Konstanz Silverbow's Blog, page 41

Waiting Fate ~ Book spotlight and Author Interview

Sometimes Fate hides in plain sight while you stumble through darkness.
Ivy escapes from an abusive husband, finding peace with her daughter in her childhood home. She’s determined to keep her past a secret to protect those she loves.
Archer has been in love with the same girl since seventh grade. When Ivy comes back into his life—bruised, broken, and haunted by secrets—he knows he can’t lose her again.
But Ivy made a promise to her daughter. No one would hurt them again. She’s afraid to trust, afraid to be wrong again, and afraid that the one man she’s loved forever will break her heart.
Fate might take it’s time, but it won’t wait forever.

Meet W.B! W.B. Kinnette was born and raised in Utah, the baby of the family and spoiled rotten. She lived briefly in Texas and Alaska before coming back to raise her family only a few miles from her childhood home. She’s loved writing since she was small, because daydreams demand to be written down. She believes that dreams must be chased, if only so she can tell her children honestly that dreams do come true if you work hard enough – and never give up!


 ~  Facebook ~ Twitter @wbkinnette ~ Website ~ ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ 
Author Interview: 

What is your favorite time to write? Late, late night. One, because everyone in the house is asleep and I don’t have any interruptions. Two, because I write better when I’m sleep-deprived and loopy. Go figure.
Where is your favorite place to write? Somewhere quiet. I love my children. Really, I do. But I can’t write with distractions, and they’re cute enough that they will always be a distraction!
Do you judge a book by it’s cover?Totally! BUT. I have bought many books because of their pretty covers and have been very disappointed. I should stop, but covers are so pretty!
Do you have advice for other writers?Find a support group that knows what you are going through! My family is awesome and amazingly supportive, but I didn’t really start taking writing seriously until I found a chat room where other writers hung out all the time. Writing together, making friends, going to conferences together, it made a HUGE difference. I wouldn’t have half of what I have done if I didn’t have my writer friends.
Do you ever write in your pjs?Is that a trick question? Is there anything else to write in? Are you implying I am supposed to get dressed every day?!
What is your favorite quote?Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.
Do you put people you know into your stories?All. The. Time. Beware of getting on my bad side. Bwahahahah.

 It was a pleasure having W.B here to visit today. Make sure you check out Waiting Fate! 

Feeling like a real author!

I've always told myself that I am a real author. Just because I'm not published doesn't mean I'm not an author. It just means that my book isn't out there yet. I am still an author, I still write stories, I still create worlds.

Well yesterday I got to do something that kinda changes my opinion  Not really, but it does make me feel more like an author. And more than that, I feel like all this work is paying off!  I joined the Goodreads Author program and added my book on there.

Add Only Half Alive to your Goodreads TBR list! 
If you added it, I would greatly appreciate it!!! But don't feel obligated to. *Smiles*  

So now I would like to know, what makes you feel like a "real" author? What is your validation? Do you believe you are an author even though you aren't published? At what point on your road to publication did you begin to really feel like an author? 


And while I am here spilling news about my book (which releases September 27th) I am excited to tell you about my cover artist. There was a slight change in plans and I am pleased to tell you that Mikey Brooks will be doing the cover work for my novel. 
You can check out his website and  follow his Blog HERE and/or "Like" his Facebook page HERE!
Also, LadyAmber will be hosting my Cover Reveal, Blog Tour, and Launch party. You can "like" her HERE! 
And if you are interested in participating in blog tours and cover reveals, send LadyAmber a message. Just let her know why you're there and that I sent you please.

How do ideas choose their author?

People ALWAYS ask, "How do you get your ideas?" If you're an author, you probably get this question A LOT.  Right? Right?  But that is a very invalid question in my opinion.  I didn't sit down and think "Hmmm, I'm gonna be a writer. What should I write about?" No, no, no!

I sat down one day and my brain said "Oh my goodness here is this brilliant idea. Take it, write it, one day get it published.  Also here are some characters and a place for it to happen and also here is some really cool dialogue you can throw in there. Good luck!"  And I thought "What just happened? My brain things I'm a writer? Are you serious? Do I look like a writer?" And my brain replied with "Yeah, you do look like a writer. Now shut up and write down these ideas or you will make me forget and then we can't write their stories!" And all I could think was "Whose stories?" And my brain is sighing now.  "You are such an idiot! Them, these characters speaking to you! Who else would I be talking about?"  And so at that point, completely lost and freaked out but didn't continue arguing. I sat down, shut up, and wrote!

So it wasn't a "Ohh I want to write! Now I need ideas."  It was a "Ohhh here are some ideas. Crap, now I have to write!"  And the adventure began!

So back to my original point, how did the stories choose their authors? Where were you, what were you doing, and what story idea inspired you to write?

For me?  I was thinking about a very hilarious memory and realized it would make for a really cute story.  (Think Me + My younger sister + My Super cute crush walking by = Hilarious moment for me, embarrassing moment for Crush, and semi-shocked/horrified/can't help but laugh moment for my sister) so I decided I would write it.  And guess what? It was horrible! I had one scene but no plot, no characters, no story.

It kinda snowballed from there.  I decided that the scene was really cute and I would really like to write it for a book one day.  Next thing I know, I am going to a writing meeting every Tuesday night at the library.  After that, I started another book, a book that in January I finally submitted to publishers.  And between then and now, I had so many stories floating around I couldn't keep up.


So again I leave you with a question, how did the stories you're writing choose you as their author?

Book tour: Insight ~ A Book Review

 ~ INSIGHT BEHOLDERS, BOOK ONE ~ YOUNG ADULT / FANTASY ~  TERRON JAMES  ~ ON SALE: JUNE 1




James has masterfully crafted the mystical land of Appernysia, a  world brimming with rich history and magic that readers of all types will find delight in discovering. Rumors are surging through Appernysia that a Beholder has been born,  the first wielder of True Sight in over a millennium.

Seventeen-year-old Lon Marcs discovers he has been blessed—or  cursed—with this gift. He cannot control the power of True Sight and  feels it killing him with each passing day. He realizes that the only people who might possess the knowledge to save his life are the sworn  enemies of his king. To obtain their help, Lon would have to journey into exile, leaving behind his village, family, and beloved Kaylen.

Although this is the hardest decision Lon has ever made, it is only  the first of many that will test his strength and challenge his interpretation of right and wrong.


My Review: 

This book . . . this book has left me speechless. I love it! Simply put, I LOVE it! Insight is truly insightful. Terron is able to bring these characters to life, he brings out things, details I would have never imagined before. The relationships in the story are touching, amazing, completely believable.

I kept thinking that I would stop and go do some other things before reading more but each time I ended one chapter the next just called and forced me to read the whole book in one sitting.

Insight if full of adventure and oh my goodness the feels! There are so many of them. Terron has written a masterpiece and I can only say that I am dying to read more!!!




 ~ Facebook ~ Blog/Website ~ Twitter ~  Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble   ~ Blog Tour ~ 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Trailer Reveal: Branded

 ~ Title: Branded ~ Author: Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki ~ Release Date: June 28, 2013 ~~  Genre: Mature Young Adult, Dystopian ~ Reveal Host: Lady Amber's Tours ~ 


Book Description:


Twenty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him.  In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the  Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best.  Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I've been accused of a  crime I didn't commit and now the Hole is my new home.  
Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain.  
Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win. The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me.  I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter.  My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.


Meet the authors! 
Abi Ketner Is a registered nurse with a passion for novels, the beaches of St. John, and  her Philadelphia Phillies. A talented singer, Abi loves to go running and spend lots of  time with her family. She currently resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her husband,  triplet daughters and two very spoiled dogs.


Melissa Kalicicki received her bachelor’s degree from Millersville University in 2003.  She married, had two boys and currently lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Aside from  reading and writing, her interests include running and mixed martial arts. She also  remains an avid Cleveland sports fan. 


Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at college orientation and have been best  friends ever since. After college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but  they still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on weekends, they went  to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What started out as an enjoyable hobby has  now become an incredible adventure.




 ~ Website & Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~  Goodreads ~ 
 ~ Book Trailer ~ 

Book Bomb - A Walk in the Abyss

ORCS! GREYSHALKS! AND GIANTS! Prepare yourselves, intrepid reader, for three complete novelettes set in the Abyss Walker world of author Shane Moore. In this anthology you shall read “No Tusks” by Paul Genesse, the disgustingly graphic orc story—not for children—(You have been warned!); then a tale about a young Bigfoot, or more accurately, a greyshalk trying to find his place in the world in: “A Kudekah to Remember” by Paul Genesse and Shane Moore; and finally, a truly hilarious story about a bumbling giant in: “Mungo the Undying” by Patrick M. Tracy. You’ll also be treated to a short story from a very unique point of view—an arrow in flight: “Unerring” by Patrick S. Tomlinson; and as a bonus, an excerpt from the novella, “The Wererat’s Tale III: The Collar of Perdition” by Patrick S. Tomlinson, which was written from an outline penned by the creator of the Abyss Walker World, Shane Moore himself. Orcs, greyshalks, and giants (and wererats) will never be the same! You will love this book especially if you enjoyed the Orcs novel series by the awesome Stan Nicholls: Orcs: Army of Shadows; Orcs: Bad Blood, or The Thousand Orcs (Forgotten Realms: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, Book 1) by New York Times’ bestselling author R.A. Salvatore; or Queen of the Orcs: Kings Property by Morgan Howell. If you’re a game player or game master, and enjoyed The Slayer’s Guide To Orcs by Matt Forbeck and Ralph Horsley you will love this.
But the book: Amazon ~ Like the page:  Facebook

INTRODUCTION
Orcs! Greyshalks! And Giants!
Prepare yourselves, intrepid reader, for three complete novelettes set in the Abyss Walker world of author Shane Moore. In this anthology you shall read “No Tusks” by Paul Genesse, the disgustingly graphic orc story—not for children—(You have been warned!); then a tale about a young Sasquatch, or more accurately, a greyshalk trying to find his place in the world in: “A Kudekah to Remember” by Paul Genesse and Shane Moore; and finally, a truly hilarious story about a bumbling giant in: “Mungo the Undying” by Patrick M. Tracy. You’ll also be treated to a short story from a very unique point of view—an arrow in flight: “Unerring” by Patrick S. Tomlinson; and as a bonus, an excerpt from the novella, “The Wererat’s Tale III: The Collar of Perdition” by Patrick S. Tomlinson, which was written from an outline penned by the creator of the Abyss Walker World, Shane Moore himself. Orcs, greyshalks, and giants (and wererats) will never be the same!

Release Day Blitz: Promised by Michelle Turner

Title: Promised ~ Author: MIchelle Turner ~ Genre: Young Adult ~ Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours







Linc knows Wyn is the girl for him.Wyn knows Linc is the boy for her.But she’s promised to another.

Lincoln “Linc” Tatman had been at his new school for months and he thought he’d met all the girls it had to offer. Until one day, he spied Wyn sitting against a tree and realized this new place had been hiding the girl of his dreams. He goes out of his way to get to know her, even though he’s warned that it’s a hopeless case. But he’s determined to win her, even if she can only be his for a short time.

Arwyn “Wyn” Scott is the black sheep of her big gypsy family. When most of the girls her age are dropping out to start their own families, she begs her parents to stay. She doesn’t fit in with the gypsy teens and the regular teens are too afraid of her five older brothers to get close. Then Linc comes into her life, showing her a new life she never thought she could have. She can’t stop herself from falling head first for the boy.

Wyn leave behind her family and their traditions to follow her heart, or will  she become a young gypsy wife?






Michelle is a 28 year old native Ohioan. Go Buckeyes! Who now lives with her husband and son in West Virginia. When she isn't spending time with her family you can find her with her nose stuck in a good book. She released her first book (Reviving Bloom) as an independent author in October 2012 and plans to release two new books (Promised & Enlightening Bloom) in 2013.







 ~ Facebook ~ Blog ~ 


Excerpt:


“Linc, there are things in my life that you can’t understand and this,” She waves  her hand back and forth between the two of us, “will never be able to work out.”

“You can’t know that. You’re not even giving us a chance.” I cross my arms.

She throws up her arms, “You want to know how this will go if I give in?”

“Yeah, since apparently you’re a psychic, tell me how this will go, Wyn.”

“Say my family doesn’t find out, which is highly unlikely. And say if they do find  out and they don’t hurt you. And Linc, those are two huge obstacles to overcome  right off the bat. Well, say we overcome those, then what?” She runs her hands  through her hair before she continues, “We’ll spend a few weeks, a few months it  we’re lucky, together. But it won’t last after that, Linc. It’ll be over and we’ll be left with what? Nothing.”

“You’re wrong, Wyn. We’ll have the memories and I’d rather have those than  nothing.” I want to reach out and grab her. I want to hold her in my arms but I  know she has boundaries that I’m not use to and I can’t cross them. I’m afraid to even hold her hand, that it might cross some unseen line.



“I’m not sure I can handle the memories. Because if you give me everything  I think you can and things turn out the way I know they will, I won’t be able to  handle them. Knowing I had you and I had to let you go. I can’t do that, Linc.” There’s a quiver in her voice and I have to shove my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching out for her.

“You won’t have to let me go.”

“Yes, I will.”

“The only way I’m going anywhere is if you decide you don’t want me around.” I promise her.

“It won’t be me who pushes you away.”

“Well, I can promise I won’t push you away. I want to be with you, Wyn.”

“I’m promised, Linc.” As the words leave her lips, I watch the tears begin to escape her eyes.

“Explain please.” I have a feeling I know what it means but I need to hear it aloud.

“My Dad informed me last night that someone expressed interest in my hand.  He’s going to accept the proposal.” She’s watching my face as she finishes, “I’m going to be married.”

Title ~ Blurb ~ Release Date Reveal

I know this is an unexpected post but I just have to share as much as possible!!!

~ Only Half Alive ~ 

While darkness haunts her, she craves the light. Christina is a demon, but she doesn’t want to be. She is willing to sacrifice everything to change it. Only one person stands in her way and he will stop at nothing keep her the way she is.
The greatest battle of light vs dark threatens every living creature, a battle that could destroy all. And the demon in love will only have one chance to save everyone.



My cover revlea/party/ blog tour host ~ LadyAmber- LadyAmber Tours

YA vs. Swearing

Alright, I have talked about a lot of things but swearing really isn't one of them. And I know it's a pretty big deal for authors to tackle this subject.  Why? Because a lot of people swear and are okay with it, and a lot of people aren't.  I for one, HATE swear words. I don't say them, I hate hearing them, I hate reading them.

And I especially hate when people feel the need to make their characters swear because it would be "Out of character" for the character to NOT swear. Guess what, you can do it! It is possible! But that really isn't the point of this post. And maybe I will touch on it later but right now, I want to talk about why it isn't okay for swearing to be in YA books. (YA = Young Adult).

Let's begin with ratings. Did you know that if the 'F' word is said more than twice in a movie it is automatically rated R? Yep! They can't say it more than twice in the entire movie or it gets an R rating.  SO, why should it be okay for YOUNG ADULT books to have the F word repeated more than two times? In fact, why is it okay to have swearing in YA period?

Let me give you an example, 'Anna Dressed in Blood'. Backstory: I am not into horror novels/movies/anything. I don't like horror, it isn't fun, it isn't enjoyable, and it pretty much just gives me nightmares. But I was told to read Anna Dressed in Blood by a wonderful friend so I bought it. I finished it and guess what! I LOVE the book. I LOVE the story, the characters, the plot, the love story, everything EXCEPT the swearing. Cas, -the MC- swears A LOT. And it really detracted from the rest of the story. Some pages it felt like every other word was the 'F' word.

And I don't plan on getting the second book. Why? Because as much as I want to know what happened, I don't care to read Cas swearing every other word, and judging by the reviews I read, I pretty much know how the story goes. So I don't need to read it, I know how it ends, and I just avoided all the swearing.

So I think this is something to keep in mind when writing about a character you think would swear. Is it worth losing readers over because you feel the need to put those words in there? And on top of that, you're a writer! There are so many creative ways around swearing. Think back story, maybe the character stops swearing for someone they love, maybe swear words are against the law, maybe it annoys your characters enemy because they won't swear. There are so many things you can do.

And if your book is ever made into a movie, do you really want them to have to rate it R or cut out so much of your character because of all the swearing?

On top of that, are those words really so important that we can't find other things to say in their place?

Alright, go ahead. Tell me your views on Swearing as a reader AND writer! I want to know.

Fairytale Party Day five

Today is the last day of our week long 3rd annual Fairy Tale party. This has been a blast and I am sad to see the party come to an end so soon. However it had to be done. So without further ado, I give you the finale! The last giveaway of the party!! (Don't forget to go enter the other giveaways, they all end May 24th!).


The Prize ~ A Cinderella Prize pack full of goodies (not everything is pictured below - some prizes will remain a surprise!) 

This beautiful wooden sign: 




And these charms as a bracelet or bookmarks - winners choice. (Charms: A book, a slipper, a castle, "wish", a carriage, and a crown.) 

Not pictured: 
* A huge swag pack full of awesome bookmarks, pens, pins, and posters! * A Sparkly surprise! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway