Jo Michaels's Blog, page 74

Word Processors for Writers - MS Word vs Scrivener

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! I know you're all super excited to be knee-deep into the last day of the week (I know I am). With the weekend being just around the corner, I know your attention span is probably as limited as mine is. *grin* But, try to keep focused as we discuss these two word processors available for writers on the market today (ones I've personally used). I'm also gonna tell you about something awesome that was on Flipboard this past weekend. Stay with me!

So, let's begin by talking about MS Word (since it's the most popular word processor out there).
The Pros:
Easy to use WYSIWYG editing program that has some awesome features (like the one I discussed here).Easy to switch to print layout with a few minor adjustments (though I still recommend InDesign for this).You can get templates for various platforms (discussion on that here).Most people are familiar with the functions.If you mess up your MS, a quick undo fixes your boo-boo. The Cons:
Limited ways to incorporate images in layers for printed version.Sometimes difficult to set up for printed version (for novices).No bulletin board type feature or note card feature.Wasn't designed specifically for writers.
Now, we'll go into Scrivener.
The Pros:
Built in Character bio sheets.Built in novel templates.Folders to manage chapters and scenes along with a cool note-card peg-board type thing.Separate creation ability for writers.Was created specifically for writers.Can change a character's name with the click of a button.Easily outputs to various digital platforms with the click of a couple of buttons.Gives a lovely side by side view of your MS. Keeps all research together in one file for easy reference.The Cons:
Not easy to use if you've never messed with it.Preferences must be set on day 1 and are a PITA to change.You must learn a whole new program.There's little margin for error when combining things or clicking buttons when you aren't sure what they do.It's hard (might even be impossible) to undo big changes when the program auto-saves the way it does. Now, I've used both of these (I got Scrivener at a discount for winning NaNoWriMo in 2013). I have to admit, I wanted so badly to fall in love with Scrivener, dive in, and use the hell out of it from day one. I'm not an unintelligent person, but to learn how to use a whole new program just hasn't been in my time management ability sheet lately. Yeah, I've had it for over a year and used it maybe twice. I wrote five chapters in it before pulling it all out and moving it to Word. I was hella confused and super frustrated.

Am I gonna make the time to learn how to use it? Maybe. I see the potential there, but I'd rather be writing. Will I ever give up MS Word as a processor? Not likely. I love Word. It's so easy to use! Not to mention the awesome tidbit of information on Flipboard about it this past weekend that makes me want to hug the hell out of Bill Gates.

Are you ready to hear this?

Are you sure?

MS Office now has an app for your iPad! It's called Office 365. Holy smokes! It's not cheap (at $100 a year), but it may be worth the money (for me, at least - an editor on the go). Scrivener has been working on developing one, but they haven't gotten there yet.

Check out Office 365 here and get more information.

Is that gonna make a huge impact on my decision of which one to keep using? It's possible. I have a feeling it's gonna replace Evernote for me. Everything stays in the cloud so you can access it from anywhere, on any device.

You all know I LOVE being synced across my devices and anything that saves me time. You all also know that I refuse to talk about anything I don't love, intend to love, or use myself here. I'm not compensated in ANY way for any of my posts, either (except by the continued love and comments by my readers). So, get on it and check this stuff out. Also, take my opinion with a grain of salt (I'm not a die-hard Scrivener lover yet).

What do you think? Stroke of brilliance on Microsoft's part?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Rachel Harris Author Interview

Happy Monday, everyone! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be bringing you another unofficial UtopYA Con author interview. So far we’ve had a number of awesome authors give their time and expertise to make us smile. If you missed any of the past interviews, get on over to my page dedicated to these lovely ladies. If you don’t have your tickets for UtopYA yet, what the heck are you waiting for? You’re gonna be the only girl left out of the party! Get yours here. Let’s get our interview on! Get your clicking fingers ready so you can check out author Rachel Harris’s books after the interview. Snug up and let’s go! 

Jo: Hi, Rachel! It’s an absolute honor to have a fellow coonass here on the blog. I don’t like to tease my readers (they’re a wild bunch), so we’re gonna jump right into the questions, okay? Are you ready?
Rachel: Let’s do this thing! :)

Jo: So, during my research of you, I came across a cool tidbit of information: Your first date made you puke. Now, we’ve all had dates we wanted to get out of, I’m sure; but your story was one that cracked me up. Mind sharing it with my readers (and telling us if you’ve ever used that scenario in one of your books)?
Rachel: Dude, I plan to use it one day…just have to find the perfect book and character. I mean, that’s made for fiction, right??? But yes, this happened to me. Settle in for a story, kids…

The guy was older, he was cute, and I was so excited to go out on an actual date that I didn’t care that I woke up feeling ill. Nothing was keeping my butt home. I was thirteen and he was seventeen, but we met in my church’s youth group so my mom knew him. Even though she was cool with me dating him, she refused to let me ride in his car, so she picked him up. He got in the backseat of our minivan and for some reason (maybe it was a move?), he mentioned he’d forgotten to put on his cologne and preceded to take out the bottle and douse himself with it.
Prior to this experience, I loved the smell of Cool Water. After? Not so much.
Anyhoo, my mom smelled how strong it was from the front and subtly opened the back windows (tee hee). We went to my house first to hang out, and I have a picture of us somewhere—I’m as white as a ghost. I was so ill, but I was also one determined chica. He went to the movies next and we sat down in the theater (the film was Look Who’s Talking 2, by the way. Dating myself there), and when the lights went dark, he leaned close.
The smell of the cologne hit my nose, and I leaned away. He thought it was a game. I leaned away, he leaned close, I leaned away, he leaned close again. Finally, I jumped up and screamed I’d be right back…but sadly, I only made it to the trashcan right outside our theatre before tossing my cookies. Right as the neighboring theater let out. Head over the trashcan, my date patting my back, I heard a little boy ask his mom if I’d be okay. It was classic.
The dude was a sweetheart and even asked me out again. But I have a feeling neither of us have ever forgot that day LOL

