Crystal Collier's Blog, page 13

THE END... Say it with CHEESE

So technically tomorrow is the end of the blog tour. It's been a blast. So many wonderful friends have helped, and I LOVE YOU ALL. I wish there was some way I could show you all how very grateful I am. Let's just say it looks something like this: 

Or this:

Or this:


(If you've missed parts of the tour, look to your right. Yup. All the magical links are there. Awesome, right?)
     
Here are the last 5 AWESOME stops of the tour:
November 6:
Dani Duck presents an author reading of chapter 1 in SOULLESS
November 7:
Melissa at Books Are Love reviews SOULLESS
Marcie at Mainwords also reviews SOULLESS
Chrys Fey at Write With Fey interviews me about crazy stuff.
November 10:
Carol Kilgore presents the Top Ten Troubles with Twisting Time
And be sure to enter the Rafflecopterfor your chance to win some amazing prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The happy pony has almost reached the end of the race. Can you beat him to the final stops? I bet you can. But will you? First person there gets the cheese platter waiting at the end. 

If you could give advice to your teen self, or get yourself to actually believe something you know is true but have a hard time believing, what would it be?

NaNoWriMo Misfit

Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo? (For those who don't know what that is, it's National Novel Writing Month, happening every year in November.) 

The goal is to write 50,000 words in one month. (An average YA novel is 60-80K words...closer to 90K if you're me.) You may not think that's a huge deal, but that means writing almost an entire novel while doing such things as Thanksgiving, Black Friday, the day job, and regular life things. (You don't get a free pass to let your house fall to pieces, and no one awards you with a one-month maid.) 

I tend to be a slower writer, but in 2008 I decided to NaNo. And I won. 50K words in 30 days. And they were awful. Every. Single. Word. I put that book through four critique partners before setting it aside to become a real story "one day." Right then and there I vowed to never NaNo again.

But guess what? With two major deadlines fast approaching, I've decided to try it again. Part of me knows I'm going to regret it. Part of me says, "Yeah, but you're so much more experienced a writer now!" 

Which voice should I believe?



Ready to guess the lie and win a book? 

Last week, I offered up 3 copies of SOULLESS for the easy peasy price of naming your favorite spook. 

And the winners are:
...DRUM ROLL...
Alex J. Cavanaugh--Headless Horseman
M. Pax--Spaceghost
Meradeth Houston--Witches

Congrats friends!
And now to today's feature... Seventeen-year-old Ayden Worth shouldn’t have to seek peace of mind in the streets. But as family pressures mount, his anxieties increase, and he turns his back on comfort for a life in homeless camps and back alleys.
Then one fateful day he runs into the only person he ever wanted to know better. Ella Jones. His memories paint her as kind and undemanding, and it seems the years haven’t changed her. Her simple expectations draw him to her. Against all odds, a relationship buds and grows.
Yet, as Ayden repairs his life, Ella suggests he help others who also struggle. Will Ella turn out to be just like his dad, expecting more from him than he can give? Or will he prove that he is worth the effort?
Get your copy HERE. When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and short stories for the younger ones, Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

Kai has recently fallen in love with Tillamook's Garlic White Cheddar and puts it on everything. Hamburgers, crackers, omelettes, mashies. She's seriously considering stuffing the Thanksgiving turkey with it.
Kai gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win an eBook of WORTH THE EFFORT --AYDEN'S STORY. How awesome is that?
You have until Tuesday, November 11, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on November 12.
TRUTH OR LIE
1. Kai once played the part of the planet Venus – dressed as a Venus Flytrap.
2. She considers herself a scorpion queen, because they tend to appear wherever she is. Yes, it's as creepy as it sounds.3. She came down with the flu and missed being crowned Prom Queen.      


Today's AMAZING tour stops:
Ellie Garratt 's sharing a cast of Villains and Outcasts
J. L. Campbell at The Character Depot unveils the Men of SOULLESS 
And be sure to enter the Rafflecopterfor your chance to win some amazing prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The happy pony is lapping you! Don't eat its dust. Get to the other tour stops before he wins the race and you'll get the magical cheese at the end. That's right, magical. 

Which is the lie? Have you read any great contemporaries lately? Are you NaNo-ing? 

True Beauty

I teach teens. Are you a teen? Do you remember what it's like to be a teenager? 
Because of journaling, I have very vivid (and fond and embarrassing) memories of being an adolescent. One thing stands out quite clearly. I remember looking in the mirror and seeing this:
SourceWhen I actually looked like this:
Source

(Not actually me. Ahem.)At some point, I think we all do that. Do you do that now? If you do, stop. You are amazing the way you are, and you need to see the beauty in yourself--especially the kind that's deeper than skin. 
     
