C.K. Bryant's Blog, page 15

I Love Dark YA Blogfest

I'm so excited about the I LOVE DARK YA BLOGFEST! Each Wednesday during the month of November, we get to do something Dark. Here's the lay out:



WEEK ONE...

November 2nd: Blog about your favorite dark YA book(s). 



WEEK TWO...November 9th: Write a 500-word or less flash fiction piece inspired by a photo (provided on THIS blog)



WEEK THREE...

November 16th: Music and Movie Fun—Take a dark YA book and build a soundtrack for it or cast characters for a movie version.



WEEK FOUR...

November 23rd: #YASAVES—Blog about how a dark YA book made an impact in your life.



WEEK FIVE...November 30th: Waiting on Wednesday—What dark YA book are you most looking forward to? 



And then at the end of the blogfest, I get to give away an awesome prize. Sounds like fun, huh? I'll tell you more about that later, so keep coming back.



Okay, since this is the first week, here are my favorite Dark YA Novels:





[image error] Become

by Ali Cross

Young Adult Urban Fantasy



Nothing can prepare you for this book. Nothing. LOVED IT!!!!

Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it's cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she's sent back to Earth where she Becomes the evil she despises and the good she always feared.

  

When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her Choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn't count on, is a reason to want to change—something she's never had before—a friend.





[image error] My Soul to Takeby Rachel Vincent

I actually love the whole SOUL SCREAMERS series. Here's a blurb:

She doesn't see dead people, but…She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…





Intertwined

by Gena Showalter



I've only read this first book in the series, but it was so good I want to read the rest. REALLY BAD!! I need a bigger book budget.





Aden Stone is not your typical 16-year-old. Since birth he has had four souls trapped within him that possess special powers: the ability to time travel, raise the dead, possess a body, and predict the future. As a result, he has spent his whole life in and out of mental institutions diagnosed as a violent schizophrenic. Now able to control the voices in his head, Aden has moved to Crossroads, OK, to live in a halfway house for delinquent boys. His goal in life is to find a means to free these souls and at last be at peace. When he meets Mary Ann Gray, she miraculously acts as a neutralizer, and for the first time in his life, he truly feels normal. The two become fast friends, establishing a sibling-type bond. Little do they realize that when they first met, their connection sent a power surge throughout the world drawing every paranormal creature from fairies to vampires to Crossroads on a quest for power. To complicate matters, Aden becomes romantically involved with a vampire princess and Mary Ann with her werewolf bodyguard. Together the teens must figure out a way to protect themselves, and all of humanity.



And last, but not least is a dark novel I want to read. It was released YESTERDAY!!  WOOT!!



TOUCH

by Jus Accardo



When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.



Except there's something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she'll turn to dust if he touches her. It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there's more to this boy--and her father's "law firm"--than she realized.



Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation--an organization devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons--his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they're caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.



A secret Kale will kill to protect.



Doesn't that sound good. Of course the great looking guy on the cover doesn't hurt my desire to read it either. ;-)  





So, what do you like to read? What's your favorite Dark YA Novel?





Now go HERE to read about other blogfest participants and their favorite dark YA novels.









And then run over to The Musings of a Hopeful Writer where you'll read a new review of my debut novel, BOUND.  Be sure to leave a comment so Laura knows you've been hanging out over there.

Fun Stuff!

There's all kinds of fun stuff going on this week, so I thought I'd throw it all out there and let you guys pick and choose what you want to participate in or celebrate with me. Here goes.



1) Head on over to Elizabeth Mueller's blog and wish her book, DARKSPELL, a Happy Birthday. It releases today and is said to be quite the read. Don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself. You can purchase a signed copy on her blog or go HERE to get the paperback or ebook version.



2) It's MY TURN to have an awesome giveaway over on the Dark C.A.R.M.A Tour blog today. I'm giving away several books, including a hand bound journal and my debut novel BOUND.  You don't want to miss out on this one. I can't believe we launch in only 11 days. The celebration is going to be HUGE!!! Twitter won't know what hit it.



Don't forget we have a button contest going on. Go HERE to learn more and to snag a button for your sidebar.





[image error] 3) Wednesday begins the "I Love Dark YA" Blogfest. If you haven't signed up already, please do. It will be every Wednesday during the month of November. WOOT!!! You'll see most of the Dark CARMA girls participating, so come join us.



Come back each week to see what I post on this.



4) I've got an awesome guest coming to visit on Sunday, the 6th. David Farland is in the process of releasing his new book, Nightingale, and has graciously agreed to come here and talk about the process of self-publishing, where it is leading us as writers and readers, and what is new and exciting in the publishing industry. You won't want to miss this one. Trust me.





5)  Check out this mansion of a house. I'm spending Thursday-Sunday here with about 20 of my writing buddies. It's our way to kick off NaNoWriMo in style and to have a little fun while we're at it.



Because I'll be gone for so long, and I can never count on Blogger to post my stuff when I schedule it, please forgive me if something doesn't go up on time. We are supposed to have internet, but they said that last year and it didn't work right, so no guarantees.  I can't wait to get there and be with all my wonderful friends. Here's a LINK if you want to see more pics. Jealous?  You should be.



Okay, did I miss anything? I think that's it. What do you have going on this week?  Are you doing NaNoWriMo? If so, What will you be working on?

How Many in a Series is TOO MANY?

I was just clicking through Google Reader, checking out the blogs I follow, and came across this book. My first thought was, HOLY HOT HUNK! Then, of course, I wanted to read it. I checked out the deets and the blurb and found that it's the 9th in the HOUSE OF NIGHT series.



NINTH!!



And I haven't ready any of the other books, yet. That means I have to go buy EIGHT other books and read them before I even get to this one.



OY!



Now I'm thinking, not so much. Yeah, eventually I'll get to the whole series. It looks awesome and I want to read it. But it will take a while. Thing is, it's the 9th in 13. THIRTEEN!!  YIKES!



So, here's my question. 



How many is too many when it comes to a series? 



I hate to say it, but I'd have to be one heck of a devoted fan to stick with the same story for thirteen novels. Or maybe it's one of those series where each  novel has it's own story, but they share some common characters. I'm still not sure that would be appealing unless they were really good. 



Oh, and if you've read this series, let me know if you liked it and if it would be worth me coughing up the cash to get them all.

And the Winner is . . .

[image error] A HUGE thanks to all my new followers. You've put me over 500 and made me all warm and fuzzy inside.So, without any further delay, the winner of my debut novel, BOUND is . . . 

Suze Reese 

Shoot me an email, Suze, and give me your mailing address so I can send you the book.It won't be mailed until after the release date of 11/11/11.

My email address is: christine (at) ckbryant (dot) com[image error]

Why Do We Pamper Our Pets?

So, a few years ago we got this cute little puppy.We named  him Sparky.



And as we all know, he started to grow, started to chew everything in sight and had his not-so-cute little accidents all over our new carpet. (That's a dog bone behind him, not a . . . never mind.)

[image error]



But we loved him anyway, and soon he outgrew his "puppy stage" and learned to behave.

Except for one very annoying habit. 

 He likes to bunch up the comforter on my bed and make a nest.

[image error]

IT DRIVES ME NUTS!I spend time making the bed, putting the cute pillow shams on it and tucking in the dangling sheets and he comes along and messes it all up.

We've tried everything to make him stop.He even has his own little bed and a fleece blanket on the ottoman at the foot of the bed, but NOPE, he wants to sleep on OUR bed.

That's when I see our cute little puppy like this.



ROFL!  Yeah, great pic, eh?  FYI, it is NOT Photoshopped. Talk about demon dog from hell.

So I tell you all this because about three weeks ago he got really sick, then the day we were going to take him to the vet, he disappeared. He was gone for four days and we just knew he'd wandered off and died. We were so sad. Then I was sitting at my desk one afternoon and I heard a weak bark that sounded like him. I ran to the back door and saw him in the bushes out back. We live in the middle of sage brush and lava rock, in the middle of nowhere, so it was a miracle he'd found his way home.

We took him to the vet, bought him meds, medicated shampoo, a new collar, new tags, new everything because we were so happy to have him back. I totally cried when I thought we'd lost him.

*ahem*

So guess who is allowed to sleep on the bed with us now?

Um, yep. Sparky.

And he's very proud that he now rules the roost.



How do you spoil your pets?

Throwing Books Gives 5 Stars

Just a quick note to tell you guys that the reviews are starting to come in on my debut novel, BOUND. I'll be posting the links as I get them.  Take a look at this one from Throwing Books. I'm so excited she liked it so much.



And don't forget to spread the word about my "NEW" follower drawing. Get some of your friends to join my followers, have them leave a comment on the post below and they'll get a chance to win a copy of BOUND for themselves.



Have a GREAT day!



HUGS

Almost to 500!

[image error] At the beginning of this day I had 493 followers. I'm so close to 500, I thought I'd celebrate by giving away a copy of my book, BOUND. So become a follower before Friday, November 22nd, leave a comment below telling me you're a new follower and you'll be automatically entered into the drawing. Don't worry if you've been a follower before, you're not missing out. I'll be having all kinds of fun stuff going on during my tour starting 11/11/11. So spread the word to all your friends, tweet about it and Facebook it. I need lots of virtual hugs in the way of followers. Then go to the Dark C.A.R.M.A. Tour blog and follow that. MORE prizes and one wild party beginning in only 3 weeks.

Pay It Forward Blogfest

The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experimentis having an awesome blogfest. Here's how it works. Each participant is supposed to pick three awesome bloggers who might "fly under the radar" and need a little help in the follower department. (But I'm just picking them because they are cool.) Then we all go around and check out each others' list and . . . well . . . follow them. Easy stuff, right?

