S.A. Larsen's Blog, page 40

Watch out. Things Are About To Get Really BAD.

Wistful YA is my reoccurring spotlight, giving young adult literature center stage.

Today I have a brief excerpt and book highlight from a really terrific series. I read book one of the SUPER BAD series. If you're interested, you can find my thoughts HERE. 
Excerpt from Super Bad :
Looking around the room Sandra asked, “Is this an FVA party? It seems too far away.”“No. SVA. You didn’t even know which school’s party you were crashing?” Disdain dripped from Oceanus’s words.The condescending tone was too much. Hadn’t she been nice to Oceanus when she dropped by unexpectedly? Anger surged inside Sandra. “What does it even matter? The schools are all balanced now anyway. Thanks to you!”Lexa’s mouth dropped open.Oceanus clenched her fists. “I told you, I had nothing to do with it.”Before Sandra could spit back a reply, a boy sidled up to Oceanus, his eyes scanning the partygoers.“Hey, babe. Those mozzarella things you made were a huge hit. Can you make more?” The boy ran his hand down her back and finally dropped his gaze to Oceanus. “What’s wrong?”He followed her glower and squinted at Sandra. “Do I know you?”“Aaaahhh!” Sandra yelled. “You arrogant jerk.”She spun toward Lexa, who was all but drooling over the boy. “Let’s go!”“What?” Lexa exclaimed.The boy frowned. “So obviously I’m supposed to know you.”“Set, it’s Sandra. Polar’s sister,” Oceanus grumbled.“Ah, right. You cut your hair,” he said.“Yeah, one does that after it’s burned off!” Sandra tugged on Lexa’s arm. “We can’t stay here.”
SUPER BAD  The unexpected conclusion to the Super Villain Academy series.
The world is in chaos. Violence and thievery reign. And with the supers still balanced, it’s only getting worse. Without good versus evil, the supers care less and less. In order to restore purpose, the world needs its super heroes and its super villains, but the one who balanced them in the first place is missing.
Sandra’s concern over finding her brother, Jeff, isn’t her only problem. Her pathetic excuse for super powers has left her needing a new ankle. And though she’s still very much committed to her boyfriend, Source, she’s growing unreasonably attracted to Set, the boy who double crossed Jeff by stealing his girlfriend.
When Sandra is taken and held as bait by kids who want to unbalance the super world, it becomes the inciting event that changes things for supers everywhere and forces them to answer the question, “Hero or villain?”***Super Bad is scheduled for release in June, but there have been whispers of it releasing sooner. Don’t miss out. Subscribe to Kai’s mailing list and be among the first to know.

***
King of Bad - Jeff Mean would rather set fires than follow rules. He wears his bad boy image like a favorite old hoodie; until he learns he has superpowers and is recruited by Super Villain Academy – where you learn to be good at being bad. Is Jeff bad enough for SVA?
Polar Opposites - Heroes and villains are balanced. After Oceanus is kidnapped, Jeff learns the supers are so balanced, they no longer care to get involved. Ironically Jeff’s superpowers are spiraling out of control. Will they find Oci before he looses it completely, and will they find her alive?***Win a $10 Amazon gift card or an ecopy of either King of Bad or Polar Opposites. Plenty of chances to win. Open internationally. Enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


About the author:

When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and short stories for the younger ones, Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

Eating Disorders & Young Literature

Writers have power. We hold the ability to point out wrongs in the world and work out ways to make them right through our stories. Using good or positive efforts of a character can also bring real life to the forefront. Our interpretation of reality can influence opinions. We can motivate. But all scenarios we consider to include in our fiction come with responsibility. 
I have a soft spot for kidlit, as you already know. That's what I do. That's what I write. The offbeat, quirky, or aloof character with a special talent aka paranormal, naturalistic, or magical is what attracts my heart the most. 
This past summer I began searching the deepest parts of my passion for writing, why I love the creepy and strange over the contemporary or normal - whatever normal really means. I discovered that any characteristic with the spice of supernatural feels safer to me, like tapping into the emotional reality of a contemporary situation would be any different. #Snort ... But for some odd reason, my brain and heart saw it that way. 
T-Shirt Purchase Link Only 4 A Few More DaysThat revelation moved me to a place inside myself that, I know now, had been waiting to be released for a long time. Though creating characters with otherworldly issues will always be a love of mine, I decided to take the life's journey of a character I'd had in my heart forever and give her her due. I spent the next three months mapping out a contemporary young adult story, fully outlining each and every chapter, and completing a full-length synopsis.
This story is real life. It's very dear and close to my heart. It's fiction, but some of its scenes have been inspired by my life as a teenager. And that's what leads me to my true purpose today: raising awareness for eating disorders. 
February is Eating Disorder Awareness Month. It's a plague of mind, body, and soul that can touch anyone at any age, but most prevalent among tweens, teens, and college students, who are still trying to discover who they are, who they are supposed to become, and where they fit into their world. For us writers that's middle grade, young adult, and new adult fiction. 
Last year, I provided links to sites where you can find out more about the truth behind eating disorders, how people use them to cope with life-out-of-control. You can find those HERE. But this year, I'll leave you with the blurb I created for that YA contemporary story I mentioned above that I'm currently writing.

Seventeen-year-old Carly Foster learned early in life to keep her emotions hidden. Weighed down by the instability of her mother’s severe depression, she exists behind a wall of ginger smiles and loyal school work, the ability to feel dulled and numb. Her only reprieve is dance, where the safety of rhythm and movement free her to feel.

Liam Blake moves into town in a raging storm of aloofness, yet stalked by the popular crowd like a celebrity. His ‘rich boy’ status is in total contrast with his disheveled leather jacket and grimy baseball cap. Carly finds him rude, always staring at her but never saying a word. Though strange, his attention awakens a longing in her heart, which frightens her. So when an offer to study dance through a prestigious program, she clenches on to her Liam distraction and chance to escape her family pain. But then her mother is diagnosed with a physically debilitating disease, forcing Carly to abandon her dreams. 

Crushed beneath the gravity of it all, Carly spirals, plummeting off a ledge of self-destructive anorexia and drug use that sets the stage for a dangerous night she may never recover from. And, for reasons Carlie is still unaware of, Liam is the only one able to catch her … if she’ll let him.

My hope is in sharing even a glimpse of my experience with eating disorders through fiction, I'll inspire at least one young person to discover that they are stronger than their problems.

IWSG~Getting Back On The Horse

image credit

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. So, here's my monthly post. Life is the measure with which most of us write our stories. Whether sci-fi, paranormal, or contemporary, the worlds we create are ever-changing, challenging, and active. At least we hope we accomplish those elements. 
So what do we do with a character who falls off the horse and begins to sink in his/her struggle within the plot or subplot we've created? We might add a scene of lowered tension, a breath of fresh air for the character to reevaluate the situation. But WE decide what's going to happen. Ultimately, it's in our control. Real life is not that defined.
Other Participants2014 was a year of total and absolute GRRR.... for me, for many reasons. There was health issues, ailing parents with growing needs, and regular stuff like raising my four kids. I won't get into any of those right now. The one I'll briefly mention for this post is a writing related struggle. It's very hard for me to come clean about this, but here goes: I broke up with my agent right before Christmas. It had been coming for a while, for reasons I won't say here. 
Point being: I now feel like the rider who's been kicked off a her horse and is terrified to get back in the saddle. There's mud in my mouth, and I'm full of dirt and muck. My palms are blistered, and frankly, my attitude is a bit ornery. The luster that once drove my writing passion has evaporated somewhat. Now, I didn't say totally. It's taken me a little bit, but over the last two weeks I've been going over manuscripts that, unbeknownst to me, had been neglected. I've even been in touch with some amazing writer friends (you know who you are), and thrown myself back into the critiquing pool. I'm writing up possible submission logs for my various manuscripts. But the fear of going it alone again has me almost paralyzed. 
Has this ever happened to you? 

