Merrie Destefano's Blog, page 5

What rescue dogs can teach us

BJ Taylor and I have known each other for about ten years. During that time we've been members of the same writing group, we've critiqued each other's work, we've traveled to writers conferences together, and we've even roomed together. To say she's my friend is an understatement. She's a very dear friend. She's one of the first people I call whenever my universe turns upside down.

Like all good friends, we have a lot things in common—writing being one of them. But there's another thing we have in common. Dogs.

We love, love, love dogs.

[BJ and Charlie Bear]

And we've both made every effort possible to choose rescue pets whenever we're looking for another furry friend. So, I know all about her recent rescue dog and the subject of her new awesome book, Charlie Bear. I heard stories firsthand as she and her husband went through that difficult, but rewarding challenge of taking in a pet with "issues."

Hey, I've got issues myself so I can relate. Just get me on the subject of elevators and you'll find out. But I digress...

BJ's book, CHARLIE BEAR: What a Headstrong Rescue Dog Taught Me about Life, Love, and Second Chances, just released a few days and it is AMAZING. I highly recommend that you check it out.


Here's a synopsis:

When B.J. Taylor first read about rescue dog Charlie Bear, she gazed at his photograph and knew right away he was the dog for her. She just hoped her husband, Roger, would agree. Thankfully, he did, and in the subsequent year, both B.J. and Roger soon discovered that Charlie Bear was brought into their world for a very special reason-to teach them about life, love, and second chances. Charlie Bear shares an intimate look at the first year in the life of a dog nearly labeled "unadoptable" by his foster mother due to his long list of behavioral issues. As he begins his new life, Charlie Bear ferociously guards his food and toys, throws temper tantrums, and is sensitive to touch. Although B.J. doubts their sanity in adopting Charlie Bear after he repeatedly attacks their other dog, Rex, she is determined to make it work for the sake of her husband, who has fallen in love. But when B.J.'s world begins to fall apart, she shares how time, patience, and faith helped her realize that Charlie Bear was not the only one who needed a second chance-she did, too. Charlie Bear offers a loving tribute to a rescue dog that eventually sheds his headstrong ways, becomes a loving member of a family, and ultimately changes three lives forever.

And here's what some other people have to say about the book:

“What a gift and privilege it is to witness the adorable Charlie Bear morph from an unwanted, issue-ladened orphan to a beloved, human rescuer under the loving care of B.J Taylor and her family. What a fabulous story—and I know stories!"—Jennifer Quasha, co-author of
Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Dog's Life and My Cat's Life    

“An endearingly straightforward tale of a dog and the love he inspires.”—Ptolemy Tompkins, author of The Divine Life of Animals; Contributing Editor, Guideposts; Senior Contributing Editor, Angels on Earth    

"As a lifelong advocate for the humane treatment of animals—and the founder/owner of A Place To Bark, a no-kill, foster and adoption rescue non-profit—I wholeheartedly support the mission and spirit of B.J. Taylor and her CHARLIE BEAR. I have known all types of pets; yet the headstrong ones like Charlie, which B.J. depicts so accurately and engagingly, have always seemed to capture my heart. And the fact that Charlie inspires so much love—and ultimately turns the tables and rescues 'his' humans!—makes this book a must-read for dog lovers across the globe!"—Bernie Berlin, Founder, A Place To Bark

As far as I'm concerned, all I have to do is look at that lost little guy on the cover and I want to read the book. If you're interested, you can purchase the book here, here and here.

Also, coming up this week:
TOMORROW: Cover reveal for WAITING FOR MIDNIGHT, my soon-to-be released ebook short story collection!!

FRIDAY: Book review for SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo

AND I’m running a CONTEST this week.

RULES: Make a comment on any of this week’s posts, share a link on either Facebook, Twitter or your blog, and you’ll be entered to win a $25 gift certificate from Amazon. Also, you must include your email address so I can contact the winner.

Coming up tomorrow:

The writing life, writing groups, and my friend's new book

It's hard to believe that just two days ago I was surrounded by people, in the midst of a nonstop schedule of consultations, critiques, panels and classes. Even my meals were filled with the chatter of fellow writers, for I hosted tables during both lunch and dinner. It was wonderful and exciting and I was filled with adrenaline from the moment I woke up until the time I fell asleep.

