Sharon Ledwith's Blog, page 91

Authors In The Limelight: Natalie Star

I want to thank and welcome author, Natalie Star for sharing her personal writing journey with us on my blog today. Her featured book, The Keeper, can be purchased from Amazon, and other on-line bookstores.

 How long have you been writing, Natalie?Not as long as most, I started writing two years ago. Writing was never something I aspired to do. I wrote my debut story, The Keeperjust to see if I could. It was a personal challenge. As the story came to me I remember thinking “Hey, this is pretty good, I would buy this.” And so my journey began.

Two years ago? Wow, you’ve come a long way in such a short period of time! Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write The Keeper?
It all started with a dream. I woke up really freaked out, and it stuck with me for days. I couldn’t shake it. I kept thinking about it, and decided to write it down.I’ve heard people say, if you write down what’s on your mind, you can deal with it better. After writing it out and reading it back, I decided to keep on going with what might have happened next. The dream is what fueled my idea for the story, and is part of the prologue in The Keeper.

What sets The Keeper apart from other books in the same genre?
The Keeper is a young adult paranormal romance, and there are a lot of those around.
I kept that in mind while writing, because I wanted it to be different. One key point in
feedback from the story, states how different and welcoming it is in a world of typical
paranormal creatures such as, vampires, were’s, angels, and ghosts. There are none of
those in The Keeper.

As an author, Natalie, what is your writing process?
Some may refer to me as a Panster. I get an idea in my head, and I write by the seat of my pants. I did stop half way through The Keeperand wrote a very brief outline to keep me on track. The Keeper is a complex story with a lot of twists and turns, and I wantedo be sure and give them all closure by the end of the story.

My writer’s cave consists of; a big comfy chair, total silence and dim lighting. This way I can hear the voices in my head better.

How long did it take for you to start and finish The Keeper?
From the first typed word days after my dream, to the last word, it took me
approximately six months.

Do you have any advice for other writers, Natalie?
Sure, first I would say, read, read, read, and read, and then read some more. Write
every day, no matter what the topic, or how long. Remember, no one has to see it, so
write anything. And who knows? This simple exercise may turn out to be something
wonderful.

What’s next for Natalie Star the author?
Before I finished The Keeper, my characters let me know that I wasn’t finished with
them yet. They kept nagging at me until I started the next story. There will also be a
third and final Keeper story if it all works out.

I also have a novella that I started writing in November for NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month) I plan on finishing that up when I am done with The Keeper stories.

Sounds like a great plan! Okay, here’s one for me, since I’m writing a time travel series – If you could time travel anywhere into Earth’s past, where would you go and why?
Egypt! Back when Cleopatra was alive. I LOVE all things Egyptian. I even took a
weeklong vacation in Egypt and that didn’t squelch that. If anything it fueled my
fascination more. It is a beautiful, fascinating place. Seeing it in person was far more
than I could have ever imagined – The Great Pyramids of Giza, the Nile River, the
Sphinx, and Luxor. There are so many grand things there that can never compare to
anywhere else in the world.

Sharon, thanks so much for having me! Your questions were a lot of fun!

Book blurb:
The Keeper, by Natalie Star

The morning of her sixteenth birthday, Billie feels blessed despite the reoccurring nightmare that wakes her. Loving parents, a caring boyfriend, and great friends surround her until an heirloom necklace throws her into a world she never imagined.
“Gifted” with supernatural powers and an unexpected destiny as the Keeper, Billie and a mysterious boy from her past must work together to find answers. But, as they begin to discover feelings for one another, he disappears leaving her to fight evil alone. Her life spirals out of control. She breaks up with her boyfriend, Tony, and alienates her best friends Arianna and Jocelyn to protect them from the truth.

As dark forces pursue her, Billie longs to run away from it all, yet a need to do what’s right compels her to face the future as the keeper of more than her own fortune.

Check out my blog for online purchase sites: http://authornataliestar.blogspot.com/2012/01/keeper-where-can-you-find-it.html

The Keeper is currently only available in eBook format.

