L.S. Murphy's Blog, page 17

Cover Reveal: Day After

Day After

Book 2 in The 19th Year Trilogy

by Emi Gayle

Release Date: May 6, 2013

Back of the Book

Demon crypts. Vampire lairs. Glowing angels. Sexy sirens. The stuff of fiction.

Or so Winn Thomas always thought.

Since being accepted into the fold of the supernatural, he knows better. None of what he imagined is true, but everything he feared is, and binding himself to his changeling girlfriend until her nineteenth birthday will give him an education far beyond what he’d get at his human high school.

Luckily, Winn’s not giving up, he won’t back down, and he definitely isn’t going to run away with his tail between his legs. After all, only werewolves have tails. Right?

In this, the second of the 19th Year trilogy, Winn’s facing the challenge of one lifetime. If he doesn’t learn the truth about mythological creatures, his girlfriend Mac Thorne won’t either. That means, in six months, when she chooses her final form, she won’t know what to pick.

Winn, though, has his own ideas about Mac’s final selection—plans she knows nothing of.

He intends to have her pick human.

Whether she can or not.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/20

Other Books in this series include:

After Dark (Book 1)

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Cover Reveal, Fun, High School, Just for Fun, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Teens, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

{Blog Tour} Guest Post: It Started with a Dream by Sarah DiCello

I’m thrilled to have Sarah DiCello stop by today to tell us how she came up with the idea for As I Close My Eyes, her YA historical novel with a time travel twist. Take it away, Sarah!

At the risk of sounding very lame, the title of this blog post says it all about how I came up with my first novel, As I Close My Eyes. It’s very true. A little over two years ago in May I shot up from bed having just dreamt about my main character, Dani. I saw her for a split second but that was all I needed. I became obsessed with her. While driving to visit my husband’s family in Wilmington, Delaware, I told him about the dream and his response was, “That’d make a great book.” We went over scenarios on our two-hour trip and I began to plot out the book chapter by chapter. I never expected to write a word and thought he was crazy for suggesting I write a novel. I didn’t know where to start and it took me a few weeks to actually sit down at the computer because it terrified me. I had gone to school for journalism but fictional writing was an entirely different ball game.

However, the very first night I started typing I couldn’t stop. It was as if the words were coming to me faster than my fingers could tap on the letters of the keyboard. I’d write three to five chapters in a night and after three months I had a complete novel.

I kept my new hobby from everyone, fearful about what they would think. When I eventually got up the courage to tell my best friend I felt like I was saying, “I’m going to move to Hollywood and become an actress.” People just don’t do that and they just don’t write novels every day. Some looked at me like I had three heads and others accepted my new passion with open arms.

Despite having completed my very first novel, I ignored it for about a year. I didn’t know what to do next. After a confession to another good friend (and now published author) together we decided to jump in with both feet and pursue our dreams, learning from each other along the way. A few months later she signed with an independent publisher and a week after that, Taylor Street Books found me. We both had contracts and were on our way to becoming official authors.

I’ve learned a lot along the way and am now in the process of completing the sequel to As I Close My Eyes due out Christmas 2012.

I’m amazed at the devout followers my first book has created. These “strangers” are so supportive and are willing to shout it from the rooftops on every social media platform that As I Close My Eyes is one of their favorite books. Many have messaged me on my Facebook author page to tell me they can’t wait for the sequel.

It’s crazy that it all started with a dream and even more insane to think that people genuinely love something I wasn’t even sure I was going to finish.

Look for the sequel Christmas 2012 on Amazon. You can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sarahdicelloauthor or via Twitter at @sdicello. I also have a blog – www.sarahdicello.blogspot.com.

About As I Close My Eyes:

You know you are alive, but what if you are dead?

Danielle Grayson is a beautiful, intelligent young woman in present-day Georgia, but when she closes her eyes, she becomes someone else in a different time, one hundred years earlier in fact.

Danielle’s other life is as entrancing and romantic as her current one, and the contrast between the lifestyles is intriguing and enlightening (they didn’t have iPods in 19th century USA, apparently), but what starts out as being dreamlike soon becomes real and strangely familiar.

Worse, whatever happens to her as Danielle seems to change the past, if it is a true past.

And when she finds she is not alone in being able to flip between the two worlds, life, love and death become really disturbing.

Available from Amazon.com - here

Available from Kindle - here

About the Author:

Sarah DiCello is new to Taylor Street.

She writes fantasy / romance.

She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs. She graduated from Shippensburg University with a degree in Communications/Journalism.

This is her first novel. Look for the sequel to “As I Close My Eyes” Christmas 2012.

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Book Trailers, Books, Fun, Guest Post, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

Reaper Playlist: Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult

There is no way I couldn’t include this song in the Reaper playlist! Classic song. And naturally it has Reaper in the title.

Tagged: 2012, Blue Oyster Cult, Books, Don't Fear The Reaper, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Music, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Reaper, Rockin' Thursdays, Romance, Teens, Videos, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

Waiting on Wednesday: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, showcasing books that we are waiting to read hosted by Breaking the Spine.

I adored The Evolution of Mara Dyer.

About The Evolution of Mara Dyer:

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

Tagged: 2012, Books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Teens, Waiting on Wednesday, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

5 Questions with Vanessa North

Vanessa North was born in New England but moved to the south as a teenager. She reads voraciously, writes obsessively, and takes thousands of photos of the people she loves.

She lives in Northwest Georgia with her husband, twin boy-children, and a pack of dogs.

www.vanessanorth.com

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1.What was the spark of inspiration for the Ushers series?

I don’t know if it was a single spark as much as the fact that I adore werewolf stories, love stories of revolution, love feminism, and really wanted to dive in and write about everything I love all at once. So Amazon Pack and its beautiful albino Guardian were born.

2. What is it that attracted you to mix werewolves with goddesses?

The mythology in the Ushers deals with a creator-deity who is trapped in a sort of metaphysical fissure, and while I could have made the deity masculine, I really liked the idea of a mother-figure, a deity that wasn’t just the creator, but a loving maternal force in the lives of the wolves.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Write a lot. Read more. Ask for honest critique and accept it with humility. When it comes to writing and publishing, you will never know everything, but don’t let that stop you from trying. Be a sponge, not a stone.

4. If you could go back in time, where would you go?

Well, this is sort of a difficult question for me, because throughout human history, women have had a rather ugly lot. I’m pretty much at the best time and place in the world to be a woman. So… I guess I’d head back to August 1969 and catch a music festival in White Lake New York.

5. Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Trek. Moralizing and all.

 

Born albino, Bianca was spared death in infancy when her mother found safe haven among the ghosts and misfits of Amazon Pack. As Guardian of Amazon, she protects the hidden pack with a ferocity that belies her delicate appearance.

Jack’s routine investigation of rogue wolf sightings in his territory uncovers both Bianca’s secrets and her passionate nature. He finds her alluring and terrifying: he’s convinced she’s his mate, but is she also the Usher–key to their culture’s most sacred prophecies?

The Usher’s destiny requires a sacrifice to repair a rift in wolf culture and set the Goddess free. Can Jack and Bianca trust each other enough to pay that price?

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Writers, Writing

{Blog Tour} Crafting a Believable Ghost Tale by B. Lloyd

My kind host has invited me to write on the above topic, so I thought I would open with a quick thought on how the ghost tale is defined. There has perhaps been a slight blurring of genre on the market place in recent years, with horror often being used as an umbrella term to cover haunted houses, vamp-lit etc, with publishers and authors having to add ‘tags’ to correctly identify their work. Yet the label ‘horror’ could be thought a little misleading: gore and torture are not necessarily prime elements in a ghost tale; and ghosts are not always to be found in horror stories.

Gothic literature encompasses a wide ‘multitude of sins’, and has left us an inheritance of works ranging from dark shadows, incest and murder to dry wit and satire, from The Monk to Northanger Abbey, from Frankenstein to Dracula and from T.L. Peacock to Edgar Allan Poe … these have informed some of the best writers of today and will continue to enthral readers tomorrow; horror and sensationalism have thrived in consequence. Vampires and phantoms, ghouls and ghosties have populated the genres, arm in arm, knitted together in ever wilder variations, conveniently labelled under the generic label of horror or gothic.

Yet a vampire doth not a phantom make, and likewise vice-versa. The steady increase in vamp-lit over recent years has left many either begging for more or begging for it to stop. Dracula can be termed paranormal. So can Turn of the Screw. Yet they contain very different entities, the one to all intents and purposes‘physical’, the other barely visible, perhaps solely the result of an over-active imagination.

The actual ghost tale itself, then – where has it been left? It has continued to trickle on, in and out of fashion, never quite disappearing: come the long winter evenings, who hasn’t ended up exchanging spooky experiences had in old hotels or Aunty Ivy’s old woodshed? There is still a fresh version of Christmas Carol to be squeezed out onto television, or another M.R.James adaptation.

For many, if not all of us, the ghost tale should hover in the background a little while after we have turned the light out – allowing us that gentle shiver without leaving us staring wide-eyed and transfixed into the dark corners. Well, perhaps just a little staring as well, then.

So what makes a believable ghost tale? At first, there might seem nothing particularly credible about a solid, physical creature materialising from an ancient etching; yet M.R.James uses this idea twice at least to great effect in two of his tales(‘Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook’ and ‘The Mezzotint.’); Joan Aitken likewise had a portrait come alive, and as for Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Ruddigore … nobody is at all bothered when people step out of portraits at midnight to dance a gavotte in the hall. Gothic literature has been informed by mythology in all its forms; Pygmalion has sat in the collective conscience for centuries, and is not alone. A.M.Burrage’s ‘One who Saw’, essentially a tale about curiosity, is based on the premise of a Medusa-like presence: it opens with a gathering where somebody enquires after Crutchley and is told he has been living quietly in Norfolk. The enquirer continues:

‘I used to adore that shiny black hair of his which always made me think of patent leather…I told him once that he dined out on it four nights a week.’

‘It’s as white as the ceiling now,’ Price remarked.

Having spoken he seemed to regret it, and Mrs Storgate exclaimed:

‘Oh, no! We’re speaking of Simon Crutchley.’

‘I mean Simon,’ said Price unwillingly.

Amidst the gay chatter and clinking of glasses we are suddenly brought up short by this revelation, and our curiosity is led along rather as Crutchley’s was until we too are drawn into discovering more than is entirely good for our night’s sleep. Again, there is no graphic description in precise anatomical detail of what Crutchley saw to turn his hair white, nor indeed any clear explanation – it is all rendered by the power of suggestion:

‘And here is the part that Crutchley can’t really describe. It was painful to see him straining and groping after words, as if he were trying to speak in some strange language. There aren’t really any words, I suppose. But he told me that it wasn’t just that … it was something much worse and much more subtle than that … He’s getting better, as I told you, but his nerves are still in shreds and he’s got one or two peculiar aversions.’

‘What are they?’ I asked.

‘He can’t bear to be touched, or to hear anybody laugh.’

Admittedly, Crutchley is not petrified in the literal sense – instead, the Medusa effect causes him to be physically and mentally transformed rather than frozen. Temptation proved too much for him, and, as in the Greek legend, he was caught in a trap like so many before him (and how believable is the idea of a single glance turning a chap to stone? Has that ever happened in real life? I think not – but it has become so deeply entrenched in Western mythology, its hold on imagination so strong that it has been used repeatedly – most recently, in slightly inverted form, the Weeping Angels of Doctor Who).

Yet what, in effect, is believable about a phantom, when he might so easily be a figment of the imagination, a carelessly tossed coat and hat, the shadow of a passer-by … ?

Suspension of belief is that handy tool of the painter who can then throw colours together on his canvas in bewildering array and allows gods and giants to wander through 18th century landscapes in time for a picnic next to one of Mr Capability Brown’s designs. What colours and combinations does the writer have to hand which could effect the same convincing results, the same suspension of belief? After the primaries of imagination, language and style, come the secondary colours of suggestion, atmosphere, and detail (Le Fanu, M.R.James and de la Mare all used suggestion, stealth and atmosphere in their own inimitable ways), followed by the complementaries of research, reading and rhetoric. With regard to the last, some turns of phrase in particular hit the spot so sharply as to stay with the reader long after the story is finished. A few personal favourites:

‘intelligence beyond that of a beast, below that of a man.’

‘The cat was on the stairs tonight. I think it sits there always. There is no kitchen cat.’

‘I am much troubled in sleep. No definite image presented itself, but I was pursued by the very definite impression that wet lips were whispering into my ear with great rapidity and emphasis for some time together.’

By chance, these all happen to be from works by M.R.James (Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook and The Barchester Stalls), there are many others yet, but this is a post after all, not a treatise. Each of these for me encapsulates the maximum suggestivity with minimum of words, coupled with subtlety and menace – we know there is something more going in the background, underneath the surface, behind each twitching curtain … and what about the Treasure of Abbott Thomas, when they are in the well, about to take the bag of treasure out? No, there are too many spoilers about already, I shall not tell thee – go and read it if you haven’t already.

Then there are a few images conjured up which I wouldn’t be without – by courtesy of Sheridan Le Fanu: the silhouette of a figure in a locked sedan chair, a red-eyed monkey uttering foul oaths from a shadowy corner, an owl-like presence fluttering within the curtains of a four-poster bed; each a harbinger of doom, each original, baroque and unique to the imagination that bore them.

The pot is coming to boil, but a pinch of salt is missing; so add to the ingredients the question of contrast:

“ “Three hours later I woke up. There was not a breath of wind outside. There was not even a flicker of light from the fireplace. As I lay there, an ash tinkled slightly as it cooled, but there was hardly a gleam of the dullest red in the grate. An owl cried among the silent Spanish chestnuts on the slope outside. I idly reviewed the events of the day, hoping that I should fall off to sleep again before I reached dinner. But at the end I seemed as wakeful as ever. There was no help for it. I must read my Jungle Book again till I felt ready to go off, so I fumbled for the pear at the end of the cord that hung down inside the bed, and I switched on the bedside lamp. The sudden glory dazzled me for a moment. I felt under my pillow for my book with half-shut eyes. Then, growing used to the light, I happened to look down to the foot of my bed.

“I can never tell you really when happened then. Nothing I could ever confess in the most abject words could even faintly picture to you what I felt. I know that my heart stopped dead, and my throat shut automatically. In one instinctive movement I crouched back up against the head-boards of the bed, staring at the horror. The movement set my heart going again, and the sweat dripped from every pore. … I can only tell you that at the moment both my life and my reason rocked unsteadily on their seats.”

The other Osiris passengers had gone to bed. Only he and I remained leaning over the starboard railing, which rattled uneasily now and then under the fierce vibration of the over-engined mail-boat. Far over, there were the lights of a few fishing-smacks riding out the night, and a great rush of white combing and seething water fell out and away from us overside.

At last Colvin went on: … ”

The terror is but briefly diffused by a brief return to the ship where Colvin is telling his tale; here, the contrast of a peaceful Mediterranean cruise, of water and fishing boats counterpoints and underlines the horror of the narrator’s haunting experience at the Abbey (which again I won’t reveal here – spoilers!).

Contrast combined with attention to detail: Kipling in his description of Strickland’s dog Tietjens in ‘The Return of Imray’:

“… His dog Tietjens–an enormous Rampur slut who devoured daily the rations of two men. She spoke to Strickland in a language of her own; and whenever, walking abroad, she saw things calculated to destroy the peace of Her Majesty the Queen- Empress, she returned to her master and laid information … Strickland owed his life to her, when he was on the Frontier, in search of a local murderer, who came in the gray dawn to send Strickland much farther than the Andaman Islands. Tietjens caught the man as he was crawling into Strickland’s tent with a dagger between his teeth; and after his record of iniquity was established in the eyes of the law he was hanged. From that date Tietjens wore a collar of rough silver, and employed a monogram on her night-blanket; and the blanket was of double woven Kashmir cloth, for she was a delicate dog.

Rough silver and a Kashmir cloth for an enormous dog – who is at the same time:‘delicate’; a deft description of a canine that leaves us in no doubt as to her value to her master, as well as her capabilities.

Further on, in his inimitable way, he describes the way Tietjens ‘senses’ a presence in the bungalow:

“Tietjens made the twilight more interesting by glaring into the darkened rooms with every hair erect, and following the motions of something that I could not see. She never entered the rooms, but her eyes moved interestedly: that was quite sufficient. Only when my servant came to trim the lamps and make all light and habitable she would come in with me and spend her time sitting on her haunches, watching an invisible extra man as he moved about behind my shoulder. Dogs are cheerful companions.”

Dry and to the point, with economy of line (that is, words) that quickly and easily demonstrate the way in which animals can add fear and suspicion to our surroundings. Kipling ties it up with the punch-line ‘Dogs are cheerful companions’; again, contrasting and thereby emphasising the thrill with a spark of wit. It’s a very particular balance, ticklish and so to the point when done right.

What draws me to writers like these, in addition to language, atmosphere and imagination is the humour that is allowed to flicker through; this, rather than detracting from the spookiness, adds to it by means of its contrast. That same tool so necessary to the colourist, equally requisite to the wordsmith, and handed down by such as Shakespeare, who can count at least two proper ghosts in his repertoire. Where better to go to see how a haunting scene is set?

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, more things in heaven and earth ….

 

Check out B. Loyd’s latest tale Ungentle Sleep

Blurb: When Aubrey Marchant’s engagement to Eleanor Maydew was announced to his friends, he received mixed blessings.

‘The Maydews are a bohemian lot – not many servants, even before the War.’

‘Keen on brown bread and vegetables – don’t expect too much in the way of creature comforts.’

‘Brave chap, I am sure you’ll find the country air bracing.’

‘And Eleanor comes of good stock, too. Never mind the burst water pipes.’

Aubrey managed to shrug off most of these under a jocular guise. One of his closest friends however, let slip something that would come back to him later.

‘I wouldn’t mind the rest of it – only I believe it may be a House of Spirits. Hope you can sleep all right at nights.’

Aubrey laughed at the time. ”

A crowded house party – with more guests on the way. Despite instructions to the contrary, the older part of the house is opened up . . .and something is inadvertently let out, to wreak mild havoc and insanity on the Maydews and their guests. That nasty incident involving Eleanor, followed by unpleasantness over Penny’s dress, and what is it Aubrey can hear, on the outer edge of his dreams?

Hysteria, missed cocktails, and something nasty in the attic.

Snrrip, snrrip. Snip, snap.

Even the rats run away.

Book Trailer     Amazon UK        Amazon US

Tagged: Authors, Blog Tour, Books, Fiction, Fun, Ghost stories, Guest Post, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Writers, Writing

Reaper Playlist Song One: Popular by The Veronicas

I love playlists. Sometimes I make up my own for books I love. With Reaper only a few months out, I thought it was time to share some of the Reaper playlist in no particular order. After you read the novel, you can decide what song fits where in the book. No musical era or type is exempt and some songs may have come out after the completed version of the novel, but that doesn’t mean they don’t fit in somewhere anyway.

First up: Popular by The Veronicas

Tagged: 2012, Books, Fun, Just for Fun, Music, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, Popular, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Rockin' Thursdays, Romance, Teens, The Veronicas, Videos, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

Cover Reveal: A Reason to Stay

I’m really excited to share the cover of A Reason to Stay, my contemporary romance novella that will be released on November 2 through Calliope – the romance imprint of Musa Publishing.

Blurb: Within minutes of arriving in her hometown after a six year absence, Julianna Markum runs into Pace Carter, the last person she expected to see. Pace was her best friend during high school, but she left town without telling him, knowingly breaking his heart. Now that she’s back to help care for her ailing aunt, Julianna wants to make things right with Pace. If she could only find the words to explain why she left and why she didn’t tell him goodbye.

 

 

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Contemporary Romance, Cover Reveal, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Photography, Photos, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Writers, Writing

Waiting on Wednesday: Perfect Scoundrels

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, showcasing books that we are waiting to read hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Heist Society was a good read. Uncommon Criminals was great. It only makes sense that Perfect Scoundrels will be the best one yet.

About Perfect Scoundrels:

Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it’s that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting—or stealing—whatever they want.

No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale’s family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother’s billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there’s no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won’t let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother’s will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company’s fortune. So instead of being the heir—this time, Hale might be the mark.

Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she’s willing to save her boyfriend’s company if it means losing the boy.

Tagged: 2012, Books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Teens, Waiting on Wednesday, Writers, YA, YA books, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

5 Questions with Sharon Ledwith

Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, available through Musa Publishing. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, yoga, kayaking, time with family and friends, and single malt scotch. Sharon lives in the wilds of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, a water-logged yellow Labrador and moody calico cat.

Sharon’s Website      Sharon’s Blog      Sharon’s Facebook Page      Twitter

The Last Timekeepers Series Facebook Page     Goodreads

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. What was the spark of inspiration for The Last Timekeepers

Both the idea and inspiration came to me through a dream I had around 1998. In this dream, I saw seven arches, and there were seven people (five kids, two adults) with crystals in their hands, walking up to these arches. It definitely had an “Indiana Jones” feel to it. At that time, I was writing a paranormal romance (before there was a distinct genre) and had no intention of writing a middle-grade/young adult book like The Last Timekeepers. But this idea kept growing in my mind, and wouldn’t leave, like some mystical force pushing you from behind. So, I thought I’d challenge myself and write a novel—a series—that would appeal to my son, who at the time was the target age of my audience. I’ve always loved the time travel genre, so I imagined the arches I saw vividly in my dream as time portals. It was a no-brainer for me.

2. Which character most resembles you in your story?

Well, truth be told, it would have to be Treena Mui, hands down. She’s great with the comebacks, and she’s a natural when it comes to one-liners and puns. That was me as a teen. I guess I relate to her warped sense of humor.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Never stop investing in yourself. Invest in the best. That’s in yourself, and in your readers. Your readers deserve the best of what you have to offer them. Surround yourself with the best possible team. Never stop learning. As you grow, so will your readers, so be prepared for this. Oh yeah, and never give up. That’s a given and should be part of any aspiring author’s credo.

4. What are you working on now?

The prequel to The Last Timekeepers series entitled, The Legend of the Timekeepers. I also have a completed manuscript of the second book in the series entitled, The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, but there’s the fun job of revising it into Jordan Jensen’s point of view. I’ve written a master plan for the series with possible titles and premises, and I’m in the process of putting all this information together in a series guidebook, so I’ll be one busy gal!

5. Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?

Grrr, you had to ask that! Drat you! If I had to pick, then it would have to be Star Wars. Love the idea of a mystical Force that moves through us and connects us all. Plus Han Solo was pretty hot and light sabers rule!

About The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis:

When 13-year-old Amanda Sault and her annoying classmates are caught in a food fight at school, they’re given a choice: suspension or yard duty. The decision is a no-brainer. Their two-week crash course in landscaping leads to the discovery of a weathered stone arch in the overgrown back yard. The arch isn’t a forgotten lawn ornament but an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis.

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers–legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial–Amanda and her classmates are sent on an adventure of a lifetime. Can they find the young Robin Hood and his merry band of teens? If they don’t, then history itself may be turned upside down.

Musa Publishing Buy link      Amazon Buy link      Smashwords

Barnes & Noble      Kobo

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, Young Adult, Young Adult Books