S.A. Larsen's Blog, page 33

My Debut Middle Grade Novel Has A Cover!

I remember when my husband and I found out I was pregnant with our first child. Emotions from every Christmas, birthday, and special milestone in my life melded into one, wrapping itself around my heart and squeezed. Tight. At the time, Christmas day was only six days away, so we decided to wait to share the news with family and friends, keeping a 'Christmas Surprise.' The wait had been excruciating. 
So has waiting to share my first book baby's cover with you. 
With no more #blah-blah from me, I'd like to introduce you to Daphne, my middle grade book cover. Why, yes, I named her. It only seemed fitting.



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Just a little more...



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TAH-DAH! Description: Forget having a lively after school social life, Ebony Charmed is fighting to keep the entire Afterlife alive.
Ebony’s less-than-average spirit tracking abilities are ruining more than sixth grade at Motley Junior High: School for the Psychically & Celestially gifted. Her parents argue so much her dad moved out. And, even though he’s scared of his own shadow and insists on bringing his slimy, legless lizard everywhere they go, Ebony wouldn’t survive without her best friend, Fleishman. 
When Ebony’s Deadly Creatures & Relics’ project goes missing, she learns her missing project is one of the keys to saving the spirit world. Now Ebony and Fleishman must battle beasts from Norse Mythology to retrieve her project before spirits are lost, the Well of Urd dries up, and Ebony loses all hope of reuniting her family. But someone lies in wait, and he has other plans...including creating a new world of spirits without them in it.
Stay tuned for pre-order links to Amazon, B&N, and more!
Motley Education has been aligned with Core Standards for grades 4-7. A guide will be available on the author’s websiteto download for FREE after the book’s release date of October 10, 2016.
I've also unveiled my new website - Motley Education friendly with kid fun stuff, Motley Mulisha Reading Club, links, school visit pamphlet, & more!
And because you all are brimming in awesomesaucesomeness, I'm offering up a giveaway! Five lucky winners will each receive a signed bookmark and assorted swag! Contest runs from 09/15/16 to 09/23/16. Winners will be chosen my random.com. a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think of the amazing outfit my book baby is dressed in? (Yes, I'm partial. But she's mine!)
Much gratitude,

IWSG: The Month Before Your 1st Book Baby Releases...EEK!

There's nothing like support, right? Of course. We all need it sometimes. No matter what where you live, what you do, or what's going on in your life there is always something to stress about. And that's okay. As long as we don't let it rule us.
So I've got this thing happening in just over a month. Yeah, my first book baby will be released. I ask your forgiveness now for all my book yammering you'll hear over the next six to eight weeks. Needless to say, the closer my release date gets the more stress presses on me. I figured if I could use a laugh or two so could you. 
                      This is me right now: via GIPHY
And this: 
via GIPHY

But I promise you, I'll be like this soon and so will you!
via GIPHY

HUGS from a fellow insecure writer... <3

un/FAIR & Author Steven Harper

TOUR SCHEDULE by the fabulous CHAPTER BY CHAPTERExploring the joys, confusion, and questions of middle school is always an adventure. And this next story is no exception. I really love this main character. Please welcome Author Steven Harper, his book baby, and his main drive for this story - Ryan November. 
Google Play | BAM|Chapters | Amazon
B&N| Kobo | TBD| iBooks | Goodreads
un/FAIRby Steven Harper
Publisher: Month9BooksRelease date: September 6, 2016
Description: It's difficult enough to live in the neighborhood "freakazoid" house.  It's even more difficult when you're autistic and neither your family nor best friend really understands you.  So when Ryan November wakes up on his eleventh birthday with the unexpected ability to see the future, he braces himself for trouble.  But even his newfound power doesn't anticipate that the fair folk--undines, salamanders, gnomes, and sylphs--want him dead, dead, dead.  Ryan races to defend himself and his family against unrelenting danger from the fairy realm so he can uncover the truth about his family history--and himself.  Except as Ryan's power grows, the more enticing the fairy realm becomes, forcing him to choose between order and chaos, power and family.  And for an autistic boy, such choices are never cut and dry.
Hi Steven! So glad you could stop by. Firstly, Happy early Book Birthday!!! This is so exciting. Let's start with my personal fascination - Ryan November, your main character. 
Ryan has some thrilling challenges facing him. He also has a few personal ones, like being autistic. How did you go about incorporating this characteristic into the story?  Ryan's autism is like him having two legs or being able to hear.  It permeates everything he sees and does. Ryan doesn't get cured or inspired to "give up" being autistic as part of the story.  He learns more about himself and he gains personal strength, but by the end of the story, he's still autistic.  However, in the fairy realm, Ryan's autism--and his reliance on patterns--turns out to be an advantage, while his neuro-typical friend Alison discovers she's at a disadvantage.  The tables are turned. 
Your explanation is so perfect. It really touched my heart. Although my youngest son doesn't have autism, he does have a common component of autism - apraxia of speech. So I totally understand this. Love that you've shared it! 
What moved you and inspired you to write a story about a fairy realm?  I've also long felt that the original fairies from folklore have been too long ignored by fantasy.  Elves have become tall, majestic people.  Smaller fairies are cute or funny.  In the original stories, though, the fae were frightening creatures with rules of their own. They preyed on humans--stole their sheep, made the cows run dry, poisoned the well, kidnapped children, drove travelers into quicksand.  You didn't want to meet one.  I wanted to write a book that explored this.
You know, that's a great point! #fairiesrule
How did your own experience with reading (as a child, as an adult) influence the creation of this tale?  That's a difficult question to answer.  Everything I've ever read ultimately has an impact on everything I write.  One of the reasons I started writing as a kid, though, was because there weren't enough books of the kind I wanted to read.  Edward Eager wrote only seven fantasy novels, and so did C.S. Lewis. When you read a book in a day like I did, and when the local library had an anti-fantasy bent, there was a definite lack of books to read.  So I started writing them. 
How many times have we heard "Write what you want to read."? Very true...
What is the most important message you send through Ryan to your readers?  Autism might make someone different, but different isn't bad or wrong.  People who are different have lots to offer, even if it's not what we expect.
I wish I had an emoji thumbs-up, right now. :)
What can your readers expect from you next? My YA fantasy novel Bone War just came out.  I'm also working on a YA contemporary novel about a teenaged boy who auditions for a summer theater program, falls for the lead, and finds himself tangled in a difficult murder.  We'll see what happens!
It has been a pleasure having you here, Steven. Thank you so much for leaving your signature in the Alleyway! All the best to you always...
And Readers, want more of Steven and his work? Check this out: Steven Harper/Piziks is the author of multiple fantasy and science fiction novels written for adults, notably the Clockwork Empire and Silent Empire series for Roc as Steven Harper and movie novelizations and tie ins for Pocket Books as Steven Piziks (IDENTITY, THE EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING, GHOST WHISPERER: THE PLAUGE ROOM).  He’s also the father of an autistic son. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
GIVEAWAY!
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Please share this book. I think it's that special. TY! 
Have you read a book where the main character has a disability? What was it? How did it affect you?

Writerly Devotion Time & #IWSG

I'm still in Summer Ketchup mode. Don't know what that is? Go HERE. Like I mentioned back in HERE, I'd be popping in from time to time to help out FPP (fellow pub peeps), writer friends, and to make announcements. And today I have an announcement. (Gosh, I'm beginning to feel like a broken record.)
I'm here today to celebrate a super amazing author friend's new book news & to leave you with a little #IWSG pondering. Note: although Writer's Alley is solely a children's book and author site, I feel this devotional book deserves the spotlight. I mean, doesn't every writer need a little self-reflection and encouragement from time to time?
Meet Lynda R. Young, one of the nicest and kindest writers I know. It's such a pleasure to call her friend. She's a Christian first, writes devotionals, articles, and speculative short stories. In her spare time she is also an editor, game developer, artist, and dabbles in photography and all things creative. She lives in Australia with her sweetheart of a husband. Find her: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads



Cling to God: A Daily Devotionalby Lynda R. Young
Release date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Freedom Fox Press

Cling to God in the chaos of life…

Cling to God is a book of devotionals for every day of the year. The aim is to encourage Christians in their faith, to help them think about their beliefs and learn more about God. The devotions are short and inspirational so that people with busy lifestyles will still be able to spend time with the Lord each day. It will appeal to a wide Christian audience, to those new in their faith as well as those matured beyond milk and honey.


I'm truly excited for this book! I'm a believer in taking a few moments at the start of each morning to breath and ponder my upcoming day. This leads me to this month's #IWSG pondering: The world is such a busy place today and we all lead such amazingly cramped lives. Everywhere we turn some stimulation or responsibility is vying for our attention. 
Think about what you do to keep it all straight and how you keep yourself balanced. Do you do both? One or the other? And despite your success, how does this help and how can you improve?
The purpose of the IWSG is to share and encourage, posting on the first Wednesday of each month. You'll find writer doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Support and a common understanding spread throughout the group as many fellow writers can relate. Feel free to JOIN in anytime.

It's Release Day For UNDER A BRASS MOON & A Giveaway!

I'm still in Summer Ketchup mode. Don't know what that is? Go HERE. Like I mentioned back in HERE, I'd be popping in from time to time to help out FPP (fellow pub peeps), writer friends, and to make announcements. And today I have an announcement.It's release day! The next young adult anthology I'm a part of is available today! 
UNDER A BRASS MOONA Steampunk and Science Fiction Anthology
is available now from Curiosity Quills Press!  Grab your copy from Amazon and make sure to check out reviews on GoodReads. And if you do purchase a copy, we'd be forever grateful if you'd leave a review!  
This anthology includes twenty-seven short stories intended to enchant and consume.  Enjoy the works of Jordan Elizabeth, G. Miki Hayden, Benjamin Sperduto, D. J. Butler, Christine Baker, Lorna MacDonald Czarnota, Jessica Gunn, Lorna Marie Larson, Quinn Southwick, James Wymore, Terri Karsten, W. K. Pomeroy, Ashley Pasco, Jeremy Mortis, Grant Eagar, Amberle Husbands, Nick Lofthouse, Perry McDaid, and S.A. Larsen.
Here's a peek into my story: Ethereal Coil by S.A. Larsen: A new sin eater's refusal to do her job of keeping balance between good and evil awakens Wrath - one of the Seven Deadly Sins - endangering those closest to her.
And here are just a few of the other amazing stories you'll find in UNDER A BRASS MOON:
Maiden in the Clock Tower by Jordan Elizabeth: A young woman is trapped in a clock tower of her father's doing to be held as a pawn in an evil merchant's scheme. Can she escape to her true love?  The Queen of Cobwebs by Jeremy Mortis: Something is hunting people in the foggy streets, and the Professor and his assistant are about to meet it.
Vacant by Nick Lofthouse: Where does a dreamer fit into a world where ideas are a finite resource from any one person? Could free-thought be our savior, or just a sweet distraction from the inevitable?
Hour of Darkness by Ashley Pasco: Carissa Upton is just your average Victorian street urchin - little does she know that her life is about to change forever. Not only is her entire life a lie, but her future is uncertain.
A Connecticut Yankee in Queen Victoria’s Court by G. Miki Hayden: Engineering professor Dr. Alice Alante doesn't believe in time travel. But when she's sent to Queen Victoria's Windsor castle in a strange machine, her only choice may be to help build a dirigible to defend the crown.
Lucky Escape for Goldilocks Girl by Perry McDaid: On a new world structured to reprise all the patriarchal and elitist notions of the Elizabethan era, a young girl promised to an old but influential suitor chooses to rebel by masquerading as a Knight of the Road … or Highwayman.
Calliope by Terri Karsten: Roscoe Gordon dreams bringing back his dad’s Steam Calliope, but he’s hindered by a pair of prank-loving ghosts. With their help, will he lead the parade or blow the whole thing up?
The Balloon Thief by Jessica Gunn: Adeline has made a name for herself as Beltham’s Balloon Thief for stealing high-priced jewelry items and leaving only a balloon in their place, setting sail for finer lands on her steam-powered hot air balloon. Adeline has been told the stolen rings and gems open a door on the mysterious Leikei, the temple in the air where she thinks her friend Colin is stranded. On her last robbery attempt, she’s arrested and forced to place her trust in the museum owner’s daughter who has her own reasons for wanting to get to Leikei. If she can trust her, Adeline just might be able to rescue Colin. If not, it might be the end for them all.
Fritz Finkel and the Marvelous Mechanical Thing by Lorna MacDonald Czarnota: Every era has to begin sometime, and every inventor starts someplace. For Fritz, it is the opportunity to impress the "apple of his eye," the lovely, unobtainable Greta Spielmacher--the toymaker's daughter.  Fritz wants to be a toy designer, but he's the janitor. Will his special toy be the key to winning his lady love?                                                                                                                                Henry the Tailor by Grant Eagar: Henry is a tailor and inventor of flying machines. Sophie is an agent for the English secret service. Henry and Sophie live in the alternate, steam powered world of Victorian England. The country is at war with Count Von-Friedrich and his horde of mercenaries. The spies of the count are killing and kidnapping the English scientists and inventors. Sophie’s job is to root out the spies and she uses Henry’s inventions as an enticement.
Talking Metal by W. K. Pomeroy: Five years after piloting a zeppelin to the other side of the world to find the spark, Saskia is on the verge of inventing greatness, but her old professor appears to have beaten her to the patent office, or has he? 

Women of Lastonia by Lorna Marie Larson: Earth's best team must learn why a distant planet won't join the Interstellar Alliance. Diplomacy is key, but the closed steampunk society has some primeval ideas on how to treat the fairer sex.
We're also having a giveaway of the book on Goodreads, so head over and ENTER for your chance to win! 

Help us celebrate the release with the chance to win a $30 Amazon gift card.  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: TANGLED LINES by Bonnie J. Doerr!

I'm still in Summer Ketchup mode. Don't know what that is? Go HERE. Like I mentioned back in HERE, I'd be popping in from time to time to help out FPP (fellow pub peeps), writer friends, and to make announcements. 
Today I'm doing a FPP, so here goes: 

This book sounds so unique. But not only the book. Read on about the author. She's wonderful. And this cover is so different, too! <3 
AMAZON | GOODREADSTANGLED LINESby Bonnie J. Doerr

Publisher: Leap BooksRelease Date: August  8, 2016
Description: High school changes everything for Kenzie Ryan and Angelo Sanchez—especially their relationship. After spending all summer cracking crimes against endangered wildlife in Big Pine Key, Florida, now they barely see each other. Angelo hangs out with a Porsche-driving quarterback and a stunning local “Conch princess” and Kenzie struggles with being a newbie among the Key West cliques. 
But high school drama gets over-shadowed when horrific numbers of pelicans are found tortured near the islands where they live. Kenzie begs Angelo to help stop the slaughter, but he refuses until a stunning family secret is revealed. 
When a Sanchez Fish House employee falls under suspicion, the list of suspects explodes, and the discovery of illegal activity exposes Angelo and Kenzie to the same deadly risk faced by the pelicans they are trying to save... About Bonnie J Doerr:
Bonnie J. Doerr, an avid traveler, gardener, and nature lover, is the acclaimed author of eco-mystery novels for tweens. For over thirty years, she taught reading and writing skills to students of all ages—from kindergarten to college. Ms. Doerr enjoys sharing her ecological research, writing experiences, and educational insights with adults and children. Her work has been described as a “mashup of Jean Craighead George and Carl Hiaasen” by some and as a “teen detective series inspired by Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys by others. Her work has been honored by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) with a grant for its use in environmental education and has been included in Milkweed Editions literary field guides. She lives in a log cabin on the edge of a historic park in North Carolina.Learn more about Bonnie at www.BonnieDoerrBooks.com. Follow Bonnie on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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What do you think about environmentally conscious stories? Read any other's lately?

Summer Ketchup

Although I do like ketchup, this post is more about the action of catching-up then dipping chips in a condiment. (Yup, I dip my plain chips in ketchup. Don't knock it 'til you try it!)
I'm taking a blogging break until the end of August, but I won't be totally gone. I'll be posting a few times with relative posts for fellow pub pals' new releases as well as my own. I have so much news I've yet to share with you, but because of my health issues and caring for my mom this past winter I'm disgustingly behind on everything from writing to laundry. I haven't even sent out a newsletter yet and I announced signups back in February! I mean now, really. 
To keep this post short, I'll finish up bullet-style: Upcoming Newzzz - I have a HUGE fall season coming up with the release of my debut middle grade novel! If you are willing to help me out in any way - cover reveal, blog tour, giveaway, release blitz, FB party read/review an ARC - please let me know it the comments or email me. There will be lollypops and gummies involved. #Nom-Nom***Speaking of which, I saw my cover the other day!!! Holy Batman, dude! It's brimming with a bit of creepy and mythology and OMgosh! Can't wait to share it with you.Newsletter - If you haven't signed up I'd be forever grateful if you did. Plus, you'll receive my writing aid: Character & Setting FREE! I'm only planning three newsletters a year, unless there's some pressing news to share. Sign up in my right sidebar or right HERE.New Story - I completely forgot I have a story coming out this summer in a YA anthology! UNDER A BRASS MOON is releasing on July 28th with my story ETHEREAL COIL - a new sin eater refuses to do her job, but discovers she might not have a choice with Wrath - one of the Seven Deadly Sins - on her trail. Here's a peek at the cover, which I forgot to share with you last week. EEK! ( How good am I doing? )

A moon of gears and wires shines down upon a world of clockwork creations and humming airships. What adventures await the heroes in top hats and heroines in corsets? 

Nineteen authors wait at the kingdom's entrance. They smile and beckon you inside their stories.  

Do you accept the offered lantern and follow? If you do, then open to the front page and begin...

 ADD My Middle Grade - Lastly, even if you don't normally read middle grade I'd be so incredibly grateful if you'd add MOTLEY EDUCATION to your to-be-read list. Even share that you've added it.  Add MOTLEY EDUCATION
So...do you have any exciting plans for this summer? Please share! Let me live vicariously through you.

YA in the Alleyway~HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES by Andrew Buckley

Here's this week's YA in the Alleyway spotlight - Meet Author Andrew Buckley and his new release about a boy who finds himself in a real hairy situation. And there's a giveaway! But first the book because I'm all fangirl over it. Google Play | BAM| Chapters| Indies | Amazon | B&N| Kobo TBD| iBooks | Goodreads

HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACESby Andrew Buckley

Release Date: June 7, 2016Pages: 231Editions: Paperback, ebook Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Description: What has he done? 
What's happening to him? 
And what on Earth is that smell? 
For Colin Strauss, puberty stinks. Blackouts, hallucinations, and lapses in memory are the perils of growing up werewolf. 
Worse than that, Colin worries he might have had something to do with the recent attacks on the townspeople. He may have eaten a person. It doesn’t matter that it’s someone he doesn’t particularly like. What kind of boy goes around eating people? 
Foolishly, all Colin can think about is how Becca Emerson finally kissed him for the first time. Yep, hormones are afoot. Yikes! 
But girls will have to wait. Collin better get himself under control before someone else ends up hurt or worse . . . dead. Now, let's meet the mastermind behind this story, *waves author over* 
Hi Andrew! It's great to have you here. Tell the readers something about Andrew as a young boy and how he became intrigued with storytelling.  Funnily enough my love of stories came from having a very weak left eye. I was maybe 6 when I had to wear a patch over my right eye most evenings in order to strengthen my other eye. During this time I couldn’t really do anything (lack of depth perception meant I’d just walk into walls a lot) so my parents read with me. I grew to love stories and storytelling and always found creative writing to be my favourite subject throughout school. The rest is history . . . or future history . . . or whatever.
What a wonderful way to help a young kid deal with a physical issue. Kudos to Mom and Dad! Colin definitely has the whole puberty thing rough. How were you able to use that staple of teen-dom to fuel this premise? Puberty is rough! It’s terrible! We all remember it. It’s such a transformation process for tweens/teens on a physical, emotional, and mental level that running it alongside the transformation into a werewolf isn’t exactly a vast stretch of the imagination. However, Colin’s awkwardness with the girls, his lack of athleticism, and his general smart-ass-ness is something I did pull directly from my own teen-dom experiences.
The story sounds like it's overflowing in humor, but also mystery. As a writer, how did you sprinkle those elements to keep the story forging ahead? When I originally sat down and put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard rather, I was writing a horror novel. But it became quickly apparent that I’m unable to write anything without including humour so it transformed (tee-hee) into a teen-coming-of-age-supernatural-murder-mystery. The Town of Elkwood has a lot more going on than what people see on the surface, and when a rogue werewolf shows up in town at the same time a local student gets eaten, there’s a lot of mystery to be solved. 
Using two other book or movie titles, describe your book for readers? Feel free to explain your choices. I was quite influenced by the 1987 movie The Monster Squad and also by The Goonies. Both those movies deal with the age group of the main characters so very well and, Monster Squad in particular, put a great spin on the classic Universal monsters. Other movies I could factor in would be The Lost Boys, Abbott and Costello Meet the Wolfman, and Teen Wolf (the Michael J Fox one). TOUR SCHEDULE
The Goonies!! One of my absolute favs as a kid. And The Lost Boys??? Very, very cool. What's up next for you? I have a number of books in the works including sequels to my first two novels, a sequel to HAVELOCK (writing as Jane D Everly), and of course a sequel to HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES. I also have a new book series I’m developing based around a comedic re-telling of the true story behind Jack the Ripper (you can find the prologue chapter in an anthology called CHRONOLOGY under the guise of a short story called ‘Whitechapel’.) Plus I have a secret project on the go and a TV Development Concept . . . but alas, I’ve said too much!
Ooh...secret projects are always the best. Thank you so much for sharing yourself and your work with the Alleyway. Best of luck to you! 

Andrew Buckley attended the Vancouver Film School’s Writing for Film and Television program. After pitching and developing several screenplay projects for film and television, he worked in marketing and public relations, before becoming a professional copy and content writer. During this time Andrew began writing his first adult novel, DEATH, THE DEVIL AND THE GOLDFISH, followed closely by his second novel, STILTSKIN. He works as an editor for Curiosity Quills Press.

Andrew also co-hosts a geek movie podcast, is working on his next novel, and has a stunning amount of other ideas. He now lives happily in the Okanagan Valley, BC with three kids, one cat, one needy dog, one beautiful wife, and a multitude of characters that live comfortably inside of his mind.


Andrew is represented by Mark Gottlieb at the Trident Media Group.
Website | Twitter | Facebook |Goodreads
Do you remember the awkwardness of the younger years and your high school days? Care to share?

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YA in the Alleyway! ALMOST THERE by Laurel Garver

YA in the Alleyway is my revised meme to give young adult literature the spotlight it deserves. It also gives YA authors the opportunity to share their signature with the world! Feel free to join me any Wednesday. 
This week's featured author and book:
AMAZON |  B&N | SMASHWORDS
iTUNES |  CREATESPACEALMOST THEREby Laurel Garver
Genre: YA inspirationalRelease date: May 26, 2016Pages: 309
Fave passage:In Paris, art seeps into your feet and drips from your fingertips. Dark-eyed buskers in berets squeeze out sweet accordion songs, and the birds trill along. The air tastes like crème brûlée; the light is melted butter. Or so I’ve heard. In two weeks, I’ll find out for myself.I can see it all now: In the golden mornings, Mum and I will set up matching easels on the banks of the Seine and paint side-by-side. She’ll be too excited to sleep till noon, too inspired to stare blankly at the wall. Her sadness will fall away like a too-heavy coat, and she’ll once again fill canvas after canvas with works of aching beauty. 
Description: Paris, the City of Lights. To seventeen-year-old Dani Deane, it’s the Promised Land. There, her widowed mother’s depression will vanish and she will no longer fear losing her only parent, her arty New York life, or her devoted boyfriend.
But shortly before their Paris getaway, Dani’s tyrannical grandfather falls ill, pulling them to rural Pennsylvania to deal with his hoarder horror of a house. Among the piles, Dani finds disturbing truths that could make Mum completely unravel. Desperate to protect her from pain and escape to Paris, Dani hatches a plan with the flirtatious neighbor boy that only threatens the relationships she most wants to save. 
Why would God block all paths to Paris? Could real hope for healing be as close as a box tucked in the rafters?
Hi Laurel! It's great to have you visit the Alleyway. Gosh, this story sounds fantastic. What inspired you to write it? My story ideas come from curiosity ("what if?" questions) followed by research (discovering numerous solid answers to those "what if?" questions), which are then sifted and stitched together. Research is truly the most central part of my process, helping me not only discover essential details, but also plot ideas and thematic threads. 
Give us a peek inside the world you created. Much of the story takes place in rural north central Pennsylvania, where I grew up. It's mountainous, with old deciduous forests and some truly magical state parks with waterfall-dotted hiking trails. My city-girl protagonist Dani finds nature both intriguing and a bit scary. For example, she describes summer night sounds as "a billion crickets chirp a threatening cacophony."  
Dani's grandparents' home is something of a character in itself. Her widower grandfather has filled the house with collections to make living alone bearable. There's a mysterious outbuilding on his property that Dani will discover holds key pieces of her family's deepest secrets.  
What about your main characters? How do they fit (or not) into this world? Dani is an arty, imaginative high school junior with a strong sarcastic streak. Despite being deeply rooted in her faith, she has a tendency to worry and catastrophize. Since losing her dad when she was 15, she has become fiercely protective of her mother, worried she'll end up an orphan.Dani's boyfriend Theo is a sweet, funny guy who rows crew and hopes to one day become a psychiatrist. Weathering his parents' messy divorce has made him empathetic and insightful on the one hand, and a bit self-protective on the other. 
In the course of the story, Dani meets a new guy, Laughlin O'Donnell, her grandfather's neighbor. He's a gruff, rifle-toting, chain-smoking country boy who helps support his single mom doing landscaping, odd jobs, and working as a groom at a horse farm. He's the least likely person a girl like Dani would ever befriend, let alone seek for help. But he needs her help as much as she needs his. 
Playlist or favorite songs of inspiration? Mad World (Tears for Fears / Gary Jules) Pompeii (Bastille)Atlas (Coldplay)Fix You (Coldplay)Kingdom Come (Civil Wars)Home (Phillip Phillips)Burn (Ellie Goulding)Ho Hey (Lumineers)A few common themes here--broken relationships, a sense of displacement, and ultimately reconciliation and finding a sense of belonging
Yes, I can see that. But you've chosen some great gut-wrenching tunes! What can your fans expect from you next? I'm currently working on a Christmas novella that fits between Never Gone and Almost There, told in alternating points of view from both Dani's and Theo's perpsectives. It's their first Christmas as a couple--and the first anniversary of Dani's father's death--so the pressure is on for Theo to find the perfect gift. 
YAY! More Dani & Theo and in alternating POVs. Nice! We'll all be on the lookout for its release. Thank you for sharing yourself and your work with us. Laurel Garver is an editor, professor’s wife, and mom to an arty teenager. An indie film enthusiast and incurable Anglophile, she enjoys geeking out about Harry Potter and Dr. Who, playing word games, singing in church choir, and taking long walks in Philly's Fairmount Park. Find her: Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads | 
Laurel has been generous enough to offer up a paperback copy of the prequel, Never Gone to one lucky visitor. So leave your thoughts below. (If your email is not attached to your blogger profile please leave it in your comment.) 
GOOD LUCK!What's the last contemporary book you read? 

YA in the Alleyway is my revised meme to give young adult...

YA in the Alleyway is my revised meme to give young adult literature the spotlight it deserves. It also gives YA authors the opportunity to share their signature with the world! Feel free to join me any Wednesday. 
This week's featured author and book:
AMAZON |  B&N | SMASHWORDS
iTUNES |  CREATESPACEALMOST THEREby Laurel Garver
Genre: YA inspirationalRelease date: May 26, 2016Pages: 309
Fave passage:In Paris, art seeps into your feet and drips from your fingertips. Dark-eyed buskers in berets squeeze out sweet accordion songs, and the birds trill along. The air tastes like crème brûlée; the light is melted butter. Or so I’ve heard. In two weeks, I’ll find out for myself.
I can see it all now: In the golden mornings, Mum and I will set up matching easels on the banks of the Seine and paint side-by-side. She’ll be too excited to sleep till noon, too inspired to stare blankly at the wall. Her sadness will fall away like a too-heavy coat, and she’ll once again fill canvas after canvas with works of aching beauty. 
Description: Paris, the City of Lights. To seventeen-year-old Dani Deane, it’s the Promised Land. There, her widowed mother’s depression will vanish and she will no longer fear losing her only parent, her arty New York life, or her devoted boyfriend.
But shortly before their Paris getaway, Dani’s tyrannical grandfather falls ill, pulling them to rural Pennsylvania to deal with his hoarder horror of a house. Among the piles, Dani finds disturbing truths that could make Mum completely unravel. Desperate to protect her from pain and escape to Paris, Dani hatches a plan with the flirtatious neighbor boy that only threatens the relationships she most wants to save. 
Why would God block all paths to Paris? Could real hope for healing be as close as a box tucked in the rafters?
Hi Laurel! It's great to have you visit the Alleyway. Gosh, this story sounds fantastic. What inspired you to write it? My story ideas come from curiosity ("what if?" questions) followed by research (discovering numerous solid answers to those "what if?" questions), which are then sifted and stitched together. Research is truly the most central part of my process, helping me not only discover essential details, but also plot ideas and thematic threads. 
Give us a peek inside the world you created. Much of the story takes place in rural north central Pennsylvania, where I grew up. It's mountainous, with old deciduous forests and some truly magical state parks with waterfall-dotted hiking trails. My city-girl protagonist Dani finds nature both intriguing and a bit scary. For example, she describes summer night sounds as "a billion crickets chirp a threatening cacophony."  
Dani's grandparents' home is something of a character in itself. Her widower grandfather has filled the house with collections to make living alone bearable. There's a mysterious outbuilding on his property that Dani will discover holds key pieces of her family's deepest secrets.  
What about your main characters? How do they fit (or not) into this world? Dani is an arty, imaginative high school junior with a strong sarcastic streak. Despite being deeply rooted in her faith, she has a tendency to worry and catastrophize. Since losing her dad when she was 15, she has become fiercely protective of her mother, worried she'll end up an orphan.
Dani's boyfriend Theo is a sweet, funny guy who rows crew and hopes to one day become a psychiatrist. Weathering his parents' messy divorce has made him empathetic and insightful on the one hand, and a bit self-protective on the other. 
In the course of the story, Dani meets a new guy, Laughlin O'Donnell, her grandfather's neighbor. He's a gruff, rifle-toting, chain-smoking country boy who helps support his single mom doing landscaping, odd jobs, and working as a groom at a horse farm. He's the least likely person a girl like Dani would ever befriend, let alone seek for help. But he needs her help as much as she needs his. 
Playlist or favorite songs of inspiration? Mad World (Tears for Fears / Gary Jules) Pompeii (Bastille)Atlas (Coldplay)Fix You (Coldplay)Kingdom Come (Civil Wars)Home (Phillip Phillips)Burn (Ellie Goulding)Ho Hey (Lumineers)
A few common themes here--broken relationships, a sense of displacement, and ultimately reconciliation and finding a sense of belonging
Yes, I can see that. But you've chosen some great gut-wrenching tunes! What can your fans expect from you next? I'm currently working on a Christmas novella that fits between Never Gone and Almost There, told in alternating points of view from both Dani's and Theo's perpsectives. It's their first Christmas as a couple--and the first anniversary of Dani's father's death--so the pressure is on for Theo to find the perfect gift. 
YAY! More Dani & Theo and in alternating POVs. Nice! We'll all be on the lookout for its release. Thank you for sharing yourself and your work with us. Laurel Garver is an editor, professor’s wife, and mom to an arty teenager. An indie film enthusiast and incurable Anglophile, she enjoys geeking out about Harry Potter and Dr. Who, playing word games, singing in church choir, and taking long walks in Philly's Fairmount Park. 
Find her: Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads | 
Laurel has been generous enough to offer up a paperback copy of the prequel, Never Gone to one lucky visitor. So leave your thoughts below. (If your email is not attached to your blogger profile please leave it in your comment.) 
GOOD LUCK!What's the last contemporary book you read?