Vanessa Barneveld's Blog, page 15

Paranormal Party Guest – Elizabeth Langston

Thank you for joining us during my launch week-and-a-bit! Right up until Halloween, I’m celebrating the release of my debut paranormal YA, This Is Your Afterlife, with some special friends. Today, another multiple Golden Heart/multipublished YA author friend joins the party. Please welcome Elizabeth Langston!

Elizabeth is the author of a wonderfully intriguing and emotive time-slip series which started with Whisper Falls (Spencer Hill Press). Like me, she once worked at a cinema selling popcorn. (I’d love to know if she loves popcorn as much as I still do!) Her next book, I Wish, is out on November 18. She lives in North Carolina and has traveled all over the globe. Come back to visit me in Australia again soon, Elizabeth!

We can all visit Elizabeth at of these exotic places now:

Facebook | Twitter | Website

Elizabeth Langston

I met Vanessa when we both finaled in the YA category of the Golden Heart (a contest for unpublished authors of romance fiction.) When I learned that she lived in Australia—which just happened to be my next vacation stop—I was thrilled. She graciously agreed to hang out with me and my two exhausting, exuberant teen daughters. We spent a great afternoon laughing, talking, and walking about the beautiful city of Sydney.

When I heard about This is Your Afterlife, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. And when Vanessa asked me to join her in the Paranormal Party, I couldn’t say YES fast enough.

My first brush with something paranormal came through my great-grandmother. Her name was Ada, and she had an identical twin sister, Ida. They were incredibly in tune with each other and had this weird ability to read the other’s mind. I thought that was cool, but Great-Gran assured me that it was a burden as well.

There was one day, late in her life, when Great-Gran and I were sitting in her kitchen, drinking tea and eating pie. She suddenly gasped and jumped to her feet, her whole body shaking.

Me: What’s wrong?

GG: Something terrible has happened to Ida.

Me: How do you know that?

GG: I know.

The phone rang.

GG: Answer, please.

I did. It was the hospital calling. Ida had just collapsed and died. I met Great-Gran’s gaze, but I didn’t need to say anything. She already knew.

I remembered this conversation while writing my next release, I Wish. The hero is a “genie” with supernatural powers (although he tries to act as much like a human as possible.)  My genie can read minds, but he rarely does. “It raises privacy issues.”

- Elizabeth

Oh, a genie with a good moral compass. I love him already, Elizabeth. Thank you so much for sharing your poignant story!

Giveaway!

There are two prizes up for grabs today:

1. Enter my Rafflecopter HERE for your chance to nab your very own Kindle copy of This Is Your Afterlife plus a $50 Amazon e-gift card!

2. Questions… If you could read minds, would you? If you could read the thoughts of only one person, who would it be? One commenter will receive their choice of e-book or paper copy of I Wish.

Thanks for being here today, partygoers! We’d love to see you again tomorrow to meet four-time Golden Heart finalist Kim MacCarron!

~ Vanessa

 

Paranormal Party Guest – Erica O’Rourke

I’m still celebrating my debut. (Hey, I’ve waited almost 20 years for this!) I am so lucky to have incredible writer friends who’ve each supported me during my writing apprenticeship. I hope you’ll stick around for the whole party season. Mingle with my friends! We’ve got prizes up for grabs, and there’s always virtual cake to feast on.

Today’s very special guest is Erica O’Rourke, author of Dissonance (book 1 of a new series from Simon & Schuster) and the Torn Trilogy (K Teen/Kensington).

I’ve always been in complete awe of Erica. We first met as YA Golden Heart finalists in 2010, and I was impressed by her kindness and wise counsel. She went on to win the golden necklace as well as a fetching fluorescent crown the rest of us YA ‘losers’ gave her. We share a love of cats, driving stick shift, and sushi. (Though, I’m still trying to get her to try the raw stuff just once***! Will you try sashimi if I hit the bestseller list, Erica???).

I’m so excited to have her with us today. Her latest series is about a rare ‘Walker’ who has the ability to cross the multiverses. You’ll find Erica at the following locations in this universe:

Facebook | Twitter | Website 

***Correction: Erica assures me she does like sashimi! I don’t know I thought otherwise all this time. Perhaps an Erica O’Rourke in an alternate universe isn’t a sashimi fan!

Erica O’Rourke

Having spent time around people who are avid fans of horror, I have come to the conclusion that some people enjoy the adrenaline rush that accompanies mortal terror.

I, however, am not one of those people. Faced with a trailer for a scary movie, I do not feel an adrenaline rush. I feel overcome with with the urge to curl into a little ball and weep uncontrollably. On Halloween, I openly scowl at the houses with the rotting corpses in the yard. When I drive by a haunted house, I hit the gas.

I am a scaredy-cat, and I am totally okay with everyone knowing it.

What terrifies me the most?  Scary books. Books stay with you. Books are magical. Books have power. A well-written horror novel seeps into your brain and takes up residence there, hiding until you think the fear has dissipated. You feel confident, like you’ve finally a grown-up and Can Handle This.

Spoiler: I can’t.

Growing up, the children’s section of our library was tiny, but it had a healthy selection of Christopher Pike and Fear Street. Desperate for new material, I went ahead and read them, and regretted it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Eventually, my book-induced insomnia forced me to create a new rule: No scary stories after 4pm.  The hope was that I would forget the book in the hours between four and bedtime, allowing me to fall asleep without assuming a vengeful ghost was coming to slit my throat with a dull butter knife.

Spoiler: It didn’t work.

Finally I gave up reading horror novels. I was safe. All was well. And then I went to see Silence of The Lambs. Crime is different than horror, I told myself. Hannibal Lecter might be evil, but he was still a man, not a demon or an evil spirit.  To my surprise, I liked the movie very much.

I liked it so much, I decided to read the book. Crime is different than horror, you see. Everything would be fine.

Spoiler: Everything was not fine.

Not only could I not sleep, I couldn’t stay in the house by myself. I was utterly convinced that Hannibal Lecter was going to come to life while my back was turned, climb out of the book, kill me in my sleep, and bust out the chianti.

But I had to finish the book, because that’s how my brain is wired. So I went with the only reasonable alternative:

I hid the book in the basement. Every night. And the minute I finished it, I returned it to the library and swore off scary books entirely.

Since then, I’ve read a few truly excellent-yet-terrifying, but nothing else has ever been relegated to the basement. Which is good, because in our current house, my bedroom is in the basement.

I’m an easy target.

Thanks so much, Erica! I had to keep my copy of The Amityville Horror out of my sight too!

Paranormal party people, there are two prizes to win today!

For your chance to win a $50 Amazon e-card and a Kindle copy of This Is Your Afterlife, give my Rafflecopter a shot. Click HERE.
Leave a comment below for your chance to win a copy of Erica’s Dissonance! Are you a scaredy-cat? Can you read scary books after 4pm?

See you back here tomorrow, when magical realism author Elizabeth Langston makes her grand entrance!

~ Vanessa

We Interrupt This Paranormal Program…

…with an essential cat video. This is scarily similar to what I go through with my cats every day:

Coming up on the blog in just a few hours’ time — the fabulous Erica O’Rourke! Don’t forget to enter my Rafflecopter giveaway — you could win a $50 Amazon e-card plus a Kindle copy of my debut book, This Is Your Afterlife. ENTER HERE.

There’s still time to comment on Sara Hantz’s superstitious post. You could win two of her YA books, The Second Virginity of Suzy Green and Will the Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up?

Paranormal Activity

My blog is haunted. Seriously! Paranormal activity concerning blog comments has forced me to flee back to Wordpress. 

So please, for your own sake, go to MY NEW BLOG before the ghost catches you! You'll find all my Paranormal Party guests there. Sara Hantz is all set to arrive at midnight, October 26, US EDT.

HURRY!

Paranormal Party Guest - Shea Berkley

Halloween's looming and my book is about a lonely ghost, so I thought it'd be fun to invite some of my most brilliant YA writer friends to help me celebrate the release of This Is Your Afterlife. 

Today's victim…er, brilliant YA writer friend is Shea Berkley. You've heard of kick-butt heroines? Well, Shea is a kick-butt, kick-boxing author and my hero...ine.

I'm especially grateful to Shea for spending two days in a row with me — yesterday she challenged me to a game of Question or Dare at our group blog, the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood. Shea and I were finalists in the 2009 and 2010 Golden Heart contest. We bonded over Vegemite. She hates it. I love it. Shea writes fantasy YA for Entangled. Her books are heart-stopping and full of emotional depth. At RWA conferences, you'll usually find us hanging out together. Inseparable. (Because of the Vegemite bond, you see. It's like super glue.)  Read an excerpt for The Marked Son, book 1 in her Keepers of Life series, here. Follow her on Twitter, visit her website (currently undergoing reconstruction surgery) and, finally, check out her faery nice post below!

Shea Berkley

If Tinkerbell were real…

I’ve always been a sucker for faery stories. They’re fun. I mean, who doesn’t like Tinkerbell with all that emotion spilling out of her causing trouble?

As a writer, my job is to create a sense of reality. I mainly do that with words, but sometimes I get a spark of madness and create little fun things to entertain my children. One year, I decided to make a faery house. As I spun stories about faeries, my children helped me collect various objects from nature such as leaves and twigs used to construct the house and other bits and pieces we found to create the furnishings. It took all afternoon, but when we were done, the tiny house was perfect, a cute, fragile shelter any faery would love to call home. As twilight descended, we nestled the house under a huge pecan tree in our back yard, and before it got too dark, we raided our refrigerator and set out a healthy meal for the faeries before going inside.

My kids watched the house, waiting to catch a glimpse of a faery until the sun set and it was time for bed. We had fun and I have no doubt their dreams that night were filled with faeries. Me being me, I decided to take the illusion to the next level. I took a flashlight and went back out to the faery house with a doll no bigger than my thumb and poked tiny footprints into the dirt. I mashed up the berries we’d put on the table we made and ruffled the scraps of cloth I’d sewn for bedcoverings. I put water in a pecan shell and rearranged a few other things to give the house a lived-in look and then went inside.

The next morning the children raced outside to examine the house and squealed when they found evidence their home had been used. Faeries existed. Breakfast that morning was abuzz with the news. I sat down with them to eat and we all had a laugh at how much fun it was to create the house and delve into the illusion of faeries.

Over the years, we’ve done some pretty fun projects, but that faery house is still one of their favorite memories.

It’s not surprising, all these years later, when I asked my children what kind of story they’d like me to write for them, they chose one that dealt with Fae people. I gave them a new mythology and called them the Firsts, but in essence, they are a type of Fae that keep nature in balance.

In the Keepers of Life trilogy, intermingling with humans upset that delicate balance, and Dylan and Kera, my hero and heroine, suffer greatly to restore it. Madness, monsters and magic threaten to destroy the fae and human worlds. Dylan must risk his life for those he loves the most, and all he has to help him are a few friends, more than his fair share of uncontrollable magic and Kera’s belief that he is the only one who can save them all.

- Shea

Kim MacCarron, Shea Berkley, Vanessa Barneveld - San Antonio 2014

Pictured right:

Book one: The Marked Son

Book two: The Fallen Prince

Book three: The Rising King

Plus three fae…er, YA authors, Kim MacCarron, Shea Berkley, and me.

 

Thanks, Shea! It must have a been so much fun growing up in the Berkley house! I'd like to ask our readers, when you were a child did you believe faeries lived at the bottom of your garden?

Giveaway!

Enter my Rafflecopter for your chance to nab your very own Kindle copy of This Is Your Afterlife plus a $50 Amazon e-gift card! Please take a second to read the terms and conditions, but note that Canadian residents are also eligible to enter despite what the disclaimer says! 

Good luck!

~ Vanessaa Rafflecopter giveaway
 


















 Tomorrow...

Meet the very superstitious Sara Hantz!

Paranormal Party…Pause!

I'm blog partying at another cyber haunt for today only. Head to the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood, where Shea Berkley's grilling me about Vegemite and daring me to do weird things. I'll be back tomorrow, with Shea in tow, from midnight US EDT. 

But while you're here, why not check out these creepy shots I took at a local cemetery.

And for something more pleasant, my book trailer for This Is Your Afterlife:

And for something even more pleasant… Enter my Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win your very own Kindle copy of my debut novel as well as a $50 Amazon e-card. Please take a moment to read the terms and conditions. :) Good luck!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Buy the book!

Bloomsbury Spark

Amazon | iTunes Australia | iTunes US | Google Play | Kobo | B&N

Paranormal Party Guest - Amanda Ashby

The Paranormal Party rolls on! In case you're wondering what's going on here, I've asked some of my wonderful YA writer friends to help me celebrate the release of my debut book, This Is Your Afterlife. Right up until October 31, we're sharing spooky stories and giving away prizes. 

My next guest is fellow Antipodean Amanda Ashby! Put your hands together for her!

Hmm, kitty, I didn't mean *literally* put your hands together.

It's not just the alliteration in her name that makes Amanda adorable. She's also funny and kind and wise. Even her emails to me are effortlessly amusing. She loves retro/vintage things, which brings her cool factor up to 50+. Amanda had me with her first book, You Had Me at Halo. Since then, she's published in MG, YA, and has just nabbed a new women's fiction contract for Dating the Guy Next Door. We were born in the same city (Brisbane) under the same star sign (Aries), we've presented workshops and swanned around in limos together. So, you see, Amanda and I are practically twins! Now she's doing me the great honour of blogging with me during Paranormal Party Week-and-a-Bit. Please make sure you visit Amanda at her website and become her number one fan on Facebook.

Amanda Ashby

I’m so excited to be able to celebrate the release of Vanessa’s debut book and while I’m not sure of the protocol of bringing along sparkles and glitter to a Paranormal Party I couldn’t resist, so consider yourselves all covered in love-heart confetti!  And now, since this is Vanessa’s party and her wish is for us to talk about things that go bump in the night, I’d better get going on.

Here’s the thing, I LOVE anything paranormal. I write it, I read it and I debate about Buffy until the cows come home (actually there’s no debate. The answer is Angel because everyone knows that Spike has a funny chin). The only thing I don’t like about is when it crosses over to the real world. As in, I don’t want to wake up surrounded by vampires or discover that my house is full of ghosts. And it’s not that I don’t believe there are other things out there, because I do. The problem is that I’m a mega-wimp who much prefers sparkles and glitters (see above) rather than being scared. But despite my fears I’m going to be brave and talk about something that happened to me when I was in my twenties.

My husband and I were having a drink in a bar in Dunedin (NZ) on a Saturday afternoon and I had to go to the bathroom. The place itself had once been a sports shop and the bar was on street level and down in the basement where the toilets were was also a nightclub. Because this was during the day, it was all deserted and I had to walk through a labyrinth of rooms to even find it. It was kind of spooky so I was already feeling unsettled. Then when I got to the bathroom I had the overwhelming feeling that the walls were covered in blood. It was everywhere and dripping down to the floor. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced and I immediately ran back upstairs and told my husband that we had to leave. He was stunned, especially since we’d just bought new drinks, but I just knew there was no way I could stay in that place for moment longer.

I found out the following day that people had long thought the building was haunted and that the previous owner had committed suicide down in the basement. I’ve had other smaller experiences with things but nothing else has come close to this. Needless to say that I never stepped foot into that place again.

Question...

So, I’d love to know if anyone else has had an overwhelming encounter like this? There’s a copy of my latest book, Demonosity, up for grabs and I’ll let Vanessa pick the answer that spooks her out the most!!! 

- Amanda

Giveaways!

Today, there are two ways to be a winner:

1. Enter my Rafflecopter for a chance to win a $50 Amazon e-gift card and a Kindle copy of This Is Your Afterlife. Take a second to read the terms and conditions first.

2. Leave a comment below to win Amanda's latest YA book, Demonosity. Amanda's happy to ship the book internationally.

A couple of people have mentioned difficulties in posting a comment. I've investigated, but I'm not sure what's causing the problem. (A ghost, maybe???) If you're unable to add a comment, I invite you to at least have a go at entering the Rafflecopter! :)

Good luck!

~ Vanessaa Rafflecopter giveaway
 


















 

Tomorrow, the party will temporarily move to the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood blog. Shea Berkley has challenged me to Question or Dare. She's so hilarious. The Paranormal Party will resume here on Saturday, October 25 US EDT. And guess who's coming? Shea Berkley!

Paranormal Party Guest - Pintip Dunn

Welcome to my Paranormal Party*! I’m hosting a festival here right up until Halloween to celebrate the release of my first book This Is Your Afterlife. I’ve invited some very special YA writer friends. Together we’re throwing around a ton of confetti and sharing spooky stories. But there's more! Enter my Rafflecopter giveaway, and you could win a $50 Amazon e-card and a Kindle copy of my debut novel! 

Today’s guest is one of my esteemed critique partners, Golden Heart and agency sisters— the amazing Pintip Dunn. Please give her a HUGE welcome!

The not-so-spooky Neil Patrick Harris.

Three-time Golden Heart finalist and brand-new Entangled Teen author, Pintip Dunn.

Pintip and I first met online when she was a finalist in the 2012 Golden Heart contest, and we’ve been writing, emailing and texting each other pretty much every day since! Entangled Teen recently acquired her debut sci-fi YA, Fit To Die, in a two-book hardcover deal. Her success is so well deserved. She’s incredibly focused and determined and, most of all, Talented. That's right, with a capital 'T'! I’m so excited about the world finally getting a chance to see her well-crafted and absorbing stories from 2015. Learn more about Pintip on her website and don’t forget to follow her on Twitter.

And now, here's Pintip with her paranormal party post*! 

 *Just giving you a heads-up — I'm partial to alliteration in blog posts.

Pintip Dunn

I am so excited to be kicking off Vanessa's Paranormal Party! And even more thrilled that THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE is out in the wild. Vanessa's ghosts in this YA novel are fascinating, complex, and funny. And okay, they're pretty cute, too. I should know. I had the privilege of interviewing Jimmy (and his ghost interpreter) last week.

But not all ghosts are so much fun. Some of them are downright . . . spooky. Especially when they get up close and *way* too personal. 

Last year, I misplaced my phone. Not such a surprise, since I'm constantly losing things. I checked all the usual places -- kitchen counter, dresser, bathroom sink. 

Nothing. 

No worries. I made a second round, adding in more obscure spots. The shelf inside my closet. The ledge next to the toilet. Even my sock drawer. 

Nothing. 

Huh. The panic began to creep up my throat. I needed my phone. I do all of my writing on there, and I had  a major scene to finish. I took a deep breath and slowly, methodically retraced my steps.

Still nothing. 

I checked the same places again. And again. And again. 

My palms were burning, my nerves sweating. My heart was a woodpecker trying to jab its way out. I couldn't lose my phone. My entire book was on there. I hadn't transferred the files to my computer. Hadn't backed them up in any way. If I didn't find it, an entire year of my life would be gone. 

I stopped in the guest room and lifted my eyes to the fan. "Please, god. Help me find this phone. I need my phone. I NEED IT. Please, oh please, oh please."

What on earth…?

When I finished praying, I immediately walked to my bathroom. I don't know why. I'd already looked in there a dozen times. But this time, as my eyes skated past the toilet,  I saw a flash of green. I crouched down -- and every hair on my body stood up. Because my phone was there. Sitting on a ledge *at the back* of my toilet. *Perfectly aligned* as if someone placed it there.

But who? My kids were already at school. I was alone in the house. If it had fallen there, why would it be perfectly aligned? Did I absent-mindedly place it there myself? Okay, so my thoughts are always wandering. But the idea that I would stretch my hand behind my toilet without knowing it is a but much. What's more, I found it within seconds of praying. 

So who placed my phone there? No clue. Any ideas are welcome. And maybe Vanessa can ask Jimmy the next time she talks to him. 

Question...

Have you ever had a spooky, unexplainable experience? Please share. I will be giving one lucky commenter an e-copy of Vanessa's fantastic book, THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE, as well as a Dead Sea Salt Scrub to ward off the spirits in your life.

- Pintip

Giveaways!

How would you like to win some great prizes? There are two separate giveaways to enter:

1. Enter my Rafflecopter for your chance to nab your very own Kindle copy of This Is Your Afterlife plus a $50 Amazon e-gift card! Please take the time to read the terms and conditions. 

2. Have you ever had a spooky experience that you can't explain? Leave a blog comment below for another chance to win an e-copy of This Is Your Afterlife plus Dead Sea Salt Scrub from Pintip.

Good luck to all!

~ Vanessaa Rafflecopter giveaway
 


















 Tomorrow...

Thanks for hanging out with me and Pintip today! Tomorrow, meet Amanda Ashby! She'll be here to share a spooky tale all the way from New Zealand.

This Is My Debut!

My first YA novel, This Is Your Afterlife, hits the virtual shelves today** — yay!  USA Today's Michelle Monkou called it a must-read. "Loved it!  Strong paranormal thread, suspense and romance. What's not to love?" 

It's only taken me 20-odd years of wishing and waiting and hoping and working to get a publishing contract. :) But all those rejections and setbacks along the way really made this release so much sweeter. I want to thank my persistent and fabulous agent Beth Miller, my editor Meredith Rich for taking a chance on me, and everyone at Bloomsbury New York, Sydney and London. It's such an honour to work with all of you!

Now, you only get one debut, right? So I'm making the most of it by celebrating every day until October 31. 

Today, I'm Anna Campbell's guest at the infamous Romance Bandits lair. Anna's been my role model, my mentor, but most of all a treasured friend for over 13 years. Join us for a book birthday bash from 12:02am US EDT — that's 3:02pm if you live in Sydney. And of course I'm giving away free stuff! Hop over to the lair for your chance to win a Kindle edition of Afterlife + a $20 Amazon e-card.

Tomorrow, my Paranormal Party kicks off right here on my blog with brand-new Entangled Teen author, Pintip Dunn, from midnight US EDT (3pm Sydney time).

Please hop over to the Treasured Tales for Young Adults blog tomorrow, where I've posted an exclusive bonus scene. 

I'll leave you with the music video for Stay by Shakespears Sister, which is referred to in This Is Your Afterlife. This song is dedicated to my critique partners, my writing friends, contest judges, and anyone who ever encouraged me to keep writing no matter what.

This Is Your Afterlife book trailer from Vanessa Barneveld on Vimeo.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow. Here's a glimpse of what you could win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Pre-Order/Buy Links...

Bloomsbury Spark

Amazon | iTunes Australia | iTunes US | Google Play | Kobo | B&N

 

**October 21 US time.

Any Day, Now...

The clock's ticking down toward Tuesday's release of my debut YA paranormal, This Is Your Afterlife! Here's a preview of the Rafflecopter giveaway I'll be offering from October 22, US time:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was beyond thrilled when Michelle Monkou, a special contributor at USA Today, called Afterlife a "must read"! She wrote, "Loved it! Yep, that basically sums up this wonderful Young Adult story that has a strong paranormal thread, suspense and romance. What's not to love about this trifecta of story elements?" Check out her full review at the USA Today Happily Ever After blog.

Last week, I was a guest at A Book So Fathomless, a blog run by two lovely teen reviewers, Ely and Chami. I talked about how I write and, predictably, I covered how chocolate is involved in the process! You can read my post here.

And yesterday, my super-talented critique partner Pintip Dunn hosted me at her Waterworld Mermaids group blog. Or rather, she hosted two of Afterlife's main characters, Keira and Jimmy. I think Pintip was rather taken aback that I'd sent a ghost to do my interview, but in the end it was a fun day for everyone! You'll find Jimmy and Keira chatting here.

I'll leave you with some gifs from an '80s paranormal favourite, Beetlejuice. Have a great weekend, all!

The recently deceased Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis)