Intisar Khanani's Blog, page 13
January 27, 2015
New Release by T.L. Shreffler and Giveaway!
T.L. Shreffler is the author of one of my favorite ongoing indie series – The Cat’s Eye Chronicles. I’ve been a fan of hers since I first read Sora’s Quest (now free on Amazon so you should totally pick it up!), and had the honor of beta-reading some of her works … I haven’t had a chance to read Ferran’s Map (Book 4 in the series) since it released last week, but I’m so excited for it! It’s waiting for on my Kindle, and I highly recommend the whole series for yours!
The bloodmage Volcrian is dead, but a new enemy lurks in the shadows. The Shade, a fanatical cult of demonic assassins, is trying to resurrect the Dark God and unleash His power back into the world. In their wake, a deadly plague is spreading across the land.
Only Sora and her companions know the plague’s true source. As the disease spreads, she must journey to the City of Crowns to retrieve The Book of the Named, her only hope of stopping the Shade. She and her companions arrive just in time for the winter solstice festival, a notorious two weeks of fine wines, grand parties and legendary debauchery. She must don the guise of a noblewoman and infiltrate the First Tier nobility to stop the Shade before it’s too late.
Meanwhile, the assassin Crash is confronted by a ghost from his past. As he uncovers more of the Shade’s plot, he finds himself face-to-face with his old Grandmaster. Can Crash lay to rest his past, or will he succumb to his inner demon and rejoin the man who once made him a killer?
T. L. Shreffler lives in Los Angeles, CA. She loves diversity, fantasy, romance, iced tea, long walks, philosophy, and thrift store shopping. She recently graduated with a BA in Badass (Creative Writing) and her poetry has been published consecutively in Eclipse: A Literary Journal and The Northridge Review. She is author of The Cat’s Eye Chronicles (YA/Epic Fantasy) and The Wolves of Black River (PN Romance.)
Follow This Author!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tlshreffler
Twitter: @catseyeauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5138153.T_L_Shreffler
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/catseyeauthor/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/catseyeauthor/
Series website: www.catseyechronicles.com
Writing Blog: www.tlshreffler.com
Grab your copies of the other books in this fantastical series…
Sora’s Quest, Cat’s Eye Chronicles book 1 {FREE everyday!}
Viper’s Creed, Cat’s Eye Chronicles book 2
Volcrian’s Hunt, Cat’s Eye Chronicles book 3
Caprion’s Wings, Cat’s Eye Chronicles book 4
Ferran’s Map, Cat’s Eye Chronicles book 5
This giveaway is International…
1 winner ~ Paperback copy of Ferran’s Map
1 winner ~ Cat’s Eye necklace
December 30, 2014
My Year In Review: Writing in 2014 @BooksByIntisar
2014 has certainly been one of my toughest writing years to date.
In 2013 I was riding high after publishing Sunbolt in June and then beating out a (pretty bad) draft of it’s sequel, Memories of Ash. As 2013 was closing out, I started work on a totally new project while my beta-readers took Memories of Ash to town.
Fairy Tales You May Never Read
In the first months of 2014, I focused on writing another fairy tale retelling. This was for a planned anthology with the other (fantastic) writers over at The Runaway Pen. While the anthology has yet to come to fruition, I sure did beat my head against a wall trying to get this fairy tale right. I tried, oh I tried, to write The Princess and The Pea. I mean, folks, what an absolutely absurd story–its ripe for so many interpretations. Is she really a princess? Does the prince really not care how his parents pick his bride? Are his parents actually trying to keep him single for the rest of his life? Does she want anything to do with these completely neurotic royals? I wrote a short story that I loved, but it didn’t have enough meat to expand into the longer story wanted for the anthology. So I tried a new version. No luck. I tried a Regency-esque interpretation. Nope (plus, I wasn’t up to the research just for a novelette). Gah!
By late January, I’d lit on another story. Molly Whuppie. First of all, anyone ever heard of this story? It’s fantastic (and absurd) and also either Scottish or Irish (accounts differ, but they tend to lean towards Scottish). Three sisters left out in the woods because the folks can’t take care of them, which is a pretty typical premise. The youngest is… an amazing runner. She can run like the wind. Oh, and she’s smart and brave, and not only does she extract her sisters from an encounter with a murderous giant, but she brings peace to the local kingdom without killing said murderous giant, thus getting her sisters married off to the princes they love, and, yep, winning the hand of her chosen princeling too.
