Barbara Pietron's Blog, page 7

Come see me at the Brighton Library!

I will be at the Brighton Library as part of their Local Author Showcase on September 14th from 2-4 p.m. I will be selling and signing Thunderstone as well as giving out download cards for my FREE eBook Heart of Ice, the Thunderstone prequel.

For more information, check out the Event Calendar on the Brighton District Library website.

Upcoming Appearance – Buy Michigan Now Festival

Visit the Scribe Publishing booth at the Buy Michigan Now Festival. Thunderstone will be on sale for the special price of $10 – in fact,all Scribe fiction will be $10 per book!

The festival in in Northville, MI on August 1st, 2nd, & 3rd

I will be there on Friday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. and on Sunday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Ask the Author Hiatus…

Yes, I realize I’ve slacked off on my Wednesday posts, but I had a deadline and today I sent the manuscript for my Thunderstone Prequel to my publisher!

What’s the hardest part about writing a book? – Ask the Author Wednesday

Had a great time at my author event last week! Since I had a Q & A session, thought I’d feature some of those questions here.

I think the hardest part of writing a book is finishing it. And I don’t mean ending it – a writer should pretty much know how their story ends before they begin writing it. What I’m talking about is going back to it, day after day. Persistence. You must decide not to watch TV, or do laundry, or shop. No one is standing there tapping their watch when you don’t sit down to write, so you have to do that for yourself. Block out time. Make it a priority. If you’ve never done it before, you can’t imagine the immense satisfaction of typing those last few words and then tapping the last period with a flourish. Believe me – there’s nothing like it.

So if you’ve got a story in you, go for it. And keep with it – you’ll be so glad you did

What’s it like to do an author signing event? Ask the Author Wednesday

Appropriate question for today since I’m doing a signing event later… It’s great to meet avid readers and I always enjoy talking about books, so I love that aspect of a meet-and-greet. As I sign books it gives me a chance to talk to people one on one – that’s the easy part. What’s hard for me is speaking in front of a crowd – speech was my most despised class in high school and college. I’ve done a couple joint events with other authors which I enjoy more since I don’t have to be the center of attention. But the bottom line is, I want people to know about my book, and I want to meet my readers, so I’m gonna keep getting out there. I remember how scary it was when I first started sending out query letters, but I got over that. I’m sure I’ll eventually conquer the meet-and-greet jitters too!

Have you always wanted to be an author? Ask the Author Wednesday

I know it would sound more “dream come true” to say yes, but the answer is no. I’ve just always loved to read.  Out of that love though, came a great admiration and appreciation for authors.  So when I had a second chance to decide what I wanted to be, the older and wiser version of me chose the profession that I most admired. Then I set forth to see if I could make that dream a reality. Seven years and a lot of time and determination later, I am a published author. I love to write. I can’t imagine turning off the trickle of story ideas or not developing a concept that keeps knocking around in the back of my mind. I’m an author for life.

Why I Read Young Adult Novels – Ask the Author Wednesday

The question today is in honor of “I Read YA” week. I suppose the number one reason I read Young Adult novels is nostalgia – I was there, I felt those same unsure angst-ridden feelings; had my unformed future in front of me to mold as I saw fit – basically, I can identify with the characters. On a simpler lever I love YA because it’s fast paced, to the point, and since the characters are young, there’s usually an element of discovery. And of course, I read YA because I write YA.

 

 

So what are you reading right now? Ask the Author Wednesday

I am almost finished with the first book of the Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare. Before this book, I read the last Morganville Vampires novel – a fifteen book series by Rachel Caine which I enjoyed immensely. I needed a new series that wouldn’t pale by comparison. After witnessing my sister blast through the Mortal Instruments, I figured that was all the recommendation I needed. And I am not disappointed in City of Bones; I have been up too late many nights in a row because I can’t put it down. So if Cassandra Clare keeps the momentum through the series, I am in for a lot of good reads and late nights!

Do you have a favorite book? Ask the Author Wednesday

Such a tough question! Inevitably the first novels that come to mind are those I’ve read in the past year or so that I really liked. But I don’t think I can pick something so recent – I may still be in the ‘infatuated’ phase. No, a favorite book must stand the test of time. So I mulled over books that I look back on and feel the mark they’ve left on me; books that I still push others to read. By doing this, I was able to narrow the field of great novels I’ve read down to only a few. If I must choose only one, it’s going to be The Witching Hour by Anne Rice. When I think about that story, I still feel the sultry humid New Orleans air, smell the bogainvillea, and sense the paranormal possibilities that linger in the shadows.

I believe The Witching Hour opened the door to the Urban Fantasy genre that I so love today. Why can’t the supernatural exist in our world? I like to think think there’s more out there than what we see.

Thunderstone Prequel? Ask the Author Wednesday

If you’ve heard rumors that there will be a Thunderstone Prequel, they are true! I’m currently at about the halfway point in the story. The best part – it’s going to be a free eBook! The intention is to give current Thunderstone fans the ‘story before the story’ as well as entice new readers to discover Thunderstone. The target release date is August 2014. If you’d like to be notified as soon as it’s available, use the form on my contact page and I’ll add you to the list!