Lauryn April's Blog: April Books, page 15

Pre-Release Preview! Read the First Chapter for FREE!

A Different Kind will be available for purchase MARCH 30th. But, for all my lovely readers out there I have a sneak peak for you!

If you haven't already heard about my next book here's what it's about.

"Payton Carlson was the head cheerleader, the prom queen, the selfish, self-absorbed mean girl. But, did she really deserve to be abducted by aliens?" 

Back Blurb:

Payton Carlson’s life is perfect – until the night she’s abducted by aliens. Now she’s plagued by pieces of memories from a night that feels as hazy as a dream, and that’s not the only strange thing that’s been happening. When Payton’s neighbor, Logan Reed, who spends every night sitting on his roof staring at the stars, starts to pay extra attention to her, Payton starts to wonder if he knows more about the night she can’t remember than she does. Suddenly finding a date to the Homecoming dance and cheering at the football games aren’t as important as they used to be - especially when the aliens return for a second time.

Praise from Early Reviewers and Beta Readers:
"Seriously loved this refreshingly different YA read."
 
"I'm hooked already and nervous as to where it's going! That's a rare, good thing!"

"A story that felt contemporary with realistic issues that were only better highlighted by the paranormal elements."


"Lauryn April delivers a fast paced, exciting story full of vivid characters with an effortless combination of paranormal elements and day to day high school issues."

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A Different Kind
Prologue:
All I could see was bright, blinding white. I tried to glance back at my bedroom window but couldn’t move. My eyes were frozen open and watering as I stared into the abyss. God, this can’t be real.  My night shirt fluttered around my thighs. A cold breeze swept up my spine. I could see strange, shadowed forms blocking out the light – dark bulbous figures in a halo of white. They were watching me. This has to be a dream. If I could have moved, I would have been shaking. I would have been screaming, but I could do nothing but internalize my fear. I could do nothing but wonder, Why me? It didn’t take much to answer that question. This was karma biting me in the ass for how terrible of a person I’d been. 
I’m just going to be honest about this - I’ve always been a bitch. I know this, have always known this, and truthfully, it never bothered me much. But, as I floated up into the night sky, my body prone, wishing I could move but completely paralyzed in the light, I wondered if this was my punishment for being such a mean person. 
This was what I got for stealing Stephanie’s boyfriend last year, two weeks before the junior prom. This was what I got for telling Erica she looked a little fat in her cheerleading outfit – as if saying a little lightened the blow. This was what I got for making Andrea cry at lunch last week by pointing out to our whole table that she was flat as a board, and that Eric would never notice her. Replaying the image of Andrea blinking back tears made my stomach twist. My words had really hurt her. 
“What do you think, Payton?” she’d asked. “Think Eric was flirting with me after practice last night?” She bit her lip. Her eyes filled with this nervous hope.
“I mean, let’s be serious,” I said. “Eric’s a boob guy, and you don’t exactly have anything working for you in that department.”
The hope vanished from Andrea’s eyes. She looked down at her chest, her eyes glistening and her cheeks red. A few of the girls at the table laughed. 
I didn’t mean to hurt her; I’d just been telling the truth. Yeah, this was what I got for being the person that I was.
As I floated up to their ship, I stopped trying to convince myself this was a dream. Instead I wondered what they wanted with me. I wondered what they would do to me, but all the while part of me thought that whatever it was, I deserved it.
1.
Earlier that night I heard the shouts resounding from the stands. My heart pumped wildly with excitement as my squad led the crowd, cheering the Raiders on to victory. We went through our routines with precision. We landed every step. I smiled from my position at the top of the pyramid. With my arms wide and silvery pompoms sparkling beneath the bright lights that lit the field, I was on top of the world. I smiled, a real smile, different from the perky grin I plastered on my face for the crowd. Then I felt those few moments of weightlessness as I tumbled backwards until my teammates caught me. Those were the moments I enjoyed most about cheerleading, not the chants and cheers and moves I made for the show. It was those few seconds I had to myself where no one could see my face and I could just fall.
We won the game. As the football players hustled their way off the field, their helmets bobbing in a sea of red and gold, Melissa Fischer squealed and wrapped her arms around me. Melissa was a sophomore. She’d just made the varsity squad that year.
“Did you see my round off? I feel like I nailed it this time.” She was smiling, but her eyes begged for my approval. We’d been working on tightening up her round off for the last week.
“It was better, not as good as mine, but you totally fixed that sloppy landing,” I said.
A huge smile spread across her face. Her blond curls bounced as she jumped up and down.  “Thank you, thank you.”
We shuffled off the field after that. Before we’d even made it through the locker room doors, there was talk of partying. Jared Hoffman, quarterback and my ex-boyfriend, was throwing a kegger, and I was invited. He’d been trying to get back with me since we broke up sophomore year, after I caught him kissing the now-graduated Angela Resner under the bleachers. But, since he’d told the entire school we’d slept together when we hadn’t, that was so not happening. Not that the rumor still bothered me. It had at first, but within a week of word getting around that I’d “lost” my v-card, I had five guys ask me out on dates. The cutest two had taken me out to pretty nice dinners. 
I think that was when I realized people were crazy hypocrites. I was questioned by every girl in school to talk about the steamy night Jared and I had never shared. I thought up details that made their hearts swoon. I made them wish they could hook a guy as hot as Jared – minus the part where he’d cheated on me. For that they reminded me I was gorgeous, and that I could do better. But Julie Martin, who had slept with her boyfriend sophomore year, and had been unlucky enough to get pregnant, was considered the biggest whore in school. It was all stupid and unfair. I knew that even then, but all I could do was be glad I was Payton Carlson and not Julie Martin.
I walked with Hailey and Joanna to the parking lot. There was a chill to the air that seemed uncommon for a late September Texan night. For the first time, I was glad Mrs. Davis had vetoed my vote for uniforms with exposed midriffs.
“So, you’re going, right?” Hailey asked, smoothing her straight brown hair back into a tight ponytail.I shrugged. “To another one of Jared’s infamous parties where he spends the whole night trying to convince me I really need to see his new laptop or flat screen, or table lamp in his bedroom?”
Hailey rolled her eyes. “Forget Jared. Ian will be there, and he so has a thing for you.” Masterfully waxed brown eyebrows rose as if to say  “duh.”
I smiled. “Well, maybe I should be playing hard-to-get then.” 
I didn’t want to go to Jared’s party, but everyone would be expecting me there. Last year Jared had a pretty serious girlfriend. He and I actually managed to be friends for a while. Now that they were over though, he was trying to remind me how “perfect we are for one another.” It was getting to be a little much.
Hailey rolled her eyes. “You’re no fun.”
“I might go, we’ll see.” Normally if there was a party, my going wouldn’t be a question, but I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Jared. After winning against our rivals, the Panthers, his ego would be inflated to the point of popping.
“What about you, Jo?” Hailey asked.
Joanna shrugged. “Maybe, we’ll see.”
“Well, I hope to see you guys there.” Hailey turned toward her car. “If not, call me tomorrow,” she yelled over her shoulder.
Jo rolled her eyes, and we walked to my red convertible. The car had been a birthday gift from my parents. They’d tried to convince me it made them the coolest parents in the world, but I’d quickly realized it was just a parting gift for barely being around the last eighteen years. Mom and Dad had never been cut out to be parents. They did alright when I was little. I remember trips to the zoo and my father teaching me to ride my bike, but as I’d gotten into my teen years they’d gotten more and more distant. Their idea of giving me “the talk” had been to stick me on birth control when I was thirteen. While I knew they both loved me, it was no surprise I was an only child.
“You know the only reason she wants you to go is because Darren is going to be there. Every time you blow him off, he chats up Hailey the rest of the night to stay close to you.” Jo shut her door. “Otherwise he doesn’t even bother to talk to her.”
I shrugged, turning my key in the ignition. “Do you wanna go?” Jo’s wanting to go would have been the only thing that could have made me change my mind about putting up with Jared’s cheesy advances for a night.
“No, I’m beat,” Jo said. “I don’t know how Hailey is up to it. After practice all week and that game, I’m worn out.”
I nodded. Jo and I had been best friends since she moved to New Liberty when she was twelve. In the six years we’d lived next door to one another, we’d become more like sisters, which was surprising since we weren’t that much alike. Jo was more down to earth. She was the girl who actually read the book when she had a report to do, while the rest of the class, including myself, rented the movie. She wasn’t the social butterfly or girly girl that I was, but I figured our differences was a good thing. It made our friendship feel balanced. Looking back I have to credit her with keeping me grounded and preventing me from being completely plastic.
When I pulled into my driveway, Jo asked, “So, are you gonna go?” 
“No, I think I’ll stay in tonight.” 
Jo nodded. “Running tomorrow?”
“Yeah, same time?”
“Yep, I’ll meet you outside.” Jo paused for a minute, then said, “We should get lunch or something tomorrow too. I’ve got some stuff I kind of want to talk to you about.” She gave me a nervous smile, then got out of my car.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, watching as she made her way across my yard and inside her house. Something about the way she said that struck me as odd, but I pushed the thought aside.
My house was empty when I walked through the front door. Mom and Dad were out with my father’s business associates. They wouldn’t be back until after I fell asleep. I hit the hallway light and made my way upstairs. The house was silent, but I was used to that. Sometimes I wondered what it would be like to come home to the sound of the TV and conversation from the living room, the way it was at Jo’s. Whenever I’d stop next door, there was commotion. Jo’s younger brother running up and down the stairs, her mother busy in the kitchen, or her father flipping through the channels, or watching football on the flat screen. I wondered if I’d like that better.
I washed my face, wiping away the thick eyeliner and red lipstick I’d worn for the game, and pulled my hair out of its restraining ponytail. My normally straight blond strands were kinked from the band and fell around my face. After taking out a sleep shirt from my dresser, I went to the window to draw the blinds. As usual I saw Logan Reed lying on his roof. Logan was my age. We’d lived across the street from one another for as long as I could remember.
When I was six, my mother had invited the Reeds over for a summer barbecue. I hid behind the trunk of the maple tree in the front yard when Logan and his mother arrived. Mrs. Reed held Logan’s hand tightly. She was a thin woman with long light brown hair and wide brown eyes. My mother greeted her and started light conversation. Mrs. Reed explained her husband was in the Army. Twelve years later, he was still in the Army. I can’t ever remember seeing Logan’s father. After all these years there were rumors he died overseas.  
I’d never been fearful of strangers. I wasn’t shy, but for some reason all I can remember doing at that barbecue was peering at Logan and his mom from a distance. I hid behind the edges of tables or behind my father’s legs, never venturing out to meet them in person. 
As I stared at him from my bedroom window, I realized not much had changed. I watched Logan sweep his dark hair back and adjust his glasses. He kept to himself and though we’d never talked, almost every night I’d see him on his roof. Usually he lay on his back staring up at the sky, but every so often I’d see him gazing through his telescope. More than once I’d wondered if he’d aimed it at my bedroom window; because of that I made sure to close the blinds.
I played around on my laptop for a while, working on homework and stalking a few friends on Facebook. It was only eleven when I turned off my computer, but I was feeling worn out from the game. After getting ready for bed, I hit the lights, turned on the TV, then crawled beneath the covers.
I woke in the middle of the night, my eyes squinting even before I opened them. Bright light assaulted my eyelids. I opened my eyes only to squeeze them shut a moment later. The scratchy noise of salt and pepper static echoed through the room. I wondered if the cable had gone out. With a groan I twisted around, throwing an arm over my head. I tried to fall back to sleep, but it was no use. It was too bright.
Slowly, I opened my eyes again. After a moment, they adjusted. The world came into focus, and I found myself staring at a tiny, shiny gold figurine. I realized I was looking at the topper to one of my cheerleading trophies – a trophy I’d placed on a shelf above my desk. Sometimes I’d look up at that trophy from my bed, remembering that first award I’d won, but now I was eye level with it. Through my hazy, sleep-riddled mind, I wondered how that trophy had gotten off the shelf. Had I set it on my desk? I didn’t remember moving it – had it fallen?  Light reflected off the statue’s surface. The wall behind it was stark white. Is my TV this bright? I spun around, squinting as the light intensified. It was so strong that for a moment all I saw was white. When my eyes adjusted again, I saw the light wasn’t coming from my TV. It was coming from my window.
That was all I remembered the next morning, and even that felt distant and hazy like a dream. I sat up and looked around my room. Everything was normal. My cheerleading trophies all sat in their normal places on the shelf. The TV was still on; an infomercial played at low volume across the screen. Sunlight filtered in through the blinds, and everything was fine.  

 

Writing YA: Finding Your Inner Teenager

Every year I find the gap between my teenage years and my current life as a writer growing. As a YA writer I want for my teen readers to connect with my books, and to do that I need to believably write from the perspective of a teen. But, sometimes I wonder how in touch with today’s teens I really am.
This is a photo of me at 17 that a friend turned into a piece of art in high school.I’m nearly ten years removed from most of my characters. And, sure I’m not exactly a “grown up” yet. I’m still dragging my feet when it comes to the idea of getting a “real job”, I haven’t gotten married or bought a house. I still remember what it was like to be in high school, but a lot of things have changed since then.
For example: WhenI was in high school…
-Sexting – didn’t exist. Sure we would text, but texting was expensive and if your phone happened to have a camera (yes, they once made phones without cameras) the resolution was so terrible it wasn’t even worth taking pictures. Not to mention no one had wifi on their phone. You couldn’t instantly upload things to Facebook, and electronics like the I-Pad didn’t exist.
-Justin Bieber – thankfully wasn’t “discovered” until after I graduated high school. He was only about 8 years old when I was a freshman. On that same note I didn’t have “awesome” role models like Kim Kardashian or Miley Cyrus either.
-Twitter, Tumbler, and Facebook – were not even on my radar. I had a Myspace account.
-Snapchatting – yeah, I still don’t really understand that one.
Despite feeling out of the loop when it comes to some of the things teens do and like these days, I like to think that some things will always remain true. There are certain milestones that one passes in high school that will endure the test of time. These are the things that make writing YA so much fun. When I was a teenager, just like teens today I dealt with pressure from my parents and from my friends. I felt like my friends were my entire life.
I had my first kiss, my first relationship. I went to football games and Prom. I got my driver’s license. I made good choices and I made bad ones. I tried out for the school play and I skipped class. I tried out for POMS (didn’t make it) and I snuck out at night. I went to concerts, parties, dances. I dealt with the cliques and found my own way.
I guess what I’m saying is that no matter how different teens may seem to be now compared to how they were ten years ago, or even twenty years ago, really it’s all the same. 
Technology will change, fashions will change, but the wants and needs of teenagers will stay the same.
Teens today have “Pretty Little Liars” I had “The OC”. We still both had our shows. Teens use talk to text. I had T9, but I didn’t use it that much because I had AIM. We still both felt the need to be constantly connected to our friends. Teens today have I-pods. I had awesome mixed CD’s. We still both loved music.
In the end no matter what generation you’re from, being a teen means growing up. It means learning who you are, and that is exactly what I like to write about.
My cork-board in my old bedroom.
If you liked this blog post, you might also enjoy "Confessions of a Young Adult"

Goodreads Giveaway!

Enter the Goodreads Giveaway to win a free copy!

3 Paperback Copies Available!

Summary: Payton Carlson’s life is perfect, until the night she’s abducted by aliens. Now she’s plagued by pieces of memories from a night that feels as hazy as a dream, and that’s not the only strange thing that’s been happening. When Payton’s neighbor, Logan Reed, who spends every night sitting on his roof staring at the stars, starts to pay extra attention to her, Payton starts to wonder if he knows more about the night she can’t remember than she does. Suddenly finding a date to the Homecoming dance and cheering at the football games aren’t as important as they used to be - especially when the aliens return for a second time.

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Goodreads Book Giveaway A Different Kind by Lauryn April Giveaway ends April 05, 2014.
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Book Trailer for "A Different Kind"

Here it is, the book trailer for my next novel!
Read more about A Different Kind here

Review for A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

Interesting Story, Mediocre Writing

2.5 Stars. I’ve always stood by the idea that a good story will make up for any possible flaws in its construction. That the story is more important than the writing, and I still believe that, but this story in particular shows just how much poor writing skills can diminish a story’s potential. The story line of “A Shade of Vampire” was interesting enough to keep me reading until the end, but the writing left me seriously wanting.

The writing is way more telling than showing. Characters are described as “handsome” and “confident” instead of having those traits shown to us. At one point Forrest spends an entire paragraph vaguely describing Lucas; at another Sophia was “suddenly overcome by the sensations” surrounding her, but we’re not shown what sensations. Also, there were more than a few places where entire scenes were skipped and told to the reader, which I would have liked to have seen.

The writing was extremely wordy. There’s also some awkward phrasing like “I reasoned to myself” that irked me. And I feel like the author didn’t do enough research. In the beginning of the book Sophia says her mother was sent to a lunatic asylum, which (as a Psych major) made me want to pull my hair out since they don’t exist anymore. When people are mentally ill they are taken care of in hospitals. There are psychiatric wards, but there are not “lunatic asylums”.

On the plus side I did really like the idea of Derek, this ancient vampire, being the “sleeping beauty” of the story. It was a fun twist that he was under a sleeping curse, instead of some damsel in distress. The dialogue didn’t always match the characters. Derek often didn’t sound as old as he was, and occasionally Ben or even Sophia would sound too formal. But, I did like Sophia. She was a fighter, and despite a few Stockholm syndrome-y moments I was glad that she didn't instantly fall in love with Derek, even though he was instantly drawn to her. I think she understood him and could see that there was more to him than just being a monster. Definitely a “Beauty and the Beast” kind of feel, which I enjoyed.

The concept of vampires living on an island that’s constantly dark was interesting and new. I feel the author gave some thought about this society and how it would run. Overall, it was an entertaining enough read, but I won’t be adding it to my favorites any time soon.

I got this on sale for 99cents, and for that it was a fun quick read. But, it ends with a bit of a cliffhanger and the following books are $3.99, which I don’t feel they’re worth.

Cover Reveal For "A Different Kind"

"A Different Kind" by Lauryn April

Genre: YA Scifi Romance
Release Date: March 2014
Cover Design: Lauryn April
Publisher: Phantom Owl Press
Goodreads

"All I could see was bright blinding white. I tried to glance back at my bedroom window, but couldn’t move. My eyes were frozen open and watering as I stared into the abyss. God, this can’t be real."

Book Description:

Payton Carlson’s life is perfect, until the night she’s abducted by aliens. Now she’s plagued by pieces of memories from a night that feels as hazy as a dream, and that’s not the only strange thing that’s been happening. When Payton’s neighbor, Logan Reed, who spends every night sitting on his roof staring at the stars, starts to pay extra attention to her, Payton starts to wonder if he knows more about the night she can’t remember than she does. Suddenly finding a date to the Homecoming dance and cheering at the football games aren’t as important as they used to be - especially when the aliens return for a second time.
 




If you liked this post you might also like "Sneak Peak at A Different Kind"

Writing Plot Twists! Inspiration from The Vampire Diaries

Plot twists are a great way to move a story forward and keep things interesting. Whether you watch The Vampire Diaries or not, I hope you’ll find this post helpful in understanding what makes an effective plot twist.

An effective plot twist is about more than just throwing in some random element to shake things up.  
The best plot twists also attend to a particular issue within the story. TVD’s plot twists do just that. The writers at The Vampire Diaries are the kings at throwing the unexpected at us. This is part of what makes the show upbeat, fast paced, and so damn addicting. But, their plot twists also mean something. Below I’m going to analyze some of the plot twists we’ve seen in the show, up to the episode  “The Devil Inside” (which has a huge plot twist) and explain why they were not only interesting because they were unexpected, but necessary for the progression of the plot and development of the characters.
Episode 1.14 “Fool Me Once”Plot Twist: Katherine isn’t in the tomb – Much of Season 1’s plot revolves around Damon wanting to free his long lost love, Katherine, from a tomb in Mystic Falls, where she's been imprisoned since the 1800's. This is the reason Damon is in Mystic Falls to begin with, and he does a lot of destruction while he’s there. When it’s discovered that Katherine was NEVER in the tomb it not only made the viewers say “What?!” but Damon as well. 
Why it Needed to Happen: The Stefan/Elena/Damon love triangle that the show is known for never could have existed if Katherine had been in that tomb. This is huge turning point for Damon’s character development. He’s been pining after Katherine for hundreds of years, trying to figure out how he was going to save her. To realize that she not only didn’t need saving, but that she never really loved him, breaks him. It shatters his entire world, and he has to completely redefine himself. And, if it had never happened, he never would have been able to open himself up for Elena.

Episode 2.2 “Brave New World”Plot Twist: Katherine turns Caroline into a vampire – Most viewers probably thought things were over for Elena's close friend, Caroline, when this happened. After all, it didn’t turn out so well for Vicki. This put viewers on edge for this entire episode as they waited for Caroline to kill someone, or for someone to kill her. 
Why it Needed to Happen: Without this plot twist Caroline’s character was starting to feel flat. It’s not until after Caroline becomes a vampire that she really figures out who she is. She learns a lot about herself once she’s a vampire and she grows as a person. In many ways Caroline is better as a vampire. This is an important plot twist because it does a lot for Caroline’s character development. 

Episode 3.22 “The Departed”Plot Twist: Elena dies and becomes a vampire – Killing off a character is a great plot twist, one that TVD takes advantage of in nearly every episode. Killing off the main character has the ultimate shock value, and since it was kept hidden that Elena had digested vampire blood until the very end, viewers were left to think that she really died up until the very end.
Why it Needed to Happen: The love triangle depended on this plot twist. This could have been some random thing TVD did to stir things up, but it wasn’t, because they set it up right. There are a lot of secrets that Damon has been keeping from Elena up to this point via compulsion. When she becomes a vampire his compulsion goes away, and she starts to remember all of the things he's kept from her. This was necessary to move the plot forward. Season 3 ended with Elena making a choice between the two brothers – Stephan, but she didn’t have all the facts at the time. The show did a great job setting this up, and it allows season 4 to essentially restart the love triangle without making Elena feel wishy-washy in her decisions.

Episode 4.23 “Graduation”Plot Twist: Katherine becomes human – Out of everyone who was after "the cure" Katherine was the last vampire viewers ever thought would get it. So, when Elena shoves it down her throat viewers were stunned and left to wonder just what this would mean for her in Season 5.
Why it Needed to Happen: Katherine becoming human made her relevant again. She didn't really have a place in Mystic Falls or a need to stick around until this happened. It also allowed for her to grow as a character. Suddenly Katherine becomes the weak human in need of protection. It flipped the scrip, making Katherine, the villain of the show so far, the victim in constant need of saving. It’s this plot twist that allows viewers to understand her better and see her as a person and not just evil. Without this plot twist Stephan would never have been able to rekindle feelings for her, and the viewers wouldn’t have been able to accept them. Viewers also wouldn’t have been able to feel bad for her while she lies on her death bed. This also sets up another plot twist, because right as we start to feel bad for us, she reminds us just how selfish and undeserving of our love she is.

Episode 5.10 “Fifty Shades of Grayson”Plot Twist: Damon breaks up with Elena – What?! We never thought Damon would ever break up with Elena. Not after pining after her for two years (four and a half seasons). If anything viewers thought it would have been the other way around. 
Why it Needed to Happen: Damon was right. “I'm bad, Elena. I'm bad for you,” he tells her, and he is. This is important because if Damon has any chance of becoming a better person he needs to acknowledge this about himself. And, if Damon had never broken it off with Elena he never would have been able to say this in 5.12: “You are literally the best person I’ve ever known. And for me to think I could change you gives me way too much credit and you not nearly enough. You’re the best influence on me. I need you. You’re the good and I need a little good in my life because without it there’s an awful lot of darkness.”

Episode 5.12 “The Devil Inside”Plot Twist: Katherine takes over Elena’s body – Yes TVD just knocked off their lead role! (But, hopefully not for good.) What makes this truly horrible is that just when Elena and Damon have come to the decision to forgive one another, Katherine steps in and screws it all up by pretending to be Elena and ending things with Damon for good.
Why it Needed to Happen: My heart broke when Katherine/Elena broke things off with Damon. But if Damon and Elena were to ever make things work for the long haul this needed to happen. When Katherine tells Damon that they can’t be together because she can’t be the only thing that makes him a good person, she’s just trying to get rid of him as she’s not really Elena. But, she’s right. Elena shouldn’t be the only thing that makes Damon good. She shouldn’t have to worry that he’s going to go off the hinges whenever they get in a fight. Damon needs to be more than a serial killer on a leash, he needs to actually change. What Katherine tells Damon is important because it gives him the opportunity to be good for himself, and not just because it’s what Elena wants. (Now we’ll just have to see if he can do that.)


These plot twists are great because in each one they force a particular character to deal with a situation or part of their personality. They’re effective because they have meaning. So, if you’re writing a plot twist, don’t just think “What can I do to shake things up?” think “What’s something my characters need to deal with, that I can use to shake things up?”
If you liked this post you might also enjoy "The Vampire Diaries just like Buffy?" or "Finding Inspiration in TV's Saddest Moments"

Cover Release for Paranormal Keepers by Jen Naumann!

Release date: March 4, 2014Model Photography: Jen NaumannCover Design: Najla Qamber DesignsPublisher: Phantom Owl PressGoodreads
Book Description:
Everyone thinks Harper Young killed her boyfriend. No one will say it to her face, but the signs are everywhere.

It’s almost been a year since Gavin was torn from Harper’s arms and brutally murdered. The police wrote it off as a freak accident, deciding Harper’s strange testimony was given under duress. But she knows something unnatural was involved and refuses to stop looking until she finds his killer, even if it means her reputation as a senior is ruined. Even if it means there really are monsters living among us.

With the discovery of the mothmen, witches, vampires and all the creatures she always suspected were out there, Harper finds herself amidst a complex bundle of unseen heroes who call themselves "Keepers", sworn to keep the secret of the paranormal creatures that walk this earth. As she tries to understand what’s so special about her that she’s able to break an old Keeper law, Harper has a baffling vision of kissing a mysterious guy before a blade is brought down on him. Before she can get a handle on her future, she becomes central to a battle between the questionable “heroes” and the evil she’s been training to fight, leaving her to wonder if there’s any way to change the fate that has been foretold before it’s too late.

Review for Reaper’s Novice by Cecelia Robert

Fun Start to a New Series
 
3.75 Stars. I really loved the characters in this book. Ana was easy to relate to, and Zig was a lot of fun. He was snarky and witty and I loved every scene he was in. Everyone felt like they had their own individual personality and were well written. There was also some really beautiful imagery. I loved the way the souls were described.

It did take me a little while to get in to this story, but after a few chapters I started to get sucked in. I also liked that the author did some different things with this book than I'm used to reading in YA. It was refreshing to see a protagonist that wasn't white, and to be immersed in a setting outside of the US.

I liked that at the core of this story it was about Ana and her friends and family. It was about growing up and growing apart from the people and places you used to be close to. This book isn’t a romance novel. It’s not a love story. There is some romance between Ana and Rolf, and some really interesting sexual tension between Ana and Zig, but this story isn’t about some mystery guy that swoops in to whisk the lead female off her feet. Although the ending does set up an interesting scenario for Ana's future love life.

I really liked the story, watching Ana reap souls and meet all these strange creatures from the underworld. But, I didn’t always understand Ana’s decisions. She puts herself in a few dangerous situations when it didn’t really feel like she had to. There’s a few situations that don’t seem desperate enough for her to make the choices that she does. And, Ana is a little too dense when it comes to her boyfriend Rolf. It’s obvious that she loves him but when strange things started happening, I don’t understand why she didn’t talk to Ernest (Grim) or Zig about them, and she stayed overly trusting of him when it’s obvious she shouldn’t be. Also, I wanted to see more of Ana’s trips with Ernest and her learning to be a reaper. I wanted a little more background on this trade she was learning and the underworld.

This book is definitely setting up for a series, and I would be interested in knowing how the story continues, but as it sits the ending feels a little anticlimactic. There are a few different things that get resolved, but this book sets up a lot and there’s a lot to wonder about once it’s over. It just doesn’t feel like it ends in the right spot.

Overall this was a fun read, and I will consider continuing this series in the future.

Words to Search and Destroy in your manuscript

Eleven words you should delete from your novel.
  I’ve been working on revising my next novel, A Different Kind, so I thought I’d share with all of you part of the process. When I get closer to that final draft I take advantage of Microsoft Word’s “Find” feature, using it to find and remove unnecessary “dead” words. The following words should be used sparingly. Unless absolutely necessary, or in dialogue these words are evil and must be destroyed.
Very – Never use very. 
Just – Sometimes the word “just” is useful at showing how suddenly something happened, or necessary when used in phrases, but other times “just” is just “very” in disguise. If the sentence makes sense without it, take it out.
Really – Sometimes “really” in necessary, but if it’s not it’s just another “very” in disguise.
And – “And” is obviously a word that cannot be avoided, but excessive use of “and” makes your sentences drawn out and wordy.
Then – Again, the word “then” isn’t one you can avoid using completely. But sometimes “then” is just “and” in disguise, so if you don’t need it, cut it.
Suddenly – This is a word that tells instead of shows. EX: “Suddenly there was an explosion” or “Boom! The stove burst into flames” which is more sudden? Exactly. Cut the suddenly’s and describe your scene.
Seem – This is a “wishy-washy” word and using it won’t inspire confidence in your reader. Things should either happen or not happen, don’t say that they “seemed to happen”.
Like – Saying something “looked like...” something, is the same as saying “seemed”. Unless something “looks like” or “seems” to be something that it’s not, then take out these words and just say what it is. Also, if you use “like” a lot, you may be using too many similes.
Up – Don’t say “he stood up,” just say “he stood”.
Out – Don’t say “he went out to the car,” just say “he went to the car”
Over – Don’t say “he walked over to the door,” just say “he walked to the door”
Mrs TeePot
Check out these three paragraphs. The first uses many of the “evil words” mentioned above. The second paragraph just highlights them, and the third is the same paragraph with the words removed.

John stood up, and went out to the car; he walked over to the door and seemed to be looking for something in the glove box, and then suddenly he jumped back. Just then a squirrel leapt from the car, and John laughed, his face turning really red.


John stood up, and went out to the car; he walked over to the door, opened it and seemed to be looking for something in the glove box, and then suddenly he jumped back. Just then a squirrel leapt from the car, and John laughed, his face turning really red.


John stood. He went to the car, opening the door and looked through the glove box. Thump! His head banged into the roof as he backed up, and a squirrel leapt out. John laughed, his face turning red.

Note that I made a few other changes in the final paragraph. John no longer walks to the door and opens it. He just opens it. You reader will assume the in-between action of “walking to the door”, if you tell him he went out to the car and opened the door. Also the squirrel no longer leaps from the car; he just “leaps out”. The reader already knows we’re at the car, so it doesn’t have to be said again.
Also notice that the final paragraph is much shorter than what we started with, and yet it gives us more information, such as John hitting his head on the roof of the car.

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