Cherie Colyer's Blog, page 59

Come Celebrate Embrace's Book Birthday!

It's hard to believe that a year has passed since the release of my debut novel and to celebrate I'm throwing a Birthday Bash. A special thank you goes out to all the wonderful bloggers who are celebrating with me and helping to spread the word about the party. You guys are the best!!
I know I’ve said this before, but it’s worth saying again. I’m very grateful to have such supportive family and friends, my talented critique partners, to Omnific Publishing for taking a chance on a new author, that I had an amazing editor, and of course for the support of all the readers out there.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
As part of the celebration I’m giving away some fun prizes so be sure to page down to the bottom of this post.
Before I go, I’d like to leave you with a snippet of conversation between Madison and her best friend Kaylee from a scene in Embrace that happens just before their world spins out of control.
“It’s silly now that I think about it, but for a moment I thought I saw a dark hooded figure.” Kaylee said. “You know, the ones that schlep souls to the afterlife.”“A reaper?” I asked. We were definitely laying off horror films.“Yeah. But that’s totally ridiculous, right?” She let out a nervous laugh. “Because when I looked again, there was a group of kids with skateboards. One of them had on a hooded sweatshirt.”Or it was ridiculous because reapers aren’t exactly strolling down Main Street with the living. I kept that thought to myself.
Embraceby Cherie Colyer
From Omnific Publishing

How far would you go to save the people you love?

Synopsis:Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve.
Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him.
Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own.
Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.~

Curl up with EMBRACE todayAmazon | Barnes & Noble  | Book Depository

  Fill out the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win fun prizes.
  Thanks for stopping by and good luck!                                                              Cherie
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Find me on:Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Feature & Follow #24

Feature & Follow is hosted by Alison of Alison and Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View. It's a fun way to make new friends and to interact with old ones. Click the links above to learn more and to join the fun. 
Q: What is the last book that made you cry? Tell us about the scene?
I'll admit I got a little teary eyed while reading Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. It's not that it's a sad book, but there is a scene toward the end when Noah has to make a difficult decision. I don't want to give the story away, so I'm going to be vague, but I could feel his struggle and my heart went out to him. 
How about you? What's the last book you read that made you cry?

Cover Reveal: Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn

The final novel of the Mindjack Trilogy by Susan Kay Quinn is here and I'm excited to be a part of the cover reveal. Susan has created an interesting and unique society where normal is to be able to read minds. Kira is different though and her abilities go far beyond the norm. Read on to learn more.


Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn
(Book Three of the Mindjack Trilogy) Now Available!When your mind is a weapon, freedom comes at a price.Four months have passed since Kira left home to join Julian’s Jacker Freedom Alliance, but the hole in her heart still whistles empty where her boyfriend Raf used to be. She fills it with weapons training, JFA patrols, and an obsessive hunt for FBI agent Kestrel, ignoring Julian’s worries about her safety and repeated attempts to recruit her for his revolutionary chat-casts. When anti-jacker politician Vellus surrounds Jackertown with the National Guard, Kira discovers there’s more to Julian’s concerns than she knew, but she’s forced to take on a mission that neither want and that might be her last: assassinating Senator Vellus before he can snuff out Julian’s revolution and the jackers she’s come to love. All Mindjack stories available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes(Note Free Souls is not yet available on iTunes)Available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble Mindjack Origins Collection Want more Julian? Wondering how Sasha's ability really works? Looking for EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES from Free Souls? This collection of novellas, scenes, and other goodies is for those craving a bit more of the characters and drama of the Mindjack series.
Includes: Mindjack NovellasMind Games (Raf's story)The Handler (Julian's story)The Scribe (Sasha's story) TWO EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES from Free Souls (published nowhere else!) PLUS Mindjack flash fiction, an (imaginary) conversation between Raf and Julian, and other goodies for readers who want just a little bit more of Kira, Julian, Raf, and the Mindjack crew.
Available on Amazon, Barnes&NobleENTER TO WINone of FIVE ecopies of the Mindjack Origins Collectiona Rafflecopter giveaway

Feature: The Spaghetti Slurping Serpent by Laura Ripes

Today I have the pleasure of having the talented and amazing Laura Ripes with me. Laura's picture book The Spaghetti-Slurping Sewer Serpent is now available and for a limited time for every one of her books that's purchased, one will be donated to a child in Africa. Read on to learn more about this great program and how you can get your hands on The Spaghetti-Slurping Sewer Serpent. (I just love saying that!)



Please help me welcome Laura Ripes.
Cherie: Tell us about your picture book, The Spaghetti-Slurping Sewer Serpent.
Laura: I know this may come as quite a surprise, but The Spaghetti-Slurping Sewer Serpent is an alliterative picture book featuring the “Oh so slippery ‘S’ Sound”! It’s a tongue twisting mystery about a boy named Sammy Sanders who can’t sleep. He’s 77 percent sure that a spaghetti-slurping serpent lives in his sewer. So Sammy and his sister Sally set out with their slobbery dog, Stan to see this serpent for themselves.
I’d love to share some exciting news about my book with you! From December 1st-24th it’s being featured in an amazing program. For every one of my books that is purchased during this time, one will be donated by myself and Amazon Children’s Publishing to a child in Africa. There are tons of books that are participating in this program, so if you need some books for the holidays or teachers gifts, check out this link: http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=6066980011
Links to my website & glog (the group blog I’m part of)www.lauraripes.com     www.worddisco.com

Cherie: What a fun book and a great cause! Where did you get the idea for your book?
Laura: There were definitely a few things that went into this book.  For one, I’m a voiceover talent (the people you hear talking in commercials who you do not see in the commercial) articulation and diction play a very important role in that industry. I always work on tongue twisters before I record, so I thought it would be fun to write a story that was both entertaining and would also help kids with the tricky ‘S’ sound.  The serpent in the sewer part came from my childhood.  We had a park by our house that had a huge drainage sewer. I was sure I could hear sounds coming out of the sewer. The fact that my brother used to tease me and tell me something lived in there did not help! I can promise you I kept my distance after he told me that. I was not as brave as Sammy, if something was living in there, I was going to let it be!
Photo provided by authorLaura was kind enough to share with us a page from the book. I can so see a big brother teasing his little sister about what's in the sewer!
Cherie: It must be fun to be a voiceover, and I love the story from your childhood. Are you working on anything new right now?
Laura: I have lots of stuff in the hopper, but since The Spaghetti-Slurping Sewer Serpents’ release, I’ve had several teachers and speech therapists, ask me if I have any stories focusing on other sounds as well. So I’ve been working on another alliterative story, that has several “tongue twisting chunks” (I like to call them) each featuring a different sound.
Cherie: I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Now for some fun questions.
Favorite animal?That’s easy. . .Dogs! They’re loyal, lovable, patient, forgiving and soo darn cute! I could squeeze ‘em all day.
M & M or Skittles?M & M’s for sure. My favorite way to eat them, is with popcorn! I love the salty and sweet combo, YUM!
Name one picture book you’ve read so many times you know it by heart?That would have to be The Going To Bed Book by: Sandra Boyton. My three daughters LOVED that book. They are now 15, 13, & 12 and my husband and I still know it by heart from reading it so many times when they were little! I can even remember the inflection we used when we read it *sigh*, oh how I miss those days of snuggling in their beds reading to them  L
Favorite movie or television show?I have to preface this by saying. . . I love to dance, when I was younger I danced Ballet, Tap, Pointe and Jazz for 9 years then did 4 years of Poms in High School. If I could go back and do it again, and be anything in the world I wanted, I would love to be a professional dancer on Broadway!
That being said. . . I can not get enough of Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition.  I can not stand the mom drama, or the way Abby treats them at times, but when I watch those kids dance, I’m transported to a magical place. 
What book are you the most excited to read?A sequel. I hate when a book ends, I get so wrapped up in the characters lives, I’m sad when I don’t get to hear about them anymore. So I love to dive into a book 2 or 3 (or however long it goes), just to jump back into that familiar world. Love it!
I’m glad I’m not the only mom who missing the days when the children were little and wanted to be read to before bed. It’s been wonderful having Laura here today. 
To find out more about Laura and her books, please visit her website or Amazon. 

Embrace Book Tour

Hi Guys! Embrace is on tour this week. I'd like to thank my wonderful host, Celise from Incandescent Enchantments for putting together such an incredible tour and the amazing bloggers who are participating. There are fun prizes to win along the way so be sure to enter the giveaways.

Plus next week I'll be hosting a Birthday Bash to celebrate Embrace's book birthday so be sure to stop back for more way to win!

Tour schedule:

December 10http://mymiscellaneousbookshelf.blogspot.fi/ - Reviewhttp://www.captivatedreading.com - Excerpt Revealhttp://andreaheltsley.blogspot.com - Reviewhttp://littlelibrarymuse.blogspot.com - Reviewhttp://booksbonesbuffy.com - Review
December 11http://thegeekgirlreview.blogspot.com/ - Excerpt Revealhttp://youngadultbookaddict.blogspot.com.au/ - Guest Posthttp://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com - Promo Post
Booksterscafe.blogspot.com - Author Interview
December 12http://adreamwithindream.blogspot.com - Review
http://1morepageplease.wordpress.com - Guest Post -http://threeboysandanoldlady.blogspot.com/ - Promo Post -
December 13http://www.kainas.com - Reviewhttp://www.readergirlsblog.com - Reviewhttp://www.booknerd.ca - Review
December 14http://booksbycenteno.com - Excerpt Revealwww.yanovelties.blogspot.com - Author Interviewhttp://bookwormsavenue.blogspot.com/ - Review
December 15www.thecosydragon.com - Reviewhttp://thebookloversreport.blogspot.com - ReviewHttp://www.crossroadreviews.com - Reviewwww.danasquare.blogspot.com - Reviewhttp://www.fortheloveoffilmandnovels.com/ - Promo Postwww.thewitchesbrew.biz/blog - Author Interviewhttp://bookaworld.wordpress.com - Review

Feature & Follow Dec.7th

Feature & Follow is hosted by Alison of Alison and Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View. It's a fun way to make new friends and to interact with old ones. Click the links above to learn more and to join the fun. 
Q: Activity! Who do you want to be? If you could choose any character from a book. What do you think that character looks like and what do you have in common?
I've been asked this before and my first answer is Hermione. I know Alison also picked her, but Hermione is an awesome character. She's smart, a great friend, brave, nice. Oh, and she's a witch. I've always thought it would be fun be able to do magic. 
So who would I pick if I couldn't be Hermione? Mystic from X-man. She's incredibly smart and she's able to turn herself into anyone. She also fights for what she believes in.
So who would you choose?


Hey guys, I want to make you aware of the amazing giveaway my publisher, Omnific Publishing, is hosting. They're giving away not one, not two, but THREE Kindles, each one loaded up with hot, sweet, rule-breaking romance! Each day they will feature a new holiday themed post with some of their great characters.  Click here to find out more.

Do your characters have insecurities?

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, which means it’s time to talk about insecurities. Before I do that, I’d like to thank Alex Cavanaugh for hosting this wonderful meme.
I decided to do something different with this month’s Insecure Writer’s post and talk about our character’s insecurities. Since people have insecurities, so should the characters in a book. Harry Potter doubts he’s powerful enough to defeat Lord Voldemort. Bella Swan doesn’t feel she has anything to offer Edward. These flaws help readers relate to them. I mean, would Harry be as likable if he felt he could charge in and kill the most feared wizard of their time? And Bella would have been a completely different person if she felt she was as beautiful as the vampires who are supposed to be flawless.
Insecurities help to add depth to our characters. Readers can find bits of themselves in a character that’s nervous about speaking in front of a crowd, worried that a decision they made ruined someone else’s life, or insecure about being liked at a new school.
In my young adult paranormal thriller/romance, EMBRACE, Madison hates change. She would prefer it if everything stayed the same, because for her change has never been good. Of course, change is inevitable and everything around her is changing. It’s just one trait that helps to bring her alive. In the middle grade novel my agent is shopping around Zach moves to a new school where he discovers he’s not as quick to jump into new situations without his best friend at his side. It’s just one layer of his personality and an obstacle he won’t be able to overcome until he faces the guilt he’s been harboring over something that happened between him and this same friend.
Some of the greatest characters in literature were insecure: Hester Prynne in the Scarlet Letter, Dorian from The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.
So make your characters insecure about something. Give them fears and quirks. It’s these flaws that make them likable—sometimes hated—but always more human.

(There's still time to enter to win an eBook of Embrace plus a $15 Amazon gift card. For more information click here or on the Birthday Bash icon on the right side of this blog.)

The Shitty First Draft

Why would anyone want to write a shitty first draft? Why pour hours of hard work into something that you know isn't going to be good enough to share with even your most trusted readers? The answer is simple. When you’re done you have a beginning, middle and end. You've gotten to know each of your characters. You've created their world. You've discovered what’s important to your characters. What they will face. How their actions affect the people around them. You started a journey and made it to the end, a task some writers never accomplish.
I think it’s important to get the first draft written. It creates a foundation you can build on. I've found that by the time I reach the second half of a first draft I've learned so much about my characters that I hadn't know when I began their story. By pushing my way through the first draft I discover little hints that can be woven into the beginning chapters to foreshadow things to come. I know exactly what needs to happen in that chapter I stumbled through.
The revising process is when I look at my work with a critical eye. I add sensory detail that I may have missed. I add in the necklace that is important to my character because it represents the memory of her mother or the brief encounter with a quirky neighbor that explain something that happens later on in the book. And I add the missing details needed to allow readers to draw a picture of each scene in their minds as they read.
Everyone has a process that works for them. Over the years I've discovered that there’s no need for me to stress over what my characters discuss at the breakfast table in chapter two because the answer will come to me as I work my way through the first draft.
How about you? Do you polish each chapter as you write them or do you let the words flow and go back later to do the polishing?

Gratitude and Best Wishes

I have so much in my life to be thankful for. My wonderful and supportive family and friends, my amazing and talented critique partners, my day job and the talented group of people I have the pleasure of working with, my publisher and the entire publishing team who helped bring my novel to light, my editor whose keen eye helped to shape Embrace, my agent who has been absolutely a dream to work with, the wonder friends I've met on-line, and my readers for their kind words and their support.
To those who celebrate Thanksgiving, have a safe and happy holiday.
                                                                                                   Cherie

Feature & Follow #22

Feature & Follow is hosted by Alison of Alison and Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View. It's a fun way to make new friends and to interact with old ones. Click the links above to learn more and to join the fun. 

Q: Books are turned into movies all the time! Turn it around. What movie would make a great book?
Sweet Home Alabama. I fell in love with the characters in the movie. It would have made an awesome book.

What movie would you pick?