Jo: That's funny. Poor you. Poor him. How embarrassing! Thanks for sharing though. *grin* I saw one of your books was Historical Romance/Science Fiction (I’m a lover of Historical novels) and was set in 1500 Florence, Italy. Having written a Historical Fiction novel myself, I know the time it takes to get it right. Care to share how much research you did on the era before writing the book, and what you may have learned that’s interesting/cool?
Rachel: I did a TON of research for sure. My favorite resources were the videos on the Renaissance from the kids section (they spoke my language) and a travel book written like a tourist guide to Florence, but it’s set in that time (Renaissance Florence on 5 Florins A Day). I have a huge binder filled with notes and I’d say that part of the pre-plotting took about a month. Strangely enough, it was book two, A Tale of Two Centuries, where it’s a sixteenth century girl who time travels to present day, that took the most research. See, I purposefully wrote book one with the main character super slangy and the characters in the past very proper as a fun way to constantly be showing the fish out of water contrast. Then I get to book two with a very formal first person narrator who could only use words that were in existence then...at least until she learned others in our time. I constantly had to stop and look up the etymology of different words and seeing the world through historic eyes.
Cool? In My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, I researched their dances extensively, watched video instruction, and even got off my butt and did it with them! As for A Tale of Two Centuries, the hero is a surfer, something I knew nothing about, so I spent a few days learning everything I can via YouTube. My favorite reviews are ones that mention how they can tell I love to surf ;)

Jo: I totally get where you're coming from. Yassa was an exercise in patience and research, too. *bows* You’re from New Orleans, eh? I grew up in Lake Charles, myself. I love meeting folks from my home state, but I know I miss certain things about it. What do you miss the most now that you live in Houston? Do you skip over the border often for a visit?
Rachel: I go home as often as I can, as I have many relatives still there. Luckily, most of the food can be found in Houston, so that’s not as big an issue, but there’s nothing like a Danny & Clyde’s shrimp po-boy or a Pat O’Brien’s hurricane.

Jo: Nothing like a Pat O'Brien's hurricane!! *misses boudin* I miss the food most. LOL I read that you’re a meticulous plotter. I’m dying to know if you’ve ever pantsed a novel and how many hours you put into creating your plot lines.
Rachel: ONE time I co-wrote a novella with a friend in eleven days, and we had to pants it. That was the most stressful experience of my life LOL. I don’t think I’ll ever do that again. I am a huge plotter, and because of all the work that I do ahead of time, I don’t have to edit for plot holes or anything like that once I’m done. And I actually edit my chapters as I write, so when I reach the last chapter, it’s usually in my editor’s hands the next week. As for how long it takes to plot my stories, I’d say two weeks is a good estimate. Sometimes it comes together in a week, but between interviewing all my characters, casting them, creating my story soundtracks for inspiration, doing my character arcs, and GMCs, weaving those with story theme and central questions…yeah, two weeks is usually the norm.

Jo: I'm a total pantser. I don't have the patience for an outline. You may be my hero. *smiles* Rapid fire questions! Who’s your favorite Food Network star?
Rachel: Bobby Flay

Jo: Rock on, Bobby Flay! Love him! Favorite kind of cuisine?
Rachel: Mexican

Jo: I love Mexican food, too. Yum! Time for the alien question of the interview! I see you attended the Vegas Valley Book Festival in 2013. Did you go look at the super secret airplane base right outside the city? Were you nervous being so close to Area 51?
Rachel: HA! No, I didn’t… I was only there for a very short time, unfortunately, and saw very little. Thankfully, my girl Lisa Burstein took me on a rapid fire tour of the strip the last night I was there, otherwise the only thing I would’ve seen was the inside of the airport, the local high school I visited, and the book festival LOL.
But next time…. ;)

Jo: When you go back to Vegas, make time to really do a tour. It blew me away with its hugeness. I've never seen anything like it. You should also go to Bobby Flay's restaurant there: Mesa (the food is off the hook awesome). Do you ever wish your kids were in public school so you’d have more time to write, or did you decide to homeschool your two daughters for a specific reason?
Rachel: I know I wouldn’t trade homeschooling them for anything in the world—the memories we form learning together are priceless. But, some days, when the deadlines for new projects are piling up, and I have guest posts to write for releasing books, and other books coming in for edits, I daydream (just for a minute) of a house that is quiet eight full hours a day. Wow…I don’t know what I’d do with myself (tee hee)

Jo: You actually get a lot done. I was nervous about my daughter starting school but I wouldn't trade all that free time for the world now. LOL Good for you for making that a priority in your life. Now, please tell us about your publisher, Entangled. Where did you find them, and what can we expect to see from you via them next? Do you have anything with a different publisher?
Rachel: I’m blessed to have two publishers, Entangled (Bliss and Teen), and Spencer Hill Contemporary. They are both fabulous!! My first agent is actually responsible for both relationships, and I’m so happy with the editors and team I work with at both houses.
In 2014, I have My Not So Super Sweet Life (YA) and Crazy in Love (adult) releasing with Entangled, and The Fine Art of Pretending (YA) releasing with Spencer Hill Contemporary. I then have another YA and a NA project releasing with SHC in 2015.

Jo: Congratulations! I know a ton of people would kill to be in your shoes. That's awesome! I saw you’ve made the leap into Adult Romance with your book Taste the Heat. What made you jump out of YA?
Rachel: Yep! I have two adult books out now, Taste the Heat and Seven Day Fiance, and can’t wait for readers to get book three, Crazy in Love. I actually JUST finished the first draft on Friday (woot!). As for making that jump, my current editor with the teen line is also in charge of the Bliss adult line. Considering that line is often romantic comedies, focus on family and heart and are a bit sweeter in nature, it felt like a natural, easy transition. Plus, I read a lot of new adult and adult in my spare time, so I was eager for the challenge. Also, I really wanted to tell stories based on my experience growing up in New Orleans, and this gave me a great opportunity to do that.

