Shel Delisle's Blog, page 8

An interview with Jack Blaine

Hi Everyone.  My author hasn’t had her coffee yet, so she said to go ahead without her.  Today I’ll be interviewing Jack Blaine, author of the very popular YA dystopian novel Helper 12. If you haven’t already read it, you should read this next paragraph.  If you’ve already read it, you know it’s great and you can just skip ahead to the interview part.   

Helper12 works as a Baby Helper in Pre Ward, the place where babies spend their first six months of life before they’re tracked for vocations and sent to training. She does her job well, and she stays out of trouble. But one day, the Sloanes, Society members who enjoy all the privileges of their station—family unit clearance, a private dwelling, access to good food and good schools—come to “adopt” one of the Pre Ward babies. The Director makes a deal and the Sloanes walk out with a brand new child.

They also walk out owning Helper12—the Director sells her to them, and there’s nothing she can do but go. At the Sloanes, Helper12 enters a world where people should be able to enjoy life—with high position and riches come the opportunity for individual freedom, even the chance to love—but that’s not what she finds. The Sloanes are keeping secrets. So is their biological son, Thomas.

Helper12 has some secrets of her own; she’s drawing, which is a violation, since Baby Helpers aren’t tracked for Art. And she’s growing to love the child she was bought to care for—at the same time that Ms. Sloane is becoming disenchanted with her impulse baby buy.

When all your choices are made for you, how do you make some for yourself? Helper12 is about to find out.

Wow, Jack!  Your Muse did an incredible job with Helper 12.   What’s the next project they’re helping you out on?

Next up is a novel called Twitch, which will be out very soon.  It is told from the point of view of a minor character in Helper12, and it follows her story in the same world.  I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out.  And I LOVE the cover.

The cover is super cool!! And I love that it’s a companion to Helper 12.  With two books to choose from, which of your characters are you most like? 

Hmm.  I don’t really think I’m most like any of them.  They each have their own individual set of characteristics and while there may be nuggets of me in there somewhere, I’m always surprised at how they just seem to develop their own personalities.

My author would probably agree with you on this, because she has very little to say about what I do. So if you won’t pick a character, maybe you’ll tell us what’s your favorite book of all time?

Oh my, I can’t pick just one!  I am a big fan of so many different books.

That’s very diplomatic and a nice quality to have!  *behind a cupped hand whispering to everyone else* I hope Jack answers a question soon.  Let’s try this one.

In your opinion what makes a guy character swoony-worthy? 

Yikes.  That’s an interesting one.  I think it’s the inside more than the outside.  If a guy is brave, and a good person, with integrity and maybe a bit of charm, he’s swoon-worthy in my opinion.

*behind hand* Hurray! He answered.

I can go along with that, except my swoony guy has a little goin’ on outside too.  ;)  Okay, this next one is a fun and easy to answer:  if you could go to a rock concert in Heaven, who would you go see? And you have to pick someone who has passed on, y’know?

Freddy Mercury.

Oh. My. Governor.  Do you know the author Emily Ward?  Because she’s a fan too, and I interviewed her last week, and so maybe I can introduce you.  But before I do that, we should focus on your interview and we are just now getting to the the good stuff .  Please confess you biggest writing sin!   

Procrastination!

*Whispers behind cupped hand* Me too, Jack, me too.  So, are you more of a rule follower or a rebel? 

Rebel for sure!

YAY!! Yayyayyay!  Jack, you are the first to admit to rebellion. And the first to use so many exclamation points too! Me, personally? I love exclamation points and I’m always breaking rules, and sometimes it even gets me into trouble!  Like I get in trouble with my editor when I use too many exclamation points! So why are you a rebel?   

I don’t often do anything just because I’m “supposed” to and I often do things other people find odd or unusual.  I also tend to question authority, which I think is something we all need to do more often.

YAY!  And, I bet you don’t have to deal with the Archangel Michael like me.  Talk about authoritarian. Anyway, now I really want to know what inspires the rebel in you? 

Ideas.  I love to find ways to tell a fun, adventurous story while still incorporating important themes and ideas.  I get the best reader emails because of this!

Aww…I love that answer and reader email is equally nice. So what themes do you want your readers to take from your books?

I  like to explore dystopian worlds, and how easy it would be for us to get there.  I also like to think about what makes something “right” or “wrong” and what it takes to do the right thing in a bad situation.

Dystopian novels are so popular right now and it’s probably because sometimes things on Earth can get pretty screwy.  At least that’s this Angel’s opinion.  Hey, speaking of Angels, is there anything you’d like me to mention to your Guardian Angel? 

Yes!  If you could ask my Guardian Angel to find a way to stop all that procrastinating I do, it would be great!

*whispers again* You know what, Jack? I’m not sure I’m the right one to help you with this, but it’s definitely on my to do list. 

Hi, everyone, a completely caffeinated Shel here.  Helper 12 is an outstanding novel  and I’m very much looking forward to reading Twitch.  Here’s where you can pick up your copy.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053YHV00

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/helper12-jack-blaine/1103017648?ean=2940012925152&itm=2&usri=jack+blaine

Or keep up with Jack here:

Blog: www.jackblainebooks.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JackBlaineBooks

Hope you stop back tomorrow when we have Grace’s interview with Adriana Ryan.

An Interview with JA Beard

Today we have JA Beard, author of the young adult novel, The Emerald City. I know Grace will probably flip whens she learns about this Oz connection, but before I let her in the room, here’s a description of this book.

When her parents die, teenager Gail Dorjee retreats into an angry, sarcastic shell. She hopes it will ease her pain, but all it gets her is a one-way trip from Kansas to a Seattle boarding school, the elite Osland Academy.

As soon as she arrives, Gail clashes with Diana, the leader of the school’s most powerful clique. The Winged make Gail’s life hell until she find allies: her airhead roommate; a cowardly fellow victim of the Winged; and, bit by bit, Diana’s boyfriend–the seemingly heartless Nick.

Gail soon has bigger problems than Diana. One of her teachers hates her. Glasses shatter and fountains erupt around her. She can’t swear no matter how hard she tries. An unseen force is keeping her on campus. And worst of all, she uncovers a plot that will give one person a precious gift at the cost of thousands of lives. Now Gail and her friends must stop the plot–not just to save lives, but to win a brain, the nerve, a heart and a home in this modern urban fantasy take on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Okay, Grace, here you go…

Hey, JA.  I can’t believe the theme of your book. It’s like a miracle —all hail The Chief—because  I adore “The Wizard of Oz” and I’d never even heard about it ‘til my first Mission.  You must have a wonderful Muse.  What’s your next project?  .

I just published The Emerald City, a young adult urban fantasy. It’s a loose re-imagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in a modern setting. I was genuinely “inspired” to write this after watching a performance of the musical Wicked. So, yeah, have to give my Muse some credit (well, and Gregory Maguire, L. Frank Baum, and Stephen Schwartz, too).

Giving credit — nice.

The story is about Kansas-native Gail Dorjee. She’s sent by her uncle to a Seattle boarding school, Osland Academy. She’s still getting over the death of her parents in a car accident and is more than a little embittered at the world. On her first day, she butts head with the local queen bee/mean girl, and stumbles onto magic. Busy day!

My Muse is often very loud and hard to ignore—

My author says I’m like that, too.

—so I have a lot of projects in the works, but the next most immediate project I have coming up for publishing is A Woman of Proper Accomplishments, a slightly alt-history Regency paranormal romance: handsome gentleman, dancing, proper English daughters, and magic.

AWOPA, as I like to call it, is in the final editing stages. I’m about to begin editing of another project, Mind Crafter. It’s a fantasy story about a young magical telepath scholar who gets caught up in a conspiracy being hatched by religious fanatics.

You are one busy dude and your schedule exhausts me!  But before I collapse, please tell me, which of your characters are you most like?

I don’t know if I’m really like any of my individual characters.  I grew up a minority, so often (not always), I have a minority or outsider-type lead because the psychology of not being in the mainstream is something I can easily slip into when writing a character.

Many of my characters have at least a few aspects of my personality, I suppose. The closest I ever came to basing a character closely off of me was in manuscript I wrote a few years back. That character turned out to be the villain. Though, I can assure you, I’m not a villain (most of the time). That also has nothing to do with why I’m never publishing the book. Really.

Aww…I think everyone can relate to feeling like an outsider sometimes.  I definitely can.  That makes me curious…what’s your favorite book of all time? 

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  It’s the ultimate example of depicting the entire soul of a country and a culture through a focus on a single family and a small number of other characters.

Whoa.  That’s a heavy book, both literally (it’s like 500 pages) and figuratively.  *whispers* I’ve never read it, but my author owns it, so that’s how I know about the pages.

Anyhow…moving along…In your opinion what makes a guy character swoony-worthy?

Nice eyes, forthrightness, and a willingness to protect those he cares about. A hint of danger is nice, if only because it allows the female lead to “tame” the fellow a bit. Plus, although a little smart-tongued banter back and forth is fun, a guy being constantly rude is a bit off-putting. There’s a line between alluring bad boy and straight-up jerk that shouldn’t be crossed.

Agreed.  That pretty much sums it up! I know a Full angel that has some of that smart-tongued banter and he’s got “smirkage” too. Now, if you could go to a rock concert in Heaven, who would you go see? (*hint* you have to pick someone who is dead).

Jim Morrison.

Oooooh. That is a good one. And, actually, he’s kinda swoon-worthy, too, but you didn’t hear that from me, because that would be inappropriate for an Angel to say.  Hmm…let’s change the subject, shall we?  Confession time (for you).  What’s your biggest writing sin?

I have to strongly resist the urge to add detail about things that I find interesting, but don’t do much to advance the plot and risk making the story drag. This is mostly an artifact of doing research for a story. Typically, this means such details end up in the first draft but get stripped in editing.

I should note that although I’m doing research for an eventual historical fiction project and I did a lot of research for my fantasy story (e.g., how far can a horse-drawn carriage reasonably go in a day, et cetera), this issue has arisen even with my more modern works.

For example, The Emerald City takes place in modern day Seattle. In the course of developing the hobbies of one of the characters, Lydia Wray, I did some research into flower arranging. In the initial draft, I had several scenes that kind of went into some aspects of this in detail, including a lengthy explanation of the Northwest Flower and Garden Show.

When editing began, the immediate question was, “What purpose do these scenes serve? How do they serve the plot?” The answer was, sadly, “To show off my flower arranging research.”

Sure, character and setting development sometimes do call for a bit of extra detail on non-plot related things, but people (and particularly me) have to be careful to make sure they remember why they are adding character or setting details and to not go overboard.

That seems like a very detailed answer. But you have made me very curious about horse drawn carriages and flower arranging!  So, does being detail-oriented make you more of a rule follower or a rebel?  Why?

I suppose I’m more of a rule follower. I’m somewhat conflict averse, so that plays into it. Many rules and societal patterns do have some value. At the same time, maybe that’s why I have so many rules-flouting characters, the vicarious thrill.

That being said, I don’t support a rule just because “that’s the way it is.” Rules should exist to help people, not just for their own sake.

Ha! Vicarious thrill. I think I give that to my author.  And I totally agree with you that rules need to help people. Now, you already mentioned that you love research, but what else inspires you? 

My wife and my children.

Aww, JA!!!  That is really, really nice.  You should probably show them this interview.

And while we’re being more serious, what themes do you write about or what do you want readers to take from your books.

Well, I tackle a lot of themes and they vary somewhat by book, so I can’t necessarily say there are a certain set of themes I always write about in all books. The challenge of fitting in versus being yourself, standing up for what you believe, and taking on corruption tend to reappear a lot. I’m partial to strong-willed female characters. So depending on how wants to parse that, you can consider it “feminist” or “girl-power” or just “reality in the twenty-first century.”

All great things – especially girl power!  And, speaking of girl power, is there anything I can help you out with?  I’m networked Guardian-wise.

Can you hook me up with a lottery win, or is that against the rules?

It’s not against the rules, but (you knew there was a but, right?) you have to take a number on this one and the wait can tend to be a little *ahem* long.  Can’t hurt to ask, though.

Hey, everyone!  If you love The Wizard of Oz (and if you don’t what’s wrong with you?), you should check out JA Beard’s novel The Emerald City.

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Emerald-City-ebook/dp/B00761LCTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328738813&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-emerald-city-ja-beard/1108613536

And you can get to know him better in all these spots.

And look for him elsewhere:

Riftwatcher.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002197703160

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4410508-jeremy-a-beard

Hi everyone, Shel here!  Grace is doing a surprisingly good job on the interviews — at least she’s doing them every day, which in and of itself is quite an accomplishment.  She’ll be back tomorrow with Jack Blaine and in the meantime she’s over at Kai Strand’s blog on the other end of the questioning!!!  You can check it out here.  

An Interview with Kate Avery Ellison

Hi! It’s me—Grace.  My author is sleeping in, so she left me in charge.

*heh-heh*

Today we have Kate Avery Ellison, author of the YA novel, The Curse Girl and the newly released Frost. Here’s a little about it: 

In the icy, monster-plagued world of the Frost, one wrong move and a person could end up dead—and Lia Weaver knows this better than anyone. After monsters kill her parents, she must keep the family farm running despite the freezing cold and threat of monster attacks or risk losing her siblings to reassignment by the village Elders. With dangers on all sides and failure just one wrong step away, she can’t afford to let her emotions lead her astray. So when her sister finds a fugitive bleeding to death in the forest—a young stranger named Gabe—Lia surprises herself and does the unthinkable.

She saves his life.