Book Trailer on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8x0K05MHWAhttp://www.authornataliestar.com

http://authornataliestar.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/#!/iamjustnatalie

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5424878.Natalie_Star

 Three years ago if you told me one day I would love to read and write, I would have told you, you were crazy-out-of-your-mind. Since then I have read 150+ books and written two complete novels (one being The Keeper), and I have 3 more in the works. When I'm not reading or writing, I can be found with my husband supporting my two children on the soccer fields. Or maybe running around with my camera taking photos while camping and/or hiking. Or lastly, and most probable I'm watching movies on Netflix while simultaneously perusing Facebook.Our family resides in the state of Virginia along with our old-unintelligent-diabetic cat named Lucky.

Authors In The Limelight: Patti Larsen

I want to thank and welcome author, Patti Larsen for sharing her personal writing journey with us on my blog today. Her featured book, Fresco, can be purchased from Amazon, and other on-line bookstores.

How long have you been writing, Patti?Since I was twelve. I remember the day distinctly--I was raised on hard core science fiction and fantasy thanks to my book loving father. I had just finished reading a Nancy Drew novel (one of the first young adult books I'd been exposed to) and thought to myself, "Wow, that story was so simple. I could write it." When I told my parents, my mother laughed, but my dad bought me a typewriter.

Wow, your father sure had foresight! Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write Fresco?I teach a structure and business course for writers. During my first class, I came up with a fake story outline as an example for my students and Fresco was the result. I never, ever, throw anything away, not even an idea that isn't meant to be one. I'm so glad I pursued it! :)

What sets Fresco apart from other books in the same genre?Every book has merits, so it's really hard to say. When I set out to write the Diamond City Trilogy (of which Fresco is the first novel), I had no idea how deep down the dark rabbit hole I was headed. The original idea was a blonde boy (Fresco) rescuing a girl from drug addiction, used to control her psychic power, but it evolved into so much more. I don't tend to write to trends, but neither do I back away from tough topics. In Fresco and it's sequels I explore the damaging world of drug addiction, corporate power and betrayal, even death. But it's mostly about finding yourself (in Fresco'scase, himself), brotherhood and redemption.

As an author, Patti, what is your writing process?I have a very detailed process, actually, one that rules me. With training both in journalism and screen writing, I find I'm influenced by all aspects of my creativity. The voices in my head are incredibly loud, so I find I need to be tightly organized and structure my writing or I get horribly lost. I do an in depth, chapter by chapter breakdown of each book in a series before I even start writing the first one. I find it solidifies the idea and helps me let go of the process and focus on the voice of the characters and the writing. I then set a daily schedule when I'm working on a new book, breaking it up by chapter. I tend to start and finish each book quite quickly because I'm so organized. And though I know it's not for everyone, I find I have to work this way. The words tend to pour out of me so fast I'd be running in circles, frustrated, if I didn't. I know from experience!

Sounds like a great process, especially if you’re a writer (like me) working on a series. How long did it take for you to start and finish Fresco?From outline until the first draft was complete was about three weeks. Fresco had a story to tell and he wasn't holding back. Fortunately, I'd done most of my content edits in outline, so when my editor and I sat down with it, we only had to do three rounds of edits before it went to proof.

Do you have any advice for other writers, Patti?So much advice. SO MUCH. Okay, three things or I'll go on and on forever:

1) Learn the business as much as the craft. Writing is business--not the writing. That part is creativity. But writing, as a career, is. So learn your business--find out what's current in the industry, what changes are pending. Make decisions based on what you learn, not what you think you know. It's a wild, wild world out there in publishing right now. Get educated, and fast. You'll be way ahead of the game. And always remember to ask yourself before you talk to someone you think wants something from you--what can you do for me I can't do for myself? Typically, the answer is nothing.2) Never take criticism personally. Ever. Even the really nasty, snarky, angry stuff. You know why? Because the critic isn't really attacking your work--they are jealous you're writing and they aren't. So feel sorry for them and carry on.

3) Whatever you do, no matter what happens, have some fun already! This is supposed to be fun, you know. It's okay to think of it that way and not take everything so seriously. Enjoy it as much as you can and it will go so much easier for you!

Wonderful advice! What’s next for Patti Larsen the author?Honestly, I'm always working on something! I have two continuing series I'm still putting out, (The Hayle Coven series and a steampunk prequel saga of the same) a dystopian trilogy I'm writing at the moment as well as polishing a short screenplay based on my YA Paranormal novel, Family Magic, for filming this summer. I'm also co-writing and directing a web series based on a wacky one-eyed piranha while prepping another short film about a street fairy out to save humanity. All while running my own little publishing company and trying to find time for my husband and four cats. It's nuts, but it's my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything. This is the dream of the twelve-year-old me and I'm happy to finally follow her advice.

Okay, here’s one for me, since I’m writing a time travel series – If you could time travel anywhere into Earth’s past, where would you go and why?This is so hard! I can't believe I have to choose... I studied history in university, my favorite topic! I used to adore Medieval times, but the truth is I hate being dirty and my practical side screams hygiene... I also love the period in France just before the revolution. There's something so tragic about the nobility's decadence... and ancient Egypt is also attractive. Rome... oh dear. I did mention I'd have a hard time picking, didn't I?

Fresco Book BlurbSeventeen-year-old Fresco Conte is an ordinary All-American kid from an upper middle-class family. He plays football. His girlfriend is a cheerleader. Life is good. Until unexplained things, scary things, start to take him over. Like surviving an accident that should have killed him. Or hearing the thoughts of the people around him whether he wants to or not. When the men in the dark blue coveralls come for him, Fresco is forced into addiction to the blue joy known as Wasteland and set free on the street, with no answers and only his hunger to keep him company.

Find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Fresco-Diamond-City-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B007LTW0PQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332903334&sr=8-1About the Author: Patti Larsen has a serious passion for YA paranormal and thrillers. Now with multiple series in happy publication, she lives on the East Coast of Canada with her patient husband and four massive cats.

You can find her:On her website www.pattilarsen.com

On Facebook www.facebook.com/pattilarsenauthorOn Twitter www.twitter.com/#!/PattiLarsen

On Amazon.com and Goodreads

Legacy Can-Do Kids: Chase McEachern

Eleven year-old Chase McEachern left us all too soon. This promising young hockey player died of a cardiac arrest in 2006, but not before he passionately advocated for automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be located in all public places. He was just beginning to ramp up his campaign when, on Feb. 9, he collapsed during gym class and was rushed to hospital, where doctors learned he had suffered severe brain damage due to lack of oxygen. Six days later, his parents, John and Dorothy McEachern, made the incredibly difficult decision to take him off the respirator
Here’s a little information about this amazing young man: At the age of five, as a centre for his Barrie, Ontario minor hockey team, he scored a whopping 130 goals. In October, 2005, after being injured playing a pick-up football game at school, he went to emergency where the doctors happened to discover his heart was beating fast – up to 150 times a minute – even though he was sitting in bed, a condition later diagnosed as an atrial flutter.

That night, he went by air ambulance to Sick Children’s Hospital in Toronto and the next day underwent a cardiovert, in which doctors returned his heart rhythm back to normal with a small electric pulse while Chase was under a general anesthetic. It was successful and Chase went back to school and continued playing hockey, but this time, under doctors’ orders, wearing a heart monitor. During practice, however, Chase’s heart would sometimes beat up to 320 times a minute.

After hearing that hockey greats Jiri Fischer collapsed and Mario Lemieux retired because of irregular heart beats like his, Chase decided to start a campaign to make AEDs mandatory in hockey arenas and schools everywhere because, as his mother, Dorothy, says, “He realized that heart problems didn’t just affect older people.” Chase even went so far as to write TV hockey commentator Don Cherry a letter, asking for his support, which he gladly gave Chase, and in doing so brought a greater awareness of heart conditions among children.

To date, Chase’s dream continues with more than 2,700 units installed, and 27 lives saved.

If you are interested making a donation to the Chase McEachern Tribute Fund, please click here: https://secure.heartandstroke.ca/site/c.pvI3IeNWJwE/b.4701019/k.AFD0/Chase_McEachern_Tribute_Fund/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=pvI3IeNWJwE&b=4701019&en=klJ1J6NLIhKVK3OQLkKQI4MOLhJ5KoP3IqK6IfOPLhK0KaPTKsKdE

Image: http://www.heartandstroke.on.ca/site/pp.aspx?c=pvI3IeNWJwE&b=3890129

Author In The Limelight: Dusty Crabtree

[image error] I want to thank and welcome author, Dusty Crabtree for sharing her personal writing journey with us on my blog today. Her book, Shadow Eyes, can be purchased from Musa Publishing, Amazon, and other on-line bookstores.

How long have you been writing, Dusty?Since May 2010, so almost 2 years now. Shadow Eyes was really the first thing I wrote.  I must have had the writer gene lurking around inside me for a while, though, because it didn’t take long for me to realize my passion for writing.

Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write Shadow Eyes?

The inspiration actually came from a screenplay idea I had a few years prior. The movie would have been about a cast of intertwined characters going about their lives and making mistakes with dark, creepy shadows (demons)hovering around them, whispering to them and influencing them to do evil things.  Only the audience would see the shadows, though.  The characters would be completely oblivious.  It would have been like a Christian horror movie, if there ever was such a genre!  However, my friend was really the one who inspired me to write the book as it was her suggestion and encouragement that made me even consider the mammoth task.What sets Shadow Eyes apart from other books in the same genre?

There are several young adult paranormal/urban fantasies out there about fallen angels, demons, vampires, etc.  Without giving too much away, mine isn’t…  Okay, that hardly gave anything away.  Mine is about angels and demons, but the way that concept is portrayed with the main character seeing the shadows (demons) and light figures (angels) hovering around in the world unbeknownst to everyone else is unlike any other plot I’ve seen.  It’s something that is not all that far-fetched, so it hits readers more personally I think.  Not only that, but Shadow Eyes is also more about promoting morals and teaching life-lessons than most others in this genre…even though it has quite a few PG-13 scenes…As an author, Dusty, what is your writing process?

You mean besides sitting on my couch with my laptop and getting lost in my writing until my throat is parched, I have nothing left to drink, and I have to pee so bad I’m seeing yellow?  Well, other than that little tidbit that probably fell under the category of TMI, I write extremely detailed outlines beforehand – for example, the outline for my 2nd book is 38 pages!  I then let the writing flow, and each time I pick it back up I revise what I just wrote before continuing.  Any given section gets revised SEVERAL times before I finish the book and then really revise.  Can you tell I’m a bit of a perfectionist?  Yes, and that’s a GOOD thing! How long did it take for you to start and finish Shadow Eyes?

I started writing it in May of 2010 and finished (pre-revision/editing) in January 2011, so it took about 8 months.Do you have any advice for other writers, Dusty?

Find something you are extremely passionate about, formulate a plot for the idea with things you love (whether that be romance, mystery, action, etc.), and start writing.  If it’s something you truly love and you have a great ending planned, you won’t want to stop until you reach it.

What’s next for Dusty Crabtree the author?I’m actually working on a sequel for Shadow Eyes right now.  I don’t have a name for it yet, but I’m only in the second chapter.  Of course, I already have a detailed outline done, so, since I know what all will be included and how it’s going to end, I’m pretty excited about it. Sadly, though, I can’t tell you much about it because it would ruin the first book for you!

Sounds exciting, Dusty! Okay, here’s one for me, since I’m writing a time travel series – If you could time travel anywhere into Earth’s past, where would you go and why?That sounds like it would be so much fun! Lots of research, but a lot of fun, too! Hmmm…as far as actually time traveling, so many ideas come to mind.  One of my favorite time periods, though, is the 1920s because that era just sounds like a blast!  Late nights, dancing, going to parties at fancy, elaborate mansions (assuming I would be cool and rich enough to be invited), snazzy, fringy outfits with feathers in my hair, carefree attitude…the only thing is my husband would have to deal with me having shorthair.

www.dustycrabtree.wordpress.comhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Dusty-Crabtree/266681443395939http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7UP9A0Fm78

Book Blurb:

Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil.  But she is the only one who can see them.  She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier. 

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters.  First, a handsome new teacher whose presences cares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend.As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.