Jo: I'm actually not a huge fan of romance, but because they're set in New Orleans, how can I not check them out? How many cons to you attend each year and which ones are they?
Rachel: It depends, but this year, I’m doing a ton. This year, I’ve already attended Authors are My Rockstars, Montgomery Book Festival, The Houston Author Bash, and Austin Book Fest. Later this year, I’ll be attending RT (Romantic Times), BEA, RWA, UtopYA, Houston Indie, Chapter by Chapter, NOLA DitterCon, the Louisiana Book Festival, and Houston Book Rave.
Yeah, that’s a lot ;)

Jo: Girl, you wore me out just reading that. Good luck this year! *grin* Anything I didn’t ask that you’d like to share?
Rachel: Be on the lookout in April for the hashtag #SuperSweetRead. We’re doing a month-long read along of books 1 and 2 in my YA series before book 3, My Not So Super Sweet Life, releases April 21st. There’s gonna be tons of prizes and silliness. Because, well, I love giving away stuff, and I’m a silly dork.

Jo: Sounds like fun! Awesome insider tip. Thank you, Rachel, for doing this interview! I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA Con in June.
Rachel: Can’t wait to meet YOU! Thanks so much for having me <3

Now it’s time to tell you about Rachel’s featured book!

Title: A Tale of Two Centuries
Author: Rachel Harris
Genre: Fantasy Romance with Historical elements
Length (print): 320 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $5.69 B&N $5.69 iTunes $5.69

Synopsis: Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Rachel a follow on social media?
Facebook: Rachel Harris Author
Twitter: @RachelHarrisBks
Blog: Rachel Harris Writes

I hope you all enjoyed meeting the lovely Ms. Harris!

If you have questions you’d like to ask Rachel, drop them in the comments below.

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Cover Reveal - Chasing Shadows

Happy freaking Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you a cover reveal post for Ms. Tia Silverthorne Bach's new young adult paranormal title Chasing Shadows. It's book two of the Tala Prophecy series and I just know you're gonna love it! Strap in and get ready. As always, we'll start with a little information about the book. How about a blurb?

About Chasing Shadows (Tala Prophecy, Book 2)
Reagan thought one night changed her life forever, but her fate was written long ago.

Merging creature and white blood,One of flame, one of night,At eighteen years it will commence,Spiritual warrior and power,Will bring an end to the lawless ones.
A war looms: One that pits brother against brother for werewolf supremacy. Angels and demons will each have a say before a victor is chosen.
With her eighteenth birthday only six months away, time is running out. Reagan must find a way to harness the two powerful, ancient bloodlines coursing through her: Werewolf and Wiccan. Then, she has to figure out her role in the century-old prophecy foretold by her  great-grandmother.
However, if Reagan can’t save her family from her most vicious rival, Rafe, the forces of Hell will be unleashed and the war will be over before it starts.

Add Chasing Shadows to GoodReads

Cover design by Jo Michaels

On to the cover! First, the front (be sure you click to view it full-sized so you can get the subtleties):


Isn't it pretty? Now, how about that full wrap?


I hear the oooohs and ahhhhhs now *grin*

About the Author

Tia Silverthorne Bach is an avid reader, sometimes runner, involved wife and mother, and rabid grammar hound in addition to being a multi-genre writer. Her three daughters were born in Chicago, San Diego, and Baltimore; and she feels fortunate to have called many places home. She's the award-winning co-author of Depression Cookies, a coming of age story written with her mother. Tia's office is wherever her laptop takes her and any place that's conducive to  allowing a wild imagination like hers to flourish.


Connect with Tia: Website , Blog , Facebook , Twitter , and GoodReads .

Yeah! How much do you love this cover? Are you planning to read it? You should. It's amazing. If you haven't read Chasing Memories yet, you need to get your butts over to Amazon and grab a copy right now.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Cover Reveal - Shady Bay

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I take you on a magical ride to Shady Bay, a novel by author Casey L. Bond! Sit back, relax, and enjoy!



Thank you so much for checking out the cover of Shady Bay. This is a short, beachy read but it's not small on emotion.


Shady Bay:

Sometimes the hardest thing for a proud person to do is lean on others.
Since her father went to prison, Mercy Taylor’s life has been crap. With forty dollars in her pocket, and a determined look on her face, Mercy decides to do something about it. She hitch-hikes her way to Myrtle Beach to start fresh.

Never say it can’t get worse, because for Mercy, it does. For her, rock bottom consists of eating out of a trash can. But, once you’ve hit bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up.

Jaxon Harrison left Devil Creek, West Virginia for a new start. He’d fallen in love and had given his heart to a woman who had chewed it up and spit it out. He doesn’t need that kind of heartache again. The problem is, there’s a sweet, stubborn girl who refuses to get out of his head.

The moment when you get your feet firmly set on the ground, life tends to throw something else your way. What will the future hold for Mercy and Jaxon?

Let's take a look at the full cover!

Releasing May 2014!
Now, what did you all think of that little piece of awesome?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Guest Post by Alison Pensy

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I welcome back Ms. Alison Pensy. She's gonna regale you all with a few words about writing what you know (something I talk a lot about here on the blog). This one may jerk some tears out of you, so be prepared. As you may know, Ms. Pensy is one of the authors attending UtopYA Con in June of this year. If you don't know what UtopYA is or don't have tickets to the event yet, go here and pick yours up now. You don't wanna miss out on this one! Without further ado, I give you Ms. Pensy's guest post:

Write What You Knowby Alison Pensy
Firstly, I'd like to thank Jo for inviting me to be a guest on her blog. It's an honor to be here. I hope you enjoy the post.

I'm going to talk today about how drawing upon life's ups and downs can give your writing and your characters more depth.

Something very sad happened to me last Monday. It was inevitable, I knew that, I was just hoping for a little more time. At around 9:30am I put my arms around a very special friend who'd been in my life for twelve years, buried my face in her soft fur as the vet did his thing, and sobbed into her neck as she fell asleep in my arms never again to wake up. It was possibly the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. One of my best friends had just died in my arms. I felt that time momentarily stood still, I wished it would because I didn't want to let her go. My body was racked with sobs, my face would have fit neatly into a zombie movie without the need for stage makeup, and my heart hurt, it literally hurt, and continued to do so for hours after I'd left the vet's office carrying an empty collar, and made my way home.

Experiences like this are tough, but we all go through various things in life that, although being the last thing we are thinking at that moment in time, have the potential to give our writing much more depth. How else would you be able to describe the emotional and physical pain of losing a loved one to any kind of degree without experiencing it? Yes, you could say it was gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, traumatic, or countless other adjectives, but would you know that you actually got pains in your chest from it? I didn't, until I just experienced it the other day. Would you know how to describe it to a degree that the reader could feel it too? Maybe not.

It's not just the sad stuff. Life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns. When I first started writing, I kept seeing the same quote, time after time…"Write what you know." When I first saw this, I took its meaning literally because the book I happened to be writing was using my adventures backpacking around Australia when I was twenty. I threw in some romance, which wasn't part of my real-life adventure, and ended up with an NA romantic comedy. I am probably the clumsiest person on the face of the earth and I got myself a job as a jillaroo (Aussie cowgirl) working on a sheep station in the outback for six months. How I got out with all my limbs intact is still a mystery. For goodness sakes, they let me loose with a tractor, and a motorbike! Me… on a motorbike…chasing sheep *clutches sides*. I was the quintessential Bridget Jones and all around comic relief for the family who owned the station. Writing what I knew for that novel was not a stretch.

It wasn't until I had the urge to write a fantasy novel that the true meaning behind "write what you know" hit me between the eyes. I didn't know anything about faeries, dragons, red caps, Valkyries etc, other than what I'd read in other fantasy novels or on Wikipedia, let's face it, who does? It was then I realized "write what you know" went much deeper. If I infused my characters with emotions that I had felt throughout various experiences in my life, I could make them more three dimensional. They would come alive on the page and to the reader.

It doesn't stop there, though. Writing who you know can also help develop some very interesting characters and it can be very cathartic to boot *rubs hands together*. I had a lot of fun using an ex-boss, who made my early career life a living hell, as the basis for a slimy toad of a character in one of my books. Someone else I had the misfortune to know was also drawn upon for another less than savory character. Then there's the good guys. Lots of my hero characters portray traits from my real life hero…my husband. The female characters portray traits from my BFF's, the list is endless really, but writing what and who I know has certainly helped me become a better writer.

How about you? Do you draw on situations and/or real people who've impacted your life whether good or bad, to help you develop your characters and give them more depth?

~ Alison Pensy

How was that for a guest post? Pretty awesome, huh? Get your fingers in the clicking mode and go give Alison a follow on Goodreads or give her author page on Amazon a like.

Because I'm playing a bit of catchup here, you'll get to meet Ms. Rachel Harris on Thursday, so be sure and come on back for that!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Blitz - First Impression

First Impression A Shadow Maven Paranormalby Pauline CreedenPublished on March 22, 2014Goodreads | AmazonNow on sale for only .99cents for a limited time! Pick up your copy now!

Chira Kelly thought she didn’t
need anyone…until she met Ben.


Because of one ugly rumor, Chira lives as an outcast at her school. Which is fine with her, because she works better alone. Always has, always will. And at least she has her one and only true friend, Tasha. When Tasha insists that they join a group to visit a possibly haunted abandoned old schoolhouse, she's wary, but joins her friend. Because of that decision, their lives are in jeopardy as a malevolent spirit targets the group. Tragedies and accidents pick them off one by one, and Chira finds herself drawn to the one person who can see the truth. But can he protect her?