And now all is quiet.

Now I spend my days before my computer screen, alone. Occasionally one of the dogs will wander in, ears perked up, hoping I'll take them for a walk. But other than that, the house is completely silent.

The writing life is strange. You go from days of total solitude to days where you're surrounded by people. It's like one day you're invisible, the next you're covered with neon, glow-in-the-dark paint.

I love it though.

I love building new worlds, one word at a time, creating imaginary people that I get to hang around with. Still, nothing compares to spending time with real people. That's one reason why my writing groups are so important. I need the support of other writers as I journey through the process of creating books.

And I'm super excited, because two members of my writing groups have brand new books.

One of these writing group pals is Mike Duran. His new book is his second supernatural thriller and it's titled The Telling and it released just a few days ago.


Here's a synopsis of the book:

Despite his love for words, when ZEPH WALKER sees his body lying on the gurney in the county morgue, he is speechless. Disfigured by his stepmother as a teenager, the hideous scar across Zeph’s face has forced him into a life of seclusion. Cloistered in a ramshackle bookstore on the outskirts of town, Zeph is blessed with an uncanny ability to sound souls—to intuit peoples’ deepest sins and secrets. He calls it the Telling, but has abandoned the gift to his unbelief and despair. Until two detectives escort him to the county morgue, where he learns that the bizarre look-alike of himself has been found murdered.

If you think that sounds both creepy and intriguing, then you would be right. Mike has created a rich, completely believable world, populated with some quirky, yet lovable characters. This is the type of book that keeps you turning the pages because you HAVE to know what happens, but at the same time you don't want to read too fast because the writing is incredibly lush and beautiful. My recommendation? Go ahead and read it fast. The first time. Then go back and read it again, slower this time, just to enjoy the journey and the lovely prose.

The Telling is available here, here and here. And if you want to read a longer synopsis, check out Mike's website.

Also a reminder: I’m running a CONTEST this week.

RULES: Make a comment on any of this week’s posts, share a link on either Facebook, Twitter or your blog, and you’ll be entered to win a $25 gift certificate from Amazon. Also, you must include your email address so I can contact the winner.

Coming up tomorrow:

Another new book by one of my writing group pals—BJ Taylor and her new inspirational book, Charlie Bear: What a Headstrong Rescue Dog Taught Me about Life, Love, and Second Chances.

Conference update, some cool stuff and a $25 Amazon gift card giveaway

The OCCWF Writers Conference was amazing! I got to speak on two panels, lead a rogue critique session and co-teach a class on speculative fiction. I got to see some old friends and meet new ones.

[Left to right: Andy Meisenheimer, freelance editor; Mick Silva, freelance editor; me; Rachelle Gardner, agent]

I also had an opportunity to encourage other writers (one of my favorite things to do). But one thing that made this conference so special was the fact that two members from my writers group were teaching and they both had new books out. (Yay and congrats to Mike Duran and B.J. Taylor!)

Later this week I’ll tell you a little bit about their books.

Another thing that was really cool was the fact that a dear friend of mine, Andrea Jones, won the grand prize for the fiction writing contest. (Eeeek!)

[Andrea's on the far right]

She won this from The Editorial Department: “An in-depth assessment and coaching of an author's writing style, based on the principles of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Editorial Department founder Renni Browne and Dave King.”

If you’re a writer, can you imagine getting an editorial memo from Renni Browne? I think I’d scream! I bit my writer’s teeth on his writing book, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers . If you’ve never read his book, I highly recommend it.

ALSO:
There’s some really neat stuff coming up on my blog this week!

On Thursday, I’m going to reveal the cover for my upcoming e-book collection of short stories titled, Waiting For Midnight. This collection of 16 stories includes a ghost story, a werewolf story, a science fiction story, as well as two stories that feature characters from my novels, AFTERLIFE and FEAST. The collection will release sometime within the next 2 weeks.

Subscribers to my newsletter will get a sneak peek! They’ll get to read the first story for FREE. So, you might want to sign up for my newsletter. *hint, hint*

AND:
I’m running a contest this week.
RULES: Make a comment on any of this week’s posts, share a link on either Facebook, Twitter or your blog, and you’ll be entered to win a $25 gift certificate from Amazon. Also, you must include your email address so I can contact the winner.

Coming up this week:

TUESDAY: Mike Duran’s new book, The Telling

WEDNESDAY: BJ Taylor’s new book, Charlie Bear

THURSDAY: Cover reveal for my short story collection, Waiting For Midnight

FRIDAY: Book review: Shadow And Bone by debut YA author, Leigh Bardugo

PLUS: $25 Gift Certificate for Amazon to be awarded on TUESDAY, MAY 29.

Why you shouldn’t throw out your old manuscripts.

Today, I have a guest post by fellow HarperCollins author, Nicole Murphy. If you're ever wondered what to do with that old manuscript, read on! Nicole has some great advice.



Because you can use them one day. That’s why.

Right, now that I’ve got the short answer out of the way, folks who are interested can read on. The rest of you – have a nice day :)


Here’s the thing – you’re probably going to have a LOT of ideas in your lifetime. And new ideas tend to push the old ideas out of your head. That story that right now you love? In a few years time, you’ll forget it ever existed.

That’s why you need to keep everything you write. You won’t remember that really cool idea. You won’t remember that sweet little story that you just loved, but then magpie-like a new idea came and you put it aside, saying that you’d go back to it later, although you never did.

Then you get to have the joy that one day – probably in the name of procrastination – you decide to tidy up your hard drive or filing system or wherever you keep your stories and you open the file and you read it and realise that it’s still a sweet, lovely story and how on Earth did you forget it?

It happens. Happened to me just a few months ago and that story is out on submission and being heavily considered by a magazine at the moment. So keep them.

So what then? It’s very true that old manuscripts can have a new life, but how and in what way?

Well, sometimes the idea of the manuscript is interesting, but the way it’s currently written just isn’t working. For example, I’ve got this weird little hybrid thing that is a mix of genres, tied together in a simple story of a father whose job it is to create the manual by which his unborn child will be educated (not quite the same as actually bearing the child, but at least he’s playing a part). The idea is great – however when I wrote it way back in 2002, I just didn’t have the skills to make it work. So it sits on my hard-drive, being seen on the occasions I decide to tidy up, being remembered and slowly but surely cooking until it’s ready.

Sometimes, you just didn’t get round to doing the final polish and submission on the story. So you do it, and you submit it and what do you know? You’ve actually sold something that might never have been sold if you threw it away.

Sometimes it’s a storyline, or a character, or a scene or a line that makes its way across to a new piece. Something you’d have to create all over again, if you didn’t have a version of it ready to go with a few alterations.

Then there are the stories waiting for the right time, the right circumstances, to find their home. One such story for me was “The Right Connection”.


I wrote this story in 2002. It was part of a push for me to accept that instead of just writing romance as sub-plots in stories (including the weird little hybrid thing I mentioned earlier), I should just bite the bullet and have a go at writing a full-on romance.

I got to the end of that story and I quite liked it, but then I realised that if I was ever going to get ANY of the novella-novel length stories I’d written published, I needed to learn how to edit.

And I’d just had an idea for a fantasy romance, featuring a secret magical race that lived amongst us humans. So I taught myself to edit through the process of writing what would eventually become the Dream of Asarlai trilogy, which is currently on sale in Australia and I HOPE will one day be available around the rest of the world.

Roll on to 2007. “The Right Connection” was five years old and just wouldn’t let me go. I’d continually re-open the file, fall in love with Taylor and Roden all over again, but I just wasn’t sure what to do with it. I wanted to try writing a screenplay and I thought maybe that was what “The Right Connection” should be. Nope, just wasn’t going to fit there either. So I closed the file again.

Roll on to 2011. Again the file was opened. Again, I tinkered with it. I did more worldbuilding. There was something about this story, a heart, but I just couldn’t put my finger on what to do with it. Disheartened, I moved on to something else.

And so we come to this year. In March, I decided to get more heavily involved in self-publishing – both as a form of publicity for the Asarlai trilogy, and to set myself deadlines (yeah, I know, I love deadlines and that’s all kind of wrong).

And bang. Just like that, I knew what “The Right Connection” would be – my first self-published novella.

So here it is – finally out in the world, like a real grown-up story. And that would never have happened if, at some time over the years, I’d thought to myself ‘Well, this story is old, forget it’ and tossed it.

So don’t toss your stories. Hold them, look at them from time to time, because you never know what they’ll grow up to be.

NOTE: Nicole is also the author of Secret Ones, Power Unbound and Rogue Gadda.


Nicole, thanks so much for joining us today!

Now, post a comment below, telling Nicole of something that you just can’t let go, and you’ll be in the draw to win a copy of “The Right Connection” (electronic only).

The real reason why John Carter is so amazing

I've been waiting for EVER for the John Carter movie to come out. Why? Because I read the entire John Carter series, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, when I was a kid. And yes, this is the same Edgar Rice Burroughs who wrote the Tarzan series. (Believe it or not, he wrote both series concurrently. Go, Edgar!) Beginning with A Princess Of Mars, I fell in love with all of the books and characters, especially the lizard–like Martian dog that became John Carter's best friend.


That's why I was saddened when most of the critics who saw this movie gave it poor reviews. Once again, I feel like movie critics don't understand this genre or the fans (like me) who love it.

If you go to see the movie, and I hope you do because it's incredible, you should know that this series was written 100 years ago. That's way before Star Wars, Star Trek, or Superman. So if you see any similarities, it's because everyone copied this series. John Carter is the ORIGINAL superhero. He travels to another planet, Mars, where all of his powers derive from the fact that he's now living on a smaller planet. He's stronger than the locals and he can jump really high. That's it. No x-ray vision, no kryptonite. And Superman is my favorite superhero, so for me to say that John Carter rocks is a big deal.

All of this reminds me of I Am Legend.


When the movie I Am Legend, starring Will Smith, came out, it looked like something we'd seen a million times before. It looked like a stylish remake of Night Of The Living Dead, starring vampires instead of zombies. The only thing is, I Am Legend was written by Richard Matheson in 1954. It focuses on a vampire apocalypse that takes place in Los Angeles. This book influenced George Romero when he made Night Of The Living Dead; it was also the basis for the movie The Last Man On Earth starring Vincent Price, and the movie Omega Man starring Charlton Heston. In other words, this book had a strong influence on our current concept of a monster apocalypse, most notably a zombie apocalypse.

Books influence movies. They influence other writers. They influence our culture. But I think it's important to remember which came first, the chicken or the egg. John Carter or Superman. A vampire apocalypse or zombie apocalypse. Hopefully if we study the classics in the culture of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, we'll be more likely to give appreciation where and when it's due.



The bottom line: I'm giving the John Carter movie 5 stars and 2 thumbs up.

ALSO, here's a LINK to an interesting article over on IO9 titled, Everything You Need to Know about Disney's John Carter Movie, that you might want to read. Very cool stuff!

And a FREEBIE: Here's a LINK to a free Amazon e-book copy of A Princess Of Mars, the book the current movie was based on.

Taming the Dragon

For the past few weeks, I've been experimenting with a voice recognition software program called Dragon Dictate. It works pretty good. Most of the time. Although it doesn't always understand some of the word choices I use. Like plague and field of bodies and bloody stump. (Actually it got all of those right, this time.)


When you're not using the program, you can either turn it off or put it to sleep. Apparently, in the future, turning it off sounds like the better idea. I put the program to sleep, then watched a decorating program while I was eating lunch. When I was ready to go back to work, this is what I found on my screen...

Both men leap carefully over the bodies, making their way out of the field. They're glad to leave us, I think. Glad to be away from the boy, as if five hundred feet can prevent them from catching the plague should it spill is a you is is is is is is is is a you are all is is is is is is is is in a day you and you and you will is is is is is is a lie and he is a you and a you as you are on is that and you claim you are really here is a he is he is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is will all is will you will a will is a you will and will and he is will he or he will or will he he I he is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is a you a you as you as long as is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is read. As you is as lovely as long as one is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is he is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is the buyer is is is is will is is is is is that you will is is is is is 0 as well as long as he is today is a is as good as he is or is you are you as you is a you will is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is all is you are you as you are well is really a wall as hard as they is is is is is is is is is know is is is is will is dated as headboard is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is you will hear is is is you are is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is he out of his vial.