Wistful YA~VITAMINS AND DEATH by Medeia

Wistful YA is my reoccurring spotlight, giving young adult literature center stage.
If you're intrigued by peeking into the real life of some teens, the hard truth without the sugar coating, then my next YA spotlight is for you. I was part of this story's cover reveal and would like to share my thoughts about it with you. 
Purchase from Prizm, Amazon
VITAMINS AND DEATH by Medeia Sharif 
Publisher: Prizm Books/Torquere PressRelease date: December 10, 2014
I'd like to thank the author for supplying me with an eCopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Line/Passage: Mom's mouth was in an O. Nelly didn't walk. She leapt. In the air she went, flyaing toward Mom, punching her left and right. I stepped out of the way and screamed. Nelly's limbs were like the propellers of a helicopter, and I didn't want to be sliced. My eyes searched for a way in, to slip between Nelly and Mom, but I couldn't find a way. My instincts tingled to protect her, even though she didn't always protect me. She was my mom, and I didn't want her to tak a beating like this. (point 38%)

Description: Deidra Battle wants nothing more than to be invisible. After her mother, a public school teacher, engages in an embarrassing teacher-student affair at Lincoln High, they relocate to a different neighborhood and school. Being her mother's briefcase, Deidra joins her mother at her new workplace, Hodge High. Since her mother has reverted to her maiden name and changed her appearance, she thinks no one will figure out they're the Battles from recent news and that they're safe. Neither of them is. Hodge brings a fresh set of bullies who discover details about the scandal that changed Deidra's life. Feeling trapped at home with an emotionally abusive, pill-addicted mother and at school with hostile classmates who attempt to assault and blackmail her, Deidra yearns for freedom, even if she has to act out of character and hurt others in the process. Freedom comes at a price.

NIGHTSTAND WORTHY +1
My Splats: a delicate situation, true to life and relatable in similar ways even if circumstances differ.
The opening of this story is shrouded in Deidra's need to remain invisible. If no one sees her, no one will ask questions. Existing is all the living she wants to do until she graduates in a few months. That's freedom. That's her escape. But as most would probably guess, life never makes it that easy. The harder Deidra tries to hide, the more visible she becomes. 
Soon the story's covering adds the tension of dread and impending reality, as Deidra realizes her mom's secret will not remain hidden forever. Inescapably, her mother's irrational past behavior has tainted her and that stain is deepening, blurring her own identity. Being forced into a new school - one most definitely with lower standards than her previous safe high school - is much harder than she thought it would be. 
The longing for her old life of popularity, security, belief in people, and Dad living home gradually intensifies. She begins to drown in her mother's egregious error in judgment. Because of events out of Dee's control, choices someone else made (happens to be Mom), her life has quickly shifted from a bright future to one so uncertain she can't see farther than one foot in front of the other. To show this, the author chooses to alternate from Dee's current world and the one she left behind. As first I wasn't sure if this method would work, but it was done so seamlessly that it did work. I liked hearing today's Dee talk and react to those memories in her here-and-now.  
This dynamic between parent and child is one so often overlooked. Deidra is the more sensible of the two characters. She's the mature one, looking to do what's right and keeping Mom in check. The author's method of using Mom's fanatical obsession with staying healthy aka vitamins was very effective, basically showing Mom's weakness and selfishness.  
This tale shows the possible true-to-life events of a teen, as though she's on the outside looking in - a reality that many of today's youth can surely relate to. Only just like Deidra, many of today's teens are not on the outside, but smack dab in the middle of the chaos. 
I'd recommend this story to older teens and adult readers, who enjoy YA contemporary tales with true to life emotions. 
Find Medeia – YA and MG Author
Blog   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads   |   Instagram   |   Amazon

The United States Navy Lost My Father’s Military Records.

If you have care and respect for our US Veterans, then please read this!
My dad served our country through the United States Navy from 1963 – 1967, beginning in the Naval Reserves while still in school from November 1962 to June 1963. He was deployed to Vietnam twice and was stationed out of Tan Son Nhat Air Base, Saigon, Vietnam. He served his country humbly because 'that's just what we do.' Though his official service ended with his final honorable discharge in November of 1968, exiting the Navy with the ranking of AX2, Anti-Submarine Warfare Tech, he has silently continued in dedication to make this country a better place.
He has been an amazing husband and father, raising me and my brother while married to our mom for 46 years now. From his steadfast faith in God to caring for his ailing parents, his goodness has touched many. Like millions who've come before him and many who will come after, service like his is the backbone of our country. It consistently honors our founding fathers’ pledge to build a land of opportunity, bravery, equality, and justice, through selfless deed after deed. A US citizen, who’s lived his life from day to day in the shadows of politics and economics that so often shroud the true beauty of this great land. These people are our foundation. They are many.
As a child, I recall my father’s playfulness with my brother and me, yet his stern guidance to teach us right from wrong. This skill continued and was felt by many of our friends who knew him as their baseball or ice hockey coach. I'm sure some of you reading this recognize these same silent qualities in people you've known all your life - parent, friend, teacher, or neighbor. Someone who doesn't seek the limelight, but whose only goal is to live a good life and leave this country with a bit of light to flourish after they’re gone. 
Just over 26 years ago, our family was dealt a tough blow. My mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis to add to her existing battle with depression. As you can imagine, her MS diagnosis only compounded her highs and lows. She also has heart disease and other ailments that require a boatload of medications and hands-on care. Her bodily functions have slowly and painstakingly deteriorated over the years. It has been hard to watch her body constantly fail her to the point she’s been unable to hold her grandchildren. Her fight is one of heroism, but also degrading blows – blows which my father has always taken with her. He is her shield. But even the toughest shield ages and can’t keep up the same productivity. Many reading this can surely relate.
Always her faithful caregiver, my father has put her before himself in all and everything, just as he did all those years ago with our country. The Vietnam War could have taken his life. Thankfully, it did not. Instead, it spared him to return home and be a productive citizen. He has spent his life doing so until recently receiving his own diagnosis - cancer. The shield is developing cracks all his.
My brother and I now face the heartbreaking reality of setting up in-home care for our mom, while my father has surgery for the cancer and for his recovery. We both have four children and will do everything to care for her, but we can’t do it alone. I’m in awe that he’s been doing this alone all these years.
He is a proud man, so asking for help has been hard for him. But it got us thinking about his military service and if Veteran Affairs could be of any assistance. His initial reaction to the idea was that he’d given to his country without the expectation of anything in return and that there are thousands of vets coming home now in need of more care than he needs. (Yeah, my heart pounded a little harder after hearing him say that, too.) Finally, he agreed to let me take him to the VA to see if they could lessen his load of taking care of himself so he could still be available to care for our mom. But to our horror, we discovered the military records he was given upon his honorable discharge were incomplete. They lack the TDY orders proving his was ‘Boots on the Ground’ in Vietnam. Without that proof, the VA can’t offer him any help.
The Navy lost my father’s military service records. Seriously?
We petitioned the Military Achieves in Missouri in November, but have received no response. The only positive help we've been given is from Senator Susan Collins’ office in Maine, where my parents reside. However, a phone call from her office this morning shared with us some bad news. They have found nothing to prove his service as of yet. Again – Seriously? My father will not only be worried about his limited ability to care for my mother during his surgery and recovery, but he’ll also be worried about the expense and care he will need. His surgery is in less than two weeks.
This is a man who our country should be grateful to have as its citizen. And there are millions like him.
After receiving the news from the senator’s office, my father text me this: Makes me feel like I imaged serving, or it was a dream. I’m very disappointed. I can guarantee you his memories aren't his imagination, the atrocities he witnessed or the friends he lost. It’s all real. He could have died in Vietnam, not once but twice. If he had, would he now be a ghost? A never-had-been because the Navy can’t find his records, proof that he served?
This is heartbreaking. Obviously he is crushed, but not for the VA’s refusal to offer him the benefits he earned by serving in the armed services. He is devastated because it seems like he didn’t exit, as though his sacrifice didn't matter to anyone. I, for one, NEVER want a service person to feel this sort of abandonment. What about you? 