Follow the blog tour for some amazing entertainment:
Ava Quinn at Tongue in Cheek for a sea monkey interview
S.K. Anthony shares a whole slew of amazing women characters
And be sure to enter the Rafflecopterfor your chance to win some amazing prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This pony's happiness runs deeper than the skin, because he's been following the SOULLESS Blog Tour. Join him and add a bounce to your step!

If you could give advice to your teen self, or get yourself to actually believe something you know is true but have a hard time believing, what would it be?

Who's Your Hero?

Today's hop is hosted by J.L. Campbell and Michelle Wallace.

EVERYBODY has a hero/heroine. It can be real-life or a fictional hero/heroine.

Options...

1.  The Perfect Hero
2.  The Misfit
3.  The Grizzled Old-Timer
4.  The Everyman
5.  The Anti-Hero
6.  The Prodigy
7.  The Loner Hero
8.  The Tragic Hero

I shared a whole A to Z series about real life heroes, so today I'm going to share a fictional one--someone who has been with me a long, long time. Here we go, in 300 words or less...


I was emotionally black and blue. At the ripe old age of 10, my classmates latched onto my maiden name (Hicken...now add my first initial...) and I became the target of much bullying. (Including a group pledge to the rubber chicken.) I came home to a big brother who was also being bullied at school, so he took it out on me. At church I was the youngest girl in my age group, and in a different grade than everyone else, therefore, I was only worthy of being shunned.
Life was awesome.
It was about that time Kiri appeared. She emerged in my sketches and told me her tragic story: an orphan, alone in the world, abandoned by every decent scrap of hope. She was meant to be an heir--pampered, adored, respected--but instead ended up a foster child to an abusive man, essentially a slave who was fed for her labor. Kiri had every reason to complain. To hate her life. But she never did. 
Instead, she found people to train her with weapons. She sacrificed her nights and risked her safety to sneak out and learn. She dedicated herself to a cause--protecting and serving others who were unable to defend themselves.
Kiri didn't want the glory. She didn't want the notoriety. She didn't want the praise.
All she wanted was the family she'd lost.
Since that was impossible, she set out to keep others from losing the one thing that mattered most. 
She’s been with me since I was 12. I hope to one day share her story with the world, but until then, she remains an integral piece of my heart, a hero who helped me conquer my own dark days. 



     
Follow the blog tour for wonderful reading and (ready for this?) FUN:
Gina shares an excerpt: The Soulless are Here
Gwen Gardner introduces you to Men with Lies
Rae at A Writer's Dream shares a steamy excerpt AND me, reading chapter 1
And be sure to enter the Rafflecopterfor your chance to win some amazing prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the pony on to the rest of the tour. He will lead you to cheese and danger...erm, I mean fun. Yes, fun. 

Do you have a literary hero? A character who carried you through some of your dark times?

Trick or Treat Book Blog Hop: Or get stuff free!

Patricia Lynne is hosting this fabulous HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY. That's right. Instead of going door to door begging for candy, you can go blog to blog begging for free books. (And we'll even give them to you.) We're not even going to ask you to say some corny phrase or rhyme.

If you are, say, an awesome and generous soul, you might give the authors a treat in return--a review. They would love it. Promise. All of us. Reviews are the life-blood of a book and kinda what keeps us writing.

SO, for you TODAY ONLY: Get your Halloween treat FREE .

AMAZON best seller and Pitch Wars 2012 finalist
Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.

Alexia’s nightmares become reality: a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these creatures. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with her beloved and risk becoming one of the Soulless.


"MOONLESS is powerful, compelling, and packed with soul." --Bethany Kaczmarek, A Little Red, Inc. 
"Collier transports us to a time of elegance and mixes in supernatural splendor that gives goosebumps." --Sharon Johnston, author of SLEEPER
"I fell head over heels for the characters." --T.C. Mckee, BookFish Books
Get your copy now at AMAZON
Check out the rest of the hop for more Halloween goodies...but not before you check out the rest of the blog tour for today!

');


And do I have some treats for you!
Larissa at Larissa’s World and Elizabeth Seckman are sharing an AWESOME Halloween Vlog Post
Sarah at Stardust and Gravel asks why I chose a historical setting for the Maiden of Time trilogy and much, much more.
And be sure to enter the Rafflecopterfor your chance to win some amazing prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This happy pony just might save you from the horror of Halloween, but only if you're brave enough to follow him through the rest of the blog tour. Are you brave enough? ARE YOU? 

What's your favorite Halloween treat? (And yes, you can say something other than candy.)

Halloween

Source
The spooks stirred in their hallowed gravesThe creatures of memory, nightmare's slaves
But I, in my lonely house did waitFor the coming dawn to the tap tap, of fate.
Hoots and shouts shook through the wallsGoulies, and shadows and death-bird caws
But I did not hear them over the screamShaking from my bones and up through my veins.
The door handle rattled, the thump, thump of handsTheir twisting and shaking and guttural demands
I lifted my finger and bit down on the endStilling myself, begging for strength, my old friend
The demons burst through the dejected doorSyrupy liquid drizzling from mouth to floor
"Don't look. It can't hurt you. This horror can't last."Were my last sane thoughts before they started to dance
They leapt and they screamed and they bounced and they toreUntil I could bear the insanity no more.
"Bring me all candy and go to your rooms!"
I squeezed myself, holding my sanity tight Praying I'd live through post-Halloween night.
Happy Halloween!

     
Ready for MORE on SOULLESS (a TOTAL Halloween read):

Brooke at The Cover Contessa shares her review
Cassie at Southeast by Midwest also sounds off her thoughts on SOULLESS
Marcy at Mainewords asks about my first car, where the Maiden of Time trilogy came from, and more
And be sure to enter the Rafflecopterfor your chance to win some amazing prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
See the pony trotting off to the rest of the tour? That's because he knows where to find fun, happiness, and CHEESE. You want to find happiness too, don't you? 

Do you write poetry? Like poetry? Have you read any awesome Halloween poems this year?

Ghosts Are Real, My Friend

The following is a video of a ghost taken in a Forest in Eastern Europe. This was done using high speed cameras and slowed down for the naked eye. It's only 6 seconds, so pay attention!

Post by Tony Christie.
I don't know about you, but I laughed my guts out over this one...so of course I had to share. 


Ready to guess the lie and win a book? 

Last week, Miranda Hardy and Jay Noel shared DEATH KNOCKS with us, along with two truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win an eBook.  

The game: 
1. Miranda and Jay scrapped an entire manuscript and started over. 
2. They both exploited their children in the making of this book. 
3. One of them had a BEK experience while the other is a total non-believer. And the lie is:

#3. Neither of them has had a BEK experience, and they both remain open-minded about paranormal encounters. Other fun facts: They set aside the original manuscript because they wanted to pursue something more creepy, and literally started over from scratch after a completed first draft. There are entirely two very different Death Knocks stories stored on their computers. And yes, they did exploit their children. Miranda's daughter is on the cover and Jay's son made the book trailer.
Way to guess those of you who got it right! And the winner is:
...DRUM ROLL...
Hilary Melton-Butcher!
Congrats Hilary! 

And now to today's feature... IS SOULLESS!!! 

The Soulless are coming.

Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she’s forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

Get your copy HERE, or play the game.This is not the normal truth or lie game. Why? Because I AM THE BLOG OWNER and I like change. SO, today I want you to tell me your favorite Halloween spook in the comments. That's it. Everyone who does will be entered into a drawing to win one of three eBooks of SOULLESS. (Isn't that generous?) Here's the deal though: I WANT REVIEWS. 

Ahem, so you have until Tuesday, November 4, at 1 p.m. EDT to enter and the winners will be announced on the 5th.


     
Today's AMAZING tour stops:
Stop at Christy's Cozy Corners to see me READ the first chapter of Soulless
Ken at Hogwarts Sabbatical has an intense book excerpt up
And be sure to enter the Rafflecopterfor your chance to win some amazing prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The happy pony is lapping you! Don't eat its dust. Get to the other tour stops before he wins the race and you'll get the magical cheese at the end. That's right, magical. 

So what is your favorite Halloween spook? Are you ready for Halloween? Do you love ghosts? 

Rachel Schieffelbein Steals the Show

But first... Please welcome Rachel Schieffelbein!

Hi Crystal! Thanks so much for having me today!
Halloween is right around the corner. It’s a time for all things scary and spooky. Crystal asked me to share my top five favorite scary movies.

#5. And I’m going to cheat right off the bat. Sorry. It’s a show, not a movie. As a kid my siblings and I loved the show Are You Afraid of the Dark? It was about a group of kids who got together and shared the scariest stories they could come up with. Some were not that great, and some were terrifying! (To a kid, anyway.) I loved that show! I wish it was still on, as my oldest would love it! She devours scary books.


#4. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? An oldie but goodie. This movie creeped me out when I first saw it. Very eerie and mysterious.


#3. Candyman. I saw this with a few of my girlfriends when I was in seventh grade. It scared the crap out of all of us. My best friend basically hid under the blankets the whole time. You could not have paid me enough money to say Candyman three times.


#2. Frailty. My husband says this one doesn’t count as a horror, (he says it’s more of a suspense) but it scared the snot out of me! The idea of some crazy guy out there killing people because he thinks god is telling him to, and bringing his little boys along! That’s freaky!


#1. Night of the Living Dead. A classic. (George A. Romero may just be mentioned in FLESH EATING ZOMBIES AND EVIL EX-GIRLFRIENDS.) This is also my husband’s favorite. One year for his birthday I talked our local theater into doing a midnight showing of it. It was pretty much awesome. If you like zombies and haven’t seen this one, you need to.


How about you? What tops your list for the best scary movies?
And this year to celebrate Halloween, my YA zombie novel, FLESH EATING ZOMBIES AND EVILEX-GIRLFRIENDS, is on sale for 99 cents through the end of the month!

Erwin is in hell--- Locked in his high school with his ex-girlfriend, her new pain-in-the-ass boyfriend, and a handful of others while zombies claw at the doors trying to fight their way in.
The bright light in the dark is Sylvia, whose strength helps hold Erwin together when everything is falling apart.

When they realize the school is no longer safe, Erwin is determined to keep the group together and get them all to safety. But he can’t save everyone.


Buy it Now!      
So, go get yourself a cheap Halloween read, but don't miss this tour stop today:(It's stellar, I promise!)
T.C. Mckee reviews Soulless...and guess what she said?
And be sure to enter the Rafflecopterfor your chance to win some amazing prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
He bounces. 
He trounces. 
He dances his way down the blogosphere lane, 
Gathering happiness as he goes 
Because this bright pony knows
The joy that lies at the journey's end
IS READING THE POSTS OF YOUR WRITERLY FRIEND!

What's your favorite Halloween movie/show? Any you'd never watch again? Ones you have to watch every year?

Top Five Conversation with an Author Mom

Hi, my name is Quin (with one ‘n’) Collier. I am Crystal Collier's 14-year old son, and if you know her, then you should know that I act like it, too. I also love cheese, love to read everything I can get my hands on, and love to write. Of course, if you know my mom, you also know her unique personality. Given that I am her son, we have had many strange and sometimes rather ridiculous conversations about books.

Top Five Conversations with My Author Mom
#5. Books we Both Disliked

Naturally, Mom and I share opinions on multiple YA series. Whether it be the latter books of Harry Potter, the sparkly vampires in Twilight, or predictable endings to books everywhere, there's always been something to talk about that seems perpendicular to the development of the rest of the characters/plot.

#4. Lame (or unnecessary) Superhero Powers

One day, a book idea came up, and everyone in the family started listing off lame superhero powers that could be incorporated into the book. Such ideas included being able to see through eyelids, 3-inch high levitation, being able to create smells, and any other flabbergastedly ideas that came to our heads.

#3. Amazingly Aggravating Alliterations

Imagine that your brother or sister is doing a test on words with "port" in them. Then, your mother says ''An importer imports portable important ports.'' Then you counter with ''An importer imports portable important portable ports through a portal.'' The sentence eventually become so extensive and ridiculous that I lose track of the words. The end result is something like: ''A port porter ported importing portals ports...wait a minute.''

#2. Redundant Redundancy

A conversation about redundancy led to a discussion about redundant statements, statements such as ''justified justice,'' ''sorrowful sadness,'' and my favorite, ''supercalifragilisticexpialidociousic supercalifragilisticexpialidociousosity.'' Eventually I was just saying the same word twice, and became ''boringly bored.''

#1. My Own Story Ideas

Having an author mother my whole life has inspired me to write my own stories from a young age. I have come up with strange and sometimes impossibly impractical plots ever since the age of five, and Mom has never pointed out their contingencies or poor development, only supported me along the way. I haven't published any of my own books, but I currently cheer on hers.

In conclusion, conversations with an author aren't boring. Unless they are non-fiction authors, but even then a conversation with them probably wouldn't be boring. So in other words, go buy Soulless!

     
The blog tour is making some awesome stops today:

Suzi Retzlaff at Literary Engineer goes in depth about my research process
Cortney Pearson presents a kick-trash character, Mae
VoilaFury at Homeless Chronicles in Tampa interviews Sarah, a recently turned-Soulless character you don't want to miss 
And be sure to enter the Rafflecopterfor your chance to win some amazing prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And now it's time to go. The pony is leading the way and you know why his eyes are so big? He's headed for HAPPINESS. (Aka, the rest of the tour.) Get your fix.

Have you had any super interesting conversation with an author? Other creative people? 

The Evil Called Cucumber

So you want to know what the opposite of cheese is, do you? Let me show you.


Yeah, you think this little guy is not so noxious (or even delicious) in your salad.

He's not.

He contaminates the WHOLE ENTIRE SALAD. Just for looking at it.

Don't be a salad killer. Ban cucumbers.


     
Follow the blog tour for some SUPER FUN reading:
Donna K. Weaver at Weaving a Tale or Two: Meet the Cast--Women of Power
And be sure to enter the Rafflecopterfor your chance to win some amazing prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Now git along, follow the happy pony and check out the posts of the SOULLESS Blog Tour. (Or the evil cucumber might come after you. He might.)

Have you noticed the sneak-evil of cucumbers? If the cucumber had and evil sidekick, what would it be?