S.A. Larsen's Blog, page 26

New Website! Spooky Middle Grade

I'm thrilled to announce the official launch of my new group of middle grade of authors!

IWSG ~ Creative Noggin

I'm here to add my thoughts on this month's Insecure Writer Support Group's pre-drafted question:
How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing?
My first attempt at writing, nine years ago, was all about finding a safe (and yes, secret) arena to explore many emotions I'd kept hidden - more like, ignored - since my childhood. And fiction was a great place to do that. 
I've written my thoughts down in journals on and off again most of my life. For the most part, my journal entries are scattered and raw, bits and pieces of myself blotted on the page. Turning to fiction gave me a highway to organize all the feels, plant them in the fertile ground of a make believe character, and explore how these emotions could apply to said character - but really, also how they could apply to me. I can push to boundaries of any emotion through my creative license in hopes to inspire, encourage, and challenge the world.
So I guess you could say the creativity in my writing has evolved from a surface exploration of emotions/themes that affect most people to a much deeper and honest dissection of what makes people who they are and what motivates them to take action. I feel freer to take risks with characters and worlds. It's kind of cool realizing this. :) 
What says you? How has your creativity evolved?



PARTICIPANTS
Want to take part in the IWSG? Check it out here to join in and see other participants. 

Wistful YA ~ Just Pretending by Leah & Kate Rooper & A Giveaway!

Welcome to another edition of Wistful YA!

Looking for a sweet YA contemporary? This one sounds so good . . . and there's ice hockey!

Publication Date:  November 5, 2018Publisher:  Entangled Teen Crush
It's not easy being royal. Sixteen-year-old Evangeline wears her crown proudly, but between her duties and her overprotective big brother, the idea of romance is just a dream. But a chance encounter in Chicago changes all that…. 
Sure, seventeen-year-old Tyler Evans loves playing hockey, but he's more concerned about providing for his dad and little sister. Then he meets Eva--and falls head-over-heels in love—and he has two more problems. One, she's his best friend's little sister. Two, she wears a crown.
But then Eva accidentally mistakes Tyler for a visiting prince, and for the first time, Tyler doesn't feel like a nobody. He knows he has to tell her the truth…but not yet. 
His plan? To keep up the royal charade as long as it takes to convince Eva he’s the guy for her. Even if he’s lying to everyone…including himself.
Disclaimer: May cause disillusionment. Those girls looking to find their Prince Charming might consider scouting out hockey rinks.


Leah and Kate Rooper are sisters from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Growing up beside the Pacific Ocean and inside a temperate rainforest fed their sense of adventure as children, and nourished a curiosity for strange and distant lands. They fed this curiosity with books - lots and lots of books. After experiencing the magic of Middle-earth, they began creating their own worlds. When they're not writing, Leah and Kate spend their time blogging and vlogging about their travel adventures and their writing journey.
Website • Twitter • Facebook • Pinterest  
Check out more of this book tourby the awesome Chapter by Chapter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


What's your favorite sport to read within a young adult story?

HALLOWPALOOZA 2018 & IWSG!

Love winning books? Like reading romance?

Then you've got to try this!
Join in the annual Hallowpalooza Reader Scavenger Hunt . There are Amazon gift cards, romance books, and other prizes just waiting to find homes with readers!
OVER 100 BOOK LOVER PRIZES
I'm one of the sponsors of the Night Owl Romance Hallowpalooza Scavenger Hunt.
During this event I'm going to help you find some great new books. Go to this LINK to see my book baby along with 40 other books! 
Plus, you'll get to see our Grand Prize - A KINDLE FIRE HD 8 w/ALEXA! 
All you have to do to enter is read some book blurbs, and there are other fun ways to enter, too.
ENTER HERE

The hunt runs from October 11th to October 31st . WINNERS will be announced November 5th at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET in Night Owl Romance's chat room. The first hour will be to chat with some featured authors and then the last 30 minutes will be to announce the winners.
***You don't need to attend the chat, but it would be great to meet you!
CHAT ROOM ENTRANCE
Happy Reading & Winning!

Last week's Insecure Writer's Support Group topic whirled around the question of how life events and experiences affect our writing. Specifically - How do major life events affect your writing? Has writing ever helped you through something?
I wanted to briefly touch upon that because I feel it's an important topic. Writing is not something I do. It's something I am. It took me the first 36 years of my life's journey to discover that. Thus, emotions are part of every word I write. Some emotions are inspired from life events I've imaged, while others are seeded much deeper in my reality - experiences that have molded and shaped me and ,yes, even torn me apart. 
So my answer to this question is yes. Writing is therapeutic, a way to help me work through conflicts and life questions I hold inside. I've spoken about this before - that I've mapped out a young adult manuscript that explores the themes of depression, growing up with a mentally ill parent, and the outward and inner affects that has on an adolescent and teenager. Yes, some of it is very personal to me; some scenes I plan to write, not so much. But either way, I know this is something I must write for myself as much as for readers. Other Participants
Want to take part in the IWSG? Check it out here to join in and see other participants.
For my romance reading visitors: what draws you to romance reads? What's your favorite part of watching a romance unfold?

Fall 2018 YA Scavenger Hunt! YA Books to #WIN!

YAY! You found me! 
So glad to be your guide on this stop of the Young Adult Scavenger Hunt 2018!

With seven teams of 20 and over 140 books up for grabs, this year's fall season hunt is awesome. So exciting!

You are currently hunting on TEAM PURPLE!


I'm S.A. LarsenI write middle grade & young adult books because being a tween or teen is hard and fictional stories are a safe place to escape and think about life. 

THE SPONSORED by Caroline T. Patti & a Giveaway!

Glad you're joining in for this installment of Wistful YA. Check out this next featured read!

Google Play| BAM| Chapters| Indies  Amazon| B&N| TBD| iBooksGoodreadsTHE SPONSOREDby Caroline T. Patti
Release Date: September 12, 2018Publisher: Month9Books
Description: Don’t break the rules…
Max Winter is a janitor at a ritzy boarding school. He’s supposed to keep to himself, mind his business, stay quiet about the things he sees, sweep the floors, and under no circumstances is he to have any contact with the residents. Now, Max will break every last one of those rules when he meets Ace Valentine.
Don’t follow your heart…
Ace Sloane finds out she’s on the wrong side of a war she no longer believes in fighting. Now, she’ll risk everything to get her life back from the people who stole it, including getting too close to exactly the wrong boy.
Don’t get caught…
Grey Winter lost both parents in a fire that should've killed her as well. A “miracle baby,” Grey is sent to live with her Nana who should have told her the truth about who and what she really is. Now she’s at the forefront of a cover-up, all-out manhunt, and the object of one boy’s interest she doesn’t want or need. It’s up to Grey to connect the dots and bring an end to the secrets and lies that have caused so much pain and suffering for so long.
I just love the sound of this one! Can't wait to read.


Caroline T Patti is the author of The World Spins Madly On and Too Late To Apologize. When she’s not writing, she’s a school librarian, mother of two, wife, avid reader and Green Bay Packer fan.
Twitter | Facebook| Instagram| Goodreads
Want to own a digital copy or buy your own? Enter this giveaway for your chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card!


TOUR SCHEDULE
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best of luck!

IWSG~Publishing Pathways

This month's optional theme is an easy one for me to answer.

What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?
Four years ago, I signed with my first agent. Two years ago, my agent and I split amicably, and shortly after that I sold my first manuscript and then my second.
I decided to go the traditional route for a few reasons. Firstly, despite having been a blogger for a few years at the time, I knew basically nothing about the publishing world and its inner workings. Plus, I live in a very rural state and then even more rural area of my state, which makes me a bit isolated. I felt teaming up with a 'guide' - that's what I really see agents as - someone who shares their knowledge of the business and guides you along your way to forming your career - was important for me.
You say, "But you sold your manuscripts on your own to small but traditional publishers."
Yup, you're correct. That step was one I now know I needed to take. I forged ahead and did it on my own. I think I needed the lessons that experience has taught me to keep forging ahead. I still plan to seek representation again. That is my choice - the way I see what I need as a writer. 
But take note: we each have our own writing/publishing journey, one that is unique. My advice is to seek that and not someone else's. Your path might end up as twisted and curvy as mine, but that's okay. Just own it.For more participants.

Thank you to this month's amazing Co-Hosts:  Toi Thomas, T. Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler! Want to be part of IWSG? Check it out here to join and to see the other participants. 

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And a little added surprise. Marked Beauty was recognized again! I'm so happy readers see through the years it took me write this story and see value in it. Thanks to all who have read it!

LINK TO AWARDS PAGE

IWSG~Pitfalls

It's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group group post. There's always the option to write about something I'm currently insecure about and/or feeling good about. But I like this month's optional group question, so I'm going to offer up an answer for that.
What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?
The first pitfall that came to mind is an internal one and one that ALL writers - even the A-listers - will say they've gone through: CONFIDENCE.
Writers write because they like it. And most start out with a similar mindset that they're going to write the most amazingly fantastical tale EV-ER! Not because they're more talented than the next writer. No. But because they just need to write - It's an inner knowing, a desire to tell the story that's been gnawing away at them for a while; sometimes, for years. It's a wonderful place. The trick is to not let the few (and eventual many) stopping points get to you. 
That. Is. Hard.
So if you feel like this know you are not alone.
*Notice my phrasing - stopping points. I did not call them failures or roadblocks or even pink slips. These stopping points aka refusals from agents & publishers, tough critiques, family, daily job, school, and life issues happen to help you grow. DO NOT TAKE THEM PERSONALLY. Use them as fuel to improve your craft and grow in both skill and confidence. 
Writing is a fourth of the battle. Marketing/Promoting is another fourth. And I believe that Belief-In-Oneself makes up the other half of the full circle.
Just Believe in You. What do you have to lose?For more participants.

Thank you to this month's co-hosts:  Erika Beebe, Sandra Hoover,Susan Gourley, and Lee Lowery!

Interested in finding out more about the IWSG? Want to join in to participate? We'd love to have you.

Summer Fun Reader Scavenger Hunt!

I have a confession to make. I'm an addict. Of reading. A hoarder of books and words. I can't help it!

So . . . I practically shake with excitement when I have the opportunity to added more books to my collection. (I do share it with others, though. Sharing books is a must!) And what better time to add more books than during the summer reading months?

Are you ready to win a Kindle Fire HD 8, Amazon cards and books!

Great! Let's get underway...

I'm one of the sponsors of the Night Owl Romance Summer Fun Scavenger Hunt. During this event you'll find some great new books to add to your TBR list, your favorite authors, and even some new authors you've yet to read. It's a really fun hunt!

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY & SCAVENGER HUNT!


HAVE A BLAST and GOOD LUCK! 
Happy Weekend,

IWSG~Pondering Labels

I'm not one to stand on a soapbox. Or a ladder for that matter - long, ugly, painful story for another time. But with everything that's going on in the world today this month's IWSG
For more participants.question got to me. 
The question is:  What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?
Sounds like a justifiable bookish question. And it is. But coming up with a book title or character name (at least for me)  labels said book or character with specific subliminal insights into what the book/character might be about. We guess, surmise, and think we know what we'll find on the inside. This got me thinking about the state of the world today and how lots of people preach about not being racist or a bigot or a religion hater or a hater in general, but don't really show that in their actions.
My view on this comes from my experiences in raising four children. The more I talked about or pointed something out to the kids the more emphasis they in turn put on it. Good or bad. Like the idea that climbing out a second story window to watch your five-year-old brother play hockey in the driveway is not okay. (My 2nd son may or may not have done this. O_o) I freaked out when I found him on the roof, kept talking about it - well, because I was freaked out - and that steered his attention to the roof and wanting to climb on it again and again. Bad. But when I talked about reading books, how that can take you anywhere you want to go and you can be anyone you want to be while reading, they wanted to read more. Good.
I see the political, religious, and economic issues of today through the same eyes. I see people for who they are because of the way they treat others, not for any other reason. If the world would focus on the good here - because there is a lot of good out there - then slowly, maybe even methodically, the world would begin to glow with the goodness we share instead of the hate and discontent spewed through the news and social media. I honestly see everyone as a human being. Plain and simple. And, even if I don't agree with your opinion, I respect it because it is your right just like breathing.
So I guess I do the total opposite while naming characters and creating titles, and both come easy to me. I purposefully give the reader a prejudice as to who this character might be or what this story could be about. And that can be as misleading as real life. SPLAT ALERT!YOU GUYS are A-mazing! I still can't believe you're my friends. I'm so lucky. Remember last month when I asked for support because Marked Beauty was up for an award? Well . . . she won, not one, but two awards! 
And it's all because you are my writer friends and readers and actually think what I'm doing matters. 
2018 Maine Romance Writers 'Strut Your Stuff' Grand Prize Winner - Readers Choice
2018 Maine Romance Writers Readers' Choice; YA/NA category
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
AND if you look closely you'll see what looks like a large pin with a heart and a silver book dangling from it. Every writer receives one of these pins with the heart engraved Maine Romance Writer. Each time the writer has a new book published, he/she receives another silver book! I absolutely love this pin!

Oh, and make sure you ENTER for your chance to WIN $250 cash in the Splash into Summer Giveaway I posted on Monday. Many ways to enter - even a FREE entry! Either scroll down to the post below this one or click HERE . Good luck!
So Readers (this includes writers because we're all readers), what intrigues you more the title of a book or the main characters' names?