So here is my list (click on the headers to go to their blogs):

I love Jane Still. She is a HOOT!You could spend all day on her blog reading about her adventures. Be warned though. Your side will ache from laughing. And check out her book. A MUST read.





I love RaShelle!She's one of my Dark C.A.R.M.A. sisters and I couldn't do this blogfest without mentioning her. Her book EXILE is going to rock your world. Go hang out on her blog and see why I like her so much.







[image error]

I chose Maria not only because she's an awesome person and an even better writer, but because she has something important to say. Take a look at her blog and the causes she supports and tell me she isn't a very cool lady. She's also got a book coming out soon. Very inspiring woman.





And for those of you who are gearing up for NaNoWriMo, here's something for your entertainment. 

I swiped this video from Jennifer C Clark's blog. 

You should go visit her too. 

And buy her book. :-)





HA!  Did you see how I slipped in that 4th blog up there. I'm such a rule breaker. Oh well. These are all well deserving bloggers, so go give them some virtual love and visit their blogs.



That's all. You can leave a comment now. Actually, if you leave a comment and a link to your favorite blog, I'll go follow it. How's that for paying it forward?



Oh, and if my FOLLOWER WIDGET doesn't load (blogger hates me), just push F5 to refresh until it shows all the pretty faces of my lovely friends. Then you can become one of them. :-)



Have a great day!

Finding Inspiration in Pictures

As I begin writing and revising the second book in THE CRYSTOR series, I find myself going back to my original inspiration. Most of you don't know this, but BOUND, formerly titled "Taming the Heart," was originally an adult fantasy. But after losing it's contract with a publishing company and going through several revisions, I decided it needed to be young adult. In addition to changing the ages and some of the circumstances of the characters, I added more paranormal aspects and upped the romance between Octavion and Kira. I think it made for a better read.



So, to give you a look at the past, I'm sharing some pictures that inspired the adult version of my characters. I don't think the YA versions are that far from the original, except maybe Kira. Since the story is mostly told from her point of view, and is more about her growth as a woman, I made sure her character was true to my vision. The picture on the front of the book is EXACTLY how I saw her when writing this book.



Okay, so here is Altaria. Can't you see her haughtiness oozing from every pour?And she's so beautiful.I don't have a picture of Lydia, but saw her much the same, only with a sparkle in her eye and always smiling.



Meet Shandira. When you read the book and get to the end, there will be a memorium.Although this picture served as inspiration, the true character was invented when my friend, Shandra, begged me to be the antagonist in my book. She was such a wonderful person, with a kind heart, but wanted desperately to be bad in print. Unfortunately, Shandra passed away before she could read the book.

This picture served multiple purposes.  While the girl looks nothing like Kira, I did like her stance and the way she carried her bow. I think Kira will be more like this in book three of the series. I also used this picture as inspiration for Xantara. See the two moons and the white castle on the cliff?See the lake?That's all a part of Xantara. Can't wait for you to read BROKEN. You're going to love getting to know Octavion's world.



And now you get to see Bastian. Yeah, he's a bad boy. What Lydia ever saw in him, I'll never know.

Zerek We're not finished with him, so stayed tuned for book two.And don't worry. Octavion will get his revenge.

Speaking of Octavion.

Umm, yeah. Yummy is a good word here.



Of course, he's much younger in the YA version.



Here's a pic I found that is close to how I see him now.

I hope you enjoyed my little journey into the past.



Don't forget to sign up for our tour contest over on the Dark C.A.R.M.A blog.





What do you use for inspiration?

Oops!

A funny thing happened on the way to formatting my book. I got distracted and forgot to blog.



Sorry about that.



So here's an update on where I am in the world of INDIE:



My book is formatted for Smashwords and out to the reviewers. YAY!  What a process. NO WAY would I have figured it out without their style guide and step-by-step instructions.



I'm currently trying to fix the mess I made of my typesetting. *FAIL* Microsoft Word hates me. The problem I'm having is getting the header and footer info off those first few pages that are supposed to be blank. The numbers should begin on the second page of text. I have a friend helping, but even she is perplexed as to why the techniques she's used several times on her own books have failed. Any ideas out there???



I have an ISBN number (both 10 & 13) and have registered with the Library of Congress (LCCN#). All very simple things to do, just time consuming and tedious.



Let's see, what else?



Oh, yeah. I finished the dedication page, acknowledgements and "About the Author" page. Talk about tough. I wanted to thank so many people for the part they've played in this book and in my journey to publication, but there aren't enough pages in this world to do that. SERIOUSLY! Thanks to ALL of you out there. You're the best.



Okay, so that's the update. I promise to blog more often, really I do.



Don't forget to visit the Dark C.A.R.M.A. Tour blog and take advantage of all the contests we have going on over there. We're giving away books!!



Who would you dedicate your book to?