Giving shelter to the fugitive could get her in trouble. The Elders have always described the advanced society of people beyond the Frost, the “Farthers,” as ruthless and cruel. But Lia is startled to find that Gabe is empathetic and intelligent…and handsome. She might even be falling in love with him.

But time is running out. The monsters from the forest circle the farm at night. The village leader is starting to ask questions. Farther soldiers are searching for Gabe. Lia must locate a secret organization called the Thorns to help Gabe escape to safety, but every move she makes puts her in more danger.

Is compassion—and love—worth the risk?

That sounds pretty incredible to me, Kate, which means your Muse must be doing a great job inspiring you. What’s the next project they’re helping you out on?



Well, let’s see. I just released a new YA fantasy/dystopian, Frost, featuring some a snowy world, monsters, and a forbidden romance. It’s the first book in a series called The Frost Chronicles, and I’m already hard at work on the sequel, Thorns. I’m also working on a novelette/novella that could be described as “a paranormal retelling of Robin Hood.” And of course, I have a zillion other projects on the back burner.

A zillion?  Are you sure? Because that’s a heck of a big number.  And if it’s an exaggeration, then which of your characters are you most like?

Tough question! I am a little bit like Bee from my novel The Curse Girl because we both like to talk things through and find a logical, workable solution to problems. I’m also a little bit like Ivy, a secondary character from my newest novel Frost, because we’re both daydreamers who get into trouble for not paying attention.

What did you say?  Oh, yeah…daydreaming. Been there, done that. When you’re not daydreaming, do you like to read, and, if so, what’s your favorite book of all time?

Another tough question! I don’t think I could narrow it down that far, to be honest, but one of my favorite YA fantasy novels of all time is The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley is a close second.

Sorry about these tough questions and I haven’t got a clue who came up with them. It definitely wasn’t me—but I wrote this one!  In your opinion what makes a guy character swoony-worthy?



I like smart guys–geeks, nerds, or just plain intellectual types. Nothing turns me on more than a guy with wit and intelligence. Of course I’m also a sucker for dark, wavy hair and a smirking, Han Solo-esque smile.

Can you keep a secret?  I have a thing for a smirker and he’s promised to take me to a concert.   If you could go to a rock concert in Heaven, who would you go see? (*hint* you have to pick someone who is dead)

Taylor Mitchell. She was so young when she died, and her death was so tragic (eaten by coyotes!)… I kinda feel like she needs another chance to perform.

What the—????? I’d never heard of her, but after checking on YouTube all I say is her Guardian Angel must have been in some hot water over that one. And she does have a very nice sound.   

Okay…confession time. What’s your biggest writing sin?



I refuse to completely give up adverbs, although I try to keep them to a minimum.

Ha! Love that. And your answer makes me think I already know the answer to the next question–are you more of a rule follower or a rebel? Why?

I’m definitely more of a rule follower. It’s partly the way I was raised, partly my personality. But at the same time, I’m one of those envelope-pushing, out-of-the-box thinkers who likes the challenge the status quo. So I chafe at the rules and petition to change them while following them, I guess you could say.

Especially when it comes to adverbs, I guess.  (Just kidding)

Okay, what — other than your Muse, of course — inspires you?



Odd and unexpected combinations of people or story elements that end up working–like the whole Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter thing. Unexpected or unconventional situations inspire me to see how I can build a story around them.

I’m definitely a fan of unconventional.  Like, did you know I skipped school and went straight to Earth?  Hmmm….but enough about me. I really would like to know about what themes you  write about or what you want readers to take from your books.

I find myself drawn to themes of trust, betrayal, and adversaries-turned-friends (or lovers). I’m sure there are all kinds of deep, psychological reasons why I am fascinated with these subjects. I think one of my strongest “messages” that I want people get from my books is the idea that people can grow and change, jerks can learn compassion, timid shy people can find courage. Don’t ever write someone off forever just because they don’t click with you immediately. They might turn out to be your best friend. I also ALWAYS want to communicate the idea that love is powerful, redeeming, and worth everything you risk for it.

Aww…I really love those themes.  Now, last question. Is there anything you’d like me to mention to your Guardian Angel? I can do it all casual, if you want.

I have a new treadmill desk and sometimes I write while using it. Writing while walking isn’t THAT hard, but I’d love to avoid getting a sprained ankle

The treadmill desk sounds awesome.  Consider your request passed along.

In addition to the treadmill desk, doesn’t Kate’s new book Frost sound awesome?  You can buy it practically everywhere.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Frost-The-Chron...

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books...

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/144165

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Frost-Volume-Kate-Avery-Ellison/dp/1475005873

And, keep up with Kate’s zillion *winks* projects in all these spots:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13555538-frost

Blog:  http://thesouthernscrawl.blogspot.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!?Katiewriting

An Interview with Emily Ward

It’s Day 2 of the interviews and I’m excited to have Emily Ward here today.  She’s the author of Finding Fiona and the recently published, Promising Light, that is set in a world with shape changers and royals.

Here’s a peek:

Grace began a secret courtship with Dar for the thrill of doing something against her father, the king’s general. She hadn’t planned on falling in love with him. When Dar suddenly leaves her, she searches for answers, reluctant to let him go.

Everyone seems determined to keep the truth from her—until she’s kidnapped by Dar’s family. They’re shape changers who claim she can break a curse set on them ten years ago by the Protectors, a group of noblemen determined to stifle magic in the name of safety.

Torn between two worlds, Grace isn’t sure who to trust. If the curse endures, Dar’s family could die out forever. But to help them, she’ll have to leave behind everything she knows.

Book One of The Protectors Series. Set two years after The Protectors prequels

Okay. Take it away Grace.  That’s my Grace, not Emily’s Grace:

Hiya, Emily! I noticed your Muse is doing a great job inspiring you. What’s the next project they’re helping you out on?

Right now, I’m working on the sequel to my fantasy novel Promising Light. It has lots of political intrigue, romance, and there’s a war brewing between the shape changers and the royals. Plus my characters get into all kinds of troublesome situations that seem impossible to get out of. Sequels are fun, but hard because you want it to be just as good as the first one! At least, *I* think the first one is good. . .

Oh, it already sounds really good when you mention shape changers and royals.  So, which of your characters are you most like?

Probably Grace, the main character of Promising Light. I was pretty naive when it came to boys (oh, man, did I make some dumb mistakes, but I am super lucky to have my husband now!), passionate, determined. These days, I feel a little more level-headed, but we both still have some growing up to do. Grace is confused at first in Promising Light, torn between the shape changers and the royals, but through the story, she really finds out what she wants and she firmly decides what she believes is right and wrong. I feel like we have a lot in common in that aspect. I went through a similar struggle — not with a magical family and a curse they thought I could break — but with my spiritual beliefs and worldview.

Omigosh, my name is Grace, too. What a coincidence! But, I’m never confused like your Grace, at least I don’t think so, um…what was the next question?  Oh, yeah. What’s your favorite book of all time?

All time? Oh, gosh, that’s so hard. Well, I really like the Bible (I swear I’m not just saying that to suck up , but if we’re talking fiction. . .The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Such beautiful prose, great story, a heart-wrenching ending. It really made me think about the power of words.

“Suck up” Ha! That cracks me up. Hahaha—okay, I’m gonna check out that book about the thief.  Pretty sure my author has that one.  

Now, in your opinion what makes a guy character swoony-worthy?

Someone who treats others with respect (especially the person he’s romantically interested in). Funny, smart, noble, brave. Maybe has a few secrets and mystery to make things interesting, but there are a few books where the best friend definitely trumps the secretive new guy. Good looks don’t hurt, either

*swoon* Yep, that sounds pretty good.  So, if you could go to a rock concert in Heaven, like with that guy, who would you go see? (*hint* you have to pick someone who is dead)

Queen with the awesome Freddie Mercury. Although that doesn’t really work because not everyone in Queen is dead. . .do you think people could do everything else while Freddie sings? Because that would be AWESOME. If not, then Michael Jackson. Equally awesome.

I can guarantee you that Freddy has an awesome back-up band until the rest of Queen gets there.  Okay—Confession time! What’s your biggest writing sin?

I tend to forget setting and description. I see the place in my head and I have to force myself during revisions to explain where the characters are and what’s going on around them. And what they look like, instead of mentioning hair color once in the beginning and then completely dropping it.

That doesn’t sound very big.  Huh, what’s that? Hold on, my author is interrupting. *rolls eyes* She says, “That’s what second drafts are for.” Sheesh, she’s annoying. Anyway…are you more of a rule follower or a rebel? Why?

Overall, I think I’m a rule follower. I follow the speed limit, pay my taxes, mind my p’s and q’s. I was about to say I do my homework, but I really only do it if I’m going to get graded. I sometimes rebel against society’s values. For example, I’d take a good book over reality TV any day (that reminds me, I need to catch up on America’s Next Top Model). My opinions may not be popular with a lot of people. So maybe I’m a closet rebel? I rebel when it counts? Maybe I’m just trying to make myself sound more badass than I really am.

You sound a little like me, which makes you a teeny bit bad ass. Oh, and I almost rebelled in a closet one time, but that’s a long story.  Involving Victor. Hmm…maybe another day?  Better to get back on track.  What — other than your Muse, of course — inspires you?

Good books and talented authors! I love reading a great book and thinking, ‘Wow, I could write a story like that!’ When an author really makes me care about the characters and what happens to them, I try to analyze how they did it and apply it to my own story. There are some stories that just fill me with energy and I’ll go write a couple thousand words. Susan Bischoff’s Talent Chronicles series, The Hunger Games, Tomorrow When the War Began — they all inspire me to write just as well.

Aww…that is really, really nice.  And as far as themes—what do you write about or what do you want readers to take from your books?

The Protectors series deals with prejudice and bigotry quite a bit. There are magical families in this world and one in particular, the shape changers, are being persecuted. I love writing about the dynamics between the oppressive class (the Protectors, the royals) and the oppressed and how they deal with the problems they have to deal with. I have a few other novels that deal with the same issues of bigotry. I drew a lot of inspiration from the Civil Rights era and countless other examples of bigotry in Earth’s history.

I try to emphasize the power of family and love in my books as well as forgiveness and reconciliation. I love restoring broken relationships and watching my characters overcome their obstacles either with the help of loves ones or out of love for them. I hope people are inspired by that to think about the special people in their lives. And to consider that we’re all people and deserve respect, regardless of what we look like or what our culture or gender or age or fill-in-the-blank may be.

Yes to all that! And fill in the blank is important too. Okay, last thing. Is there anything you’d like me to mention to your Guardian Angel? I’ve got a special cell phone and could give them a call. 

Tell her to take care of our plane as we go to Europe! My husband and I are going to Spain and France (as I’m sure she knows) and I’d like to get back home to see our kitties. And tell her (him?) thanks for having my back.

Will do.  You have a wonderful flight and trip, Emily.

 

Hi all, doesn’t this book sound awesome? You can find it here:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Promising-Light-The-Protectors-ebook/dp/B006Y6EIJS/

Barnes and Noble:   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/promising-light-emily-ann-ward/1108305962

 

And to get to know Emily better, please go here:

Website:   http://emilyannward.com ;

Blog:   http://wordsofeward.blogspot.com ;

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/emilyannw

Hi everyone,

We’re going to take a break on Saturday and Sunday, but we’ll be back Monday  with author Kate Avery Ellison.  In the meantime, this is the last day Winging It! will be at 99 cents and you can grab it here.

An interview with Dalya Moon

Over the next month give or take, Grace Lightbourne, the Angel-in-Training main character from my new novel Winging It!, will interview quite a few authors on this blog.  It's been incredible to get to know some of these writers a little better, and I hope you'll stop by every day or every couple days or every week to get to know them too.

Today, Dalya Moon has stopped by for the very first interview by Grace, which should let you know what a brave soul she really is!

Dalya's novel Poke is the story of  Zan, a teenage boy with a talent for discovering any girl's secrets. If he asks a girl to poke her finger into his navel, he gets a psychic trip to Secret Town. Zan never likes what he finds.When he meets mysterious, beautiful Austin, with her waist-length hair and mature laugh, he wants to get acquainted with her the slow way. Austin, however, can't resist her curiosity, and when she pokes her finger into Zan's belly button, he sees … nothing.

Austin dashes out of Zan's house and out of his life, leaving Zan heartbroken and confused. To find peace, he must unravel the secret of his power. Is it a gift, or a curse? How can Zan love someone with no future? How can he not?

Poke is a fast-paced story about Zan's adventurous summer, as he battles witches, experiments with astral projection, and discovers the secret of his strange power, all to be with the girl he loves.

Recommended for: older teens to adults (some mature content)

Book length: approximately 50,000 words or 142 pages

Everytime I read the description of this book or look at Dalya's cover it makes me smile.  How could anyone not be intrigued about witches, astral projection and navels?   Let's get to know Dalya…take it away, Grace.

Hi, Dalya! Your Muse must be doing a great job inspiring you.  What's the next project they're helping you out on?

My Muse is a real task-master, so I'm working on three books simultaneously .

Three? Seriously? One seems like it would be an awful lot of work, and I tend to, um…avoid that. If at all possible. So, with three books you must have a lot of characters.  Which one are you most like?

If there were a boring character, perhaps a writer on a laptop in the background of a scene, that would be me. If she has curly hair, then it's me for sure.

On a deeper level, there's a lot of me in every character, even the boys. My character in Poke, Zan, is sensitive like me. I know that's not a traditionally "masculine" trait, but when I think about his background and his powers, and how that would affect a person, it seemed right .

Boy, do I ever know how tough powers can be!  So, will you tell me — what's your favorite book of all time?

Pass. (I don't have favorite anythings.)

No favorites? Awww, that makes me a little sad. Well, we'll just skip ahead. In your opinion, what makes a guy character swoony-worthy?

Smoldering eyes. Yes, definitely the smolder, preferably on every page.

Well, if you ask me—which I know you didn't—but it sounds like "smoldering eyes" is a favorite thing! ;D

Now, if you could go to a rock concert in Heaven, maybe with smoldering eyes guy, who would you go see? (*hint* you have to pick someone who is dead)

Trick question! Would the real rock-n-rollers be up there?

Of course they're there, silly.  Heaven wouldn't be any fun without rock music, right? Singing, dancing, et cetera–oh, that reminds me– confession time. What's your biggest writing sin?

Bragging. Oh, am I supposed to be all coy and say I'm a "perfectionist" and I spend too much time getting everything just right? Would you believe me if I did?

Yes.  ; D

My biggest sin is telling people when I've finished a marathon writing session of 5,000 words. I'm just excited, but it drives other writers crazy, and I really shouldn't do it. By the way, I wrote 2,000 words yesterday.

Oh, that's great!  My roommate Mercy is a super good student so I'm kinda used to that overachiever thing.  So, if you can be disciplined like that, are you more of a rule follower? Or do you rebel?

I'm a first-born child, so my inclination is to follow rules. However, they're the rules I made up for myself, and include such diverse things as don't go to bed angry, and don't have candy for breakfast.

Those are veeery interesting rules, which makes me curious, what — other than your Muse, of course — inspires you?

I'm inspired by nature and beauty and the dark side of human nature. When I was a little kid, my favorite book was about a witch who made blueberry pancakes.

Hmmm…I'm not completely sure, but blueberry pancakes seem almost like candy for breakfast, yes? And, how awesome that you love nature! Me too. So, what themes do you write about or what do you want readers to take from your books.

I don't consciously work in themes, but they do emerge. If I could help people, one at a time, to remember to floss, I'd be happy. Flossing is really important.

Argle, bargle. *pulls string from mouth* Absolutely. Well last question Dalya…is there anything you'd like me to mention to your Guardian Angel? 'Cause I totally have contacts.

Thank you for opening my eyes at the right times, and for giving me a strong sense of dissatisfaction when I was not on my proper path.

Aww. That's very nice and, really, that's what we're supposed to do. I'll be sure to pass it along and it was wonderful to meet you. 

Hey Everyone!  You should follow Dalya's don't go to bed angry rule, because it's a good one. And, you should also check out her books on Amazon.

Poke on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0071C3VZ6

Or get to know her better here:

Web site: http://dalyamoon.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/DalyaMoon

Thanks, Grace.  Hope everyone will stop back by tomorrow for an interview with Emily Ann Ward.  and one more housekeeping note.  For the next two days 4/12 and 4/13 Winging It! is priced at 99 cents, so if you'd like to help Grace earn her wings (and save two bucks) click here.

Celebrating a Happy Semi-Anniversary

Six months ago I held my breath as I pushed the publish button for DOLPHIN GIRL on Amazon's KDP program.  I had high hopes as I set this book free into the wide, wild world.  Could she survive and make her way?  Would she be a washout?  A lot of people told me  to expect distribution of 100-200 copies because that was typical.  One person told me that because I was "good at marketing", I might hit 500.

Here's the thing. I never believed the 100 copy benchmark.

I figured if I got that desperate I could set up a table in front of my Publix supermarket and sell that many by hand.  Aspiring to break the 100 book mark seemed like saying, "I hope to pass this class."  I never aspired to a D in my life and wasn't about to begin now.  Who aspires to less than mediocre?  And, why bother?

So, then, the question became, what would be a good grade?  One thing I learned in business was to write that number down.  Don't be wishy-washy.  Don't lack direction. The number I chose to write down was 1,000 in Year One.  It was ten times higher than the 100  mark, and because I wouldn't go out of print it could be quite a nice amount of sales a few years down the road. It seemed realistic and not overly easy.  Because what if they were right and I was wrong?  I didn't want to sell books in front of Publix, but I would if necessary!

In December — month three of this experiment —  I sold 1,125 copies of the book between e-books and paper and Amazon Select borrows.  Paperback sales alone in December were more than 100 and so the nightmares of the table at the grocery store was never to be and I started to think about how I should adjust my goals, because they needed to be bumped quite a bit.

Pencil and calculator and little green visor (just kidding) later, the number is 10,000 in Year One. It's 100 times higher than the naysayers, pretty respectable and, I think, realistic.  I'll let you know in October.  So with bumped goals and a commitment to publish more books, I ventured into 2012.

Two weeks ago I published my second book, WINGING IT! and, so far, it's doing better than the early days of DOLPHIN GIRL. What does this mean?  No idea.  No predictions.

The deal is to just focus on what's next, and because the main character in the second book is trying to earn her wings as a Guardian, I figured I'd do a few "angelic" things to get this book going.  So right now there is a five book giveaway over at Goodreads.  It ends next week on April 9th, so if you want to enter go here.

Also next week, WINGING IT! will go free for two days: 4/10 and 4/11.  I'd tell you to mark your calendars, but I'm pretty sure my book's free days is not one of those priority items that will make it onto your calendar.  Still, if you see the book then, by all means, go ahead and grab it!

From everything I've heard about free runs, this means I won't sleep for 48 straight hours as I watch downloads pour in.  I'd love to blog about it and tell you all how it went, but I won't be able to right away. Partially because of a lack of sleep, but mostly because starting on 4/12, Grace Lightbourne, the quirky Angel-in-Training main character from the new book, is taking over my blog for about a month to  interview a bunch of authors.

This is probably one of the most angelic things Grace has ever done.

Which really isn't saying much.

But I hope you'll follow Grace and the blog and get to know some of these other authors and find some great reads.  Then, I'll be back in a little while to get bloggy again and maybe let you know about my free run and definitely let you know about the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert last night.

Oh yeah, I went.  It was a beaut!

Music Monday — Adele's Someone Like You

I was absolutely thrilled to see Adele's sweep of the Grammy's last night for a couple reasons.

First, she's a nice contrast to the antics of singers like Lady Gaga.  The lady admittedly has a lot of talent talent, but she actually distracts us from her music with whatever the the get-up du jour is.  Also, for me, Adele beats the pants off the electronica, auto-tuned sound that is so popular right now.  While it's great for dancing, is it really music?  Does beat = music?  I'm not sure.

In the end, the main reason I'm happy for Adele's success is that I love her soulful style of singing.  Chasing Pavements and Rolling in the Deep are beautiful songs, while this one, Someone Like You, gives me goosebumps every single time I listen to it.

It's remarkable how she can reach our hearts with with one nuance; one note.  And, when I think about what I'd really like to do with my writing, it'd be to create those same kinds of goosebumps for my readers, even if it's only one line in one book.  Now, that'd be success.

Bravo, Adele. This song, by any standard, is a success.

Music (the day after) Monday — With a Little Help From My Friends

One of the things I struggle with is a perfectionism.

Is this the right word?  The right way to phrase this?  Is my grammar flawless?  How 'bout punctuation?

It's O.K.  Or, on second thought —  is it okay?

The lyrics in this song, What would you do if I sang out of tune?  Would you stand up and walk out on me? express this fear…well, perfectly.   Joe Cocker is not Pavarotti, but I'm okay with that.  I'm also, for the record, O.K. with that.

When it comes to my writing, the thing is, I know I'm not perfect and I'm pretty sure I never will be.  In fact, look at the title of this post.  It should have been posted yesterday.  It's not Music Tuesday, right?  Not to belabor the point or anything.

So if a part of my writing is out of tune, will readers stop reading?  Some will.  But my friends will hear the heart beneath that sour note.  Today, I was given an incredible reminder of why it's O.K. (okay) to sing your own song, your own way.  Cassie Deaton posted a review of Dolphin Girl over at her Shadow Kisses blog.  She gets me, warts and all.  It reminds me that like Joe Cocker, I need to say, Lend me your ear and I'll sing you a song and I'll try not to sing out of key.

Now, let's listen to Joe rasp and growl together, cause the guy's got a ton of heart and soul.

Music Monday — Reel Big Fish

Ironically, I first heard of this band on the day that I swam with dolphins as research for DOLPHIN GIRL.  After the swim, we stopped by to visit one of our friends who lives in the Florida Keys.  At dinner, the conversation turned to new bands we'd discovered and he recommended Reel Big Fish.

Fast forward a couple years and my oldest son made a mix CD with this song on it.  As I chauffeured him somewhere he told me, "I think you'll like this," and then he turned up the car stereo.  Ever since then, it's been a favorite.

It seems especially timely for authors given all that's happening in publishing these days.  None of us need to be Fry Boy.  Hope you enjoy the video for Sell Out.

Music Monday — A Great Big Pile of Leaves

My last post was too long and I'm kinda sleepy, so instead of rambling, here — just listen to these guys.  I really like their sound!

Later, Gator.