Tying Up Plot Lines

Writers find inspiration in varies places and through many venues. There's nature or a crowded area such as a mall or subway station. People-watching can conjure intriguing traits for one's fictional characters - minus any creepy gawking, of course. Two of my most favorite venues for revving up my writing verve can be found in music or artwork. 
There are innumerable elements to inspire, but admiring a fellow writer's work is probably the most common denominator among all writers, myself included. And a lot of book writers also find inspiration while watching a film or television show. Despite being written to stimulate the visual and auditory senses, those are still stories. We writers love stories.
The other day I was reading an article about one of the most popular television shows of the last twenty years - LOST. The article, found HERE, highlighted a conversation between an outside source with one writer from the LOST writing team at the show's peak in ratings. Initially, this person was thrilled that he was about to discover how the writing team planned to tie up the numerous plot lines. But to this poor guy's dismay, he uncovered the show had NO plans on taking any story lines to a conclusive end.
I was like "What? That just doesn't make sense?", basically reiterating what the writer of this article said to the LOST writer. And then the realization hit me as to the reason I stopped watching the show - the lack of answers to the numerous questions drove me nuts!
It got me thinking about how we novel writers take our initial ideas from beginning, a brief idea of a middle, and then to a conclusion at the end of our books. 
For myself, fresh ideas always slam into me as the beginning of a story flows to its middle. I'll admit I definitely write overly-threaded moments and scenes that confuse even myself. But each time I end up seeing a flicker that eventually guides the frayed thread to a meeting place, which answers at least some of the questions I've created. That's called: typing up what is necessary to satisfy the reader. I don't tie up everything, because life is never that easy, simple, or perfect. 
So I read that article again and thought What if I went so extreme with one of these new fresh ideas that I knew a proper conclusion could never happen? Would I just write it anyway and would anyone keep reading it? Most of you probably are having the same initial writer thought I had - Would I tick off my readers to such an extent they'd never want to read my work again?
I guess I'm looking for a reason why the show LOST was so successful, yet used the format for creating that they did. The article stated that they basically thought up the  most messed up stuff they could and just wrote it with no regard for any purposeful conclusion. I've heard that not all 'loose ends' are bad. Granted, that had to do with student learning, but still... Did the creators and writers of LOST know something the rest of us are missing or did they make a grave error in feeding the public fantastic story lines with forever fraying ends?  
What sayzzz U? How many plot ends left loose at a novel's end are too many?

IWSG - Pieces of a Writer

Being indecisive seems to be the latest writer flaw that has risen through the whirlwind of insecurities infecting my creative brain and heart.
Find creator Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh
& other participants here.We all have personal lives running parallel to our writer journeys. And, as most of you have surely heard, that personal life is part of what makes us the writers we are, influencing our ideas and stories. Sharing part of who we are is important, not only to our work, but also to our readers' perception of who the heck is the author?
Obviously, we must use caution when sharing about our real lives online. As with anything else in life balance is necessary. But sharing certain events or aspects can bring author closer to reader - reader closer to author, and author more intimately entwined in the publishing world. All of those bring us full-circle back to platform, which is plainly about exposure, relatability, and presence of the author. 
I bring this up because I have two important aspects of my life - one personal, one professional - to share publicly, but have yet decided on the perfect time or delivery. The one I'm more insecure about is the recent change to my professional life. We've all heard or read comments or posts from writers sharing highs and lows from their professional journey. Some comments/posts seem to have no regard to professional repercussions or aim other than to bash someone else. That is not the type of person I am. I want to be honest, but I also want to be cautious and smart. I'm a more private person, but do believe sharing my recent writer struggle will aid others. 
Writers: Have you ever struggled about exposing pieces of your writing journey and how to keep it positive? 
SPLAT Alert! Just before the holiday break I released my goals for 2015 through my Writer's Rebel CREED. If you're interested in joining me or just intrigued to know what it's all about, go HERE. You can also peek at the creed in my right sidebar. ((HUGS & WRITE ON!))

The New Writer's CREED 2015

A writer is not a lone solder, mucking it up among words, phrases, and paragraphs. No, a writer is never alone with his/her work. Each writer is only one thread in the tapestry of communication and creative escape our world desperately needs.
WE are community. 
Three years ago, when I released my first Writer's Rebel CREED, my intentions were simply to give myself a method of self-encouragement and accountability. Being a visual person, I needed to SEE it everyday. After creating it, I decided others might benefit from it too. 
The writing community shares a plethora of strengths and weaknesses. We experience similar creative frustrations that slowly gnaw away our motivation. One writer's grammar sense pales in comparison to another's. Creative ideas seem to ooze from some writer's brains, yet others struggle to come up with that next scene. Despite one's strengths and another's weakness, writers never pin those against each other. Instead, we lend our knowledge and experience out in hopes of aiding each other - a community of generosity.  
This year's creed shares similar messages from the last two, but I've added a few new elements I hope you'll be excited about.
1. Any writer who pledges the creed will be added to a Twitter list, which I will share with all creed members. Using hashtag #writercreed, members can share encouragement, good news, needs, and anything else with all members any time they want. There is no set date or time. My hope is that members will take advantage of this easy way to keep in touch and keep the creed alive throughout 2015. 
2. In conjunction with the hashtag #writercreed, members can also tweet #BR or #CP, indicating you are in need of a beta reader or critique partner.
3. I will also be choosing a writing quote at the beginning of each month for members to retweet on Twitter. If members don't have a Twitter account, feel free to share anything via Facebook using the hashtag. 
4. Finally - and my favorite (thanks Robyn) - in conjunction with our hashtag #writercreed, members can also request a #wordsprint - challenging any other member to write nonstop for at least an hour and then report back to each other. Yay! How fun and productive! This writing method is super worthy to produce lots of wordage from you. I've done these before, but they always seem to fade out. I wanted to create an easy way to organize it and keep word sprints alive. Hope you take advantage of it. I know I will. 
Here is this year's creed:

I would be honored for you to join me in committing to this CREED. Simply add your name & Twitter tag (ex: mine is @SA_Larsen) to the linky list below. (Required)Add your blog/site link.Copy the CREED Badge and paste it on your site, encouraging others to join us. I've included a smaller size for your convenience. (Not required) I will continue to share this post via social media outlets now and again, hoping to encourage others to join us. The commitment is virtually effortless, but the gains will surely be great. It's be wonderful if you'd share away too. 
This is my last post of 2014. It's been a tougher year for me and my family than in previous years. We've been presented by many challenges, most of which forced me to cut my already blogging time and posts in half. Most of those challenges I've yet to share with you, but do plan to in the near future. 
I look to 2015 with hope and a positive attitude that all is looking up. I wish you all the same. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your lives and for blessing me with you in mine.
Have a wonderful and safe holiday! Until the new year, Alleywalkers ...

VITAMINS AND DEATH ~ a YA Giveaway!

Check out this new book blast. I've been fortunate enough to receive an eCopy from Medeia. I began reading this story the other night and can't wait to share my thoughts with you. Honestly, if you have a young adult on your holiday list who's interested in true-to-life tales, this book would make a great gift..


VITAMINS AND DEATH by Medeia Sharif 
Publisher: Prizm Books/Torquere PressRelease date: December 10, 2014
Purchase from Prizm, Amazon – Vendor sites will be updated on the author’s site.

Description: Deidra Battle wants nothing more than to be invisible. After her mother, a public school teacher, engages in an embarrassing teacher-student affair at Lincoln High, they relocate to a different neighborhood and school. Being her mother's briefcase, Deidra joins her mother at her new workplace, Hodge High. Since her mother has reverted to her maiden name and changed her appearance, she thinks no one will figure out they're the Battles from recent news and that they're safe. Neither of them is. Hodge brings a fresh set of bullies who discover details about the scandal that changed Deidra's life. Feeling trapped at home with an emotionally abusive, pill-addicted mother and at school with hostile classmates who attempt to assault and blackmail her, Deidra yearns for freedom, even if she has to act out of character and hurt others in the process. Freedom comes at a price.

Find Medeia – YA and MG Author
Blog   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads   |   Instagram   |   Amazon
Book Blast Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveawaySPLAT ALERT! Stay tuned next week, when I'll be revealing the Writer's Rebel Creed 2015! Signups will be available then. Sooooo looking forward to committing to another writerly year with you. 
Have you ever read a story where the premise actually happened in your own town?

Wistful YA with Michelle Reed, Author of Life AD 2: M.I.A

During the fall season, I stepped back a bit from promoting others to focus on parts of my personal life - parts which are currently unfolding and will be shared with you in due time. BUT ... I couldn't leave the lovers of young adult literature high and drive just before the holiday season. Thus, reason being for last week's YA giveaway. (PSST...you still have time to enter - last date being Dec. 19th.) And today I have another treat for you.
TOUR SCHEDULEThe world where my next young adult guest comes from is a repeat for you. I first highlighted her world in my review of Life AD in YA Author Michelle Reed. But this is the first time she visits the Alleyway herself. Please welcome main character Dez.
Hi Dez! After reading the beginnings of your story in book 1, I can't wait hear you in personal. Give the folks a little insight into yourself. Well, for starters, I'm dead. So there's that. Not the best way to start an interview, being a big downer like that, but I mean, you asked. You didn't say "Hey, are you alive?" or anything, but...well, it's kind of hard to leave it out with a leading question like "tell the audience about yourself."
And I'm Dez, by the way. I'm seventeen years old--well, technically I'm eighteen, now, but one of the many, many stupid rules of Atman is the whole "Oh, you're stuck at whatever age you were when you died, blah, blah, blah," thing, so seventeen I am. Forever. Nice, huh? I know you can't see me, but I'm rolling my eyes right now for dramatic effect.
Sorry, I'm being super crabby today. I have no idea what that's about.
Anyway, I grew up in Wisconsin, and I was planning to go off to college and become a biomedical engineer, but the whole being dead thing kind of got in the way of that.
Psst .. I wonder if the 'dead' part shocked them? #snicker

So obviously your world is a bit different. Mind sharing a few facts? Well, we have six days each week that are scheduled with meetings, activities, counseling sessions, etc. Can you believe we have to go to something called SHARING CIRCLE? Six days a week? I kid you not.
But I've made some pretty great friends here, so I should probably stop complaining so much.
Atman City is A-MA-ZING. We're not allowed to go, but I went anyway. A few times. And, yeah, I get why we're not supposed to go, but there is so much to see. Coolest place ever, and I would go back in a second if I could get away with it. But I'm pretty sure Crosby would go ballistic if I tried that again.
What's your biggest challenge in life? (No pun, I swear.) Nothing in life comes close to the challenges of death. Dying on the side of the road was the easy part. The constant scrutiny, the rules, the off-limits city (although that hasn't really stopped me), the staff members who will chase your ass down if you get out of line, or are stupid enough to run...it's crazy.
Okay, let's help the readers see what your saying. Here's an image of your current life.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo 
Chapters Indigo! | TBD | IndieBound | iBooksLife AD 2: M.I.A.: Missing in Atmanby Michelle Reed
Publication date: December 16, 2014Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.Author: Michelle E. Reed Dez is finally hitting her afterlife stride. She hasn’t missed a meeting or session in forty-two days, and she’s put the adventures and danger of her first days at Atman behind her. Life after death is becoming tolerable, yet nothing is quite what she’d hoped. Confusion over her feelings for Charlie, residual resentment over losing Hannah, and a continuous stream of unwanted assignments leave Dez restless and argumentative. In a missed encounter with Crosby, her prying gaze lands upon a single entry in the datebook on his unoccupied desk. These few, hastily scribbled words reveal an enormous secret he’s keeping from her. Possessed by a painful sense of betrayal, she once again sneaks off to Atman City, determined to find answers to an unresolved piece of her life. It begins as all their adventures do, but as light falls into darkness, a stop in an unfamiliar neighborhood sets forth a chaotic series of events. Dez will have to fight for her very existence, and will face painful, irreparable loss in an afterlife teeming with demons wielding ancient powers. In M.I.A.: Missing in Atman, the second book in the Atman City series, Michelle E. Reed continues the story of Dez Donnelly, pushing her to her limits and surprising readers at every twist and turn of the vast world that is Atman. Death was only the beginning.
Key eerie music...
Enough of all this serious stuff. Time for fun: What's your creator REALLY life? I prefer the term storyteller.
Uh ... okay ... storyteller. She writes in her pajamas. She rewards herself with chocolate. She's married to the guy she started dating right out of high school, and they have an adorable six year old son. She loves dogs, she's a total dork, and a movie nut.
Oh, this one's good. She watches the Walking Dead with her "hiding blanket." Literally. She hides her face behind a blanket and peeks out to watch the show. Big baby. 
To be honest, I use a throw pillow to hide my face while watching the Walking Dead. <3 Any other juice info, like how's your relationship?She and I get along pretty well, and she's helped me a lot. When I first came to her, I was all alone, dying on the side of the road, and she asked me to tell her what was going on. She recorded those final moments, and all the moments that have come since.
Our general relationship is this: she asks me to tell her what happens next, and most of the time, I do.
But I do tend to wake her up at night. She's not so crazy about that.
Geez, I can understand that. I need my sleep, too. But I'm sure she ends up appreciating your insight, Dez. You really are quite cool. Thank you for sharing your world with us. YA Author Michelle Reed
Michelle was born in a small Midwestern town, to which she has returned to raise her own family. Her imagination and love of literature were fueled by a childhood of late nights, hidden under the covers and reading by flashlight. She is a passionate adoption advocate who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, son, and their yellow lab, Sully.   Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  | Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway