L.S. Murphy's Blog, page 18
October 8, 2012
Beanisms
If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll often see the hashtag #4YearOldLogic and my references to Bean. Well, Bean is my (you guessed it) 4-year-old daughter who has a lot of insight into the world. She also has a lot to say.
We were watching some old home videos last night. As organized as I am in my professional life, I’m just as disorganized in my private one. In other words, we had no clue what was on the tapes until we started watching them. Naturally, they were full of Bean. She thought this was hysterical.
The hubby started a new tape. It was taken at the hospital after she was born. (No, there is no birthing tape. I would be a jailed widow if he’d tried to record that! 
) Bean smiled and went back to coloring. She’d seen plenty already.
Until we got to the part where we brought her home.
The hubby: This is the day you came home with us, Beanie.
Bean: It is?
The hubby: Yep, see that’s me taking you out of the big truck.
Bean: And you let me stay? Thanks, Daddy.
Classic Bean. She just doesn’t know that we may not let her leave.
Tagged: 2012, Bean, Family, Fun, Funny, Just for Fun, Kids, Musings, Parenthood, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts
October 5, 2012
5 Questions with author/illlustrator Jeff Weigel
Jeff Weigel is an author, illustrator, and graphic designer who lives in Belleville, Illinois. He has written and illustrated multiple children’s books and graphic novels, including “Thunder From The Sea”, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and “Atomic Ace (He’s Just My Dad”) and “Atomic Ace and the Robot Rampage”, published by Albert Whitman & Company. He illustrated “The Monster Alphabet” by Michael P. Spradlin, published by Price Stern Sloan. Jeff is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
Jeff created illustrations for the 2009 New York Times bestseller “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Zombies: A Book Of Zombie Christmas Carols” by Michael P. Spradlin. The follow-up books in this series, “Every Zombie Eats Somebody Sometime: A Book of Zombie Love Songs”, and “Jack and Jill Went Up to Kill: A Book of Zombie Nursery Rhymes”, each have more than fifty of Jeff’s drawings. All three are published by HarperCollins.
Comics have always been Jeff’s first love, and he was a regular contributor to Image Comics’ anthology title, Big Bang Comics, for more than fifteen years. His work as a writer and illustrator on the character he created, The Sphinx, earned him a past nomination for the Russ Manning Award For Most Promising Newcomer in the comics industry.
Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS
1. What was the spark of inspiration for Stop Math?
The idea for Stop Math came to me several years ago when I was reading a lot of books about astronomy, physics, the history of science. I became interested in finding a way to clue kids in to the power and importance of math, and do it in a way that would entertain them rather than lecture them. I did that by creating a main character they could relate to: a boy that hates math homework
and doesn’t see why he has to be bothered with it. The boy, Sparks, sets out to end math forever by finding it’s inventor and stopping him from ruining kids’ lives. Add time travel, a robot dog named Widget, a collection of history’s greatest mathematicians, and stir vigorously. Voila, you have Stop Math! It was originally conceived as a traditional picture book, but once I saw my first interactive book on the iPad, my brain immediately exploded—I knew instantly this was the perfect medium for what I wanted to do with this story. The interactivity built into Stop Math rivets kids, even those that might normally turn away from a book about math. The iPad’s capabilities let me create fun interactive diagrams that introduce kids to abstract concepts like relativity and gravity. It also allowed me to create the amazing “Chronoport Calculator”— a way to get the reader to actually solve a few simple math problems to advance the action. These things take the story way beyond anything I could have done in print.
2. How different is the process for illustrating an app compared to illustrating a book?
The first stages of creating Stop Math are pretty much the same as they would be for a print book: tell a good story and create exciting artwork to illustrate it. After that comes a whole new way of thinking about the process of telling the story by using animation and interactivity to involve the reader in the action. There’s always the danger of losing sight of the book’s mission by adding flashy interactive elements that end up distracting the reader from the story. I’ve seen many other iPad books fall into this trap. Stop Math is designed to use the medium’s capabilities to draw the reader into the story’s events. Beyond these creative concerns in making a storybook app, there’s a huge amount of technical skill needed (provided by Stop Math’s outstanding developer, Ed Brown) and a labyrinth of decisions to make, all directed toward making the app’s functionality smooth and the user experience intuitive and seamless. Some decisions are as seemingly simple as how to let the reader know it’s time to turn the page, or even how to turn the page. Others are more complicated, like how to interactively illustrate the relationship between time and the speed of light! Plus there’s the task of recording and adding sound effects and narration. In short, making an app adds many layers of complexity to the traditional rolls of designer/author/illustrator. It was a radical learning experience for me.
3. Is this something that teachers can utilize in the classroom?
Teachers sure seem to think so. A number of them saw Stop Math in it’s testing phase (another crucial step to creating a good app) and they saw its potential to engage kids’ interest in math’s power to decode the universe—something kids don’t think about when they’re struggling with classroom equations and homework. Stop Math won’t make a student better at math, but it will help them understand why they should want to be better at it. That’s a lesson teachers will welcome.
4. What advice do you have for aspiring author/illustrators?
Work hard. Talent is like iron ore, it’s a raw material that’s only worthwhile if you’re willing to forge it and hammer it into something useful.
5. Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Trek. As a kid I always wanted to grow up to be James Tiberius Kirk. Now I draw pictures for a living—go figure!
Tagged: 2012, applications, Apps, Art, Authors, computers, Fun, illustration, Illustrators, Interviews, Jeff Weigel, Just for Fun, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, SCBWI, Stop Math, teachers, Writers, Writing
October 4, 2012
{Blog Tour} 5 Questions with author Nina Croft, PLUS A GIVEAWAY!
Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.
Nina writes all types of romance often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.
Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS
1. What was the spark of inspiration for Break Out?
Break out is a mixture of sci-fi and paranormal romance, and there were actually two things that inspired it.
The first was watching the sci-fi series Firefly for about the third time. I love the series and I decided I wanted to write a space opera, because they’re fun and absolutely anything can happen.
The second was a serious case of paranormal deprivation. A while back, my husband asked me—why didn’t I write a good book? By 
‘good’ he actually meant without any romance, vampires, werewolves or aliens. So, I wrote him a thriller, which I loved doing (it’s called The Descartes Legacy and will be out early next year!) And while a little (okay, a lot) of romance sneaked into it and maybe just a little bitty alien, there were no vampires and no werewolves, and by the time I’d finished writing I was in desperate need of a paranormal fix. So when I started plotting Break Out, and the pilot of my space ship turned out to be a vampire, I wasn’t too upset and actually welcomed him with open arms.
So there I was – vampires in Space.
2. Which character would you rather be, Rico or Skylar?
I think I have to say, Rico. I’m not a particularly confident person and I think it would be great to have just a little of Rico’s self-confidence. Rico is old, and he’s not always ‘good’, but he’s come to terms with what he is and he’s comfortable in his own skin. And he knows how to enjoy life.
Skylar on the other hand has a lot of self-doubts. She’s more like me (except I’m not beautiful or immortal or telepathic or…)
3. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
Obviously, I’d love to travel into space, but I suspect that isn’t going to happen.
When I was younger, we (my husband and I) used to travel a lot. We travelled around Africa and South East Asia. We spent three months making our way from Bali to Bangkok and another three working our way from Dehli to Kerala (in southern India). All our spare time and all out spare money went on travel. But these days we’ve settled down and have a few responsibilities that make travel a little difficult (namely four dogs, three cats, a horse, two goats, some chickens and a three legged Vietnamese pot-bellied pig.) But there are still places I’d love to visit. I’d like to see the pyramids in Egypt, and I’d love to ride up the Inca trails in Peru and drift down the Amazon in a canoe. Oh dear – I’m feeling restless now.