LOL. Nuff said.

Absolute, undeniable proof that I really did watch the SuperBowl

I may not be a big sports fan (like not all), but I did hang out with friends and dutifully watched the SuperBowl on Sunday. Granted, I mainly listened to everyone's comments and watched that little thing on the bottom of the screen that tells you how much time is left in the quarter BUT despite all this, I watched the broadcast.

How can I prove it?

By showing you my favorite SuperBowl commercials. Ta da.

So, here goes. Dog and missing cat and doritos payoff.



Dog losing weight to achieve his goal.



My favorite: What happens when you let a cheetah out its cage.



Best apocalypse SuperBowl commercial. (Watch for echoes of I Am Legend.)



And am I the only one who saw the YA dystopian undertones in this Pepsi commercial?

Writer Wednesday: Interview with Jane Wells, author of Glitter in the Sun

Today is my second Writer Wednesday, during which I be feature an author you may or may not have heard of. Once again, my goal is to introduce you to some books and authors that you may not have read before.

Today, I'm interviewing debut author, Jane Wells, author of the book, Glitter in the Sun--which releases on November 14, 2011.



AUTHOR BIO AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF HER BOOK:
A wife, mother and writer, Jane Wells has written and taught Bible studies, and served for four years in youth ministry. Currently, however, keeping up with two Golden Retrievers and two very active boys seems to be a full time job on its own. Her book, Glitter in the Sun, will be released November 14 by Read the Spirit/David Crumm Media, LLC. It can be purchased through Amazon.com or through my website, www.glitterinthesun.com. A brief description of the book: Her book explores how readers can glimpse truths of faith through the Twilight saga. Glitter in the Sun invites individual readers and Bible-study groups to consider that there may be links between the love stories of Twilight and the One who can truly satisfy their longing hearts.



INTERVIEW:
MERRIE: If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would it be?
JANE: Someplace warm and sandy with crystal clear blue water… and almost completely deserted. I don't know where that is because I haven't been there yet!
MERRIE: I haven't been there either, but when you find it, let me know!

MERRIE: What's your favorite TV show?
JANE: Bones. I am fascinated by the science of it all and love how the characters are written and interact.

MERRIE: What is the one book that everyone should read?
JANE: Oooooh, that's really hard… other than the Bible – because it doesn't matter what genre you're looking for, it's in there – I don't have any single recommendation.

MERRIE: What movie or book are you looking forward to this year?
JANE: Breaking Dawn, of course! After that, the upcoming Avengers movie.

MERRIE: If you could have lunch with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and what would you eat?
JANE: There are a bunch of writers I know only through Facebook and their books whom I would love to spend real time with (ahem, Merrie Destefano). Even if we weren't talking about writing the conversation would still be fascinating because writers are information omnivores. As for what I would eat? As long as there was coffee and cheesecake I would be content!
MERRIE: Coffee and cheesecake? I am SO there. Seriously, it would be so much fun to hang out with you for lunch. We must do that someday.

MERRIE: What is your favorite place to write?
JANE: There is a coffee shop here in Monroe, MI called Agua Dulce. It is my office away from home! When I hit a writer's block I sit back for a few minutes to sip the bottomless coffee and watch people.

MERRIE: Tell us about your current book.
JANE: Glitter in the Sun is a Bible study that explores just why the Twilight Saga has become such a phenomenon. Even if you don't care for the story, writing or concept, you've got to admit that holding all top four positions of the New York Times bestseller list and grossing more than $1.8 billion (yes, with a "b") with the first three movies alone, makes the Twilight Saga a force to be considered at least.

I believe the Twilight Saga is so popular because it strikes at a universal chord. The themes of eternal love and unconditional acceptance are at the core needs of every person. We are born that way, to be hungry for the love of an eternally and unconditionally loving God.