EXCERPT She rips my hall pass from her pad and points it toward the young man sitting across from her desk. “Chira Kelley, meet Ben Oscuro. He’s new here and needs someone to show him around. It just so happens he’s also a member of class 18B.”I finally lay my eyes on the boy. He doesn’t look up at me, and his disheveled dark hair is just long enough that it hides his eyes. But he pushes himself up from his chair and his slim form towers over me. He’s at least six feet two and his uniform is almost as crumpled as his hair. He swings his backpack onto a strong, square shoulder and nibbles his full bottom lip. His smooth olive skin and dark hair make him look like a foreign rocker, and there’s something about him
that seems vaguely familiar.“Here’s a copy of his class schedule. When you’re not in the same class, I want you to leave a few minutes early and help him find the next class room. That’s your job for today. Got it?”I swallow back and resist sniffling again. Taking the hall pass and the copy of the schedule from her, I say, “Um…sure.” “Excellent. Robin, you’re off the hook.” The office aide pumps a fist in the air before returning to file more papers in the cabinet. The secretary’s chair squeals a dismissal, and Mrs. Campbell picks up her phone, returning to her duties without another word.Ben pulls open the office door and stands to the side to allow me to go first. The hallway that was empty only a short while ago is now full of students and their incessant conversations. With a shrug, I eye his class schedule quickly. Except for second and sixth period, we have exactly the same schedule. He’s in all of the advanced classes, too. Only he has gym for second period and Latin for sixth – opposite of my schedule, except I take French. Piece of cake.I glance up at him again, and his eyes meet mine. My breath hitches. His intense gaze makes me feel like he’s measuring me. The dark pools of his eyes seem deep and bottomless, but there’s something strange about them. They’re brown, but he has colored contacts. Why would anyone color their eyes brown?My heart flutters. A sniffle escapes me before I can stop it. Ugh. I clear my throat and start in the direction of first period. “Follow me.”We elbow our way down the freshman hall toward the second floor, but before we start up I point down the way. “Do you know what your locker number is?”Ben nods and pushes his backpack up on his shoulder further.I wait for a second and then smile. “What is it?”“706.” He has a slight accent and his voice is deeper than I expect. I suppress a shiver at the jolt that the musical timbre of his voice sends through my body. I’m resonating like a tuning fork. II really want him to speak again with every fiber of my being. What’s with me?“Uh…okay.” I swallow, trying to regain composure. And take him to the general area of the locker. “Here it is.”He looks at it, nods, and returns his hard gaze to me. Is he always so stiff? Probably just nerves from being new.“I know you don’t have any books to put in it, but do you want to try out the combination?”He lifts one shoulder in a shrug and spins the combo quickly through the three numbers. I purposefully avert my eyes so he knows I’m not peeking. He opens the locker wide, nods toward me and then closes it again.“Great. We have first period over here.”“You and I have the same first period?”My body vibrates again, and I blink hard. So glad my back was to him so he couldn’t see the effect his voice has on me. I swallow and face him. “Actually, yeah. Our schedules are very similar. It’s a smallish school so there’re only a few tracks that juniors can be on.”He nods, and his eyes are half lidded as if he’s bored already.I lead him toward our class room. “We don’t really have assigned seats, so you can pretty much sit anywhere you want. I’ll show you to the gym at the end of class. I have French next, but it’s not too far from there.” I lead him to the front of the class, and my friend, Tasha, gives me a wan smile and raises her eyebrows, looking back and forth between me and Ben. She mouths, Who’s that?I roll my eyes and put up one finger toward her to let her know I’ll tell her in a minute. Then I turn to the teacher. I hand him the schedule from the office. “Hi, Mr. Scott, this is Ben Oscuro, a
transfer.”Mr. Scott sets down the Mountain Dew he was drinking and offers Ben a wide grin. He puts a hand out for him to shake. Ben hesitates but takes the hand in what looks like a firm grip. Mr. Scott shakes his hand afterward. “That’s some grip you’ve got there.” He laughs and leans down to the bottom drawer of his desk and hands Ben a Geography text book.With a nod, I return to Tasha and squeeze into the desk next to hers. Because I’m at Jackson Hall partially on scholarship and partially on my father’s insurance money, I’m somewhat of a social pariah. My only real friend is Tasha Brown, a pariah herself, being one of the few African-American kids in the school. Still she tends to be more popular than me, because at least her family has the money they’ve made in the night club and music business. But then there’s that rumor…“So who is the new hottie?” Tasha hops up and down in her seat.I shake my head at her. “You are one big hormone, you know that? Sure, he’s cute, but is there any guy in the room you don’t consider a hottie?”Tasha scans the room, considering for a moment with her hand on her chin and a very serious expression on her face. Her hair is in the typical pigtail braids she usually uses to play up the uniform. She has on no sweater, and her shirt is one size too small, causing the buttons at the front to bow and expose part of her red bra. Finally she returns her gaze to me. “There’s only one guy in here that doesn’t rank hottie.”“Really? Who?”She leans in conspiratorially and whispers, “Mr. Scott.”I nearly choke on a laugh as I eye the middle aged, balding teacher at the front of the room. But I have to admit, Jackson Hall is a prep school. And no one can afford to make their children look their best more than the wealthy. I guess if I take my father’s words to heart, it’s better to be the poor kid in the rich kids’ school…than the other way around. Right?Tasha’s smile returns and I follow her gaze to figure out why. Ben Oscuro walks down the aisle between us and takes the desk right behind mine. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. He smells like pine and mint, and it reminds me of the outdoors. When I open them again, Tasha’s smile has grown impossibly wider. She leans towards me and whispers, “What was that you said about hormones again?”I shove my elbow toward her but she dodges me with a giggle.
About the authorIn simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. Her books have hit #1 on the Amazon Bestseller List and Armored Hearts won the 2013 Book Junkie’s Choice Award in Historical Fiction. First Impression: A Shadow Maven Paranormal is her first mystery. It’s a dark urban fantasy and will be released March 31, 2014.
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Young Adult Novelettes Anthology Call for Submissions

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk about an idea I have regarding novelettes and putting together an anthology. If you're an author, I invite you to read on and consider what I'm offering. Grab your cup of coffee, a notepad, and a pen, and let's get going!

I know you've probably seen a ton of anthologies out there, but I intend for this one to be different. I'd like to give readers a sampling of many different genres in one great book. So, my call is to those who write in the following fiction genres:
Sci-FiParanormal (including angels, demons, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, vampires, etc...)Romance (including western, historical, contemporary, etc...)Urban FictionFantasyMagic (of any kind - witches, wizards, superheros, etc...)Time-TravelCrimeSuspenseHorrorHistoricalMythological HumorSatireAnd any of those I may have missed. I'll take a total of fifteen; but each one accepted will be in a different genre and be YA appropriate/themed. This means: No foul language or sexual situations and your protagonist must be between the ages of thirteen and seventeen.

What's different about this offer? Well, you have a built-in editor, proofreader, and cover designer, as well as a formatting person for both digital and print.

Our book will stand out amongst the crowd for many reasons. One being because your author information will be right after your story, not bundled in the back of the book with everyone else. This will include links to your social media pages and a brief biography as well as an author photo. That way, if someone enjoys what they just read, they can find you right away.

Another reason will be the length of the stories inside. Most anthologies are short story collections; this one will be a collection of novelettes.

