author didn’t want me here except as a minor character at first, but I proved to her that I was necessary. Amy needed someone who had her back. My sis has this incredible talent—she plays five instruments and sings like an angel, but she doesn’t believe in herself. And that’s how come Jane was always using Amy.
What do you see in your future? (No spoilers please!)
My future? I’ll finish high school, help my dad reno houses, and go to Jacksonville State University in Alabama. Beyond that, I don’t really know. A lot of things are up in the air right now, but I won’t ever forget what Jane did to us.
Is there another The Lie in the future? Will you be part of it?
There will always be another The Lie in the future. Users are everywhere, and they never take responsibility for their actions. Will I be part of it? I hope not. I don’t ever want to live through that kind of stuff again.
Say a movie producer comes knocking. What actor/actress would you want to play you and why?
Movie? About our boring lives? (laughs) Yeah, I wish our lives had been normal and boring. I wish we could have booted Jane to the curb a long time ago. But that didn’t happen. So, a movie? Who plays me? Well… Theo James, the dude from Divergent and Insurgent. Yeah, he’s a lot like me. That will work. (Do you think there’s a chance Ziva from NCIS will be in the film too?)



For the character: Jane PrestonIntroduce yourself to our readers. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?


I am Jane Preston. Don’t believe those Pearson’s. They’ll say anything to make me look bad. I can’t believe they would dare to open their mouths, after all the trouble they caused me. It’s Amy’s fault all this happened. She was the one that planned the whole problem, right from the beginning. She’s such a wuss. Always crying. Always wanting Mommy to like her. She needs to get a life. (emotionless laugh) Like that will happen now.
What are your feelings about this story?
Well, if it was the truth, more about how much of a troublemaker Amy was, it would be good. But it’s not. The whole thing is all wrong. Amy was the one that planned stuff, but then she’d chicken out and I’d have to step in and fix her messes. That dummy couldn’t do anything without Mommy’s approval, and Mommy didn’t like me. And I could never convince Amy to stop being such a Mommy’sbrat.
How do you feel about being a character in this book?
Boring! Totally boring. Nobody asked me how I felt about all these lies those pathetic losers told about me. They didn’t care that mydreams got all messed up. All everyone did was talk bad about me. How awful is that? Nobody cares about me.
What do you see in your future? (No spoilers please!)
Oh, my future is great. As soon as I get away from these losers, I’ll have a lot of fun. JSU as a college is a total loss. I’ll be going to a much better college in a few years. Everybody thinks I’m stuck in this place, but they’re wrong. I’ll get away, as soon as everyone believes what a little loser Amy is.
Is there another The Lie in the future? Will you be part of it?
Gawd! I hope so. And whoever writes it better get it right this time. That dummy that was talking to Bryce and Amy all the time only got their “oh poor me” story. Dummy didn’t bother to talk to me, to figure out that I was only making all the losers in the world pay. I mean—who cares what happened to all those people? They were a total loss all their lives.
Say a movie producer comes knocking. What actor/actress would you want to play you and why?
Please let there be a movie. I’ll get a lot of money from it. And I’ll be able to go to a really great college without everyone hearing about pathetic Amy and her loser brother, Bryce. Who should play me? Jena Malone. She rocks. She’s that actress from the Hunger Games and she will do me very well. But she has to come see me, talk to me about how to make the movie more about me and the problems those stupid Pearsons gave me. 

 

Spotlight on The Lie

Welcome to the release tour of The Lie. The Lie is a young adult psychological thriller for older teens, similar to such edgy books as Sasha Dunn’s Oblivion, Michael Northrop’s Trapped, Norah Olson’s Twisted Fate, and E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars. This is a dark novel, a story that asks one question—How well do you know your friends?
The Lie releases March 4, 2016





Pre-order your copy now!
The Lie 
Blurb:
For high school siblings, Amy and Bryce, the night began with a football game. Bryce was stuck at home with a cold, brought on by an uncaring coach. Amy was in the stands, playing with the band whose funding had been taken away and given to the football team.
Her best friend, Jane, brought the band together to play a prank on the team in protest.
The prank went wrong. Horribly, tragically wrong.
And the lie that started it all would not stop.
About the Author:
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Some of her short stories have appeared in anthologies, others in magazines. 



Book Trailer: 


♫ Amy ♫           
The sun is peeping over the mountains all around us. The members of the Landry High School Band fill in the last of the holes where we placed our planned revenge to go off tonight. None of us has had any sleep since we woke up yesterday, yet we’re charged up and ready for the rest of today and well into tonight. “Where are your friends?” I ask.Jane Preston, my bestie, the true mastermind of this prank, smirks at me.
◊ Bryce ◊

I hear Amy coming home. She doesn’t know that I’ve been awake all night, waiting on her. Not that she sneaks out much—she never does stuff like this, unless it’s a Jane plan. I pretty much figured that from what I caught of the muffled phone conversations going on until eight last night. That’s when I heard the window going up, a box being hidden behind the bush, and Amy sneaking away.She’s lucky that Mom and Dad didn’t catch her. Thanks to me. If I hadn’t gone into the kitchen, faking that cough, Amy would have been in major trouble.
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Teen Disappears

Teens and their parents are always at odds. It’s natural, as the child is moving toward becoming an adult and wants to try as much as they can. Some teens runaway and are caught up in the sex trade. Others just vanish without a trace, never to be seen again.
What drives a teenager to run away? Why would they leave home, a home that by all accounts is normal and allegedly happy?
It’s hard to tell. Some teens are very unhappy because they don’t feel as if they count. Others suffer quietly under verbal abuse that makes them feel like they’re less than a person. And in some instances, they’re running from other abuses they can no longer tolerate.
There are other problems teens don’t talk about, but are just as important. A marriage falling apart, even if the adults are doing their best to hide the problems, are very evident to teens. They may feel they can’t handle the loss of one parent being around all the time, or the teen might sense the parents hiding their turmoil and thinks they’re the reason behind it.
Other situations, far more nefarious, are also possible. That’s the case in Finding Mia, when a girl goes missing on the way to her summer camp. She knows her parents are splitting up. They’ve made no secret of that. What she doesn’t know is their plans for her…
BlurbSixteen-year-old Mia remembers hearing a loud noise just before she reached her summer camp. It is her last living memory.
A year later, she haunts the place, vowing not to be lost forever. Her boyfriend, Jax, promises to find her, regardless of the bewildering obstacles put in his way. He just doesn’t know why no one wants her found. No one… except him.




Finding Mia