A.L. Collins's Blog, page 7

Twined II Book Cover Reveal!

Twined II is on schedule for a June 15th release date! So if you haven't read the first one you still have time! It is available on kindle for .99 cents. The cover reveal is availabe at http://www.themagicofbastion.blogspot...

The Twined Blog Tour will be taking place from May 24th through June 6th. For more Information go to Shadow Blog Tours at
http://www.shadowblogtours.com There will be many blogs around the world for that matter taking part. So stop in and visit one of the blogs that will be touring Twined! There are fantastic give-away packages available on each site!

Scarlett's Has 7 Five-Star Reviews On GoodReads! Here's Another!

Apr 07, 2012 Emily rated it [image error]
 I just got a kindle for my birthday and I was given fifty dollars to spend on whatever I wanted to read. After I got some of the books I've been eyeing I started looking for some cheaper ones to reach my fifty dollar limit. That's when I found scarletts.

Now I hear a lot of things about indie authors. But after reading this book I can say none of them apply to this author. I've never heard of him before but his writing style and description is amazing. His characters are so unique yet so simliar to real people that you believe every word and every action like it was happening in front of you.

Scarletts is about a girl named Jaime Williams (or Wills for short!) who has to move because she cant afford to live in her house anymore. But she's happy where she is. Although shes a very creative author she won't publish any of her work because she seems to lack self confidence. But thats where the core of this story comes from. Her best friend Ash takes her binder of writing and sends it to a self publishing company where he uses his own time and money to make her book a reality.

Is a very sweet sentiment. I constantly saw the friendship between Jaime and Ashton to be adorable. I thought there was some sexual tension there and I was right. But its not what you think. The story takes their relatinship in a whole different direction. I won't spoil anything but Ashton will definately be a character who surprises you so keep an eye out for him!

The characters are just what I adore the most. There are so many of them that I love. Noel is a hearty Jamaican girl who is so laughably feisty. I also love the character Sketch as he's so strange but in agood way. Wyatt is also one of my favorites because he seems so perfect. But behind that there's this character development going on that just makes you realize he's struggling with who he is just like everyone else. But even though these characters are great, my favorite has got to be Meg.

Where do I start? Is it the crazy and unstable personality that I adore? Or that deep down she really is a person with an enormous heart? You never know what you're going to get with meg. One minute she's as unpredictable as the weather (think of replacing "what" with "twat" and other massively hilarious quotes that had me rolling) but then she's showing her vulnerable side as she displays that kids in school can be just total creeps. She had me rooting for her since the beginning. And sometimes she just stole the show. No character makes me laugh and cry like Meg. That's another thing. If you don't tear up at least once while reading, it would be shocking.

Scarlett's is just an amazing read. I loved it so much that it's taking up most of my space on Kindle. I'm reading it over and over again. And while it's not the longest book inthe world (250 pages) I can definately say it leaves you wanting the second one. Is there a second one? I hope so. The ending tends to drift toward a sequel. If you see this book (for only 99 cents at that) on the kindle, pick it up. You won't be disappointed I assure you. I will be reading all of A.L's books to see what he has to offer.

Well done Mr. Collins. You have thoroughly caught my attention!

Scarlett's New Book Trailer Video!

Just created, The New Scarlett's Book Traier Video! If this doesn't bring a smile to your face then... Buy The Book! A.L.Collins New Feel-Good Novel is just what you need when your feeling down.  Enjoy Everyone!

Comedian Jim Gaffigan with Author A.L.Collins

A.L. gives Jim an autographed copy of Bastion: Prequel To War after the comedian's show Sunday night in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  "Jim Gaffigan is BY FAR my favorite comedian!"

Scarlett's Is Available In Print Now!

Click On This Link To Purchase Your 242 Page Book Scarlett's for $12.00

Scarlett's Is Available Now On Kindle for .99 Cents!


Just Click On This Link To Purchase Print copies of Scarlett's will be available April 1st. For $12.00  They will be able to be purchased on Amazon or right here on this website!

Excerpt From Scarlett's

"So… what are you doing right now?" Ashton's voice resonated in Jaime's ear. The waitress sighed as she leaned against the front counter. The diner was empty yet again at four in the afternoon.             "Nothing much really." She said with no excitement at all. "What are you doing?"            "Reading a copy of Starbound."            Jaime grimaced, "What? Ashton you hate celebrity gossip."            "Yeah. I like to read them just to see what kind of bull they put in." Ash laughed, "Listen to this. A list of stars who eat while they're in the bathroom doing their business."            "Stop, stop. Stop right there. Don't talk."            "I don't think I could eat while the other side of me is graphically describing what it'll look like in about six hours time." Ashton analyzed, "But hey. It takes all kinds."            "Wonderful Ashton."            "You love me." he cooed.            "I'm debating that."            "Can't. It's not an open topic, nor do you have the floor."            Ada walked past Jaime and gave a nod. Jaime smiled at her.             "You're working right?" Ash asked.            "Yeah. You asked me that five times now."            "Just making sure my dear."            "Yeah… but guess who isn't today."            There was a brief silence as Ash took a breath in, "Bryant?"            Jaime nodded sadly, "His grandma isn't doing well."            "Damn it all."            "I know." She said back, "I feel just horrible Ashton. He's basically been living alone for the past month." She said as she shifted the elbow she was resting on, "I feel like we should do something."            "Do what? I've tried everything."            Sketch walked over to Jaime. He held a large pot of the Scarlett's secret sauce as he stirred it lovingly with a spatula, "Who is on the phone my frail milky beauty?"            Jaime glanced at him, "Hi Sketch. It's Ashton."            "Ah, Big Show. Gotcha."            "Did he make a wrestling joke?" Ash asked.            "Yeah." Jaime answered.             "Hit him for me."            Jaime looked over to Sketch. She took a playful finger and dipped it in Sketch's sauce. She smeared it all over his nose.            "Done." She laughed.            "Not cool bro." Sketch grinned. He wiped it off and licked it.            "Don't… don't lick that." Jaime whispered to Sketch, "Why are you licking that? That was on your nose."            "Anyway what were we talking about?" Ash asked.            "Bryant." Jaime reminded her friend as her attention turned back to her phone, "I'm worried about him Ashton. He's losing the only person in his life. He's unbelievably depressed."            "I could only imagine. When one finds something they cannot live without, one's human nature urges them to preserve it as long as possible. To keep it safe, keep it with them forever no matter how unrealistic that may seem."            Jaime paused for a moment, "I know. I… wait… what did you say?"            Ashton smacked himself in the head mentally. He knew he was such an idiot. Nice job quoting Jaime's own work back at her, "Uh, nothing. Never mind. Hey, I think you're about to get a customer."            "I doubt that. We've been…"            The bell at the front of the restaurant rang. A male figure walked in the door and Jaime glanced up quickly. She turned around and whispered into her phone.             "I swear to God you're the next Dr. Who reincarnation." she told Ashton, amazed at how he predicted when a customer would enter.            The man who just entered Scarlett's came up to the front counter. He took off his hood and revealed his face. With Jaime's back to him, he grinned to himself. "Jaime it's me." He said into the phone he was holding.            Jaime turned around and jumped back. Ashton was standing at her counter. The girl sighed and shook her head, "Wait a second. I have a very odd customer. I'm putting you down." She spoke to Ash over the phone.            "Do it gently." He responded.            Both of them hung up. The young wrestler grinned to himself naughtily. Jaime just rolled her eyes and smiled. "What are you doing here?" she asked.            Ash shrugged, "Nothing. Just checking to see how you were doing."            "Good. Slow, but good."            "You're slow?"
            "Yeah. It's a Friday, remember?" she looked down at Ashton's hand. It was concealed under his coat, "What's up with your arm?"            "My arm? Oh, well… I-"             The bell rang again, signaling another customer. Ash looked behind him to see if Meg had showed up, but it wasn't. It was instead Estelle, the second manager in command of the diner. As she walked into the work area Ashton only shot her a dirty glare.            "Hi Estelle." Jaime said.            "Evening Ms. Williams." Estelle said as she walked back to the manager's office. Jaime looked to Ash and smacked him in the arm to stop his glaring.            "It's the Kraken…" Ashton whispered.            "I know, I know. But just try to be nice to her for my sake." Jaime urged him, "Her shift is starting. I have to work an entire hour with her."            Ash grinned slightly. He looked back towards the restaurant entrance again, but still no Meg. He gripped at something under his coat. Something he hoped Jaime wouldn't see.            "Anyway I'm glad you're here." Jaime said, "Bryant's been out of work for a month now. His grandmother still isn't getting any better… I don't know what to do."            Ash nodded, "I'm worried about him too. We'll stop by and see him, I promise. But…" he took another glance towards the entrance.            "What are you looking for?" she asked.            "Uh… a friend of mine. Jaime why don't you go find Sketch and bring him over here?"            Meanwhile Estelle walked into the manager's office, located in the back of the diner, and put her coat on the door. Shan sat in front of the computer recording the numerous and pointless daily numbers she was in charge of. She took a quick look back at the woman who was behind her.            "Evening Estelle." Shan said dryly.             "Do you know what those damn kids are doing?" Estelle asked, peering through the office window. She peeked through the blinds like a nosy neighbor you just wanted to punch.            Shan already wanted to punch her. "I don't know. What are they doing?"            "Just standing there, gabbing away." Estelle shook her head, "I don't know how you can run a diner with such crap employees."            "Estelle I really don't want to hear it, all right?" Shan clicked a few more numbers in, "You bitch every time you come in here. It'd be nice not to have to deal with it for just one day. Let them freaking talk. We haven't had a customer in hours."            The sub manager just huffed, "Well I wouldn't have to complain if you just ran your store right." She picked up her clipboard and stormed out of the office and into the back storage room.            "Right, which is why we're always top ten in the district. I call bullshit." Shan muttered. She suddenly had a craving for fresh air. There was no way she was getting out of here anytime soon. Not with all the charts she had to finish. So she stood up and walked out to front line. Corporate was going to get three hours out of her life for free anyway, might as well have a little enjoyment right?            Shan walked over to see Jaime, Sketch, Noel and Ada all huddled at front line. Ashton was over the counter, wearing a jacket with his hand concealed under it. The manager wondered what was going on.            "What's up lovelies?" Shan asked.            "Nothing much manager ma'am." Sketch sang.            "We were just talking about Bryant." Noel said, "Wishing him the best and all."            Shan nodded, "Yeah. I feel ya."            "Is Estelle in a bad mood?" Jamie asked.            "Who, crotch crickets? Yeah she's pissed." Shan just laughed and shook her head, "What else is new? I call bullshit on her all the time. Someone in this store has to."            Ashton sighed, "Well, I was going to wait for my friend Meg to do this… but I don't think I can wait any longer."

Scarlett's Is At The Editor!

So Here Is A Run Down Of The Characters From Scarlett's

Jaime Williams- A young woman who moved away from home after a rough trial with her parents. She works and spends her time at the diner Scarlett's. Humble, open minded and eccentric, she's spent the better half of her life trying to find and hold onto whatever fleeting happiness she can obtain. But what people don't know about this semi-shy girl is that deep down inside burns the fire of a prodigy author. As gifted as she is, however, she won't let others read her work out of fear that people will hate what she writes. However with a little help from her best friend Ashton, she may realize that by keeping her stories to herself she's depraved the world of some of the most interesting and motivating stories in a long time.Jaime's a kind and compassionate individual. She often hides her sadness as best she can. She doesn't prefer the spotlight or wish anyone to know when she is feeling down. She hides when her troubles get to her. She has made a plethora of great friends while working at the diner Scarlett's and she cherishes each of them. Jaime somewhat resembles the eye of a hurricane. She maintains stability despite being surrounded by people who are much less so. She gives comfort to others by being herself and driving them to become better people. She's a force of inspiration with an infectious personality that can't help but make you smile.

Ashton- The man who Jaime calls her better half, Ashton is equally as quirky as his friend. He's an amateur pro-wrestler with a soft heart who wants nothing more than Jaime to find a solution to all of her problems. He often acts as her rock, the stability she needs in order to keep her personality afloat. He sees the potential in Jaime that she herself is not willing to reveal. So when he stumbles upon a binder of her writing while cleaning her apartment, he knows that her novel needs to reach the public. Captivated by her writing and in full knowing she would never agree to show her work, he steals her binder in an attempt to find a way to publish what she's written in secret. He doesn't know if this is the right course of action, but something tugs at his gut telling him it's the right thing to do.
Ash may appear carefree and lacking of any problems, but deep down inside he finds himself struggling with questions that define his own personality. He wants to figure out who he really is. However it's not the journey to find this person that worries him, but rather who he will find at the end that makes Ash uneasy.

Meg- Spontaneous, fun-loving, maybe even crazy. These are all words to describe Ashton's friend Megumi "Meg" Tachibana. She's known Ashton since he was six, and may even know more about him then he himself does. Although she loves a good time, this party girl manages to not only maintain a sense of normalcy but also a talent for empathy. She is wise beyond her years despite her outer shell. What many call an "old soul" Meg has learned that you shouldn't stress overmuch about your problems because it takes all the fun out of life. Therefore she has one dream and one dream only; to take a step on Paris soil. To visit the fabled Eiffel tower and bask in the feel of life.
Ashton enlists Meg's help to bring Jaime's ideas to print. Although she and Jaime have never met, Meg understands the sadness Jaime feels having to move from her home. So she does her best to help keep Jaime in Pennsylvania. She is doing this for Ashton, for Jaime... and maybe a little bit for herself.

Noel- Jamie's best girl friend, Noel is a Jamaican beauty who sports a slight accent. She shares the duplex that Jaime lives at and always does her best to help her friend whenever she needs it. Noel is kind in heart, but does not sit idly by when she feels something is not right. When she finds something that is morally unacceptable, she will fight it with every ounce of her being. Feisty at times, she supports Jaime's endeavors no matter what. While she makes her way through college in an attempt to find her passion, Noel realizes that sometimes being a good person is defined in not only how you treat others, but in the way you respond to how people treat you as well.

Bryant- A musician at heart, Bryant gave up on his dreams long ago after meeting the lead singer of a band that he idolized. When that singer told Bryant that he would never have what it takes to make it big in the music world, Bryant did the unbelievable... he believed him. He tossed his guitar aside and silenced his voice permanently... thinking that there was nothing left he could lose.
Raised without a family, all he has in his life is Ohmi, his eighty year old grandmother who adopted him before he could even walk. Bryant has so far lived a content life while working at Scarlett's. But when he sees Jamie's success and Ohmi's health takes a terrifying turn, Bryant realizes that maybe life isn't worth living by someone else's opinion.

So there's the heroes of Scarlett's. There are so many characters in this story such as Sketch, a quirky Aussie technical expert, Shan, an organized and determined diner manager, Ada, a pale young girl who took an oath of silence, Susie, a high school girl struggling to find her purpose and so many more. They all tie into Jaime's story in what is possibly a truly touching and heartwarming tale about life and the people living it. This may sound familiar, but you'll laugh, you'll cry... or maybe both at the same time!