Not So Shameful Truth:
I have always wanted to write a story about a girl who likes to run. Not a modern day jogger, but a girl in some historic setting who just loves running. So, yeah, the minute I read this story, I had to write it. The draft is–decent. Nothing amazing, but that’s what drafts are.
By the middle of March I was ready to jump back into Memories of Ash. I’d given myself enough time away from the story to be able to see it clearly, plus I had all that amazing feedback from my beta-readers to work with. And then… life.
The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Me(n?)
As many of you know, my four year old went through a tough phase this year. By the end of March, I put my writing on hold in order to try to figure out how best to help her through the challenges she was facing. I took to journaling as the summer passed to help me think through things, and by September my daughter was doing much, much better and I felt ready to buckle down and get back to work. I missed writing, missed Hitomi’s world, missed waking up with scenes in my head. I just missed being a writer.
I had planned a summer release of Memories of Ash, and that had clearly passed by. I sat down and looked at my first (train wreck of a) draft, and thought, okay, I can do this. By the end of November I can easily get a decent revision put together.
Much More Shameful Truth:
I forgot how hard writing actually is. (See my previous blog post about that here.) Oh, and I think I got a little scared. The reader response to Sunbolt has been amazing and all I could have dreamed of–and I was so worried that my next story wouldn’t measure up. Yes, I know, I’m being silly, but there it is: we writers are not only human, but often silly humans.
I finally got my writing rhythm back sometime in November, and here we are, the end of 2014. I’ve written four almost completely different Chapter Ones for Memories of Ash, and I think I’ve found the right beginning. Yay! That’s two less tries than Sunbolt took me, which I consider a major win. I’ve also written five (mostly) new chapters to make up for the short cuts my beta readers called me on. And I’m about 40% through revisions. Its not as far along as I’d like, but then you probably feel the same way. The good news is its starting to come together now.
Hopes For The New Year
This coming year, I would like to get Memories of Ash out around summertime. Then I’d like to switch gears and hammer out a revision of A Darkness At The Door, that first story about Rae in the companion trilogy to Thorn, mostly because I love Rae too, and a lot of people have been asking for the rest of her story. (If you haven’t met Rae, you can pick up my free short story featuring her here.) And then it will be back to The Sunbolt Chronicles for Book 3…
Here’s to writing, and mommy-ing, and balancing it all, and to a wonderful new year!
Photo credits:
Princess & The Pea: SToNZware via photopin cc
Drafting: Wiertz Sébastien via photopin cc
December 10, 2014
Winner Takes All Giveaway – 28 Great Books!
Bringing you…an awesome e-book giveaway organized by Rainy Kaye (author of Summoned). My novella Sunbolt is part of the haul, but so are 27 other pretty great reads spanning a few genres. Enter at the bottom of the post!
Scroll to the bottom to enter to win all 28 e-books! There’s a little of everything, for a total of over $85 worth of ebooks. Winner takes all!
December 2, 2014
December Writing Update @BooksByIntisar
Earlier this year I took a writing hiatus to focus on helping my four year old daughter through a rather tough phase. (Deep thanks to all those who reached out to me with support and kindness!) She is now doing much, much better and sometime in September I started writing again. And I rediscovered a truth I’d been pretending I’d forgotten…
Writing is murder.
Yes, folks, it is. Not murder of your characters (which can happen), or murder of other people (though it can be a close thing if they bother you at the wrong moment), but murder of, well, yourself. Don’t get me wrong: I love writing. I love the stories in my head, and I love sharing them with other people, but the process could very well kill me.
There’s the actual process of writing. Contrary to popular opinion, muses do not like to frequent the homes of artists. I have a sneaking suspicion they hang about playgrounds, inspiring young children and smiling maliciously with the knowledge that said children will grow up with artistic aspirations and, unable to find their muses, wonder why creative work is so hard. We were tricked into thinking it was easy. (And maybe we should start revisiting our old playgrounds.)
That initial draft is tough (at least for me) because you’re finding your way, you’re not sure where exactly the story is going–or maybe you know where it’s going, but the mechanics of getting there are fuzzy. Then you set to work on the next draft (typically with some feedback), and now that you know almost all the answers, you have to fix all the bits and pieces that no longer make sense, better develop certain plot lines, get rid of irrelevant characters, basically Change Everything. But you’re no longer that excited about the story because there’s not so much mystery left. Then, if you’re me, you do another revision. That’s when you get feedback on the finer points of the plot, scenes, language, whatever. Everything. At this point, you just want the story to be done, but it’s Not Good Enough, so you keep on sitting there, night after night, in front of your computer, and bleed. (As a greater author than I once said, more or less.)
That’s the mechanical process of writing. There’s also an emotional process. You get vested in your characters, of course. And some of that story that comes pouring out of you (or that you wrench out of your chest because, dang it, you are going to finish that chapter), has to do with you. Somehow. For example, I get two kinds of writer’s block. Three, actually…
1 – The “I Have No Idea” Writer’s Block: This has to do with having no idea how to get from Point A to Point B, taking into account the characters, context, timeline and world. Yes, we creative types are great at making things up, but they have to make sense. That last part is Very Tricky. I have struggled with this a lot in the last two months. Writing about what to write helps, but not always very well.
2 – The “I’m Bored Out Of My Head” Writer’s Block: This is typically when you’re writing connector scenes between awesome action sequences that did feel muse-inspired, and writing the connectors is just… blah. The trouble is, if it’s blah to you, it’s going to feel blah to the reader. So you sit there until you’re cross-eyed, trying to find a way to get excited about what you’re writing. And you write A Lot of Totally Mediocre Stuff until you find the right scene. And, yes, all that mediocre stuff? Painful but necessary writing.
3 – The “This Hits Too Close To Home” Writer’s Block: This is when the story, the reality the characters are facing, is so deep and true to you that you can’t face the screen in front of you. It’s agonizing. It’s heart-breaking. It just plain scary because, when you look at your characters, you just might see a mirror reflecting back a part of you that you’re not sure you’re ready to see. That, dear reader, is the worst kind of Writer’s Block I have ever experienced. But you still have to sit down and write.
It’s now December. In my happy world, I had planned to hash out a full revision of Memories of Ash by Nov. 30th. That would have given me two months to forge through pages of revision notes and three or four major plot changes. It sounded doable. I just forgot about the part where… well, I forgot that writing makes you bleed, one way or the other.
And so, I am writing again. The going is slow. I am so very sorry that I don’t have a release date yet, but rest assured, every night I sit down before my computer and bleed. One of these days, I’ll have both a date and a book for you. And when I do, you’ll know I didn’t take any short cuts, though the going was tough, and that’s because I wanted it to be the best book I could make for you. And because, yes, I love my characters that much too.
And now, I’m off to revise some more!
Photo credit fine print:
Write Hard / Die Free: yksin via photopin cc
Writer’s Bloc: Graela via photopin cc
When Writing Is Murder @BooksByIntisar
Earlier this year I took a writing hiatus to focus on helping my four year old daughter through a rather tough phase. (Deep thanks to all those who reached out to me with support and kindness!) She is now doing much, much better and sometime in September I started writing again. And I rediscovered a truth I’d been pretending I’d forgotten…
Writing is murder.
Yes, folks, it is. Not murder of your characters (which can happen), or murder of other people (though it can be a close thing if they bother you at the wrong moment), but murder of, well, yourself. Don’t get me wrong: I love writing. I love the stories in my head, and I love sharing them with other people, but the process could very well kill me.
There’s the actual process of writing. Contrary to popular opinion, muses do not like to frequent the homes of artists. I have a sneaking suspicion they hang about playgrounds, inspiring young children and smiling maliciously with the knowledge that said children will grow up with artistic aspirations and, unable to find their muses, wonder why creative work is so hard. We were tricked into thinking it was easy. (And maybe we should start revisiting our old playgrounds.)
That initial draft is tough (at least for me) because you’re finding your way, you’re not sure where exactly the story is going–or maybe you know where it’s going, but the mechanics of getting there are fuzzy. Then you set to work on the next draft (typically with some feedback), and now that you know almost all the answers, you have to fix all the bits and pieces that no longer make sense, better develop certain plot lines, get rid of irrelevant characters, basically Change Everything. But you’re no longer that excited about the story because there’s not so much mystery left. Then, if you’re me, you do another revision. That’s when you get feedback on the finer points of the plot, scenes, language, whatever. Everything. At this point, you just want the story to be done, but it’s Not Good Enough, so you keep on sitting there, night after night, in front of your computer, and bleed. (As a greater author than I once said, more or less.)
That’s the mechanical process of writing. There’s also an emotional process. You get vested in your characters, of course. And some of that story that comes pouring out of you (or that you wrench out of your chest because, dang it, you are going to finish that chapter), has to do with you. Somehow. For example, I get two kinds of writer’s block. Three, actually…
1 – The “I Have No Idea” Writer’s Block: This has to do with having no idea how to get from Point A to Point B, taking into account the characters, context, timeline and world. Yes, we creative types are great at making things up, but they have to make sense. That last part is Very Tricky. I have struggled with this a lot in the last two months. Writing about what to write helps, but not always very well.
2 – The “I’m Bored Out Of My Head” Writer’s Block: This is typically when you’re writing connector scenes between awesome action sequences that did feel muse-inspired, and writing the connectors is just… blah. The trouble is, if it’s blah to you, it’s going to feel blah to the reader. So you sit there until you’re cross-eyed, trying to find a way to get excited about what you’re writing. And you write A Lot of Totally Mediocre Stuff until you find the right scene. And, yes, all that mediocre stuff? Painful but necessary writing.
3 – The “This Hits Too Close To Home” Writer’s Block: This is when the story, the reality the characters are facing, is so deep and true to you that you can’t face the screen in front of you. It’s agonizing. It’s heart-breaking. It just plain scary because, when you look at your characters, you just might see a mirror reflecting back a part of you that you’re not sure you’re ready to see. That, dear reader, is the worst kind of Writer’s Block I have ever experienced. But you still have to sit down and write.
It’s now December. In my happy world, I had planned to hash out a full revision of Memories of Ash by Nov. 30th. That would have given me two months to forge through pages of revision notes and three or four major plot changes. It sounded doable. I just forgot about the part where… well, I forgot that writing makes you bleed, one way or the other.
And so, I am writing again. The going is slow. I am so very sorry that I don’t have a release date yet, but rest assured, every night I sit down before my computer and bleed. One of these days, I’ll have both a date and a book for you. And when I do, you’ll know I didn’t take any short cuts, though the going was tough, and that’s because I wanted it to be the best book I could make for you. And because, yes, I love my characters that much too.
And now, I’m off to revise some more!
Photo credit fine print:
Write Hard / Die Free: yksin via photopin cc
Writer’s Bloc: Graela via photopin cc
June 19, 2014
EuphorYA: Setting and a Sneak Peek at “Displaced” by Christy Dorrity
I am really excited to welcome YA fantasy author Christy Dorrity to the blog today as part of EuphorYA — a speculative fiction scavenger hunt chock full of giveaways at each stop plus a grand prize giveaway for those who put together the three secret phrases “hidden” throughout the posts. Christy is bringing us a double feature today–a discussion of how she developed the setting for her series (The Geis) as well as a sneak peek at Book 2, Displaced. We’ll both also be at the Facebook event tomorrow, so come out and say hello!
I hope you are having a great time participating in the EuphorYA scavenger hunt. Make sure you check out the schedule for all of the blog stops and enter the grand prize giveaway, and my giveaway for two super-cute beaded bookmarks at the bottom of this post. And don’t forget to hop over to the Facebook event going on: https://www.facebook.com/events/627730590650828/
If there’s one thing that I love, it’s to escape to another world. And where else can you do so from your own bed, and on just a few bucks? A book is a fantastic escape.
When I began writing, I wanted to give others that escape–to let them leave their problems behind them and enter a world that exists safely in their imagination.
The Intermittent Springs in Star Valley, Wyoming, becomes a gateway to another world.
It doesn’t really matter where the setting of the book is that I’m reading, as long as it takes me somewhere new. Somewhere that the culture and sights are different from the ones I am used to.
I considered writing AWAKENING in an exotic location, but I couldn’t get away from my hometown, Star Valley, Wyoming. And why not? Star Valley may be exotic to someone who has never been there.
And so I set about creating a sense of place in my book, one that could be envisioned, and experienced, without ever having to set foot in the valley.
The Intermittent Spring became a gateway to another world. The Red Baron drive-in from my high school days became a date night for my character. A trip to the star on the mountain provides insight, and a spooky night begins with the Old Rock Church that was built over a century ago.
The Old Rock Church in Auburn, Wyoming, becomes a spooky setting for a haunted house.
In every chapter I tried to infuse the book with Star Valley–my goal to make the setting so real that it becomes a character itself.
The iconic Elk Horn Arch creates a sense of place.
Those who read the sequel to AWAKENING will get to travel to Tir na nOg, the mystical land of youth, where I hope they will be whisked away on a romantic, suspenseful ride.
Here’s an exclusive sneak peak of DISPLACED: Book Two of The Geis (coming Fall 2014).
McKayla would come for me. I shivered on the ledge, the wind whipping through my hair. My tennis shoes were filling with snow and I had left my coat in the car. A small pine tree struggled to grow through the rock. I clung to it and closed my eyes against the dizzying height.
I wanted McKayla here with me. But I was afraid that the banshee would hurt her.
A freezing wind whistled down the mountain, stirring up the snow and blowing it in my face. The whistle changed into a shriek and my heart pounded faster. I put both hands over my chest to still the throbbing.
From below me the snow swirled faster in a whirlwind that formed into a white, billowing figure. McKayla reached for me, her pale face morphing until her blue eyes bore into me. Her hair whipped around her gathering form, until she barely resembled my sister. The banshee’s mouth opened as she came for me. The shrieking filled my ears and throbbed in my head.
I panicked, backing against the mountain, hands over my ears. The snow closed in on me. There was nowhere to go. The banshee had come for me.
I jolted upright. For one terrifying moment, I thought the dream was real. I scrambled backward until I rammed into the headboard of my bed. I grabbed at my bedding with shaking hands and pulled it up to my chin. It was just a dream, I told myself. The banshee wasn’t here.
My heart pounded twice its normal rate. I took a deep breath and let it out, slowly counting to five, but it didn’t slow the pounding in my ears.
It had been over a year since I had that recurring dream. When McKayla first disappeared, I had them every night. And when Aunt Avril died, I had watched as the banshee slipped away down the mountainside. Beaten, but not gone. I just knew she would come back from me. We had never seen any sign that Cliona, the banshee who could take any form, had stayed in Star Valley, but the dreams plagued me. Unlike other nightmarish creatures, I knew that the banshee was real.
I got up to use the bathroom and when I came back to bed, my heart still hadn’t slowed to its normal rate. My body’s reaction to the dream refused to slow, and I didn’t want to take more medicine, so I tiptoed downstairs to get some warm milk.
Christa was asleep on the couch, one leg stretched straight out and the other pointed at her knee. Even in her sleep Christa was a ballerina. I smiled.
It only took a minute to warm the milk in the microwave. I put a drop of hazelnut in the milk from mom’s candy flavorings and stirred it with a spoon. The moon was streaming in through the front window near the door. I walked over and looked into the front yard. A row of houses lined the street across from ours.
My old house had faced an empty field and I remember looking out the front door at the mountains that climbed, one after the other into the distance. But that house had burned to the ground from a fire that the banshee had started. I shivered, rubbing at the scar that spiraled from my wrist to my elbow. That was the first time I ever saw the hate in the banshee’s eyes. The moment that I knew my life would never be the same.
I wrapped my hands around the mug of warm milk and took a sip, turning from the window. A movement in the kitchen caught my eye and I froze, letting my eyes focus. A man sat on one of the kitchen stools, watching me. His cowboy hat bobbed up and down as he swung his legs back and forth.
I screamed. Warm milk spilled from my mug and ran down my arm. I wiped it on my fleece pajama pants. The man jumped off of his chair and looked around. He pressed his back against the wall near the living room door. Behind him, Christa stirred on the couch and went back to sleep.
A fresh surge of adrenaline shot through my veins. The last time a stranger had been in my house, it had burned to the ground. A wave of heat washed over me, a signal that I was rapidly loosing control of my emotional state. I reached for the doorknob, eyeing the distance between the intruder and me. Would I be able to get out the door before he caught me?
“Wait!” The man lunged forward. I backed into the windowsill. “You can see me?”
My breathing started coming in gasps. I was having a full-on panic attack. I nodded.
The man held his hands in front of him as he crept soundlessly toward me. I shook my head back and forth, hoping that he would just take whatever he had come to steal and leave. He stopped when he saw my expression. “It’s all right. There’s no need to be afraid.” Reason screamed that I had every reason to be scared of a man in my house in the middle of the night, but something in his voice calmed me.
I breathed in through my nose and forced myself to hold it for five seconds before forcing the air out between my lips, all the while keeping an eye on the intruder.
“That’s good,” the man said. He stirred the air with his hands and pushed it toward me. Oxygen filled my lungs and my breathing slowed. My knees wobbled and I leaned against the doorframe. I reached down with a trembling hand and set my mug of milk down on the windowsill.
“Who are you? Why are you in my house?” I stood straight and faced the man with as much courage as I could muster.
“My dear child, I am your Uncle Theron.” He held out his arms as if I would run and embrace him. Instead I folded my arms tight against me. I knew that Aunt Avril had been married, but her husband had died in a car accident before I was born. How could he be here, in my kitchen? Theron’s eyes crinkled at the edges. “I’ve been with you for years, but this is the first time I’ve been able to communicate with you, other than helping calm you from time to time.”
“Is that what you were doing?” My voice came out in a whisper. “With your arms, I mean?”
“Yes, whenever your anxiety becomes too much for you to handle on your own, I often give you a little nudge and help you on your way.”
Was it possible that I could be communicating with my dead uncle? Aunt Avril always claimed to speak with him. I had learned not to doubt what others couldn’t see.
Theron sat back on the stool and I realized that my heart had slowed to its normal pace.
“I wonder. How is it that after all this time, you know that I am here?” His blue plaid work shirt and jeans faded and came back in focus. I squinted to see him in the dark.
“I don’t know. Aunt Avril told me that I can see what others can’t. Maybe that’s why I can see you.” Theron’s form wavered around the edges until I could only make out the outline of his cowboy hat in the dark.
“Ah, you are a discerner. Only those who are in possession of this rare gift are able to see the potential hidden in others.”
I had never thought of it that way. “How come I’ve never been able to see you before?”
“I have so much to tell you.” Theron started toward me and then he was gone. It was like he had evaporated right in front of me. I stepped forward and his image came back. “Maybe together we can make things right—”
Before I could ask Theron what he meant, he disappeared altogether, leaving me alone again in the kitchen.
About the Book
Because some Celtic stories won’t be contained in myth . . .
A little magic has always run in sixteen-year-old McKayla McCleery’s family—at least that’s what she’s been told. McKayla’s eccentric Aunt Avril travels the world as a psychic for the FBI, and her mother can make amazing delicacies out of the most basic of ingredients. But McKayla doesn’t think for a second that the magic is real—it’s just good storytelling. Besides, McKayla doesn’t need magic. She recently moved to beautiful Star Valley, Wyoming, and already she has a best friend, a solo in her upcoming ballet recital—and the gorgeous guy in her physics class keeps looking her way.
When an unexpected fascination with Irish dance leads McKayla to seek instruction from the mute, crippled janitor at her high school, she learns that her family is not the only one with unexplained abilities.
After Aunt Avril comes to Star Valley in pursuit of a supernatural killer, people begin disappearing, and the lives of those McKayla holds most dear are threatened. When the janitor reveals that an ancient curse, known as a geis, has awakened deadly powers that defy explanation, McKayla is forced to come to terms with what is real and what is fantasy.
A thrilling debut novel based in Celtic mythology, Awakening is a gripping young adult fantasy rife with magic, romance, and mystery. Find it on…
About the Author
Christy Dorrity lives in the mountains with her husband, five children, and a cocker spaniel. She grew up on a trout ranch in Star Valley, Wyoming and is the author of The Geis series for young adults and The Book Blogger’s Cookbooks. Christy is a World Champion Irish dancer and when she’s not reading or writing, she’s probably trying out a new recipe in the kitchen.
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EuphorYA Scavenger Hunt Blog Stops
Here’s the schedule for the EuphorYA Scavenger Hunt. Each blog stop features exclusive content from one of our authors as well as a giveaway. Collect the blue / red / pink colored words to make the daily secret phrases. Then enter for your chance to win the Grand Prize Giveaway–$75 Amazon / Nook gift card (first prize only), books and swag (first, second and third prizes).
Day One Stops, Friday ,June 20 – Blue Phrase
Anna Silver | Chloe Jacob’s World | Elana Johnson | Books By Intisar | Ali Cross
Day Two Stops, Saturday, June 21 – Red Phrase
Elisabeth Wheatley | T.L. Shreffler | RaShelle Workman | Kelly Walker | Hannah L. Clark | Christy Dorrity
Day Three Stops, Sunday, June 22 – Pink Phrase
Rhiannon Hart | Natasha Hanova | Tracy E. Banghart | Kaitlyn Deann | Jadie Jones
a Rafflecopter giveaway by Christy Dorrity
June 13, 2014
Today Only – Cruel Book Summer 99 cent Sale and Facebook Author Event @BooksByIntisar
Today only, Sunbolt and 15 other YA paranormal, horror and fantasy books will be on sale! Use the links below to check out the books in the sale (you’ll be routed directly to Amazon), and be sure to stop by the Facebook event page to chat with us authors. We’ll be lonely without you. 
Facebook schedule at the bottom!
Author Schedule for Friday, June 13th (EST):
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Shalini Boland | Tracey Ward | Lisa Wiedmeier
12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Lynnie Purcell | Andrew Mayer | Chelsea Bellingeri | Michelle Muto | Summer Lane
3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Patti Larsen | J.M. Pierce | Karice Bolton | Elle Casey | B. Kristin McMichael
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tarah Benner | Kirby Howell (Dana Melton & Jessica Alexander) | Intisar Khanani
June 9, 2014
My fear of all things horror and … the Cruel Book Summer One-Day Sale @BooksByIntisar
Don’t you just love turning off the light at night and lying awake in terror of the things you just read?
I don’t.
I do love me a good YA fantasy, sci-fi or paranormal read. And every now and then I’ll attempt (YA?) horror, but I have to admit, it’s not my strong suite. At all. I’m the one who hides her eyes in the movie theater when the young woman decides to investigate the strange sounds coming from the basement. Or, at home, I’m the one who suddenly requires a bathroom break even though we started the movie 15 minutes ago (“No, no–don’t pause it for me! You can just tell me what happened when I get back…).
Put it this way, if you’re my age, you’ll remember the movie “The Goonies.” I was terrified of that movie as a child. Looking back, I have no idea why it freaked me out, but I remember the nightmares. No wait, those were day-mares. I guess it’s because my imagination has always been able to take me across the line of not-real to happening-right-now-to-you. Which is just dandy in a lot of genres–but not horror. Not even wimpy, this-is-meant-to-be-funny-horror.
So I have to admit, I’m a little scared of the YA horror offerings at Cruel Book Summer - a one day 99-cent sale and author-reader Facebook event. The good news for me, though, is there’s also YA fantasy and paranormal books on offer–including my own Sunbolt. I am pretty tickled to be taking part in this event, because in addition to the awesome variety of books on sale, Every Single Author will be hanging out on Facebook to chat at some point during the day.
So… get this event on your calendars / click here to RSVP so you don’t miss the fun this Friday, June 13. I’ll be one of three authors hosting the 3-6 pm EST slot, so be sure to come by and say hello! And whether you’re like me, and are afraid of The Goonies, or you’ve got more courage (and less imagination?), there’s something here for everyone.
May 30, 2014
Cover Makeover: Otherborn by Anna Silver
Series: Otherborn, #1
Author: Anna Silver
Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing
Release Date: April 4, 2013
Genre: YA dystopian / science fiction
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Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Confined within Capital City’s concrete walls, London keeps an impossible secret: she dreams. And she’s not alone. Her friends are seeing themselves in “night pictures” too, as beings from another world. Together they uncover the story of their avatars, astral shamans they call Otherborn.
When one Otherborn is murdered and another goes missing, London realizes someone is hunting them. Escaping along the Outroads, they brave the deserted Houselands with only their Otherborn to guide them. Can they find their friend before the assassin finds them?
“Anna Silver weaves a dark new world full of taut suspense and characters that leap off the page.” –Sophie Jordan, NYT bestselling author of the Firelight trilogy
“Travel to a world where dreaming is a radical act that can save the world… Anna Silver’s post-apocalyptic vision is rich with imagery and metaphysical ideas, grounded by vivid, three-dimensional characters. A truly fresh take on dystopian.” –Nina Berry, author of the OTHERKIN series
Read the first five chapters here: http://www.wattpad.com/story/12024518-otherborn
About the Author
Anna Silver is an author and artist living in the greater Houston area with her family, pets, and overactive imagination. Her art has been featured in the Houston gallery Las Manos Magicas. She studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St. Edward’s University. She’s freelanced for private clients and small publications like the Hill Country Current. OTHERBORN, her first published novel, has been featured on 2 of Amazon’s “Bestsellers” lists. ASTRAL TIDE is her second published novel.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest
May 22, 2014
Writing Update: Memories of Ash and a Mother’s Confession @BooksByIntisar
Some where at the back of the books I have available for sale, there’s this lovely little list of upcoming titles along with expected publication dates and oh crudmuffins! I’ve got to change those again!
Um, yeah. Welcome to the land of “I said WHAT?”
And now it’s time for a confession: I’m having trouble writing. And revising.
There are always a hundred reasons for a writer to not write, of which at least a dozen make some sort of sense, and a handful are actually pretty good reasons. The rest are all poppycock invented inside the writer’s head as a form of procrastination. In this case, it’s not all poppycock. I have two wonderful little girls, and the eldest is going through a difficult spot. She’s only four, and I’m sure this phase will pass, but how she weathers it is actually a serious issue.
Most nights, once I get the girls in bed, I sit down to write and that’s what I do. That’s when I check e-mails (and reviews), stop by my social media outlets, and once my brain has cleared a bit, that’s when I work on my book projects. I don’t do much else in the evenings. But for the last month I’ve been thinking actively about what I need to do to help my daughter through her challenges. And I’ve done very little writing. This is in part because we were also traveling, but in part because I needed that evening time to let my brain process what’s happened through the day, work through the intricacies, and plan for how to help my daughter in the short, medium and long term. And these are considerations I need to revisit often.
Earlier this month I canceled my one conference trip for the year, which I’ve been looking forward to since last summer… because I can’t leave my daughter behind for the five days of the conference–even though she’d still be at home with her sister, father and grandmother for company. That’s just where she is. And as I think about what I need to do for her, I realize that I need to give her this evening time too. It won’t be forever. It may only be for three months. And there will be some nights I’ll be able to write regardless, so the books will keep coming. I am a writer at heart (second only to being a mother!), and the stories in my head demand to be written. It’s only the timeframe that must change.
So I will be changing the expected publication dates for my books. In this new world, I am hoping to release Memories of Ash (Book 2 of the Sunbolt Chronicles) sometime next year. I can’t say when. There’s a slim chance I may make it through by the end of this year, in which case, Happy Hanukkah! (Or Christmas! Or New Year! Or just, happy new book!). But I’m going to refrain from giving specific dates.
I’ll also be cutting back on what little social media presence I have. I will still post here to my blog once in a while, and to Facebook, and I’ll still collect images on Pinterest when I need them for building a scene. But it’ll be slower going. That said, I love Love LOVE hearing from readers, so you can always comment / post / send me an e-mail and I’ll turn cartwheels and get back to you. I’m still here, it’s just going to be a little quieter for a while.
That said, I will be taking part in two author events in June, so I’ll be back for those! 
Thank you all, truly, for your kindness and support.