4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Write what you love because there are times you are going to get discouraged and only that will keep you going.
5. Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?
Easy one. Star Wars. But the early films. Especially The Empire Strikes Back. I fell in love with Han Solo at an impressionable age and never really recovered.
About Break Out
The year is 3048, Earth is no longer habitable, and man has fled to the stars where they’ve discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian. Unfortunately, the radioactive mineral is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super rich and immortal soon evolves. The Collective, as they’re called, rule the universe.
Two-thousand-year-old Ricardo Sanchez, vampire and rogue pilot of the space cruiser, El Cazador, can’t resist two things: gorgeous women and impossible jobs. When beautiful Skylar Rossaria approaches him to break a prisoner out of the Collective’s maximum security prison on Trakis One, Rico jumps at the chance. Being hunted by the Collective has never been so dangerous–or so fun!
Buy here:
OR
ENTER A CHANCE TO WIN AN ECOPY OF BREAK OUT
How? Easy, leave a comment below and share your favorite sci-fi or paranormal book.
You have until Noon (US Central) on Sunday. My beautiful 4 year old daughter loves to draw names out of hats and we’ll notify the winner via email.
Thanks for stopping by!
Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, firefly, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Science Fiction, SciFi, scifi romance, Vampires, Writers, Writing 
Book Trailer Reveal! Gravity by Melissa West
Here’s the awesome trailer for Gravity, an upcoming YA novel from Entangled Teen. Check out the link after the trailer to find out how to win an eARC of Gravity!
Gravity
Melissa West
Blurb:
In the future, only one rule will matter:
Don’t. Ever. Peek.
Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.
Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.
Go to Entangled Teen for a chance to win an eARC !
About Melissa:
Melissa lives in a tiny suburb of Atlanta, GA with her husband and daughter. She pretends to like yoga, actually likes shoes, and could not live without coffee. Her writing heroes include greats like Jane Austen and Madeleine L’Engle.
She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.
Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads
Tagged: 2012, Authors, Book Trailers, Books, Fiction, Fun, High School, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books 
Book Trailer Reveal! Luminosity by Stephanie Thomas
Here’s the awesome trailer for Luminosity, an upcoming YA novel from Entangled Teen. Check out the link after the trailer to find out how to win an eARC of Luminosity!
Luminosity
Stephanie Thomas
Blurb:
My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since.
The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me.
But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I’ve already helped them win.
Go to Entangled Teen for a chance to win an eARC !
About Stephanie:
Stephanie Thomas has been writing ever since she could put letters together to form words. When she was a small child, she would present her mother and father with self-made newspapers filled up with make believe stories and pictures. Her love for writing followed her all throughout her schooling, where she entered and won writing contests of all sorts. Stephanie decided to become an English teacher and completed her B.A. at The Pennsylvania State University. While teaching, she later went on to get her Master’s in writing from The Johns Hopkins University. She completed her very first manuscript during her graduate studies, and by the end of the program, she had completed two more. Stephanie is quick to tell anyone that she’s a born and raised Philadelphian, and her heart will always belong there. She moved to Baltimore with her husband, and they’ve been living there for the last five years with their doggie, Sailor, and their rabbit, Buns (aka “T Sizzle).
Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads
Tagged: 2012, Book Trailers, Books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, Young Adult, Young Adult Books
October 3, 2012
Waiting on Wednesday: The Madness Underneath
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, showcasing books that we are waiting to read hosted by Breaking the Spine.
I love Maureen Johnson. Like Libba Bray, she can do no wrong. However, I do wonder if and when the third Scarlett book will be released.
About The Madness Underneath:
After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to get back to her friends. But Rory’s brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she’s become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city’s secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it’s too late.
Tagged: 2012, Books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Teens, Waiting on Wednesday, Writers, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books
October 2, 2012
5 Questions with Aimee Laine
Aimee is a romantic at heart and a southern transplant with a bit of the accent (but not a whole bunch). She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and with him, she’s produced three native North Carolinians, two of whom share the same DNA.
With an MBA and a degree in Applied Mathematics, there’s absolutely no reason she should be writing romance novels. Then again, she shouldn’t need a calculator to add two numbers, either … but she does.
Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS
1. What was the spark of inspiration for Surrender?
Lily is a part of Little White Lies which is Book 1 in the Mimics of Rune. During that book, I didn’t delve into her character much, except to say she was super sweet and very flawed but never explained why. In fact one of the characters asks that question and is told to ‘Ask
Lily sometime’. And voila. Book 2! So this book is a perspective on Lily’s life and her long term relationship with Cael that she’d deliberately shied away from pursuing. You’ll have to read to know why.
2. How much of yourself did you put into Lily Crane?
There is very little of me in Lily to be honest. I am go-go-go and confident, always ready to step up the game and do what needs to be done. Lily is hesitant and shy. She loves without question but it takes a lot for her to trust. I trust too implicitly when I should be more cautious. She’s naive and sometimes I am too though. So that might be the only true similarity. And I only ever look like me… well except during pregnancy when I gain what feels like 100s of pounds. 
Lily though, has no problem losing weight or changing her hair color or eye color with just a thought.
3. If you were a mimic, whose life would you like to step into?
Charley’s. She is actually more like me than anyone and/or the one I’d want to be. To know why, you’d have to read her story (Little White Lies) but she’s outgoing, confident and never seems to falter in that. That’s what I want to be, though she takes my Type A personality and goes up 10 notches in the ‘A’ category. And she’s married to Wyatt. (Shhh…. don’t tell my husband that’s one reason why I’d pick her ).
4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Write, write and write more. I have 11 books under my belt and 4 WIPs and 100s of story ideas circling in my head. You need that. Never rely on 1 story to be ‘it’. Never rely on one series to be ‘it’. Readers all have preferences and what you love in 1 will be horrible to another. And vice versa. So building up a library of ideas and stories will help you flesh out the ones you really want to write and really want to work on. Give in to the one that is ‘yelling’ most at you, too.
5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?
Oh, good gracious. Beatles. They win ONLY because they have the accent.
About Surrender:
Synopsis: Face the past or look to the future? Both will hurt. One could kill her.
All her life, Lily Crane has suppressed her childhood memories, masking the signs of abuse with a variety of looks. From brunette to blonde, tall to short — as a Mimic, changing shape is her gift. Her right. Her achilles heel.
It’s Lily’s latest likeness, chosen simply by accident, which threatens to repeat a history she’s desperate to forget. Worse, she must do so without the one man who takes all her pain away: Cael Aldridge.
Cael has no intention of leaving Lily on her own. He never has. Now, with the woman he loves in the hands of a predator who wants Lily for her genetics, Cael will do everything he can to bring her home.
Alive.
He can only pray he isn’t too late.
Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Videos, Writers, Writing
September 28, 2012
Book Review: Shadowborn by Jocelyn Adams
Synopsis: Why me?
That’s the question Lila Gray asks every time yet another bad guy tries to destroy the earth, and she learns she’s the only one who can stop it. Once again, something’s on the prowl, leaving hundreds of comatose, soulless victims in its wake.
Couldn’t the deadliest assassins of the Otherworld go after someone else instead of the brand new Queen of the Seelie? One who still hasn’t adapted to her new role.
Lila would ask Liam Kane, King of the Unseelie, for advice, but something’s off with him, too. He’s holding back. In some way. About some thing. In fact, he refuses to tell her what’s going on.
The truth holds Lila back from the greatness of her role—the people she was born to lead—the man who she desperately loves—and the solution to the latest war raging around her.
To find the answers, she’ll need to fight through her own darkness and embark on a journey through her psyche.
If she doesn’t succeed, the Shadowborn will claim not only her world, but her soul.
The Good: Jocelyn Adams does it again with the second book of the Lila Gray series. Shadowborn delivers on so many levels that will leave readers reeling from the emotional peaks and valleys each character faces. Lila Gray, the reluctant queen of the Seelie court, is forced to battle a foe that will be anything but easy to defeat. At her side is Nix, the captain of her guard, who wants more from Lila than her leadership. Liam Kane, king of the Unseelie, is all that stands in Nix’s way, but Liam’s hiding something deep and dark from Lila, something she may not forgive him for. On top of her battling her own court and her heart, Lila must face an evil that is not of this world.
Readers don’t have to read The Glass Man to get into book two, which says a lot about how well Adams planned and plotted this novel. The emotional ups and downs will tear at your gut and may be tear-inducing. (Yes, I started crying at one very memorable scene.)
Shadowborn is a mystery, a romance, and a thrilling ride that will leave you wanting more.
The Bad: That I have to wait for The Rise of the Magi.
Recommendation: Everyone who loves a great love story, a great mystery, and great writing should pick this up. Just be prepared to cry!
Tagged: 2012, Authors, book Review, Books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Writers, Writing
Cover Reveal: Whisper Falls
Okay, first this cover is gorgeous. Second, how awesome does this sound? Seriously?
Add this to you must read list!
Whisper Falls (Whisper Falls #1)
Author: Elizabeth Langston
ISBN: 978-1-937053-42-0
Release Date: November 19, 2013
About Whisper Falls:
While training for a mountain bike race, high-school senior Mark Lewis spots a mysterious girl dressed in odd clothing, standing behind a waterfall in the woods near his North Carolina home. When she comments on the strange machine that he rides, he suspects something isn’t right. When Susanna claims to be an indentured servant from 1796, he wonders if she’s crazy. Yet he feels compelled to find out more.
Mark enters a ‘long-distance’ relationship with Susanna through the shimmering–and temperamental–barrier of Whisper Falls. Curious about her world, Mark combs through history to learn about the brutal life she’s trapped in. But knowledge can be dangerous. Soon he must choose between the risk of changing history or dooming the girl he can’t stop thinking about to a lifetime of misery.
Tagged: 2012, Books, Cover Reveal, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Teens, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books
September 27, 2012
5 Questions with Victoria Scott
Victoria Scott is a YA writer represented by Laurie McLean. Her debut book will be, THE COLLECTOR: A DANTE WALKER NOVEL (Entangled Teen, March 2013). Victoria has a master’s degree in marketing, and lives in Dallas with her husband. When not writing, she can be found grubbing on cotton candy and snuggling obese cats. You can cyber-stalk Victoria online on her website or on Twitter.
Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS
1. What was the spark of inspiration for The Collector?
I had this thought about what someone’s soul is worth. I thought about what I would have sold my soul for at age seventeen. And whether that would be different today. I feel like everyone has a price. It may be to acquire money, fame, beauty…or to save the life of someone you love. But I do believe everyone would put a price on their soul. And once I started obsessing about that, I couldn’t stop.
2. How much fun was it to write a character like Dante Walker?
OMG. Too much fun. I feel like guys can get away with being incredibly arrogant easier than girls can. It’s horrible, but probably true. So it was fun to really let loose on the page and make him as cocky as I wanted.
3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Find a good critique partner. Someone who will champion you every step of the way and never let you give up. I think most aspiring authors are pretty damn savvy. They know what needs to happen to get published. But even the most strong-willed needs a cheerleader who understands.
4. If you could go back in time, where would you go?
To England, Medieval style. I’d be a princess and eat sweet breads and have a hot prince. There’d also be a horse. And electricity.
5. Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Trek. The latest movie where the guys are super sexy. Yeah, that one.
About The Collector
He makes good girls…bad.
Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.
Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:
Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.
Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions deeply buried
Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books
