Magan Vernon's Blog, page 40

How to Break Up with an Alien release date!

As I find down on edits and get the EARCs out to bloggers (by next week) I thought I should announce a release date for How To Break Up With an Alien.

Ready?

Ready?

MAY 22ND, 2012

Mark yoru calendars everybody!

Glee gets it right

If it hasn't been obvious, I'm a total Gleek, but there are some things that Glee doesn't always get right (like the episode on teenage drinking that I blogged about here.) And there are some things they get very right (The episode with Kurt and his dad that I blogged about here.)

Lastnight was one of the times they got it right.

They deal with alot of high school kid problems, but lastnight was an episode that related to everyone: Domestic Violence.

If you read my Dear Teen Me letter, you know that I'm no stranger to that. (If you haven't read it, you can read it here.)

Glee didn't glorify it lastnight or put an unrelatable scenario out there. Coach Bieste a very muscular female football coach recentlly married Cooter after years of not loving herself and only getting her first kiss after she started at McKinley. It was revealed that he got upset with hera nd hit her. She didn't do anything back because she thought who else would love her or want her?

How many times have girls gone through this? Not just physical abuse, but emotional? Constantly we devalue ourselves and think we can't do any better, so we let them abuse us. The skater boy made me feel like I was nothing. I thought his words were justified and by the time they resorted to violence, there was no escaping. In reality, him breaking my heart saved my life.

I may refer to myself as the punching bag, but there is no way you should ever let someone use you as one. I was the verbal and physically punching bag for so many years of my life. This, my friends, is the reason I started this blog. To know that you can fight back. It doesn't have to be physical, it doesn't even have to be verbal, but sometimes you just need to look at your situation and know that there is always a way out.

I wish I had more resources for you all. Something more that I could give you. All I can say is watch lastnight's Glee episode and you will see why it gave me chills to my very core.

Closed Hearts Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal for Closed Hearts Coming May 23rd... Closed Hearts (Book Two of the Mindjack Trilogy) When you control minds, only your heart can be used against you. Eight months ago, Kira Moore revealed to the mindreading world that mindjackers like herself were hidden in their midst. Now she wonders if telling the truth was the right choice after all. As wild rumors spread, a powerful anti-jacker politician capitalizes on mindreaders’ fears and strips jackers of their rights. While some jackers flee to Jackertown—a slum rife with jackworkers who trade mind control favors for cash—Kira and her family hide from the readers who fear her and jackers who hate her. But when a jacker Clan member makes Kira’s boyfriend Raf collapse in her arms, Kira is forced to save the people she loves by facing the thing she fears most: FBI agent Kestrel and his experimental torture chamber for jackers.   Release Date: May 23rd, 2012 Click Here to sign up for the Virtual Launch Party on May 23rd! There will be prizes, reviews, bonus content, did I mention prizes? Come join the fun! PRAISE FOR Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy) “Being a fan of dystopian and sci-fi in young adult books this was exactly the type of book I was hoping to fall in love with and absolutely did ...YA readers who love authors like Ally Condie, Veronica Roth, Lauren Oliver and others would be missing out if they failed to pick up Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn. Join Kira on her journey to save her fellow mindjackers and potentially change the landscape of her world forever.” — Danielle Smith, book blogger at There’s a Book “Susan plunges readers into a compelling and frightening world where nearly everyone can read minds when they come of age. The very idea makes me shudder. This is easily one of the best books I've read not only this year, but in recent years.” — Heather McCorkle, author of The Secret of Spruce Knoll "Susan Kaye Quinn's Open Minds is an edge-of-the-seat YA sci-fi, where 16 year-old Kira dodges psychological bullets from all sides."  — Catherine Stine, author of Fireseed One Open Minds $2.99 on Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes&Noble, and iTunes Susan Kaye Quinn, Author Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. She pursued a bunch of engineering degrees and worked a lot of geeky jobs, including turns at GE Aircraft Engines, NASA, and NCAR. Now that she writes novels, her business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist" and she doesn't have to sneak her notes anymore. All that engineering comes in handy when dreaming up paranormal powers in future worlds or mixing science with fantasy to conjure slightly plausible inventions. Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as much as she can handle. Way too often, you can find Susan on her blog, facebook, and twitter. Susan’s Other Works Open Minds In His Eyes Anthology (includes Mind Games, a short prequel to Open Minds) Life, Liberty, and Pursuit (a teen love story) Full Speed Ahead (short afterstory to Life, Liberty, and Pursuit)

The Friday Five

Ugh...I'm not a fan of this new blogger, but I felt like I shouldn't leave you all hanging. To keep you all entertained here is a nice Friday Five!

1.) How to Break Up with an Alien is in its final round with my editor. What does that mean? I'm hoping to have it back in the next couple weeks and get some E-ARCs out and get it published by the end of May! Hooray for more aliens!

 2.) Book 3 is moving along VERY well. Once I'm finished with this first draft there will be a cover reveal and title. This one should be available by this fall. Then you can have the entire alien series!

3.) I will be going on a writer's retreat with author Susan Kaye Quinn next weekend. I plan on hopefully getting How to Break Up with an Alien formatted and maybe even cross the half way point on book 3.

4.) Make sure you support your local and Indie bookstores! I had my first signing at the Book Warehouse in Tuscola last weekend and I am SO happy to have bookstores that support the Indie movement. Barnes and Noble wont carry my paperback in their stores, but you can easily go into any Books-a-million and if they don't have it on their shelf, they will order it for you PRONTO.

5.) Coming up I have some more coffee talks, a cover reveal for Susan Kaye Quinn's Closed Hearts, and maybe I'll throw up some short stories from Ace's POV.


That is all I've got to say, carry on.

The Short and Long of it.

I'm having issues using this new blogger...

Errrrr...

I had a post planned for today but I can't figiure this out.

I'll try and ocme up with something witty later.

Coffee Talk interview with Ari from The Green

Today, for Coffee Talk, I am sitting down with Ari from The Green!


Alex: Alright, since this is coffee talk, what is your coffee drink of choice?
Ari: Um, I know this sounds kinda bougie, but coffee? Nope. We rock the tea down in Cambridge.
Alex:  Moving on, you drove all the way up here from the suburbs, you wouldn’t happen to go to the journalism academy, would you?
Ari: How did you know? Yep, I'm in the journalism academy at Cambridge High School. It's pretty sweet, we run the school newspaper as one of our classes. I'm hoping to get into Northwestern to keep studying it there.
Alex: Uh, duh, I googled and Facebook stalked you before this interview. That is how I get all my information for interviews. But anyway, super jealous. I actually applied to Northwestern, kind of hoping to be the female AC360. But enough about me, what drew you to that school and the journalism program?
Ari: My fave newscaster went there. He's kinda this old man, but he's cool. I'm going to be just like him when I'm done. Make room for me, Good Morning America!
Alex: *looks up location of the school on smartphone* Dang, that is a really nice area. And you want to go to Northwestern? How the heck are you going to pay for all this? No disrespect, just saying, I’m stuck working at a coffee shop just to help pay my tuition, so I can’t imagine how many jobs you need for a place like Northwestern.
Ari: I'm pretty much top in my class. I'm counting on some scholarships and some loans. I hope! :/ I, uh, don't have much time for a job.
Alex: Okay, sore subject, MOVING ON, let’s just go for something random. Let’s say someone would make a movie about your life. Who would play you and your friends?
Ari: Let's see, I think Josh Hutcherson could totally be my friend James, although Josh is a little short, so just imagine him taller. For me, maybe Selena Gomez? There aren't too many Latinos to pick from out there. And for Naomi, hmmmm. That's a tough one. She's hard to peg. Maybe Lindsay Lohan if she had dark hair and wasn't all old.
Alex: Wait, hold on, is your cell phone playing that old Jay-Z song, Big Pimpin? Do you need to get that?
Ari: Uh, yeah, gotta take that...*runs outside*...
Alex: Okay...weird...since obviously  you seem to have a lot on your plate lets round this interview out with your favorite food, book, and movie or TV show.
Ari:  My favorite food would have to be donuts from Herb's Bakery in Cambridge. They're like fluffy bits of awesome. Book, hmm, that's tough, there are so many. I'd have to say Jane Eyre. Don't really have fave movie or TV show. Between homework and cheerleading, who has the time?
Alex:  *Stares down at cell phone* Uh, I got to go.  My boyfriend is having some weather problems...yeah weather problems...
Ari: Thanks for having me. Good luck with that boyfriend of yours, sounds like he's a bit of trouble!
***************************************************************************How far would you go to save your dream?

Seventeen-year-old Ariceli Pisa is a senior at the prestigious Cambridge High School and has her sights set on Northwestern University. She's a cheerleader, a member of the National Honor Society...and a drug dealer. That's not the only secret she has to keep from her best friend Naomi--she’s also madly in love with Naomi’s ex-boyfriend, James Bartlett. Trying to balance her life at Cambridge High with her new demanding job keeps her teetering on the edge of disaster.

The Green is a full novel at 53,000 words. It contains strong language and drug references and is advised for ages 14 and up.

***************************************************************
Karly Kirkpatrick loves to read and write YA. She published her first YA novel, Into the Shadows in 2010 and added Bloody Little Secrets and EIGHT in 2011 (Which is FREE on Amazon and Itunes). She lives in Elgin, Illinois. For more information about Karly, visit http://www.karlykirkpatrick.com/. She is also a member of The Indelibles. Check them out at http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com/

Dear Team Me

If you are here, you are probably visiting because you read my Dear Teen Me letter.

If not, you should go read it ----> DearTeenMe.com


This was a very hard letter for me to write, but I knew it was the one that was supposed to be written. I don't really have a great blog post to go with this since I just want you to go read the letter, so instead I'm just providing some helpful info.

To Write Love on her Arms -  This was not around when I was a teen. Back then it was taboo to even talk about being depressed. It is nice to see a support group for other people who are depressed and to know that you are not alone.

As far as info for girls in abusive relationships...well...there is no magical website I can give you. I could give you the warning signs, but if someone is in the situation, will they listen?

I could prepare myself all I wanted, but what I needed was the confidence and the strength to know that the relationship I was in was not a healthy one. Years later I now realize how toxic that relationship was and I hope that anyone who reads my Dear Teen Me, whether a teen girl or  boy or even an adult will learn something from it and maybe even get some help themselves.

Now I leave you with this YouTube video that sheds a little lights on things.

Alien Secrets

I hope Circe guards aren't after me for this post, but I think it is time that I let you all in on some alien secrets, or just questions they you may be wandering from the My Alien Romance series.











Calta? Is that a real planet?

Maybe it is? It could be, but for creative purposes I did come up with it for the story. My nana's maiden name is Caltagerone, thus Calta was derived from Caltagerone. A true easter egg of this story is how many times you can find references to my Nana and Nanu throughout this novel. I've referenced both their names, where they are from, etc. It's kind of funny actually.

Why did Alex want to go to Columbia so bad? Why not NYC or even Northwestern?

BECAUSE I SAID SO! No, actually I wanted to go to Columbia in New York. This may or may not have to do with the fact that Nate and Blair went there on Gossip Girl or just because I wanted something different. Needless to say I didn't go there and not because of an alien love interest, but because my heart is in Illinois or something like that.

Winnebago? Really? You used your hometown? Aren't you afraid someone will come after you?
With pitchforks? Not exactlly. I could have made up a different town, I could of, but I didn't want to. Growing up in Winnebago gave me an appreciation for small town nostalgia. I loved thinking about my characters walking through my old high school and hanging out at my old high school hang outs. You will actually find little sprinkles of my life in Winnebago throughout each one of my books.

Are you Alex Bianchi?
No, my name is Magan. Alex is a complete work of fiction. We may both have bad eyesight, but my parents are still together, my dad is not in the military, and I am Sicilian not Italian. There are parts of me that I sprinkled in Alex's personality, but I can never be the Dustin Hoffman loving geek that Alex is.

Are any characters based off real people?
Yes and no. There are some character's looks and personalities that are based off of real people. I can tell you that there are TWO characters in all three of the books that are named after real people and their looks are based off of theirs, but I had permission and that person is a character. Not the actual person. I guess I should spell that out more. One of the characters in the books is Justin. Justin's name and looks are based off of a friend, but he in no way is that character. They are two seperate beings.

I guess that is all the alien secrets I should give away for now. If you have more questions I'm happy to answer them in the comments :)

Alex Bianchi's Coffee Talk with Eros

For today's coffee talk I'm sitting with the famous (or infamous if you prefer) Eros!
Alex: So, Eros, since this is Coffee talk, what is your coffee drink of choice?
Eros:  Thanks, but I'll pass.  I prefer Ambrosia in the mornings.
Alex:  *Tries not to stare at the curve of Eros' chin. She has a thing for jawlines* Uh, I was saying something else or going to say something. So, yeah, Eros, obviously you are an attractive guy, and I’m guessing all the Coffee Talk viewers would like to know if you are single? Not that I’m asking for myself.
Eros: *clears throat* Well, your viewers can rest assured that Psyche and I are quite happy together. *leans in close* Destined is a true story, you know.
Alex: Hummanh, hummanah, hummanah. Okay, so now that we’ve got that figured out. That we are both wonderfully taken individuals let’s move on. If you were to have someone play you in a movie, who would you cast?
Eros: Gods, that's a tough question. Maybe that Pettyfer guy.
Alex: Oh, heh, yeah he is pretty attractive. He would do a really good job. *Thinks about Alex Pettyfer's jawline and then shakes head to get the visions out* But okay, back to the questions. So you have a really interesting job. How do you balance your job and social life?
Eros:  Answering love prayers has its challenges, but Psyche inspires me to be my best.  I'm sure someone as lovely as you are has the same effect on her partner. *winks*
Alex:  *Blinks, stares at his jawline* Hummanah, hummanah, hummanah
*A bright blue light beams in behind Alex and Ace steps out of it*
Alex:  Oh hiya Ace! Um, just doing my coffee talk interview with Eros here!
Ace:  Doesn’t look like much of an interview to me…
Alex:  Okay, on that note lets round it out with your favorite food, movie, and TV show, Eros. *Ace still glares from behind Alex*
Eros:  *smirks and settles back into his chair*  You do remember I live in ancient Greece, right? I don't watch TV or movies. But favorite food ... Psyche and I shared some chocolate cake once that was just divine. *gets glazed over look in his eyes* Yeah - chocolate cake is best when shared. Don't you agree, Ace?
*Ace lurches forward with his hands out toward Eros, but Alex steps in the middle blocking him from the attack*
Alex:  Okay it looks like our time is up! Thank you for joining me Eros and viewers be sure to check out Destined by Jessie Harrell and learn a little more about Eros!
Ace:  What is that about? Do you want to learn more about this Eros?
Alex: Uh...maybe for ancient greek studies for school...or something. *stares longingly at Eros jawline, then shakes head*
Join us next time for an interview with Ari from The Green!
***************************************************************************************


When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she's come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.

Destined is a fresh and heartachingly romantic retelling of the Cupid & Psyche myth from debut novelist, Jessie Harrell.

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By day, Jessiean appellate lawyer. By night, she is a wife, mother of two, and author/lover of all things Greek mythology. A native Floridian, frustrated world traveler, unrepentant dreamer, lover of acoustic music and not-so-closet geek. Destined, released November 17, 2011, is her first novel. 

Fangirl Friday on a Thursday!

Yes, I know it is a ThursdayBUT I am participating in Cindy Hogan's blog tour so I gotta help a lady out and post on a Thursday. If you haven't noticed she has a blurb on her latest book PROTECTED from this awesome young adult author named Magan. Anywhoo.... If you want to check out the post before mine go here or if you want to continue the hop go here .




She has the guy. The terrorists have been taken care of and she has a shot at becoming popular.
Life is great!
Until they find her.
Now she must run and leave behind everything she knows,
including herself

What inspired you to write Protected?  Well, I had this vivid dream and thought it would make a killer movie, so I wrote the basics down to give to some huge movie producer...I don't know any of those.. In any case, the main character, Christy, just kept bugging me-talking to me and driving me crazy. Maybe I am crazy, really. I hear voices in my head. :) Anyway, I just had to write this girl's story and it has been a blast. 
What made you decide to go Indie with this book? This will tell you a lot about my personality(I'm an eternal optimist) I did it on a whim, thinking it would be fun. I'd won contests and people seemed to love it, so why not? What could possibly go wrong?
 Was there ever a time that you felt like giving up? If so, what did you
do about it? I will divert to question #2. Optimists, by nature, never think about giving up. There is always an upside if you just keep chugging along.
 Do you have critique partners, betas? How do you work with them? I have an in-person critique group and two online critique groups. My in-person group gets my stuff when it is really raw. After I've made changes, the first online group gets it. After those changes are made, my 2nd online group gets it. As far as Betas go, I have a ton. I have first round beta readers who read the completed book after my 2nd online group gets back to me. If there are problems, I send it out to a second round of Betas after fixing them. I've even used a third round of betas before. I keep using betas until I'm getting no plot complaints.
Who would win in a fight, your book's hero or my alien heartthrob? Uh, I'm going to have to defer to your alien heartthrob. Who could ever beat that guy?
Does your book have a soundtrack? What songs are on it? If I'm ever stuck, I listen to Avril Lavigne. Most of the time, she saves me, but I also like a lot of country singers. My husband infected me when I moved to Memphis, TN.
 What are you coming out with next? I am half-way through the third and final book of the Watched trilogy. It is still unnamed, but it rocks.
 If you could cast the main characters from your novel in a movie, who
would you choose to play them? I actually cut pictures of people out of magazines and put them up on my wall, but I have no idea who they are...They are probably just models.
Christy- Ashley BensonMaryBeth- Isla FisherKira-Lindsay LohanEugene- Kevin MchaleSummer- Blake LivelyDivergent by Veronica Roth. Everafter and Roast and Potatoes.
Words to live by? Be unpredictable!
Favorite book, movie, and food?