I've also considered having everyone use the same protagonist, but put him/her in different situations/worlds. Again, that's up for discussion. But wouldn't it be an interesting twist on the common anthology theme?

Here's what the author bio pages will look like:
I'm thinking the title should be something along the lines of: Genre Mash-up: A collection of fictional tales.

But that's open for discussion. Length of stories will be at least 5k words, up to 10k and may include chapters. With fifteen novelettes, that'll give us a final product that's between 75k and 150k words.

Here are two things I require: You must be able to attend a meeting at least twice a month to discuss the book until it goes live, and you must be expedient with all editing suggestions/proofreading requirements/communication responses.

If a deadline is missed, I'll take it as a sign that you didn't want to participate in the first place, and put in someone who didn't make the cut the first time around for a reason other than missing a deadline.

Speaking of which...

If you think you have what it takes to be a part of this awesome opportunity, send a short sample of your work (2k-3k words - can be published already) as an attachment in MS Word format to me at WriteJoMichaels [at] gmail [dot] com. Include the following in the body of the e-mail:
Name and Pen Name (if applicable)Genre you want to write in for the anthologyYour Twitter, Facebook, and blog addressesSubject of the e-mail should be: Anthology submission.

Please have those in to me no later than April 20th. Publication date will be sometime in either July or August of this year. It depends on how quickly everyone can get their stories written. Heck, we may be able to get it out by mid to late June. Let's get this party started!

Have you considered being part of an anthology before? What do you think of the idea of a collection of novelettes in general?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Sanctuary

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I'm bringing you another book review from the Indie Fever 2014 Reading Challenge. If you've never heard of this event, it's a group of readers who get together every year and try to read as many Indie books as they can. We strive to discover new, awesome Indie authors and share them with the world. If this sounds like something you may be interested in, pop on over to this page, commit to the level you're comfortable with, add your name to the linky thing, grab the badge, choose your books, and off you go! So, today I have a review of Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden.

As always, let's start with a little information about the book I'll be reviewing for you.

Title: Sanctuary
Author: Pauline Creeden
Genre: Christian Science Fiction
Length (print): 280 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $2.99  ~ B&N $2.99  ~ Paperback $9.36  ~ Audible $17.46

Synopsis: In a heart-racing thriller described as Left Behind for the Hunger Games Generation, Jennie struggles to find a safe place for what’s left of her family. But it seems as though there is no place sacred, no place secure. First the aliens attacked the sun, making it dimmer, weaker, and half what it used to be. Then they attacked the water supply, killing one-third of Earth’s population with a bitter contaminate. And when they unleash a new terror on humankind, the victims will wish for death, but will not find it…

When the world shatters to pieces around her, will Jennie find the strength she needs to keep going?

***Will not appear in review elsewhere. Tidbits for my blog readers' eyes only! I saw the cover of this book and just fell in love with it. Pauline was my UtopYA secret Santa this past Christmas and gave me the book as a gift. It was a lovely surprise because I'd just finished writing I, Zombie, and have been consuming (no pun intended) zombie books for the last year and a half. When I got this one, I was over the moon.***

Moving on to the review.

Zombie novel? Love! Christian science fiction with zombies? Um... Wow. I had no idea what I was in for when I started this book. What an awesome twist on the biblical apocalypse. Rather than being some mutated disease causing people to start acting like zombies, what if it's an alien invasion? Well, this is the direction Sanctuary takes you in. Let's get to the good stuff, shall we?

From a Reader's Perspective:
I loved watching the main character, Jennie, come into her own through the story. When we begin, she's a lot like any tween would be: Self-centered, technology reliant, BFF in place, and has dreams of what she plans to do with herself down the road. As the tale moved on, she becomes a strong, self-reliant young woman. This change was perhaps the most moving one in my eyes. Pacing through the story was great, and I loved the little twists and turns thrown in. Hugh was a great character and I'm eager to see how his relationship with Jennie develops in future books. Oh my goodness what a cliffhanger at the end! If you're not a huge fan of being left with a juicy bone dangling in front of you, the ending will be less than satisfying. But I loved it. I'm now chomping at the bit for the next installment. Aliens were a nice twist to the common zombie novel, but the thing I love most about them was still prevalent: human survival struggles. What would one do in any given situation when they're terrified out of their minds? There's plenty of that going on in Sanctuary. Having said that, let's move on to part two.

From an Editor's Perspective:
I found a few niggling little errors like: "...but she knew the door would be locked as the red sign on the door clearly stated they were sorry about." and: "The ideas spun in his Hugh's head like..." But none of them really took me out of the story, and there were only around fifteen in the whole book.

Rating:
+1 Star for bringing Jennie into her own via life and death events
+1 Star for pacing and plot (both were excellent)
+1 Star for the awesome twist on the cause of the zombie virus
+1 Star for plenty of human angst during a crisis situation that left me biting my nails
+.75 Star for writing and editing
-.25 Star for need for a proofreader to eradicate those tiny errors
Overall: 4.75 out of 5 stars! But I round UP, not down. Highly recommended if you love zombie novels or any book that's gonna make you think about your own humanity.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Cover Reveal - Magic Unfolds

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Woo hoo! New week, new stuff to do. If you missed yesterday's post with the interview of author Alison Pensey, be sure and check it out here. Today, I have another lovely UtopYA Con author, Ms. N. L. Greene. She's joining us for a cover reveal for her new book Magic Unfolds. It's the second book in the Mystic Seeker series and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Illusions Begin was an awesome read (review here) and I'm dying to know more. Without further jabbering on my end, I give you: the information (What? You didn't think I was going straight into the cover, did you?).


Title: Magic Unfolds (Book 2 of The Mystic Seeker Series)
Author: N. L. Greene

Blurb: For the first time in her life, Becky had hopes of fulfilling her own dreams when Blaine Winters inexplicably arrived into her quiet life, teasing her with astounding possibilities she never thought imaginable. Not only did he reveal that magic was indeed real, but he also stirred feelings in her that she had only read about in clichéd romance novels. But just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone. Then Becky’s life was turned upside down by a family emergency. With the overwhelming demands of running an elite law firm as well as her ex becoming more of a threat each day, she didn’t have time for whimsical thoughts or personal exploration anyway.

Now that Blaine has mysteriously disappeared from her life, she can put her family first and focus on what she needs to do. If only it were that easy. Blaine may be gone and all of Becky’s little girl dreams of a world filled with magic with him, but that doesn’t mean all’s forgotten. Nightmares are plaguing her, someone is watching her, and there are powers within her that she can’t seem to control.

Will Becky finally get her chance at magic after all, even if she doesn’t want it?

Sounds good, huh?

Now, on to what you came here for: the cover!


Oooooooooh! Pretty! How about the full wrap?

Oh my... Now that's a book cover :)

Are you wondering yet where you can pick up a copy? It's available for pre-order now!

Click here to pre-order the book from Barnes & Noble (you can also pre-order for iBooks). IF you get it before April 20th, it's just $0.99.

Illusions Begin (Book 1) is $0.99 through April 20th as well. Get started on the series while you can. Link to Amazon here.

About N. L. Greene
Author N.L. Greene is a writer of YA and NA Contemporary and Paranormal Romances. She currently lives in Florida with her husband and two beautiful daughters. When she isn't writing or reading, she enjoys traveling around the world with her family, shopping and doing other girly things with her girls, or playing video games with her husband. She is a lover of dogs, chocolate, and anything pink!

To connect with Ms. Greene on Social Media, click the following links:
Amazon Author Page
Facebook Page
Twitter
Blog
Goodreads
Smashwords

I hope you all enjoyed this post! What do you think of the cover?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Interview Alison Pensy

Happy Monday, astute readers of my blog! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be bringing you another unofficial UtopYA Con author interview. So far we’ve had a number of awesome authors give their time and expertise to make us smile. If you missed any of the past interviews, I invite you to check them out here. And, if you don’t have your tickets to the con yet, be sure you grab them soon! Time is running out and you don’t want to be the only girl left out of the party, do you? Get yours here. Let’s get this party started with gusto! Everyone go grab your favorite party hat, strap it on, and make some noise to welcome author Alison Pensy to the party.

Jo: Welcome to the blog, Alison! I hope you enjoyed that little bit of noise the crowd made for you. *grin*
Alison: Thanks for inviting me, Jo *does little curtsey* I'm honored to be here.

Jo: So, let’s get right into the interview questions. You’re an interesting lady and I can’t wait to dig into your head! If my research is right, you’re a tax accountant. Are you super excited about April 15 being right around the corner?
Alison: More than you know! I'm always a bit gung ho at the start of the season, but when it gets to this point, I start flagging a little. It's nice to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I have so many plans for after tax season, one of them being getting back to writing, that I'm now starting to get excited about it.

Jo: Awesome. I hope it all goes well from here on out! I also read you raise chickens. I’m completely enthralled by that. I read a book once called Steering Gone Awry that talked about chickens and how, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could have disastrous consequences (cracked me up). Mind sharing with us a few of your chicken raising mishaps?
Alison: Well, I cheat a bit. When I buy my chickens they are usually about 6 months old, so I don't have to do all the hard stuff. I love my chickens, they are relaxing to watch and there's nothing better than a freshly laid egg. The most fun I have is watching them chase after bugs, especially grass hoppers in the back yard. It always amazes me how fast they can run. One of the main mishaps we've had along the way was losing five chickens in one day to a fox (we think). I got home from work and there were patches of feathers scattered around the property. I'm a lot more careful with them now.

Jo: Oh my... My sister had a couple of chickens once. Her dog ate them! She came home to feathers everywhere, too. Such a sad thing! In your best writer-ly voice, describe headless chicken mode for us.
Alison: In the thick of tax season, on the surface I convey poise and professionalism, underneath, however, my mind is racing around in circles flapping its wings and squawking things like "What are you thinking?" and "You chose to do this for a living…are you mad?" *grins*

Jo: I'd pay to see that. Seriously. LOL You’ve said that your characters are always in your head, roaming around, chatting away. Which one of them talks the loudest and do you have a particular fondness for one in particular? Why?
Alison: Faedra talks the loudest. She's pretty strong willed and independent, occasionally she will let Faen have a word in edge ways. You'd think I would be fondest of my main character (Faedra) but I have a particular fondness for Etyran who is introduced in book 2, The Emerald Staff. He is a rough diamond with a heart of gold. I am planning to give him a book of his own so everyone can get to know him better.

Jo: Nice! I'll be able to talk more about them once I get to reading your books! How many fairy figurines do you have, which one is your favorite, and why?
Alison: I have 30 of them. My absolute favorite is similar to the one I describe at the beginning of the first book when Faedra's mother gives it to Faedra as a gift. Hubby bought it for me several birthdays ago. It is called 'Dawn Dancing' (for anyone who wants to Google it), and it's a figurine of a fairy on the back of a rearing black horse.

Jo: I love horses and I adore fairies. You bet I'll be looking that one up! Time for a couple of rapid fire questions! What’s your favorite candy?
Alison: Ghirardelli peppermint cream squares…Yum!

Jo: Yum squared! (See what I did there?) *grin* Favorite actress?
Alison: At the moment…Jennifer Lawrence. I love her attitude and the message she puts out there for young people, especially girls. She's being a great role model.

Jo: Heck yeah, she rocks. I love strong women. Place you want to visit but haven’t yet?
Alison: Alaska. Seeing the northern lights is on my bucket list.

