K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 181

Author Interview: Parenting Playbook Universe by: Jen Lilienstein

Today on Out of Control Characters we're interviewing Jen Lilienstein. Her book, Parenting Playbook Universe, is a great guide to helping your child navigate school.






Jen completed her undergraduate senior thesis on Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligence and its effect on self-esteem, attendance rates and love of learning in 1994 and in the years prior to founding Kidzmet, she worked in the education industry in various capacities including brand and product management for JumpStart educational software and in marketing for a non-traditional post-secondary certification. Once she became a parent, she started seeing just how differently her kids learned than she did...and was reminded how critical it is that teachers and parents “get” how each unique student likes to learn in order for kids to become engaged, enthusiastic learners. She also started to realize how many parents didn’t know personality-based techniques and strategies that could help their kids learn how to learn better.Ms. Lilienstein currently serves on the Editorial Board of the National Afterschool Association, the Publications and Platform Committees of the NAA, the Quality Committee of the CA Afterschool Network, and advocates for Afterschool for All with the Afterschool Alliance. She is also a member of BOOST and ASCD. Ms. Lilienstein is also a weekly contributor on the Total Education Network, which is syndicated on 80+ networks and heard by more than a million people in 180 countries around the world.At home, Jen is Mom to an extraverted seven year-old daughter--who has already dabbled in music, swimming, gymnastics, ballet, nature, yoga and art--and an introverted four year-old son who loves to do puzzles, build with LEGOs, examine the lives of animals and insects, and admire anything with an engine.Blurb:A detailed, practical guide to help parents (and teachers!) understand how different personality types learn best. INCLUDES PERSONALITY QUIZ!The techniques revealed in this book will teach parents specific, research-backed, actionable strategies amassed from nearly 100 reference texts with respect to:* How to create a learning environment that allows their kids to excel and develop confidence in their abilities.* How to support and encourage their kids' educations in ways that are best for him or her.* How to teach their kids the strategies that help them each play to their individual learning strengths.Book reveals how each of the eight personality types naturally:* Get organized* Get motivated* Approach new concepts* Learn in groups* Take notes and "file" knowledge* Tackle homework and test prep* Gravitate to certain extracurriculars and teachers* Handle successes and failures
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As a way of explaining, because I found the methods great, I have 2 sons who are more of a hybrid of your set types of learners. This presented problems with their learning. In math, science, music, and reading they're extroverts – the EIP type. English (the basics and actually writing a paper), and social studies are subjects they had difficulty with, similar to the ISJ type. Their teachers classified both as smart but challenged, which only made them more determined to fight against the classes that befuddled them. One child ended up being homeschooled when a teacher kept sending him home for acting out in class. I did spend a day observing a class (where she said he was at his worst) and saw a child trying to participate and being ignored. I didn't do this as his mommy, but as a parent determined to discover why a child who enjoyed learning prior to kindergarten no longer wanted to go to school.Just as a quick aside to classifying your children as Extraverted Intuitive with respect to some areas of learning and Introverted Sensing in others, you might find this article I wrote of interest. I didn’t delve into it in this particular book because I thought it might get a little confusing. http://www.kidzmet.com/blog/2013/02/28/child/1.    Can this system be used by homeschoolers, where the parent is also the teacher? Absolutely. Actually, homeschoolers have been the ones who have found the book to be the most beneficial because it does go into such detail about how they can make learning more fun, interesting and engaging for their kids—even with subjects that they don’t immediately love. Homeschoolers also are in the unique position to be able to really individualize lessons instead of “teaching to the middle” so the book can be helpful whether you use it to a.   decide which packaged curriculum products to purchase; b.   modify TeachersPayTeachers or Lesson Planet lesson plans; or c.   develop lessons on your own or customize lessons suggested by other homeschoolers.2.   How do you work around a teacher who refuses to adapt to an extrovert in some subjects and an introvert in others, and instead punishes the child with time-outs?This sounds like reversal theory at play. When people—especially kids—get stressed out, they literally “flip out” from a temperament perspective. For instance, if your child is really anxious about something, instead of being the analytical kid you know and love that sees decisions in black-and-white, the landscape will become a gray area and he’ll be overly emotional and sensitive. Thinkers and feelers tend to pendulum swing MOST in the area of extraversion or introversion after switching from T to F or vice-versa. So, often the sign of stress in these kids can manifest as talkative kids withdrawing or reflective kids talking a mile a minute.Sensing and intuitive kids, however, pendulum swing MOST in the judging/perceiving aspects of their personalities. Perceiving kids that typically enjoy the journey will crave a game plan and fly into a tizzy if things don’t go according to plan. Judging kids who typically like to reach a conclusion as soon as humanly possible will get nervous about any potential directions they haven’t explored yet and stay in the realm of possibilities much longer than normal.If your child is “flipping out” during one subject, chances are good that they sense that they aren’t keeping up with the class or that the lesson is moving FAR too slowly. Talk to your child one-on-one about it to see whether the stress is coming from the subject moving too fast or too slowly. Schedule a meeting with the teacher and come armed with some of the suggestions in the book to see if she might be willing to try one or two techniques to see if things get better—not just for your child, but from a classroom management perspective. Chances are, the awareness that children switch types (like Jekyll and Hyde) under stress will improve their teaching not only this year with your child, but in future school years because there will be an awareness that when a child switches types, the child is experiencing some kind of stress. 3.   What if your child is a hybrid of these types? How do you make the teacher understand that the child needs more help in one subject and not others?This is the challenge for many students in school, because they are “twice exceptional.” They are incredibly bright, but not in ALL ways. Because of this, these kids often get classified as lazy or their parents are told they are “not living up to their potential.” This could not be further from the truth. Just because someone is a great mathematician does not mean they will also be a great ballerina. Just because a child thrives in oral expression does not mean that written expression will come easily to her. If a child does start flipping types in certain subjects in the classroom, immediately talk to him about what he’s finding stressful about that subject, then schedule a meeting with the teacher to find out about how you might be able to mitigate the stress.4.   About study groups. Many people I know live in a rural area. Scheduling a study group isn't a matter of walking a few houses, oftentimes the trip to get a group of similar children together to study means a trip of 20 miles or more. Would you advise using an online study group on Skype, with off camera supervision from all parents?Absolutely. I would create one free teacher account on Kidzmet that you all can access and profile all of the kids. This will help you decide which pairings will be most effective for lessons. It can also be a great indicator for which older kids might be positioned best to tutor a younger child who is struggling! Remember to keep in mind that you do want to broaden types that work together as you get deeper into subject matter. Start with types that are coming at the “elephant” in a similar way, but make sure you ultimately work toward the students seeing all types of the elephant. Creating a teacher account like this might be eye-opening, because it can sometimes showcase the personality types that DO work in the U.S. school “system”. 
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Spotlight: PJ Stone Gates Trilogy

  
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Dragonfairy Store | GoodreadsBook one of the P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy
New Adult Paranormal Romance  
299 pages  
by D.T. Dyllin

For P.J. Stone, being a “Seer” who has never seen anything is less than fun. And P.J. isn’t known for her patience. To make matters worse, she must choose a suitable mate to continue the Seer bloodline. Duty always comes before her heart…at least that’s what her parents taught her. When she finds herself wanting someone who is considered off-limits, P.J. is forced to question everything she believes. As if navigating her love life isn’t complicated enough, P.J. finally receives a vision—of a threat to her world that only she can perceive. But no one will believe a fledgling Seer’s warnings. With nowhere else to turn, she may decide to trust a stranger with her life, her world, and maybe even her heart.

Amazon | Dragonfairy Store | GoodreadsBook two of the P.J. Stone Gates TrilogyNew Adult Paranormal Romance 241 pagesby D.T. Dyllin

P.J. Stone is a Seer who saw too little, too late. In the past, her biggest worries were boys and school—but war has a way of changing things. Now, the alien Riders are trying to overrun the world. As the last of their kind, P.J. and her friends must find a way to save humanity before there’s nothing left to save. After choosing a mate, P.J. hoped she'd have time to enjoy her love life. But with everything changing so quickly and major secrets revealed, who knows what the future will bring?

 



Book three of the P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy
New Adult Paranormal Romance 

by D.T. Dyllin
Bryn is gone. Jenna isn’t…herself, and the world has been taken over by the alien Riders. The only constant in P.J.’s life is Khol. But even he might not be able to help her pick up the shattered pieces of her life.P.J. finally gets the answers to all of her questions, but will she be able to handle the truth? And will she be strong enough to face her own destiny when the time comes?
 


About the Author
Cynical-Optimist. Chocolate-holic. Sarcasm Addict. Paranormal Believer. Self-Imposed Insomniac. Sci-Fi Geek. Animal Lover. Writer…are just a few words to describe D.T. Dyllin. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and two very spoiled GSDs.
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Book Blitz: Beautiful Experiment by January Valentine

Title:  Beautiful Experiment  (Book One of Island of Defiance Trilogy)
Author: January Valentine
Genre:  Teen  Paranormal Fantasy
Release date: June 1, 2013
Synopsis:

Six unruly teens are abducted on their way to a juvie home. Dumped onto an uncharted island. Could things get any worse? Hell, yeah. Hostility and envy run rampant. Throw in some alphas, divas and demons, and what do you have? Beautiful Experiment. Book One of the Island of Defiance Trilogy.

The teens are referred to as waywards, informed their parents have sent them to the island for rehabilitation. While they struggle with their predicament, and each other, they come to a shocking realization ... for once in their lives, they have to follow rules.

Brook has lived on the Island of Defiance his entire life, with no choice but to believe everything he has been taught. As he approaches eighteen, the secret of who he is, and the ultimate fate he must face, begins to unfold. To complicate matters even more, Brook grows to experience something he has never known ... love.

How do you convince a stranger a dreadful mistake has been made? Gabriella Winslow is an honors student who has always helped others, but now has to fight for herself. Something unimaginable wants her as much as the beautiful island boy with whom she is falling in love.

Beautiful Experiment is Book One of The Island Of Defiance Trilogy (paranormal - fantasy - romance - for teens and adults) Mature 16+ for adult language, drugs & alcohol, mild sexual situations & mild violence.

Buy links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Experiment-Paranormal-Defiance-ebook/dp/B00DIQU1KW/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1380051401&sr=1-2&keywords=beautiful+experiment
Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beautiful-experiment-january-valentine/1116962776?ean=2940148761211
Kobo:   http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/beautiful-experiment-teen-paranormal-fantasy-romance

Excerpt
(Brook and Father are waiting on the beach for the skiff to arrive with a new delivery of wayward teens. This is Brook's first encounter with the supernatural force that will intensify until he eventually learns exactly what is attempting to overtake him, and why.)


The surging tide is tempting. I'm concentrating on the foam that is quickly erasing my footsteps. It's not the caw of gulls that alerts me, because the winged creatures have vanished. In their place, the air is filled with my name. I lift my face to something startling, and my heart begins to pound.

The sky has burst into flame. Red and gold, it's raging. The sun is the sky. Scorching. Shooting stars, like flaming spears, are dropping all around me. If I don't shut my eyes, I'll be blinded. If I do, I'll be nothing but a solid target. The wind wails like a mother who has lost her child. "When the third moon falls, the beast will devour the sky."

As suddenly as it started, it ends. I'm standing beside Father, totally disoriented. Am I standing? I look down at my feet, because I feel legless. I'm floating. Struggling to regain control of my mind, my body, the shock.

I grip the clipboard and pen with my knees, so that I can draw my palms across my twitching eyelids, astonished that I'm actually still holding onto anything.

"Did you see that flash? Did you hear that creepy voice?" I'm breathless, massaging my pounding temples with burning fingertips. "My head feels like it's about to split open." I rattle each eardrum with a pinky, then plug my ears to listen intently. Was the urgent whisper that turned me to stone inside my head? Phantom sounds? I've never experienced this kind of phenomenon before. "My eyes pain."

Father regards me with a mix of surprise and concern. "You have a migraine?"

"Migraine?" I scoff. What the fuck, loops through my head. I'm freaked out, left with a strange feeling this is not going to be like other days. I try to shake it off, like I shake him off.

The sky is now clear and so perfectly blue, it looks as though it's been painted by deliberate strokes of an artist's brush. It is a seamless dome of beauty. If we were not receiving today, I might be lying on the pristine beach, permitting my thoughts to wander far beyond my own boundaries. Maybe I'd be lounging on my bluff, or climb my watchtower tree, burrow into its welcoming arms where I collect my years, watch over all that is mine.

"Feeling better?" His voice is buffered, but coarse enough to jar me from thought.

Skimming Father, my gaze snaps back to the waves, the skiff that is almost upon us. "I'm fine." I don’t mention how bad my body aches, and feels like it’s being torn apart. I stretch my arms, then my neck, trying to pin down what I did to cause these muscle spasms. The bomb that’s about to explode in my head.

When the ocean is calm it's translucent, sparkling with sunlight as though it's coated with billions of precious gemstones. Today it's not much more than rolling waves and seaweed.

"I've never seen it this rough." Between wind and thunderous surf, I have to face him or my voice will be useless.

"Storms." His reply is blunt.

"You wouldn't know it by the sky." I bring my gaze to a more pleasant sight.

"There's one brewing out there. You'd feel it if you had my knees." Staring gravely at the ocean, his body is rigid.

"Are you in pain?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Let's hope the weather holds off until we've settled them."

"Rain or shine, we've got our work cut out for us, Brook."

"As always." My stomach rises to my throat as I watch their approach. I wonder if I'll ever get used to this way of life. Do I want to? Of course not. There are so many other things I'd rather be doing right now, like hopping onto that boat, and for starters, checking out the other side of this island.

Beyond the boat, a floating veil of mist rolls in like billows of steam from a tremendous boiling kettle. I am no longer able to see the large vessel from which the skiff was launched.

The atmosphere of the island is as such, inviting one moment, rejecting the next. Father calls it a gentle beast, with characteristics and charm like the women he has known. My glance shifts, falling upon the shoreline curve where a jetty, composed of rocks chiseled and stacked by nature, projects like the nose of a dolphin and the forest begins. This is as far as my eyes pan.

"Thank you for cutting your hair." For a moment his eyes wash over me, then his gaze refocuses on the others who are struggling against the relentless current. "I know it pains you."

"Don't you mean shearing?" I huff. "I don't understand why I can't grow it long. I have awesome hair, or so I've been told." I smirk.

He shoots me a phony glare. "You've been told, huh? No cozying up to any of these girls. I don't want another batch begging to stay."

"I'm not a womanizer. Just good company." I shrug.

"No nighttime jaunts to the lagoon, either. And I mean it this time." Now his glare is authentic.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Stay out of the lagoon. Out of the forest. Out of the lockers. Pretend to like my boring life."

He almost looks sympathetic. "One of these days you'll understand."

"What? Why I can't swim at night?"

"You're impossible sometimes, and the reason I ask you to cut your hair is to set a good example."

I let out a tired sigh. My hand runs over my smooth scalp, the shadow of bristles so short and sun-bleached, my reflection in a mirror looks hairless. If not for my deeply tanned skin, I would look anemic.

"Seems a waste. Six or more inches of attractive dark hair again and again swept into the trash." My jaw sets as our discussion continues. "I like my hair long. It makes me feel ..."

"Like a rock star?" He chuckles, scrubbing my head playfully. "In so many ways you remain such a child, yet you desire to be worldly. Do you admire them?"

"Not as you might be thinking." My eyes lower, landing upon my anxious toes digging through a mound of sand.

I swing my gaze across the vast horizon which is now shaded with purples and blues, fantasizing about the places beyond. The order of the world not contained within this globe of existence called Defiance Island. I know the temperament of the waywards, but wonder what others are like. Are they beautiful? Intelligent? Kindhearted? Do they possess the nature that can make a man want to tear another to shreds?

About the Author
January Valentine is the pen name of Victoria Valentine, New York writer and indie book publisher. See Victoria's Author pages: http://www.amazon.com/January-Valentine/e/B007Q28DFE
http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Valentine/e/B005LYVSTM



I chose to use a pen name because some of my writing is steamy, and I wanted to separate Victoria, who writes contemporary fiction and children's storybooks. Since my birth month is January, January Valentine seemed an appropriate pseudonym.

I also host a blogtalkradio show: Away With Words, every Wednesday evening at 6 PM EST where I interview other writers and poets and discuss writing in general: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aww1



In June, I released my first paranormal romance, Beautiful Experiment, book one of Island of Defiance Trilogy. Wheel Wolf was released on August 20th, and instantly became an Amazon bestseller in Horror/Suspense/Paranormal.

I've written three other novels: Love Dreams contemporary romance, Sweet Dreams in the Mind of a Serial Killer, and Head Over Wheels New Adult romance. All are available on Amazon and other booksellers, or will be shortly in ebook and paperback.

I publish books for other authors through Water Forest Press, which I founded some years ago. In the past I have written poetry and song lyrics, but now I focus on fiction. I've created multiple websites and blogs that I don't have time to manage very well.

My desire to be in a rock band brought me into a recording studio ... where my lyrics sprang to life with the help of a local alternative rock band. Together, we produced a CD.

I enjoy designing book covers and YouTube videos, and outdoor activities such as hiking and swimming. I love all kinds of music. Watching horror flicks and Tyler Perry movies are my escape from reality.

I have an addiction to engraved pens that I buy to accompany each of my books. My office is filled with paperbacks, t-shirts, silver bullets, wolf head necklaces, crystals, and all kinds of swag. 

My sites and pages.

Website: http://www.januaryvalentine.com
Blog: http://januaryvalentine.blogspot.com/
Blog: http://victoriaskyline.blogspot.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaJanuaryValentine
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictoriaSkyline
Blog Radio Show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aww1
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/janvicval/boards/

Review: Waking Dreams by J.J. DiBenedetto

Welcome to today's post on Out of Control Characters. I'll be reviewing J.J. DiBenedetto's Waking Dreams – the fifth installment in his Dreams series.




J.J. (James) DiBenedetto was born in Yonkers, New York. He attended Case Western Reserve University, where as his classmates can attest, he was a complete nerd. Very little has changed since then.He currently lives in Arlington, Virginia with his beautiful wife and their cat (who has thoroughly trained them both). When he's not writing, James works in the direct marketing field, enjoys the opera, photography and the New York Giants, among other interests.The "Dreams" series is James' first published work. FacebookTwitterWebsiteAmazon Author PageSmashwords ProfileGoodreads      

Waking Dream Blurb:   “Oh, God!   We can hurt each other.  Whatever we do to each other in the dream, we’ll do it to ourselves for real…”
When her own dreams are visited by a mysterious woman in a red dress, Sara realizes she has something she never expected: a counterpart, someone outside her family who shares her talent to see other people’s dreams.
When the woman in red keeps showing up in other dreams as well, leaving ruined lives in her wake, Sara knows she has something she never imagined: a nemesis.
Now, Sara must track the woman in red down in the waking world, before she’s forced to fight for her life in her dreams…
“Waking Dream” is the exciting fifth novel in the “Dreams” series. 





 Review:
Brian and Sara are back in this fifth installment of the Dreams series. Sara is now a successful pediatrician with a private practice, and Brian is working on a project as a contractor with the Air Force. Their kids, including  the adopted Grace, are all set for their new life in the house their family just bought. Sara's dreams return, and she's now trying to figure out a new mystery.J.J. DiBenedetto's fifth book in this series is just as compelling and exciting as the first four. Brian and Sara try for a normal life, but her dreams, which warn of trouble, intrude on their new life, as does his job during Christmas, when things fall apart. At first, Sara has trouble deciphering this series of dreams, far more trouble than she's ever experienced before. Family problems keep her focus going in all directions, giving the Alderson's more of a problem resolving the problem. Sara is also faced with a very difficult decision regarding how she works within her dreams.DiBenedetto plots this story well. The reader is never bored, even with the normalcy of the Alderson's lives. This is another page turner, from beginning to end, and a real delight as the Alderson's move from a low-tech world into the one all of us now take for granted. Yet, Sara and Brian don't rely on high-tech, giving this series what makes it so good – ingenuity and the ability of people to think through their problems. I highly recommend Waking Dreams for everyone who enjoys a good mystery!
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Re-Release Event: The Gathering by: S.L. Dearing.

Good Friday morning. Today, Out of Control Characters brings you a re-release event and an invite to the release party for The Gathering: Book 1 of the Lia Fail Chronicles by S.L. Dearing!



BLURB:Another world war has happened and everything we knew is now gone. There are no more countries.  No more government... only survivors who have created a new world made up of small colonies.  It has been  thirteen years and the village of Lia Fail sits peacefully above the Hollywood Reservoir in the Santa Monica Mountains.  The settlement is making ready to host the fall Gathering, a time where every six months the other colonies from various parts of what was once Southern California visit for ten days of fun and reminiscence.  The Gathering begins as any other party.  A time for new loves, old friends, family, dancing and fun, but all too soon that changes.  The people in Lia Fail begin to experience strange goings on they can't explain, unseen forces attack several guests and friends begin to distrust friends.  When they receive news of a horrific massacre, they realize they must face an impending dark evil that threatens to descend on the tranquil village.  Alia Stark, the queen of Lia Fail, must face this darkness.  But she will face the evil along side her oldest and dearest friends, as well as an amazing new ally.  The fate of her people, the lives of her children and freedom itself rests in her hands.  Will she have the courage to do what must be done?  This is the beginning of a journey that will change all of their lives forever.
The Gathering: Book One of the Lia Fail Chronicles is the first in a new Paranormal,  Fantasy, and Adventure Series. 



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Although she grew up in Arizona, S. L. Dearing was born and raised in California and considers the Golden State her home. Shannon attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, studying biology, then moved to Los Angeles where she spent several years studying at Los Angeles City College’s renowned Television/ Film program. She learned the art of storytelling from her father when she was very young and has been writing since the tender age of five. As an author of many genres, she is always hoping to learn more by exploring the world of story. She has written her first novel The Gathering: Book One of the Lia Fail Chronicles.  She also has short stories in several anthologies: Apocalypse: An Anthology by Readers & Authors, Paranormal Anthology with a Twist and the soon to be released Stalkers: A Collection of Thriller Stories. Shannon currently resides in Los Angeles.
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Join us October 5 from 3-7pm PST on Facebook for a grand party event.  There will be games and prizes from LOTS of authors and Swag artists.  Please come and join the fun!!
Facebook Re-release Party!      

Spotlight: Waking up Dead by Margo Bond Collins

Today on Out of Control Characters we welcome Margo Bond Collins, a fellow Solstice Publishing author. She's talking about her new book, Waking up Dead.
Sounds very intriguing!



Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press. 
Blurb
When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now she's witnessed another murder, and she's not about to let this one go. She's determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?




Excerpt 1
When I died, I expected to go to heaven. Okay. Maybe hell. It’s not like I was perfect or anything. But I was sort of hoping for heaven. Instead, I went to Alabama.Yeah. I know. It’s weird. I died in Dallas, my hometown. I was killed, actually. Murdered. I’ll spare you the gruesome details. I don’t like to remember them myself. Some jerk with a knife--and probably a Bad-Mommy complex. Believe me, if I knew where he was, I’d go haunt his ass.At any rate, by the time death came, I was ready for it--ready to stop hurting, ready to let go. I didn’t even fight it.And then I woke up dead in Alabama. Talk about pissed off.You know, even reincarnation would have been fine with me--I could have started over, clean slate and all that. Human, cow, bug. Whatever. But no. I ended up haunting someplace I’d never even been.That’s not the way it’s supposed to work, right? Ghosts are supposed to be the tortured spirits of those who cannot let go of their earthly existence. If they could be convinced to follow the light, they’d leave behind said earthly existence and quit scaring the bejesus out of the poor folks who run across them. That’s what all those “ghost hunter” shows on television tell us.Let me tell you something. The living don’t know jack about the dead.Not this dead chick, anyway. 
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Waking up Dead on Goodreads  This book isn't available yet … but we are hoping for a release soon. Check out the captivating book trailer!
Waking up Dead Book Trailer  

Review: Dream World by S. J. Hitchcock

Today on Out of Control Characters, I'll review fellow Freaky Fiction author, S.J. Hitchcock's Dream World.



  Sarah Hitchcock was born in Norfolk, in a small town called Kings Lynn.  She always was a keen reader, and one day decided to attempt to write her own, and never looked back.  Today she has many novels in various stages of editing and re-writing.  Her current WIP, is in the final stages of editing, and will be out later this year as an ebook.After finishing high school and then training to work with children, Sarah started her first job. She currently works as a pre-school teacher.  Sarah has four children, and three dogs, and a partner who has had to put up with her rambling on about all her WIP’s. 
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Blurb:
Debbie who witnesses the death of her mother, and uses her dreams as a way to escape the real world.  Where she feels safe and loved, in Joshua Lawson’s arms, the guy from her favourite TV show Victor, and from her favourite poster above her bed.
Karen is ignored by all her family, she really just wants to be loved by them, and takes out her anger on her former best friend, Debbie and anyone who gets in her way. 
Lastly, Mark whose shipped off to the UK to live, while his parents are on tour for the next year. And Mark has always lived in the shadow of his cousin. 



Three teenagers come together as each deals with issues in their lives. Debbie witnesses a drunk driver killing her mother and finds comfort not from the usual sources, but from dreams about her favorite teen pop idol. Karen, Debbie's former best friend, is lonely. She feels as if her family doesn't love her, and acts out by being the mean girl. Mark has a cousin and parents who are famous, but aren't there for him. Moved to the United Kingdom so his parents can complete their current tour, he sees a pretty girl in a market and falls for her, only to discover later that this girl is Debbie. Karen, however, has other plans for Mark, and he has to extract himself from her clutches to begin a relationship with a girl he can't keep his eyes off.The issues addressed in this novel are harsh in some ways, funny in others, and poignant. As Debbie struggles with her grief, and a feeling that she was responsible for her mother's death, the dreams of her crush become confused. She's no longer certain who she loves. Karen evolves from a shallow girl bent on dating every boy in school – but only if they're worthy of her time – into a confused, neglected teen in a house where money is the measure of success, but she eventually begins to see her friends only hang around because of her family's wealth, and the real friends are those who no longer care about her. Mark stands out as he loves one of these girl's and despises the other. He's the typical teenage boy, expect for his fear of everyone at his new school finding out his parents are rock stars.S.J. Hitchcock has taken on the difficult task of creating a novel for teens where each of the viewpoints is in first person. Each storyline is compelling, where the reader can feel for the characters, although it takes time with Karen, who is the ultimate mean girl. There are some parts where it's confusing to figure out just who we're seeing, however Hitchcock manages the storyline well.Grief, loneliness, and growing up too fast combine with all the normal teen issues to make this a fabulous book for all teens, and their parents. I highly recommend Dream World. 
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Review: Dream Family by J.J. DiBenedetto

Welcome back, J.J. DiBenedetto, Out of Control Character's guest today. We'll be reviewing the fourth book in his Dream series, Dream Family.    J.J. (James) DiBenedetto was born in Yonkers, New York. He attended Case Western Reserve University, where as his classmates can attest, he was a complete nerd. Very little has changed since then.He currently lives in Arlington, Virginia with his beautiful wife and their cat (who has thoroughly trained them both). When he's not writing, James works in the direct marketing field, enjoys the opera, photography and the New York Giants, among other interests.The "Dreams" series is James' first published work. FacebookTwitterWebsiteAmazon Author PageSmashwordsGoodreads       Dream Family Blurb:"Why is this so hard for me?  Why am I having so much trouble?  Why do I feel so helpless, so hopeless?  What the hell is wrongwith me?"After tangling with murders and mobsters, not to mention medical school and three years of residency, Sara thought she could handle anything.  And then the police show up without warning at her new office and arrest her for a crime she can't possibly have committed.  Sara's confidence, and her grip on reality, is shattered during one terrifying night in jail.Now, the very dreams that have endangered her life and driven her to the edge of madness may be the only thing that can help Sara find herself again..."Dream Family" is the powerful fourth novel in the "Dreams" series.    Review:
  Dr. Sara Alderson and her family relocate to Washington DC. She and her husband have been offered prime jobs in their professions. On the very first day of running her own pediatric practice with a friend, Sara is arrested for prescription fraud. The next two weeks are the worst of Sara's life, and she actually blocks out some of the depredations she suffers.
J.J. DiBenedetto's incredible talent is very visible in this fourth installment of the Dreams series. He takes the reader through the shock of an inexplicable arrest, through the arrest and booking procedure an unprepared woman should never have to endure, to the healing process. But this healing process isn't without mountains to scale, and DiBenedetto handles the journey with great care.
Of all the Dreams books, this one is my favorite. Sara grows, both as a woman and as a doctor, as she fights for her sanity. Each word, each sentence, captures the essence of the characters. Not only is this book worth many reads, it has left me panting for the promised fifth book in the series.Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.  AmazonSmashwordsBarnes & Noble    

Take Chances Teaser Tour Day 15

Good Morning! My name is KC Sprayberry, and I'm hijacking my own blog today. The purpose is to tease all of my very dedicated readers with information about now released YA coming of age novel, Take Chances.

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Coming of Age in the Twenty-First Century – School Violence
Back when we were teens, we never …Insert the appropriate commentary today's teens have heard from their parents or grandparents, and there is an eye roll, a shaking head, even a snarky comment. Today's teens truly don't believe their issues have anything to do with the past.
That may be true. May be.
In some ways it isn't. Take school violence for instance.Teens today believe the violence they see in schools never happened to their parents or grandparents. Actually, school violence began in American, eleven years prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It wasn't an isolated attack, although if you'd asked the residents around what is now Greencastle, Pennsylvania, they might disagree. Of course, they didn't have the internet, nor twenty-four news services to blast the story and images of grieving family members beamed into our world via satellite, cable, or the many portable devices all of us now own.From then until the late twentieth century, these incidents were more often than not carried out by adults, mostly men. Then came a new, more frightening type of predator – the student perpetuating violence for any number of reasons. Not all of those episodes occurred with guns. These individuals often got quite creative with their weapon of choice.The first impression I have of the twenty-four news coverage, of the minute-by-minute nail biting terror is from Columbine. That one hit home for my family. We'd recently moved from Sedalia, Colorado to Northwest Georgia. I had worked with people whose children were running out of that school. My kids knew children who attended that school. This was personal.Take Chances wasn't born that day, but the early glimmerings of a story were. Notes were taken. Research began.
This story remained on the back burner for many years, but eventually found its way into a first draft, a second, many revisions, editing sessions, about five trips through one of my critique groups, and finally, a total revision in the 2009 NaNoWriMo session, and the necessary edits required after that race to finish a manuscript. Finally, I had a good story told, but then Newtown happened.
For almost four months, I sat with this story on the shelf. I agonized over the decision to send it to my publisher. As I'd learned from other stories, this one was winner. It would find a place, but one question had me second-guessing myself. Was I ready for it going out to the public? Mostly, was the time right to send this story out for publication?
Then I realized something. I've spent my writing career focusing mostly on young adult coming of age stories. Not the stories that brought Judy Blume so much fame, but stories of issues young adults face in the twenty-first century. To forever bury Take Chances was to deny what I'd been doing for so long.
So, I put my fictional Northwest Georgia town of Landry on the map of school violence, but instead of concentrating on the act, of making that the pivotal point of the story, I went with what I do best – the characters.
They are a group that can be found in different pieces of literature throughout history. Not much makes them different from other teens in other more well-known books, but they're together in this story:        The military brat who has finally found her roots        The head cheerleader who longs to be with her mom.        The quarterback who has a secret that could destroy his life.        The bullied boy who is the "perfect" perpetrator of school violence, but isn't.        The class clown, who turns out to be the best friend to have in a bad situation.        The former student, who returns home not for his stated reason, but to connect with a girl that he fell in love with a long time ago.
These teens – Julie, Heather, Lukas, Hugh, Tom, and Michael – come together to let the world see their incidence of school violence. They'd love it if you shared their story.
Blurb:
Julie Bond grew up in Europe as a military brat. She found her very first permanent home in Landry, GA as a teen going into high school. Almost four years later, she's having pre-graduation jitters and flashing back to an incident of school violence she experienced in Europe. She attempts to convince herself that it can never happen again, but continually finds herself flashing back to that day no matter how hard she tries.The people around her present any number of problems for Julie, and she's hard put to keep from drowning under all the issues. Then Michael--a cool guy she's had a crush on for the last three years—returns from traveling the US as a photographer, and Julie now has one more thing to distract her as she prepares to leave high school. One thing she firmly believes in: no one will ever invade her classroom with violence again.
Once again, the impossible happens. Once again, she's in a classroom with a madman holding a gun. Once again, she must survive.
Book Trailer
Final Teaser Excerpt:The German word for attention rings through my brain as I come back to my present, to the safety I have come to depend on. It's not happening again. No way will I let that intrude on the best life I have ever had.Those terrorists are dead. I have nothing to worry about.In an effort to bring back normalcy, to forget about Ramstein AB, I grab Hugh's arm and literally drag him into AWP. Mr. Thompson smiles at us from his desk. Heather Billings waves me over to the desk beside hers. Hugh and I settle in our usual places, me next to her and him two seats over. The two desks beside Heather and me have no one at them."Where are Tom and Lukas?" I ask her.Again, that strange feeling hits me hard. Again, the images of my kindergarten classroom come into view. Again, I feel as if terrorists threaten my life.This is not happening!  I shake my head to clear it. I won't let it. 




Bio:
KC Sprayberry started writing young, with a diary followed by an interest in English. Her first experience with publication came when she placed third in a Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge contest while in the Air Force, but her dedication to writing came after she had her youngest child, now a in his senior year of high school. Her family lives in Northwest Georgia where she spends her days creating stories about life in the south, and far beyond. More than a dozen of her short stories have appeared in several magazines. Five anthologies feature other short stories, and her young adult novel Softly Say Goodbye, released in 2012. During 2013, more young adult stories have been released: The Ghost Catcher, Who Am I?, Family Curse … Times Two, and Amazon Best Seller, Canoples Investigations Tackles Space Pirates.You can find her on the web here:Amazon Author PageLinkedInTwitterFacebookGoodreadsWebsiteBlogAuthorgraphGoogle +JacketFlapSolstice Publishing
The free event for Softly Say Goodbye and Who Am I? ended yesterday, but they are still available for a very reasonable price: 



Softly Say Goodbye 




Who Am I? 
Here's the fabulous news. The tour may have ended, but Take Chances is available today at Amazon. Thank you for participating! 

Review: Dream Child by J.J. DiBenedetto

Welcome back, J.J. DiBenedetto, Out of Control Character's guest today. We'll be reviewing the third book in his Dream series, Dream Child.    J.J. (James) DiBenedetto was born in Yonkers, New York. He attended Case Western Reserve University, where as his classmates can attest, he was a complete nerd. Very little has changed since then.He currently lives in Arlington, Virginia with his beautiful wife and their cat (who has thoroughly trained them both). When he's not writing, James works in the direct marketing field, enjoys the opera, photography and the New York Giants, among other interests.The "Dreams" series is James' first published work.  Dream Child"I would give anything to take this away from her.  I would gladly go back to having the nightmares myself – the very worst ones, the ones that had me waking up screaming in a pool of my own vomit – rather than see Lizzie go through this..." As a resident at Children's Hospital, Sara can handle ninety hour workweeks, fighting to save her young patients from deadly childhood diseases.  But she's about to be faced with a challenge that all her training and experience haven't prepared her for: her four-year-old daughter has inherited her ability to see other people's dreams..."Dream Child" is the suspenseful third novel in the "Dreams" series. FacebookTwitterWebsiteAmazon Author PageSmashwordsGoodreads         Sara and Brian are now the proud parents of almost four-year-old Lizzie, and three-month-old twins, Ben and Stephanie. Their lives are rushed, with Sara a resident and Brian an aeronautical engineer, but their children are the most important. When young Lizzie starts having the same dreams as her mother, the couple is faced with a difficult decision.
 J.J. DiBenedetto's tale of a family sharing the same psychic dreams moves very well. The lives of this young couple seem to be a race from one place to another, something readers can relate to. The suspense part of this tale grows with quite a few twists and turns, until the ending – which I didn't figure out until that moment. Kudos for a well written tale. Definitely worth another read. 
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