Meradeth Houston's Blog, page 86

Whilst Moving, and why I'm lousy at saying goodbye

I hate, hate, hate saying goodbyes. I'm terrible at them, and usually end up crying like an idiot over the simplest things. And saying goodbye to my best friends isn't simple. But that's what I've been doing a whole lot of this past week--I've gone out to dinner and chatted with friends I know I won't see for years. And it's lousy. I mean, I like going out with everyone, but I hate knowing that I'm moving to a totally new place, where I know no one, and am going to have to hope and pray there are people there who appreciate my rather off-kilter sense of humor :)

This does have me thinking about writing (something I wish I were doing a whole lot more of at the moment!), namely those heart-achy scenes where someone's leaving, usually for good. They can be so hard to master correctly, without getting all overly-emotional (though that does seem to be my real-life response). I have one of these scenes coming up shortly, and I'm trying to work out the balance in the sadness of the moment mixed with the hope that maybe, somehow, things will work out to bring them together again in the future. It's a fun one :)

So, question: what's your favorite goodbye scene in a book or movie? I adore the Gone With the Wind "Frankly my dear..." scene--that's a classic! Can you name any others that you've liked?

And just for fun:
How I feel when I'm talking to my students some days!

Winner of The Diviners!!

Thank you SO much to everyone that entered my giveaway! I loved reading about whether or not you might have danced the night away at a Speakeasy (or worried about your dancing skills :). Rafflecopter has selected a winner:

Jayjay Atanacio!


Congratulations!! I've emailed the winner, and hope to hear back from her soon. If I don't hear back within a couple of days, I'll announce another winner :)

And, on another note, I'm still looking for guest bloggers for August. Interested? Drop me a comment, an email (address is on the sidebar), or a carrier pigeon :)

Interview with Mindy Hardwick, author of Weaving Magic

Hi everyone! I'm happy to be able to share an awesome book and author with everyone today. Mindy's a fellow MuseItUp author extraordinaire and she's here to share a little about herself and WEAVING MAGIC:


(Q) Thanks for stopping by my blog! Let’s start with the basics: where are you from? Is there any place online you’d like to direct us to learn more about you?
Thanks for hosting me! Readers can learn more about me at:www.mindyhardwick.com (Website)www.mindyhardwick.wordpress.com (Blog)https://www.facebook.com/weavingmagic (Facebook)@mindyhardwick (twitter)

(Q) I always love hearing about how the idea for a particular book came about. Please fill us in on how you got the idea for Weaving Magic.
WEAVING MAGIC is told in alternating view points between main characters, Christopher and Shantel. Her hobby is weaving while his is magic. I combined the two to be WEAVING MAGIC.
(Q) Which authors have most influenced your own writing?
When I was writing WEAVING MAGIC, I read and studied all of Simone Elkeles books—in particular PERFECT CHEMISTRY. The weekend WEAVING MAGIC hit the online bookstores, I was at the Chicago RWA Conference. Simone Elkeles was the keynote speaker. Afterwards, I asked her to sign a copy of her book. I fumbled all over myself telling her how much I admired her books and how I’d read them to (Q) What do you do for fun other than writing?
I like to do mixed media collage, art journaling, and I travel quite a bit in the Pacific Northwest—in particular to the Oregon Coast.
(Q) If you could describe your ideal writing spot, where would it be? What music would you listen to (if at all)? What treats would you have on hand?
I would be sitting in a coffee shop with a large mocha-hot for cold seasons and iced for warm seasons.

(Q) Plotter or pantser? Both? Neither?
I used to be a pantster for my first book, STAINED GLASS SUMMER. When I wrote WEAVING MAGIC, I discovered that I needed an outline to keep both character’s stories intersecting. I’ve also discovered that outlines keep me much more on track and my books get finished faster!

(Q) Do you have any new projects that you are working on? Care to share? 
I’m working on a chapter book for ages 7-9. I had two books come out this past year—STAINED GLASS SUMMER and WEAVING MAGIC. It was pretty crazy and I felt like I wasn’t getting any time to write. So, in March, after I turned in final edits on WEAVING MAGIC and before it released, I treated myself to Writing the Chapter Book class with Anastasia Suen. I was so glad I took that class because now that the hubbub is settling down from both books, I have a project to sink my teeth into without being so scared of the blank page for a brand new story.
(Q) What kinds of marketing do you think are the most successful in terms of getting your name/book out there? (Curious minds are taking notes!)
Ah…now that is a question, isn’t it? Honestly, I think it’s a little bit of everything. Blog interviews, tweets, Facebook, and, don’t forget….the face to face interactions. Both my books are published with digital first publishers. At first, I was worried that would detract from schools being able to buy them. I wasn’t sure where schools were in terms of having ereaders. But what I’m finding is that schools are purchasing multiple copies for their school Nooks. The kids can check the Nooks out of the library and read the books loaded onto them. Some of the schools  also have the ability to let students check out ebooks onto their own ipads and Nooks. 
(Q) How about an excerpt to tantalize the readers? 
The following is an excerpt from WEAVING MAGIC.
Everything would be okay, I told myself. Christopher was my boyfriend. I trusted him. I crunched inside the wicker basket and curled my legs underneath me. I wiped my sweating palms onto my black slacks. The audience stopped calling for an encore. They were so silent I wasn’t sure anyone was still out there.
I’d barely gotten my balance before the first sword barreled into the basket with a lot more force than we’d practiced. Startled, I realized Christopher was keyed up from the magic show performance. He was overestimating the force he was putting behind the swords.

I tried to figure out how to tell him to slow down. I couldn’t very well call out to him or the audience would hear.

Before I could it figure out, the second sword zoomed past me and into the basket. The two swords crossed over my head, and I rearranged myself so I could crouch lower. As I shifted, a third sword whizzed by my left arm and peeled off a small layer of my skin. I saw the blood before I felt the searing pain.


He loves magic. She loves romance. But the biggest illusion is the one Shantel and Christopher perform together.  Sixteen- year- old Christopher fights to stay sober while fifteen-year-old Shantel struggles in the aftermath of her mother’s death and seeks refuge in a fantasy world. But the unacknowledged roots of their problems refuse to stay buried and soon, the two are headed toward a deadly magic trick. Can Shantel and Christopher move beyond magical illusions to find love?
Readers can buy WEAVING MAGIC at:MuseItUp PublishingAmazonItunesBarnes and Noble

2 fun interviews, 2 awesome giveaways (and a partridge in a pear tree!)

Just a little note today to say that yesterday, I was all over the interwebs with some fun interviews :) If you are curious about the oldest thing in my fridge (or, ya know, writing--that may be more interesting), go check out Pembroke Sinclair's interview here! (And you should check out her books, too, they're awesome!)

I also have a post up about writing catharsis on Cece's Reading & Writing Safari. You should take a peek at her blog too--she lives in Vienna peeps--who doesn't want to live in Vienna???

Also, The Diviners is still up for grabs here!

And Colors Like Memories is still up for grabs here!

Also, I'm still looking for some guest bloggers for August whilst I'm moving--shoot me an email or leave a comment if you are interested.

Guest Post by Knee Deep Author Jolene Perry

I'm super happy to introduce you all today to Jolene Perry! Her book, Knee Deep is available now (links below on where to find it!). She's joining us today with a fun guest post. Take it away Jolene:

Sometimes a story is more personal than you expect it to be.

I read an article in an online newspaper that talked about the YA books coming out that year which dealt with abusive relationships.

I'd part mapped one out a while back, and thought maybe I'd work on it - all evidence that the market had just gotten an influx of them didn't sway me the way it should have…

The more I wrote in the story, the more personal it became.

I was not ever hit by my boyfriend in high school. He never screamed and yelled at me - though I heard him trashing his room a few times when I left after an argument, and he didn't hesitate to show me when he was pissed about something.

He'd pick fights with me over the phone and hang up, knowing it meant I'd sneak out to "straighten things out."

There was one really horrible night with him that I'd blocked from my mind for a long time, that I remembered when I was writing, so I used it.

I see these cases my husband talks about with women who are beaten and bruised and making up excuses and going back over and over. One ended in murder a couple of weeks ago. A case my husband will be prosecuting when it goes to trial.

The abuse story I told is nowhere near that dramatic, but so much of Ronnie's story was mine. WAY more than I realized while I was writing it. When I got to the end, and started writing down the parts of her story that were real (I always do this for my author site), I realized more and more how much of me was in that girl.

I stared at my computer screen in shock.

I had one of my best friends, who was a guy, who I shared more with than I probably did to most of my girlfriends - (like Luke from Knee Deep) and a boyfriend I'd known since I was a kid (like Shawn from Knee Deep) And I felt this draw to my boyfriend, only because I'd known him for so long, not because we really had anything left in common.

I felt more like I was stuck in this relationship, and didn't even realize I didn't want to be there until I visited a friend in college and saw how much more LIFE was out there. It was just that the idea of this one person had been in my head for way too long.

And where did I end up? Married to the best friend.

People talk about writing what you know, and then talk about keeping yourself out of your books. But you know what? I KNEW that situation - and I know I'll get some bad reviews (like you always do - ESPECIALLY when you tackle a tough topic) that are going to say that Ronnie's actions weren't believable.

But here's the thing - I told her story, the best way I knew how. Ronnie's reactions with pieces of my truth. And there are some drastic differences, but there are also some startling similarities. So, to me, Ronnie's actions were completely and totally understandable.

And that's the story of how Knee Deep came to be. 


(Such an awesome post--thanks Jolene and best of luck with KNEE DEEP!)


Jolene Perry's Bio:
Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.

She is also the author of  Night Sky  and The Next Door Boys.


Knee Deep web site:
http://knee-deep-book.blogspot.com/  
Knee Deep  Twitter hashtag:
#KneeDeep Knee Deep  GoodReads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12987551-knee-deepJolene Perry's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002038196677

Jolene Perry's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/JoleneBPerry

Jolene Perry's Website:
http://www.jolenebperry.com/

Jolene Perry's Blog:
http://www.jolenesbeenwriting.blogspot.com/

Jolene Perry's GoodReads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4944599.Jolene_B_Perry

Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com

Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176

Tribute Books Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186


Knee Deep Excerpt
My front door opens. “Hello?” Shawn calls. 

“In here!” I say back. Suddenly this feels weird. Why would this feel weird? This is just what happens when one of us is stuck at home. Why would today be any different? But my heart’s beating against the inside of my ribs, trying to tell me this is different. 

Luke scoots away from the couch. Does he feel it too? That maybe him and me hanging out alone for the day might not have been the best idea? 

Shawn steps through the hallway and scowls when his eyes meet mine and then pass to Luke. This shouldn’t be a big deal. Except...I’m so stupid. I was just thinking how I needed to make Shawn’s life outside of his house less stressful, and part of me 
knew it was weird that Luke was here without Shawn. I thought it, and did nothing. But again, it is just Luke.

“What’re you doing here?” Shawn asks. His dark eyes fix on Luke. 

“I figured you’d be here, man.” Luke stands up. “It’s like we always ditch together, right?”  

Romeo and Juliet kissing in the pool on the TV screen probably isn’t helping anything. Maybe Shawn won’t notice, or maybe it’s just sending my heart into crazy flutters because this tension between Shawn and Luke and, I guess, me, is happening during the most romantic scene of the movie. 

“Uh, I don’t know.” Shawn’s still scowling, his brows pulled low and his jaw tight. 

“You would’ve hated it,” I say. My eyes catch his, but his are as black as his mood seems to be. I’m so stupid. Why did I have to let Luke stay? 

“Yeah, maybe.” Shawn’s narrowed eyes go from Luke to me, back and forth, as if judging the situation.Really? What did he think could possibly happen between Luke and I? Even if this is suddenly on my top three ‘most awkward moments’ ever. I can’t even think about what the other two might be. Maybe I’ve just found number one. 

“Romeo and Juliet all day.” Luke laughs, but I know him well enough to see he’s trying really hard to be relaxed. His shoulders are too stiff, and his normal stance is too rigid. I wonder if Shawn sees it too. “Guess I’ll leave you two alone.” Luke’s trying hard to keep his voice light. 

“Yeah.” Shawn has yet to return Luke’s smile. “I almost never see my girl anymore.”  

It’s like I’m on the edge of my seat, tension pinpricking every part of me. I’ve never seen Shawn like this. 

“Well, I should get my ass to rehearsal anyway.” Luke gives Shawn a friendly pat on the shoulder before heading outside.  

I don’t watch him go. My eyes are on Shawn, trying to figure out what to expect next. 

“What the hell was that?” His sharp gaze is now pointed directly at me. 

I stand up and lean to the side, trying to be relaxed. “It didn’t seem like a big deal this morning.” Maybe if I play it off as nothing Shawn won’t be so mad. He knows Luke and I are friends. No big deal, I tell myself again. But I don’t know if I’m trying to convince myself or Shawn. 

“Was he here when we were texting?” he asks. His voice may be low, but not in a good way. It’s low in a way that makes him sound like he’s past the edge of reasonable anger. 

My body’s screaming for me to take a step back, which makes no sense. This is Shawn. My Shawn. “No.” But I’m weakening by the second, almost shaking inside. His jaw tightens again. 

My eyes close as I remember, and dread fills my chest. “He got here as I sent my last one.” Is that bad? Good? 

“And you didn’t think to tell me? What the hell is that?” 

I jump at the sharpness of his voice. Shawn doesn’t need this stress. I know this. I reach forward to put my arms around him. We just need to hold one another for a minute, then it’ll all be fine. 

He stops me, grabbing my arm—hard—just above my wrist. 

“This is not okay.” His jaw is set. 

“Hey.” My voice shakes. My body shakes. I’m actually scared of Shawn for the first time ever. I jerk my hand once, but he tightens his grip...impossibly tight. My lungs can’t pull in a breath; there’s just not enough air in the room anymore. “Shawn, you’re hurting me.” He can’t mean to hurt me. He can’t. 

His face is stuck in a sharp scowl. 

“He’s your friend.” My voice is crying. I want to try and pull my shaky arm out of his grasp again, but I’m afraid to; he’s squeezing so hard. Tears are hot against the back of my eyes, threatening to spill over.  

“How would you feel if I spent all day with some chick?” The words come out as angry spit from between his teeth.  

I open my mouth to answer but can’t, the lump in my throat has taken over. All I can think about is that I need to find something to say so he’ll let me go. Some way to get the air through my throat to form words. “It’s just Luke,” I plead, sucking in a breath. 

“Whatever.” He throws my arm back at me, turns, and walks out the door, slamming it hard behind him. My body jumps at the sound. 

I stumble backward onto the couch. I’m like a leaf battered about in the wind. Nothing’s working right. I need to sit. Normally I’d run after him, but I have no idea what to expect. And I’m afraid. Of Shawn. 

He’s never been that way before. Ever. He’s moody and particular, but this seems...extreme. I’m cradling my wrist with my other hand, afraid to look at any possible damage. It hurts to move it. What just happened here? How did it happen? 

It’s like there suddenly must be something fundamentally wrong with the universe. But the TV’s still on. My house looks normal and quiet. I’m still breathing, but Shawn, my Shawn, just hurt me. Lying down seems so anti-climactic, but I can’t bring myself to do anything else. 

When Juliet realizes Romeo’s dying the sobs take over, and I pull my knees to my chest as if making myself smaller will somehow dull the pain.  

It doesn’t.



eBook
ISBN: 9780983741886
ISBN: 9781476060316
Pages: 240
Release: May 1, 2012
Kindle buy link - $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XW8JLK/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tributebooks-20

Nook buy link - $4.95
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=dcSBhG3Rj8w&subid=&offerid=239662.1&type=10&tmpid=8432&RD_PARM1=http%253A%2F%2Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%2Fw%252Fknee-deep-jolene-perry%252F1110433794%3Fean%253D2940014556149iBookstore buy link - $4.99
Coming soonGoogle buy link - $3.79
http://books.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&id=5FuWiBh0udQC#v=onepage&q&f=false

Smashwords buy link - $4.99
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/155361?ref=tributebooks
PDF buy link - $4.95
https://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=1587563

Updates, giveaways, and a call for guest bloggers

Hi everyone! Today marks the two weeks until I move across the country, away from my family, and start my actual real big-girl job. Even thinking about it has me hyperventilating. I've lived far from home before, but for some reason this seems so much harder, and even though I don't know if it's going to be permanent, it just feels like a massive weight on my heart. Okay, enough of that... There's some other things I want to talk about:

Shameless beg for votes: please, go to the You Gotta Reads contest and enter to help me win the book trailer contest, pretty please with sugar on top! I'm #8 and it will take two seconds!

There are TWO places you can win copies of Colors Like Memories right now: Fiction Freak (this title is continually making me smile!), and Behind a Million and One Pages. Go forth and enter--there's other fun stuff up for grabs, too!

Don't want to wait to read it? CLM is finally, finally, finally up on Barnes and Noble! How sweet is that? I'm stoked! B&N has issues with taking foreign published books, for some reason, and this includes Canada. *shakes head* I don't understand it, but it's there if you're looking to purchase for your Nook :)

And of course, if you're looking for an arc of The Diviners, you can enter here! Super easy to enter, and lots of stuff to do to gain more entries.

Now, on to a call for guest bloggers: whilst I'm moving and unpacking and otherwise attempting to rearrange my life in Montana (I still can't say that without going "WTH, Montana???"), I'm going to have some trouble getting blogging accomplished. So, I'm asking if anyone wants to pop on over here to talk about books, marketing, life in general, you know, the regular book-skewed slant I give on things :) It's free promotion for anyone who wants it! Just leave a comment or shoot me an email (address is on the sidebar). I'm looking for 6-8 people, if at all possible.

Now, back to this:

GIVEAWAY for a copy of The Diviners by Libba Bray

From Goodreads: Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.
I LOVED this book. It was a fantastic read (see my review here), and I am torn about giving away my arc, but arcs are to serve a purpose: to spread the love for a book! So I'm passing mine off to someone else who can love it too, and hopefully spread the word along the way! That, and I have so many books to pack on my cross-country move, it behooves me to lighten my load a little. It's super simple to enter, just fill out the rafflecoper below :) Open to US residents (or at least those with a US address), until 7/29/12.
And if you feel like entering to win a copy of Colors Like Memories, go here!
(Oh, and leaving comments can be tricky at times, depending on what browser you're using, your internet connection, and whether or not the wind is from the North. My best advice is to click on the title of the blog post so you're on its own page--sometimes that helps!)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway of a copy of Colors Like Memories on Fiction Freak

Just a quick word today to go swing by Fiction Freak to enter a fun little giveaway :) (Okay, maybe not "fun" but still, free books? Gotta love that!)

Also, the person who keeps searching for my blog with the google phrase "Japanese with crap hair" I am honestly mystified. You (there may be more than one) have visited here many, many times this week. I can honestly tell you I have no photos or notes about Japanese people and bad hair. In fact, while I was in Japan, I was amazed by the sheer amount of great hairstyles and cuts everyone had (and majorly self-conscious about my 'throw it up in a bun' thing that I do just about every day). Anyhow, if you care to leave a comment explaining this, I would love to know what's going on.

After Reading: Last Rite

by Lisa Desrochers


In this final installment of the thrilling, edgy Personal Demons series, the battle between Heaven and Hell has become critical, and Frannie Cavanaugh is right at the center of it. 


With the help of the powerful angel Gabe and demon-turned-mortal Luc, Frannie has been able to stay one step ahead of the forces of Hell. But when the demons killed Frannie's best friend and destroyed her brother, they raised the stakes. If Frannie wants to keep her family and friends safe, she knows she has no choice but to go on the run.


Their best defense is the power Frannie has been struggling to master, but her attempts to hone her skill go horribly awry. If Frannie doesn't learn fast, the consequences could be devastating--even apocalyptic.


What happens when you can't outrun Hell...or trust the ones you love?

This has been such an awesome series. I've loved the first two books, and honestly could NOT wait to get my hands on the last one! The romance between Frannie and Luc and Gabe is all just so steamy, and the intrigue of figuring out her real talent is so much fun. This last book was a nice conclusion to the series, but it kind of left me wanting in a few places. Frannie made some decisions that really kind of made me want to smack her a few times... The first half of the book could have had some faster pacing, too. But, overall, I like where this series went, and the resolve for the characters at the end. Also, Luc, *sigh* is just too hot for his own good :)

Have you read this series? What did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts!


(And I simply must share this lovely review of Colors Like Memories--it made me smile!)


Stop by later this week for a giveaway, too! I have some fun stuff from Japan that I think need a new home :)

Friday Funnies (because we all need them on the 13th!)

Happy Friday the 13th! I honestly didn't realize it even was the 13th until I woke up and looked at my calendar :) Anyhow, I thought I'd share some of the random funnies I've come across this week. Have an awesome weekend! (Oh, and if you have a spare minute, enter to win this--yes, it's a shameless plug for my book, but it's Friday, and free stuff, so hey, that's cool, right? :) [image error] Dang Pinterest Humor board--so much writing time spent laughing my butt off... [image error] [image error]