Ariella Moon's Blog, page 39

Definition of Conflict

Years ago at a writing conference, a famous author defined conflict as "two dogs, one bone." Never has that been more true in the Moon household. However, since the arrival of my new puppy, Avalon, the contention hasn't been over bones, but rather, "squirrel" and "elephant."

Although Gracie is part dragon hatchling...


Avalon has youth and ninja superpowers.


Miss Gracie has retreated to her dragon cave to ponder this unforeseen turn of events. Surly and calculating, she plans to draw upon the wisdom of the Great Dragon and forge a plan to defeat the usurper, Avalon.

Meanwhile, "elephant" has gone into hiding until the plot points get worked out. If you think you have sighted elephant, please leave a comment. Squirrel is in desperate need of allies.

Dragon warriors, please channel the Great Dragon, or offer up advice to Miss Gracie via the more mundane process of commenting.

Ninjas, Avalon gives you two flying through the air paws up.

~Ariella Moon
http://www.AriellaMonn.com

Happy Halloween With The Teen Wytche Saga

             The MagickOn Halloween do not dwellWhere a wytche casts her spell.Nor stand ye by graveyard stones Lest angry spirits rattle their bones.An altar honoring yer ancestors setSo good fortune ye shall get.



Light a candle, hold a feastWhen midnight comes so does the beast.Be it jealousy, insecurity, or doubt What no longer serves, ye must rout.There be but one way to win the boutLook within, not without.
Cauldron, wand, and bell will beOf little use without thee.Drawn from above and belowEvil vanquished by Good's glow.Click your heels, so mote it be.The magick was always within thee.Copyright 2013Ariella Moon  http://www.AriellaMoon.com
To read an excerpt from Spell Fire, please see the Ariella Moon Spotlight at                  http://beasbooknook.blogspot.com/2013/10/excerpt-from-spell-fire-by-ariella-moon.html

October Release Party Extravaganza!

You are invited to tonight's October Release Party ExtravaganzaFacebook, 6 - 8p.m. 

Astraea Press Release Party Extravaganza
**Nook Giveaway**See you there! Meanwhile, be sure to check out my website's new look.
http://www.AriellaMoon.com

Wendy Knight Spotlights Spell Fire

Spotlight on Spell Fire, Book 3: The Teen Wytche Saga
Wendy Knight, best selling author of Feudlings, 
and Feudlings in Flames,
features Spell Fire on her blog today.

Stop by and soak up the girl power!
http://wendyknightauthor.blogspot

Spotlight on Spell Fire by Ariella Moon

Spell Fire, Book 3: The Teen Wytche Saga, is featured today on author Felicia Rogers's blog!http://feliciarogersauthor.weebly.com/1/post/2013/10/spell-fire-by-ariella-moon.html

Ariella Moon and Jeff Salter Author Q & A on Facebook

Please Join Jeff Salter and me for the Astraea Press Book Club Q & A on Facebook.10a.m. until noon PDT, Monday, October 28.https://www.facebook.com/groups/31980... course, the first question asked was whether or not I've ever cast a spell!Back to the Q & A. Hope to see you there!~Ariella Moon

Halloween Dance and First Love Jitters

Do you remember high school, first love, and will-he-ask-me-to-the-dance jitters? 
My BFF's dad was supposed to drive us to the high school for our first Halloween dance. But in true fashion, he was running late. (My BFF had four siblings, so in retrospect, I can imagine her parents had their hands full.) My friend was stressed to the max by the time we piled into the car and headed out on a moonless night. About two miles from school, marauding teens hurled pumpkins onto the road behind us. Looking over my shoulder at the orange carnage I thought, this does not bode well.

I didn't find true love (or many dance partners) that night. But I also never forgot the heightened sense of hope, anticipation, and dread. I've inflicted those same emotions on Evie O'Reilly, the protagonist in Spell Check, Book 1: The Teen Wytche Saga.


ExcerptJordan used his fork to chase a piece of arugula around his plate. “Speaking of Halloween dances, either of you planning on going?”


“Not my thing,” Salem proclaimed. Given her earlier revelation, I wondered what she did do on Halloween. Wasn’t it a witch’s major holiday?

“Evie?” Jordan drew out my name in a funny way. Before I could answer, he captured a lock of my hair and twirled it around his finger. “Think you can avoid further suspensions so you can go to the dance?”

It almost sounded like Jordan was asking me to the dance. I couldn’t tell for sure, so I played it cool. “Well, I don’t know, Kent. It depends on whether or not Tommy Deitch stays clear of me.”

Salem snorted. Jordan blinked at her, as if he’d forgotten she was there. He released my hair and leaned back in his chair. His hand dropped to the table, about an inch from mine. If either of us moved our pinkies, we’d touch.

“I hate to eat and run,” Salem said while carrying her plate to the sink, “but I better go home and feed Einstein.”

“Einstein?” Jordan asked. I swear his hand slid a heartbeat closer to mine. “I thought he was, like, way dead.”

“Einstein is her dog.”

“My sister’s dog. Amy is away at college. MIT. So I’m stuck with dog duty.”

“Wretched,” Jordan said.

I tried to focus on their banter, but it was difficult with my hand tingling.

“I hate to interrupt your mom when she’s working.”

I dragged my attention up to Salem. Little worry lines creased her forehead. “Better to interrupt her now than later when she’s immersed. I’ll help you gather up your stuff.” I rose and reached for my water glass, accidentally on purpose brushing Jordan’s hand. He was eyeing the last piece of pizza, but his fingers twitched as if he were trying to catch me.

“Why don’t you polish off the pizza so I won’t have to wrap it?”

“If you insist, Lois.” He reached for the slice. I didn’t know how he stayed in such great shape. Skateboarding and football must burn lots of calories.

“We’ll be right back.” Salem linked her arm through mine and dragged me from the kitchen. When we were halfway down the hall, she whispered in my ear. “Lois?”

“It’s a Superman joke.”

Salem’s brow furrowed. “Oh, I get it, Lois Lane and Clark Kent. Jordan Kent. He so digs you.”

A warm flush crept its way up my throat. “He does not.” “Couldn’t you see he wants to take you to the dance?”

I could. One slight problem—my best friend so digs him.


Copyright 2012 Ariella Moon

Purchase links Amazon   Barnes & Noble  

Excerpt from Spell Fire by Ariella Moon

Spell Fire, Book 3, The Teen Wytche SagaBy Ariella Moon Excerpt #1I found a patch of sunlight where I could sit with my back against the wall and pulled out The Scarlet Letter. I kept my head down while Uncle Esmun arrived and took his seat. Years before Sophia's disappearance and my descent into the rabbit hole, I had sat in on a few of Dad's business meetings. I knew the protocol. Be quiet and inconspicuous. Don't interrupt the adults; they have important business matters to discuss. Only these adults were discussing the tarot cards they had drawn from a deck in the center of the table.I tried to concentrate on Hawthorne's book, on Hester's vengeful husband who'd practiced medicine under an assumed name. But Hazel was telling the rest of the group she had just returned from Cornwall, England and had brought each of them a gift. I wondered what it could be. Seashells? Photos of quaint cottages?ʺI have a pixie for each of you.ʺRight. Like you could get those past customs.ʺHow nice of you, Hazel,ʺ Aunt Terra said.I thought back to what I knew about pixies. Weren't they supposed to be a) extremely troublesome and b) not real?Hazel sashayed up to each Board member, starting with Cerelia, and acted like she was putting a pixie in their hands or on their shoulder. As she progressed around the table, some members oohed and aahed as if she was a three-year-old showing off a crayon drawing. When she approached Evie's grandmother, the tote vibrated, rattling the glass table. Hazel faltered, her expression uncertain. She dropped back, and the rattling stopped. Brimstone smells hissed through the closed zipper. Cerelia shrank back.Evie's grandmother pointed a warning finger at the tote. ʺStop it. Don't be rude.ʺMy jaw dropped. Thor glanced at me, then flicked his gaze back to the tote. It stopped emitting smoke.Uncle Esmun rubbed his nose. Hazelʹs head wobbled as if she were figuring out her next course of action. She still cupped her hand as if she carried an invisible pixie.Hello! Did you not notice the real magical object in the room?Seemingly unable to drop the pretense, Hazel advanced toward the alientologist. He ignored her and scribbled in his little notebook. Thor politely rebuffed her. Both rose at least twenty degrees on my Guy Approval Meter.I checked my watch. The meeting had started forty minutes ago. Nothing had been accomplished. No one had addressed the tote situation. My face warmed again. I shifted position. Instead of sitting against the wall with my legs straight in front of me, I sat cross‑legged and hunched over my book. A tugging sensation rippled between my shoulder blades.Thor glanced my way.The more I thought about how much Aunt Terra and Uncle Esmun must need every cent the store and mystery school could generate, the more energy swelled behind me. Warmth radiated from my face. My whole body felt as if it was glowing. I tried to distract myself by flitting back to my book and my lengthy homework assignment list.I couldn't concentrate.Hazel had reached Aunt Terra and delivered what I hoped was the last pixie. She pivoted and spied me. The energy behind me compacted. It crackled with huge warrior/ninja/dragon chi — alert and ready to strike. The thought of straightening up and backing into it set the fine hairs on my forearms and nape on end.Thor's eyes met mine. Our gazes locked, and I swear he did a Zen mind meld. Soothing waves of chi — energy — flowed through me. The brimstone stink evaporated, replaced by the calming scent of lavender and sage.Hazel's gaze swiveled from me to Thor, then back to me. Looking buffeted by an unseen wind, she silently returned to her seat.The corners of Thor's full lips curved upward. Two urges warred within me — the desire to leap across the room and kiss him, and the urge to arch my neck and breathe fire.Thor's smile widened.
Copyright 2013 Ariella Moon Purchase Links Amazon
Barnes and Noble 
Read it. Love it. Review it! 

Spell Fire, Book 3: The Teen Wytche Saga

I am so excited to reveal the cover for Spell Fire, Book 3: The Teen Wytche Saga Excerpts throughout the week. For now, here is the back cover blurb:
New school. New friends. New reputation. High school sophomore Ainslie Avalon-Bennett works hard to hide her Crazy Girl past. But as long as her best friend’s disappearance remains unsolved, she can’t shake the depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder that once landed her in a mental ward.
Ainslie’s tenuous control over her life shatters when her warring parents ditch her at Christmas. While they take a cruise to “work things out,” Ainslie must spend the holiday in Palm Springs with her aunt and uncle, owners of a struggling Mystery School and occult store. Plunged into the world of fire fortunes, dragons, entity eaters, and an ailing spell book, Ainslie is well beyond her comfort zone. Then she meets a boy who spikes her pulse and calms her OCD.  But will she lose him once he discovers her past? Or will his deadly secret, hidden in plain view, be their undoing?  
Buy links: Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Read it! Love it! Review it! And be sure to visit the Spell Fire Character Board on Pinterest.

Kimberly Rae Changes Course in Blue Ridge Setup

Sometimes Fate deals a dicey hand and requires us to change course. Today you'll discover how Kimberly Rae dealt with a life-changing diagnosis. Welcome Kimberly!


Amazon bestselling author Kimberly Rae usually writes suspense about human trafficking. Her brand new book, Blue Ridge Setup, however, is a fun, lighthearted read set in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. Let’s find out more!


What is Blue Ridge Setup about?At its heart, Blue Ridge Setup is a fun read about a young woman getting set up who doesn’t want to get set up. Kayla Madison moves in with her eccentric romance-novelist great aunt, who is determined she and Ryan Cummings would make great characters for her next novel, if only she can get them together! Poor Ryan has no idea what he’s getting into when he agrees to do a landscaping project for the great aunt, who intends to keep coming up with jobs for him to do until her plan works! And of course I love that it’s set in the Blue Ridge mountains, in my own town in fact!
Is the eccentric great aunt based on someone you know?No, but I wish she was. She’s a riot—kind of what I’d imagine Anne of Green Gables would be like as a senior citizen. =)
Your main character starts having health problems and that plays a big part in your story. Why did you do that?Most novels don’t have heroines with chronic health conditions. If there is a medical crisis in a book, it gets resolved so the main character can get back to her life as a healthy, productive individual.As nice as that is, for many it is just not a reality. I was shocked to find out that nearly 1 out of every 2 people in our country has some type of chronic illness, and 96% of those are “invisible illnesses,” meaning the phrase I and others often hear, “But you don’t look sick!” As a person with chronic illness myself, I wanted to read a book with a character who didn’t get magically better, but who learned to live well despite and through her limitations. I wanted a book that said you don’t have to be healthy to have a happy ending.

Kayla’s disease is very rare. Did you have to do a lot of research?None at all, well, not for her anyway. I have Addison’s disease myself. I thought about giving her something different but they say you should write what you know, so…

Did you embellish a little with the health crisis to make it more dramatic?The opposite, actually. That crisis in the book is from memory, not imagination, including the doctor asking, “Do you give permission for this surgery?” And me responding, “What happens if I don’t?” “You die,” he says. Cracked me up! Oh, and her joking with Ryan about the doctor saying sometimes a Central IV goes up instead of down actually happened to me, and the doctor told me he’d fix it tomorrow. Tomorrow! That was an interesting night. =) Goodness, that makes my life sounds interesting.
So did the falling-down-the-mountain-needing-a-shot incident happen to you as well?Thankfully, no. That’s fiction. However, I have needed my husband to give me those shots on several occasions (poor man, he hates needles), once even on an airplane, which made a passing stewardess quite nervous!
Are any other parts of the story personal to you?Like Kayla, health problems brought me home from the mission field and took away my sense of identity and significance. And it was one of the best things God ever did for me. I hated it, but I had to learn to stop looking for my worth in what I did. Now, I get to share with others that it is God who gives us worth, and it is not based at all on our level of activity or achievement.
What do you hope readers get out of Blue Ridge Setup?First, I hope they just enjoy the story. After that, I hope it blesses readers with the reminder that God loves them deeply. If they are in a place where it feels like He has taken away their biggest dreams, they should not despair. His dreams for them are better than anything they could dream for themselves.
Where can readers get Blue Ridge Setup?You can find it on amazon: http://goo.gl/yLD3zQ. Right now it only has a few reviews. I’d love some more!
Find out more about Kimberly’s bestselling suspense series or her books on living joyfully with chronic illness, or contact her at www.kimberlyrae.com .