Jo: Oh yeah! I hope I get to see that some day, too. But my bucket list is long already. *grin* So, you’re an actress, eh? Love! I was on stage for over a year myself. What was your favorite part about playing Glinda in The Wizard of Oz?
Alison: The dress!!! *laughs* I love magic and have been a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz since I was a little girl. I even got to keep my wand. It's part of my Glinda display in my office. After the play finished, people kept buying me Glinda memorabilia.

Jo: Gotta love playing dress up. You look like Glinda! That's so cool! Tell me what it means to be a feminist author and why you call yourself one.
Alison: Not sure I would call myself a feminist as I like having doors opened for me and having a man help with stuff I just can't do on my own. I am fiercely independent though, thanks to my mum, so there isn't much I won't have a go at first. She is a very strong woman and brought my sister and I up to be the same. I have a lot to thank her for.

Jo: My mom is the same. I only hope I can pass that trait to my daughter. I think, sometimes, I come off as being very hard on her. Maybe I am, but she has to learn to be strong when the going gets tough. Yay for awesome moms! What was the title of the first book you wrote in first person and published for fun? Tell us about that journey?
Alison: The title was "What's a Jilleroo to do?" It has since been re-written in third person and published as "A Summer Down Under" under my pen name of Adrianna Blakeley. I originally wrote it because I wanted to write a book about my adventures backpacking around Australia when I was twenty, but I didn't want it to be a memoir. Eventually, I had the bright idea that I could write it as a fiction, using my adventures as a back drop. When I first wrote it, I knew nothing about the craft of writing and if I were to read the original manuscript, it would make me cringe. I published it on Lulu.com just before the days of e-books and sold a few copies locally before taking it down and essentially stuffing it in the back of a draw. I decided to re-write it and re-publish it in 2012 after having quite a bit of success with the Custodian Novels series and being much wiser as an author.

Jo: Sweet. I know my first manuscripts (from wayyyy back) always fill my head with new ideas and cringe-worthy moments. *grin* I read somewhere that your soul mate is your hero. How long have you been together and did you meet him in England, where you’re from?
Alison: We have been together for just over fourteen years. We actually met on a pen pal site back when the internet was in its infancy, I guess you could say we were the original "You've Got Mail" story. We both thought it would be 'safe' to chat with someone who lived 6000 miles away. The Universe obviously had other ideas :)

Jo: Wow. That's amazing. What a super sweet story! Time for the alien question of the interview! Do you believe in fairies and is it a huge jump for you to believe there could be aliens out there, watching us?
Alison: I do believe in fairies, I believe in most things paranormal, I've had too many unusual experiences not to. I also have a set of fairy 'tarot' cards and they are so accurate it's freaky. I believe in aliens, too. I think it would be very arrogant to assume we were the only intelligent species living in the infinity of space.

Jo: Amen. Arrogance doesn't do anyone any good. Why did you choose Romance as your primary genre and where do your ideas come from?
Alison: Who doesn't love a bit of romance, right? Although, I think my young adult series has equal measures of adventure and magic. The idea for the series came from an urban legend that surrounds an old church in the village where I grew up. Legend has it that if you walk around the church three times at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, you disappear. I never tried it, but I got to thinking what if you disappeared into another realm? My imagination took off on its own from there.

Jo: I'm a huge fan of romantic undertones in magical books. *grin* I can't wait to check yours out. Now, is there anything you think I should’ve asked but didn’t?
Alison: I think you asked some great questions. I always have stories to tell but I think we covered quite a lot today.

Jo: I'm glad to know I've done you justice! Well, that’s all the time we have for today. Thanks for doing the interview, Alison! I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA Con in June!
Alison: Thanks, Jo. I appreciate the invite. I can't wait to meet you, too. In fact I will probably be wearing my 'fan girl' hat all weekend, there are going to be some awesome authors there.

Now it’s time to tell you about Alison’s featured book!

Title: Custodian Novels Boxed Set Books 1-4
Author: Alison Pensy
Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Length (print): Approx 900 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle  B&N  Smashwords

Synopsis:
The Amulet
To seventeen-year-old Faedra, faeries were nothing more than the figurines she collected and displayed in her curio cabinet. Or so she thought...

Faeries control nature, with a book, no less. But Faedra doesn't know that...yet.

She is next in line to protect an ancient fae amulet that controls the weather. And she's blissfully unaware of that fact, too.
She also doesn't know that the book has been stolen and now the thief is after the amulet and willing to kill for it.

Ignorance is bliss, and then you turn 18.

The Emerald Staff
Faedra was enjoying the fact that everything was back to normal. Well, as normal as it could get when you had the ability to manipulate energy, were protector of an ancient Fae amulet, and lived with a fairy guardian 24/7.

Her dad had even started dating.

Yes, all was right again in Faedra’s world, or so she thought…

The Cypher Wheel
Faen was worried about his charge. Faedra had locked herself away in the cottage on a self-imposed quarantine, for six months. She was having trouble controlling her newly acquired powers, and was terrified of hurting someone. But, enough was enough.

When Eytran obtained some tickets for a treasure hunt, her father and friends persuaded her that it was time to get out of the house and back into the real world.

It was only a treasure hunt, what could possibly go wrong…?

The Ice Diamond Cuff
Across the land, wedding bells ring out their joyous announcement. But, when a wedding gift is discovered to possess a dark and sinister secret, the damage has already been done.

As the dust settles, Faedra is thrust into a different role…one she is not ready for. The only hope she has of defeating a deadly force that threatens her new home, is to pull her allies together. She can only pray it will be enough to save the kingdom she has fallen in love with.

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Alison a follow on social media?

Facebook: Author Alison Pensy
Twitter: @AlisonPensy
Blog/Website: www.alisonpensy.com

I hope you all enjoyed this interview.

If you have questions for Alison, please put them in the comments!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo