Elizabeth Guizzetti's Blog, page 15
March 11, 2014
March 6, 2014
Excerpt from Everlasting by Candace Knoebel
Today as part of the Everlasting Blog Tour, I am happy to show an Excerpt from Everlasting by Candace Knoebel….
EXCERPT
“This way,” Nathaniel says from the side of the stage. We’re like cows being herded into individual
pens to await sacrifice. There are closed-in cubicles constructed backstage, and each of us is placed in
one without a word of guidance or encouragement.
“Wait a second,” I say as I try to scan down the row one last time for Katie, but I’m shoved into my
cubicle and the door shuts, enclosing me in between four confining walls with only the light of a
lamp. I drag my hands down the fabric of the walls until I fall down into my seat. I tug on my braid
again and again and again. Calm down. Breathe. Calm down. I chant this over and over again,
imagining that Katie’s the one who’s coaching me. I shut my eyes and am back in her room. The
scent of her perfume overwhelms the small space, but instead of making me sneeze, it comforts me.
It makes my imagined state more real.
I hear loud clapping coming from off the stage and know someone must’ve just gone. They obviously
weren’t a Defect. No one wants a Defect at their ceremony. A voice shouts, “Let’s go, Todd Jenson.
It’s time to meet your partner.” I wonder if it was Katie on stage. I wonder if he’s her partner. I
wonder this through eighteen more times worth of clapping and cheering and name calling. Anytime
now, they’ll open my door and force me to stand before the crowd, force me to touch the quartz, force
me to face my peers in shame. If they deem me a Defect, I’ll be the first this Culling, and most likely
the only.
I twist my hands into knots and think about my parents. They have to be out there by now. I’m going
to walk out there and they’re going to be in the front row smiling. I open my eyes. Four walls. They’re
closing in on me. They’re suffocating me. I have to get out.
“Faye Middleton?” The door opens and air rushes in. I draw sharply on it as the cheering continues.
Another novice and her new partner walk off stage. It’s the girl with black hair. She’s coyly looking at
him from under her lashes. He looks pissed.
Nathaniel guides me forward, and I want to yank my arm from him. I want to tell him I left my
courage back in that cubicle, but I don’t. I can’t. My lips are glued shut by fear. My knees have turned
into two extremities of doubt, and I know I’m going to fall. I’m going to forget how to speak.
Steel blue eyes find mine from across the stage. Elder Maddock. He bows ever so slightly in my
direction, his eyes seeking past my outer appearance. I wonder if he knows who I am. He has to.
I stop right before him and feel like a bird trapped in a cage. I can’t escape the thousands of eyes
studying me. I can’t escape the hundreds of assumptions building me into something I’m not.
“Faye Middleton,” he says, his voice eager and curious. There’s a friendly lightness in his voice I don’t
expect, a sound that makes me feel safe and comfortable under his gaze. He has thick, golden brown
hair combed neatly over to the side and back, showing off the squared planes of his face. He looks
much younger than he should, but older than my father. “Are you ready to begin?”
I turn to the crowd and scan desperately for my parents. Eyes. There are so many eyes. Too many.
They form together, creating an awful monster that wants to swallow me whole. I can’t find them.
The eyes have hidden them from me. I’m all alone. I try to swallow, but my mouth is so dry. I bite the
inside of my cheek, curbing the need to release tears.
The Witch standing next to him says, “Faye, he asked you a question.”
I take in a tight breath and force myself to look away and back at Maddock. “I’m sorry,” I whisper,
my stomach twisting a little tighter.
He pretends not to notice the panic I’m sure my face is masked in and offers me the kindest, most
patient smile. “Everyone is nervous on the day of the Culling,” he says knowingly. “I was a wreck the
day of mine.”
Polite laughter comes from the audience, and I feel myself relax just enough so that I can breathe
again.
He offers me a small wink…a knowing sort of wink, and says, “Your parents will be proud.” He says
these words carefully, evenly, and I know he’s trying to tell me something. They’re okay? He’s aware
of who I am. “So are you ready to begin?”
Available on
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00IIYHQEI
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/or6g3bl
About The Author
Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-a young adult fantasy trilogy.
Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. Embracing the Flames, the second in the trilogy, is scheduled for release in the summer of 2013.
Candace Knoebel discovered through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. Since then, she crawled out of Purgatory and has devoted her time to writing and sometimes heelying.
Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ @candaceknoebel
Plus to celebrate there is a RaffleCopter with tons of great prizes: http://bit.ly/UgH7bn
March 1, 2014
Out for Souls & Cookies #5 Cover Reveal
So who wants to see the cover for Out for Souls & Cookies #5: The Final Negotiation?
Lord Fluffcakes finds a memo stating Satan is heading to a comic book convention to make a few deals with fame-hungry indie comic creators. Can Rosamundian and Tychobraticus stop their servant from making a deal with the devil?
Out for Souls&Cookies #5 will be available March 29th for $4.00 at the ZB Publications Store or at Emerald City Comic Con.
February 23, 2014
What do I do while waiting to hear back from publishers? I start a new project!
I admit it, right now, I’m feeling vulnerable about the fact that I have a ton of things up in the air…
ECCC is coming. It’s my biggest event of the year. I’m not even going to pretend that doesn’t freak me out.
Out for Souls & Cookies #5 is progressing a page a day just like normal. In fact I should be done by March 1st on my current schedule which will work fine, since that is when Maria will come down to Seattle to take a look at it prior to ECCC. And for everybody else…I hope you come back on March 1st for the cover reveal.
The Martlet is at Angry Robot. No word.
The Light Side of the Moon is at 48Fourteen.
I’ve three short stories out in the ether, I’m waiting to hear back from. One at Flash Fiction Online, another at Lightspeed and another at Analogue.
As always I’m crossing my fingers, but that doesn’t quiet the anxious voices. So what should I do? That’s right, go through the queue and find a new project!
On Monday, I started a new project from this idea: Is the life of one worth the life of billions?
Dalya Hayes and her husband Oliver Fisher are locals who run a Museum of Oddities and the Visitor Service Center in the small town of Sitka’s Quay. They watch the summer crowds. Some visitors are just families out for an all-American vacation, but some visitors seek to restore their magic in the grove and lake outside the village.
One day, a visiting sorcerer, Jonah Leifson, comes to town. He believes these old Gods will bring back peace and prosperity to the world. Jonah gathers other sorcerers with the same political motives…..
Now for the rest of the blurb, sorry but you’ll have to wait. I don’t want to give away too much, especially if I change the plot half way through or something. 
Finished the outline, and wrote the first two chapters which right now I am calling Sitka’s Quay.
As I said, the protagonists are married…so I began writing. The rough draft of the first few chapters has been written. I started it with them in their museum. The antagonist enters. They give him a map of the grove but wife senses the danger.
So I think this book is off to a good start. I’ve researched some ancient Sumerian Gods, ancient ceremonies, running a search party, and small town life.
Note: I think the heat level is still sweet. Way more kissing and sensuality than I wrote for The Light Side of the Moon, but certainly not erotica. I would be embarrassed to write anything much more risqué. Seriously, not only am I known for comics, but my mom reads my stuff.
February 18, 2014
Everlasting by Candace Knoebel Releases TODAY and Huge Rafflecopter Giveaway!
Love Paramormal Romances or the author Candace Knoebel?
Her next book comes out TODAY! It is available on Amazon and Barnes&Noble or your favorite bookstore
What if your destiny lay on the other side of death?
The annual Culling ceremony is a day every coming-of-age novice looks forward to within the
Primeval Coven. It’s the start to being initiated into the Night Watchmen, humankind’s protectors,
and it’s the long-awaited day when novices discover if they’re a Hunter or a Witch.
But this day is not a happy one for Faye Middleton. Not when she’s known her whole life that she’s
a Defect and is about to face banishment in front of her fellow novices. She’s forced to attend the
Culling with little hope for her future, but what she discovers about herself is far worse than she
could’ve imagined. And far more dangerous.
Thrown into training and separated from her friends, Faye must learn to adjust. She struggles to find
her place within the Coven, and with Jaxen Gramm, the darkly handsome and extremely unnerving
man assigned to watch and protect her. Emotions run high, and when she discovers a deadly secret
about him, her struggles deepen. As corruption within the Coven begins to unravel, Faye pieces
together her role in saving the future of her people, and within Jaxen’s life…but will the truth save
her, or be her undoing?
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
Plus to celebrate there is a RaffleCopter with tons of great prizes: http://bit.ly/UgH7bn
Available on
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00IIYHQEI
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/or6g3bl
About The Author
Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-a young adult fantasy trilogy.
Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. Embracing the Flames, the second in the trilogy, is scheduled for release in the summer of 2013.
Candace Knoebel discovered through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. Since then, she crawled out of Purgatory and has devoted her time to writing and sometimes heelying.
Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ @candaceknoebel
Everlasting by Candace Knoebel Releases TODAY!
Love Paramormal Romances or the author Candace Knoebel?
Her next book comes out TODAY! It is available on Amazon and Barnes&Noble or your favorite bookstore
What if your destiny lay on the other side of death?
The annual Culling ceremony is a day every coming-of-age novice looks forward to within the
Primeval Coven. It’s the start to being initiated into the Night Watchmen, humankind’s protectors,
and it’s the long-awaited day when novices discover if they’re a Hunter or a Witch.
But this day is not a happy one for Faye Middleton. Not when she’s known her whole life that she’s
a Defect and is about to face banishment in front of her fellow novices. She’s forced to attend the
Culling with little hope for her future, but what she discovers about herself is far worse than she
could’ve imagined. And far more dangerous.
Thrown into training and separated from her friends, Faye must learn to adjust. She struggles to find
her place within the Coven, and with Jaxen Gramm, the darkly handsome and extremely unnerving
man assigned to watch and protect her. Emotions run high, and when she discovers a deadly secret
about him, her struggles deepen. As corruption within the Coven begins to unravel, Faye pieces
together her role in saving the future of her people, and within Jaxen’s life…but will the truth save
her, or be her undoing?
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
Available on Amazon & Barnes & Noble!
ADD IT ON GOODREADS!
About The Author
Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-a young adult fantasy trilogy.
Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. Embracing the Flames, the second in the trilogy, is scheduled for release in the summer of 2013.
Candace Knoebel discovered through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. Since then, she crawled out of Purgatory and has devoted her time to writing and sometimes heelying.
Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ @candaceknoebel
February 9, 2014
Be My Valentine, Second Annual Poetry Night and Radcon are coming!
This week will be super busy for me. I have two author events and hope to see you!
For Seattle readers, I will be reading at Be My Valentine, Second Annual Poetry Night at Barnes & Noble.
Writing Group, Performance, Author Reading
Calling all romantics, all writers, all poets! Bring your own writing or a love poem by a favorite author and join us at our Second Annual, Be My Valentine Poetry Night. If you are a fan of the Spoken Word, this is the night to celebrate love!
Thursday February 13, 2014 7:00 PM
Downtown
Pacific Place, 600 Pine St Suite 107, Seattle, WA 98101, 206-264-0156
Then on Saturday, I’ll be off for RadCon “The big Con with the Small Con feel”
RadCon is a Science-Fiction Convention held annually in Pasco, Washington. They cater to all genres of the SciFi community.
Who wants to see my schedule?
SATURDAY
Sat Feb 15 12:00:pm
Sat Feb 15 12:30:pm
Elizabeth Guizzetti
2209
Now I know what I am going to be reading. Chapter 7 from Other Systems and Chapter 3 from The Light Side of the Moon
Elizabeth Guizzetti
Sat Feb 15 12:30:pm
Sat Feb 15 1:30:pm
Women in Comics
2205
Our comic professionals share the underground history of women in comics!
Roberta Gregory and Elizabeth Guizzetti
Sat Feb 15 4:00:pm
Sat Feb 15 5:30:pm
Dropping The World
2203
You have a great world! It’s filled with lively characters, detailed scenery, and complex economic systems. How do you ease audience into this world without overwhelming them with data in the first chapter? Our experts will discuss and share tricks to avoiding the world-building data dump of writing.
S.A.Bolich, Voss Foster, Elizabeth Guizzetti, Peter Jones, and Kay Kenyon
Sat Feb 15 5:30:pm
Sat Feb 15 6:30:pm
Griping About Grammar
2205
Love it, hate it, but you can’t live without it! Or can you? How much of a part does grammar play in reader’s experience with a story? Does it really matter? Or will you lose readers to poor grammar? Join our writers and editors as they debate over the importance of grammar! Warning, some knowledge of proper grammar may be learned during this discussion.
John Dalmas, Elizabeth Guizzetti, Andrea Howe, and Kamila Miller
SUNDAY
Sun Feb 16 11:00:am
Sun Feb 16 12:30:pm
Getting into the mind of the Religious Fanatic
2203
Uber villain or bit player, what are they like? Are there any useful generalizations? Are they likely to be suicidal and does that depend on the religion or the person?
Luna Flesher, Elizabeth Guizzetti, Guy Letourneau, and Rhiannon Louve,
February 4, 2014
Teaser for Out for Souls&Cookies #5 Page 1& 2
Excited about the upcoming release of Out for Souls&Cookies #5?
Available at ZB Publications on March 28, 2014
Check out the first two pages….
January 30, 2014
Cover Reveal–Dan Thompson’s Here Lives Love
Today I am happy to participate in Dan Thompson’s Cover Reveal for his newest book: Here Lies Love. This cover was created by the talented Ravven. (Readers of my blog are familiar with her work because though she did not do my cover, she has worked for 48Fourteen.) So with no further ado….
Here Lies Love
Synopsis:
When she is sold by her father, Abbey discovers that nightmares can occur when you’re awake. Trapped inside a wooden cage, Abbey is forced to listen to the horrors and atrocities above; time ticking down until it is her turn. But Abbey isn’t prepared to become a victim; she will escape.
Although, what Abbey isn’t prepared for, is how harsh and unfair the world can be. With the sun turning its back on humanity long ago, life gives no opportunity. The only thing Abbey can do is learn to survive. To exist. And that means stealing any opportunity that comes her way. Haunted by the unpleasant memories bestowed upon her only nurtures Abbey’s paranoia, until she realises that to truly live in the world, she must confront the person who was responsible for her misfortune – her father.
Here Lies Love is a tale of actuality, of facing up to the fact that love comes in many guises. Can Abbey find the one glimmer of hope or will she be overcome with the darkness of revenge? Here Lies Love is coming April 2014.
Dan Thompson Author Bio:
Dan lives in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire (England) with his young daughter and his shabby dog, Skye.
He is the Author of the charity poetry book Life is all but a vast array of Colours and phobia Novella The Caseworker’s Memoirs . His first full length novel, A YA Fantasy entitled The Black Petal will be available soon. Also in 2014, a dark new adult novel entitled Here Lies Love will be released.
A lover of YA and fantasy fiction, you can often find him writing on his blog, writing book reviews and connecting online with other writer-type people and interviewing authors. Dan grew up reading Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five series, secretly coming up with his own inventive adventures, and R.L Stine’s The Goosebump series, before turning to the works of Philip Pullman, Eoin Colfer and Marcus Sedgwick and slipping away into alternate realities. He also loves a good Historical Thriller too.
Naming Competition Link: http://danthompsonauthor.com/2013/11/16/introducing-here-lies-love/
Other links:
website: http://danthompsonauthor.com/
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackPetal
twitter: https://twitter.com/dan_pentagram
goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6574279.Dan_Thompson
January 25, 2014
Writing experiment, pattern recognition, and more about why I don’t write for an audience!
Interesting looking flower that grows on a wall surrounding the bar next to the coffee house where my writing group meets.
As some people know while I’m waiting to hear back from my publisher about The Light Side of the Moon, I’ve been doing a series of writing experiments.
I’ve been rereading some of my favorite books from different authors to quantitate how much description, dialogue, action, etc there is, then looking at my own writing in ways I can improve.
It started with reading Stephen King’s The Shining and Dr. Sleep. I like Stephen King’s style. It’s fast and fun. I began thinking why was The Shining scarier. One word: Isolation
Now the way this experiment works is, I read the book for fun, not looking for anything and then go back to analyze what works and what doesn’t.
I also reread in whole or in part
Pride and Prejudice and Emma by Jane Austen
Breed by Chaze Novak (which is fun because most of it is in present tense)
The Hounds of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
Homeland by RA Salvatore
A few weeks ago, one of my friends talked about how if you write for an audience, one gets readers in that audience and eventually can transcend that audience as more people read the book. People who follow my blog know that is not how I write, but I was willing to get more information on the topic. So then I looked at genre tropes.
*****
So this is what I learned:
As a reader, if I don’t have an emotional connection with the characters, the author has failed me.
As an author, if I cannot build an emotional connections with the characters for the reader, I have failed the reader.
On to the quantitative:
I tend to be description light and dialogue heavy, but I’ve my own voice and even though it changed drastically between Other Systems and The Light Side of the Moon, it is MY style of writing. What is really interesting about this experiment is I tend to enjoy books that are description light and dialogue heavy with lots of surprises. Yes, I use either consciously or subconsciously genre tropes. (For example:I glossed over HOW Harden figured out the stabilization issue with FTL travel.)
I don’t care about romantic subplots. I like real romance of a faithful husband and wife team, (or husband/husband team, wife/wife team) rather than people so lost in lust that they forget their duty to everything else in life or worse the two people are in danger and are so wrapped up in being in lust with the other person, they ignore the danger. Is this why I have problems writing romantic subplots?
I admit when I nervously think of the fate of The Light Side of the Moon, I have two worries
1) The length. It’s pretty epic at 130,000 words
2) Is the romantic subplot what people like when they read romantic subplots? Especially because it isn’t two people who are wildly in love with each other from the first moment that they meet. Nor do they hate each other.
Now the question becomes: why I write that way? Did reading too much Stephen King as a kid, propel my writing in a specific direction? I don’t have an answer. I only have the data.