MERRIE: How long did it take you to write your current book?
JANE: I wrote Glitter in the Sun one week per chapter, so it took about four months.

MERRIE: What was the hardest part about writing this book?
JANE: Making sure that what I thought was in fact what the Bible said about the topic. It was a huge growth experience for me to seek out what God has to say about all these "modern" questions and problems.

MERRIE: What advice would you give to a beginning writer?
JANE: Just do it. If within yourself you deeply wish you were a writer, then I'd say you probably already are. You just need to put fingers to keyboard and hammer it out!

And now, answer the first thing that comes to your mind:

MERRIE: Dog or cat?
JANE: Cat

MERRIE: Hot tea or cold tea?
JANE: Hot
MERRIE: Yay, hot tea wins!

MERRIE: Flying monkeys or munchkins?
JANE: Munchkins (Flying monkeys - *shudder*)
MERRIE: Yikes. I always thought the munchkins were WAY scarier than the flying monkeys.

MERRIE: Supernatural or magical?
JANE: Supernatural

MERRIE: Brownie or cake?
JANE: Brownie
MERRIE: Now, we're talking.

MERRIE: High heels or tennis shoes?
JANE: Ummmmm… well… will I be playing with my boys or playing at being a grown-up?
MERRIE: Trick question. And…a trick answer. How about tennis shoes with high heels?

MERRIE: Read a book or watch TV?
JANE: Book!

MERRIE: Hawaii or Rio de Janeiro?
JANE: Hawaii

MERRIE: Rich or famous?
JANE: Famous. (My husband would say rich. That's why we're a team!)

MERRIE: The beach or the forest?
JANE: Can the beach be at the edge of the forest?
MERRIE: Cheating. Ahem, I mean, you stole my answer.

MERRIE: Now or later?
JANE: Now.
MERRIE: Absolutely. Why wait? Unless we're talking about cleaning the house.


Thank you, Jane, for stopping by today and I wish you much success with Glitter in the Sun!

Teaser Tuesday:

It's Teaser Tuesday (wild round of applause for books, books, and more books) and my selection today is THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS by Alden Bell [Joshua Gaylord].


And now, the rules of Teaser Tuesday:
-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

And my Teaser Tuesday snippet, paragraph two, page 54, from THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS by Alden Bell:

"Here among these pretty homes, on a four-lane road with a wide grassy island in the middle where banyan trees are planted at equal intervals, she finds an accumulation of meatskins, a trail of maybe twenty, all loping awkwardly in the same direction. She pulls the car up past them to the front of the line where there is a large man trying to outpace the congregation behind. In his arms is the body of an ancient woman no larger than a child."

Cool Blog Alert: Cinder author Marissa Meyer's NaNoWriMo Countdown

If you're looking for some NaNo encouragement AND you want to learn more about a debut author, check out Marissa Meyer's Live Journal. Author of the upcoming Cinder (a book I can't WAIT to read), Marissa's doing a day-by-day countdown of author tips during the month of November. Covering items like ARCS, blog tours, conferences, and downloads, her blog posts make great reads for aspiring writers. Interspersed among these tips are updates on her soon-to-be released novel. In her own words: CINDER, in which Cinderella is re-envisioned as a teenage cyborg, is due out 3 January 2012.


(Isn't that cover fabulous?)

Here's a quote from a recent article by USA today about Cinder:
"Meyer sets this Cinderella story in futuristic New Beijing, where humans and androids coexist in a dystopian society ravaged by plague. Being a teenage cyborg, Linh Cinder is looked down by society on the whole, and especially by her stepmother. She does have one talent working in her favor, however: Her computer brain interface makes her the best mechanic around, which is fortuitous when Prince Kaito comes calling to her market booth and asks her to fix his broken android before the annual royal ball.

Cinder and the prince's lives become intertwined, while an antagonistic force lies in wait in outer space waiting for the right moment to strike Earth.

The next three books in the series will also take a futuristic sci-fi twist on classic tales: Scarlet is inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, Cress is a take on Rapunzel and Winter is Meyer's version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."

And, this is what always sells me on a book. An excerpt. Here's a link to the first chapter.

Also, up tomorrow: An interview with debut author, Jane Wells.