Cover Reveal! Brenda Drake’s LIBRARY JUMPERS

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books, Brenda Drake, cover reveal, Entangled Teen, magic, YA

Library Jumpers

by Brenda Drake

Release Date: January 2016

Entangled Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That
is, until Arik, a leather clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, suddenly
disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia
unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and
transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels—magical
knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the
gateway books—rescue them from a demonic hound.

Jumping into some of the world’s most beautiful libraries would be a
dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or
dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds.
Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard,
and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik’s world and
her own, before both are destroyed.

Pre-Order Links:

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& Noble

 

http://chemicalscream.net/entangled/library/

 

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About the Author

Brenda Drake, the youngest of three children, grew up
an Air Force brat and the continual new kid at schooluntil
her family settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brenda’s fondest memories growing up is
of hereccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her
a strong love for storytelling. So it was onlyfitting that she would choose to write young adult and middle grade novels with
a bend toward thefantastical. When Brenda’s not writing or doing the social media thing, she’s haunting libraries,
bookstores,and coffee shops or reading someplace quiet and not
at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

 

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Cover Reveal Organized by:

Frizzled, Frazzled, and Whatevered

Tags

fear, forgive, human, keep smiling, thoughts, writing

It’s Monday, blog day. It’s also Memorial Day, a holiday. My hubs and kids are home, so I’ve been, well, doing not writerly stuff. But it’s not just today. I got a bit lost last week.

And I guess I forgive me. Because I promised that I would.

Forgive me for letting fear and anxiety keep me trapped in the black void of chapter one.

Forgive me for fighting a broken emotional brain.

Forgive me for calling myself a failure.

Forgive me for the crap I did write.

Forgive me for being a frizzled, frazzled mess.

Because that’s what I am. I’m trying to gather all the pieces of me and hold them in place. I’m trying.

And I’ll survive. I’ll get that first chapter written and to my wonderful Walrus Writers. I’ll get the kids to all their ball games. I’ll keep the house in its semi-nice-ish state.

I’ll keep smiling. Keep finding reasons to laugh. Keep pushing past the fear and insecurities.

Deep down, I know I can succeed. I know fear isn’t real. We’re all allowed moments to freak out, those times of insanity make life’s victories even sweeter.

We’re all human.

Life isn’t perfect.

Pick up the pieces, kids. The adventure isn’t over.

 

Time and Relative Dimensions of Whoa

Tags

remembering, Summer vacation, thoughts, time

So, I usually blog on Thursdays…

Yes, I realize today is Friday.

Somehow Thursday ran away and I just managed to catch the tail end of Friday. So TA DA! Here I am.

So weird. Suddenly it’s a day later, a month later, four years later and I’m never quite sure how it happens. A bit of whoa perhaps.

Time is a strange concept. It keeps tick-tocking forward, no matter what. Consistent. Eternal. We have named it. We hang calendars to try and capture it. We have created machines called clocks to measure it. Yet we have no power over it. We bow to Time, the Great Forever. I mean, I don’t have a TARDIS, do you? No?

And time continues with us struggling along in its wake.

Once again, as of this very day, my kids are home from school, and by home from school I mean until the middle of August. Yes. Summer vacation has begun. I officially have a 7th and 8th grader.

That’s exciting… kinda.

Gosh darn it, TIME! What have you done? How did we get here?

My kids told me that the school year seems to go faster every year. Of course, it does. As we age, we become more aware of the passage of time. I remember being around 7 and staring at a calendar, realizing for the first time how long summer vacation actually was. That little girl was completely upset that summer didn’t last forever. Cause that’s what it felt like. Forever. SUMMER SHOULD LAST FOREVER!

But it shouldn’t. I look back at the years and smile. Life, in general, has been fabulous. I loved being a kid. But I wouldn’t go back there. I have fond memories (mostly) of my kids being babies and toddlers. But I don’t want them to stay that way because BABIES ARE SCARY AND TODDLERS ARE EVIL.

Don’t look at me like that… they are.

Life has been pretty darn good so far. And there is so much greatness to come. Places to go. Things to do and all that. Victories and failures. And as much as I want time to stop, I need it to continue because of these future adventures.

So bring it on, Time! Bring it on. Just send me reminders now and then to pay attention to everything.

 

 

The Wonders of World Building

Tags

Believing, bring fantasy to life, fantasy, thoughts, world building, writing

As I set off into writing the sequel to DOORS, I come face to face with one of my favorite things. World building. My imagination runs wild!

I love making stuff up. My writers’ group couldn’t believe all the weirdness in my head. But there’s so much more to creating a new world than mere stuff. The world has to live, exist, it must breathe even when you aren’t reading about it. It must be real.

In DOORS, my main character Bryn spends time in multiple places. Don’t ask me to name them all, I’m not sure I could as there might be at least twenty. Not only do I get to return to quite a few of them, I get to set foot on completely new ones.

I have to admit the whole if I can dream it I can make it real scenario is very appealing. If I want a world with an orange sky and blue trees… BAM! There it is. The visual is important. What do we see? Make the reader want more. Being an artist, I love painting the picture of each new world. I love playing with colors and textures in the landscape. Colors accompany emotions, a palette of blues and greens give the feeling of calm, until you let a heard of bright yellow monsters crash through the scene. Or maybe that blue world is filled with haunting tunes that come from a rock.

Maybe a bit mad, but it’s okay. It’s fun!

The animal and plants, if any, bring a planet to life. Ever watch a movie that takes place on a different planet and notice all the little things going on in the background? THAT. It’s not a backdrop, not window-dressing, but real. The cries of hidden birds or beasts. The way a plant changes color or suddenly moves. When all we can see is rolling hills of grass, but a tremor makes us wonder what lurks underground… or maybe somewhere the grass ends at a black pit.

I know! Just go with all the craziness.

The people, if the world is inhabited this brings it all together. Every world has it’s own residents with their unique culture. For every religion, or system of beliefs, there are hand movements (like the sign of the cross) or prayers. Their slang or phrases to show joy or love can settle in the minds of readers forever. (After reading Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, I said thankee say for months.) The way the people dress or wear their hair (if they have any) all weave together to form a cohesive race, a living, breathing reality.

The history of the world sculpts how the people speak, what they say, how they act or react. The past gives us concrete reasons for how the world is. It’s so important.

Anything is possible in the realm of fantasy, but every world has rules and those must be set. Or no one will accept it. But if they do, it can live on in their minds forever.

The world of Solun is complicated. I still have more to reveal of its history and people. I will travel back to the Gether world to check on the nots and journey to other unseen places. But the undiscovered worlds call to me… who lives there? How do they live? What can Bryn learn from the people she will meet? What can she teach them?

When writing made-up worlds (except that’s not quite right, for they become real) take the time to build it so readers can be transported. Like Star Trek, Star Wars… like Dr. Who, give us what lurks in your imagination, give us what we have never seen before, give us worlds to change our perspective on life… on everything.

As Bryn says, “Keepers shine!”

 

Set the Silliness Free

Tags

craziness, field trip, fun, importance of laughter, kids, Silliness

Oh look! It’s Thursday. A blogging day.

I am lost in a bit of OH GOODNESS I HAVE TO SUBMIT MY SHORT STORY TODAY AND I DON’T KNOW IF IT’S ANY GOOD stuff. But after a revision session this morning, I think I’m better. So between that and rereading it again, just to make sure I didn’t do permanent damage, I thought I’d pop on over and share a bit of magic.

Silliness.

Wackiness.

Crazy-train-iness.

Since I will be spending the entire day tomorrow on a field trip to Chicago with my daughter and the rest of the 6th grade, this subject seems appropriate.

As a kid, when my sisters and I would take a ride on the crazy train, my mother would roll her eyes and leave the area. Many adults ignore their kids or tell them to stop when they hit a laughing high.

I join in. Heck, there were many nights in this house when I started the silliness. I can’t help but laugh when my kids can’t stop giggling. When life gets difficult, when the stress begins to boil over, why not climb on the wacko bus and ride!

Embrace the silly.

Playing Lego Harry Potter or Star Wars video games with my kids tends to get crazy. Have you ever seen me play Mario Kart? Yeah. Buckets of fun. I laugh so hard my cheeks hurt. We race to the bathroom so we don’t pee our pants. Things get spilled in the process, which adds to the brilliance of the insanity.

The conversation can turn in a moment from everyday boring to belly-shaking hilarity. What about? Farting. Our own problems (if you can’t laugh at yourself and all that…). Videos on U-Tube. The dog. The cats. NOTHING AT ALL. I love it.

Possibly that’s why I have such a good time with a group of kids. Tomorrow as I wander the halls of museums, I’ll have fun. We’ll joke. We’ll laugh. We’ll look at old stuff, we’ll gaze at a few fish, and sleep through an I-MAX movie about butterfly migration… cause it sounds fascinating. Butterfly migration?

So when adulting becomes just a bit too much, take a page from the books of children and remember the silly. It’s important and not just for kids.

Now run amok, my friends!

 

 

And The Nestpitchers are Off!

Tags

#nestpitch, agents, dreams, never give up, writing

Nestpitch agent round has begun.

My team #TeamEggsellent has five entries. We critiqued, and we cheered! I’M STILL CHEERING!

Those fabulous writers have revised and revised, and now the day has arrived. Go see here.

Who will get requests? Anyone? We’ll have to wait and see. I know all the writers from all the teams are holding their breaths, possibly pacing, maybe comfort eating, and pretty much doing everything they can to NOT think about it… CAUSE THAT’S POSSIBLE!

Last night the flutter of nerves attacked me. I got slightly attached to these people and their work.

I want happiness for them, for their dreams to come true. I also know that it might not be their day. The perfect agent for them may not stop by. For this is the way the wonderful world of writing works.

Everyone out there who writes, who works at bettering their craft, who never gives up… the dream will become a reality.

Requests… or not, all the participants are on their way. This is just a step on a longer path. And if you ever need someone to walk with you on the road, come find me. I love the journey!

So dance! Be happy! One step at a time. One day at a time. One word at a time.

You can do anything.

 

Positive Expectations Only Please

Tags

challenges, fear, journeys, new manuscript, positivity, thoughts, writing

I DID IT!

I started a new manuscript. The sequel to DOORS is happening.

It has been a LOOOOOOONG time since I wrote a full length ms. A looooooooong time. So when I approached this one I had to sneak up on it…

Two days ago, I just started it. Just wrote words without worrying about anything. Then BAM! The dreaded first words are finished. The anxiety I experience when beginning something new vanished in a puff of HA! TAKE THAT!

But I have a long way to go. I can barely see the path stretching out in front of me, let alone see the end. I have notes of scenes, dialogue, character arc, new worlds, new characters, and blah, blah, blah. The final picture wavers in my mind and as I embark on the journey, I have made myself a few promises.

I WILL…

MOVE FORWARD EVERYDAY.

LOVE the characters and the journey.

LOOK to my friends for encouragement when self-doubt creeps in. (Because a very fabulous Twitter friend reminded me that I am not alone and have a cheering section… the best one ever!)

FORGIVE myself when the writing doesn’t happen.

NOT WORRY about word counts.

NOT JUDGE every word.

ACKNOWLEDGE that it’s a first draft.

EMBRACE the mistakes.

GET the story out.

LOOK FORWARD to the time when I get to revise.

LAUGH at the awkward transitions.

PUSH away the stress.

HAVE A FABULOUS TIME.

Well, maybe not quite like THAT… but close.

We all face challenges, things that make us want to curl up in a ball in a corner.

But if we find the joy, WE CAN DO ANYTHING!

I write because I love it. And though I can’t completely promise that there will be no tears, I will find my way back from the edge of madness and fear. We all creep up to the line of giving up and let the light pull us back. In the end, it’s the good in life that keeps us going.

Positivity is easier to carry than fear.

 

Be You… It’s What the World Wants

Tags

be you, faith, writing

Today, I have a simple message to deliver. It’s that simple, and yet… not. Writers write to be published, well, most of us, so we need an agent or a publisher. We constantly try to make our work stand out, to make it something someone will want to represent. There, of course, are the self-pubbed people, who are just cool, but they still live in the will-people-like-my-words world. I have listened to many people talk about what will get your book published. There is a writer in my writers’ group that talks about it all the time, talking about what we NEED to have in our manuscripts to get an agent or book deal. His head just works that way. Mine does not. I hear writers talk of changing their stories to fit what they think is selling, of not writing a book because the market won’t support it. This makes me sad. As a kid I fought to fit in, wanting desperately for people to like me. I tried to be different to make friends because let’s face it, I was (and still am) weird and no one would like me if they knew me. Don’t worry, I don’t think that anymore, but I don’t show the real me to just anyone. Not everyone appreciates the strangeness of me. However, the world needs it. I am on the Earth for a reason. We all are. And it’s not to be someone else. Really, do we need the stress of constantly thinking about what the world wants, about how we can fit in? Ideas on how to make my words better fill my mind at all times as it is, I don’t want anymore craziness in there. So… Next time you start thinking of redoing your entire ms in first person instead of third, because that’s what’s being published… Next time you take your shiny new vampire book idea and chuck it in the trash, because no one wants those… Next time you force kissing scenes into your book, because that’s what people want to read… Next time you add fighting scenes, action, danger, and, twisty-twists because that’s what puts books on a book store shelf… Listen to your voice, the voice of your ms. Trust your talent. Trust your mind. Your words will tell you what’s right. As soon as we start worrying and fighting ourselves, that’s when we fail. Following your heart might not get an agent, or a book deal right now. But I believe that it will. Remember, there is a market out there, certain things agents and publishers want. We can’t control that. But there are also people… readers, who read all sorts of things! So those books you want to write, but don’t? Yeah. Write them. Love them. Their turn will come. But you have to dig deep and find a bit of faith. Be who you are, not some version of yourself you think the world wants. That’s why we wander the planet, because the unique spark that is you is EXACTLY what the world needs. And because I gotta be me… May the 4th be with you!

Bleeding Heart by Amy Giuffrida … Cover Reveal!

Tags

Amy Guiffrida, artist, cover reveal, fiction, Midnight Society, NA, psychological horror, Tattoo

I am honored to help reveal the cover of my Twitter friend and fellow Midnight Society member Amy Giuffrida’s NA horror to be released into the world next month!

 

COVER REVEAL

 

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THE BLEEDING HEART

Author: Amy Giuffrida

Genre: NA Psychological Horror

Publishing Date: May 25, 2015

~ SYNOPSIS ~

Brooklyn is a talented artist with an obsession for blood; one that she satiates at her uncle’s tattoo shop. It’s here at The Bleeding Heart that Brooklyn practices the art of dispensing pain onto others. Yet, nothing can dull the desire running through her veins, especially since the man she really wants to torture rots in jail for murder.

When Daniel comes into her life, Brooklyn’s obsession with tattoos and blood quickly turns into desire for him. She dreams about getting him on her tattoo table as her first official customer, marking him as her own. But Daniel has a different idea as to what they should be doing with their bodies.

As Brooklyn spirals out of control, her sanity begins to slip right along with whatever is left of her humanity. Daniel may be the only one left to save her, if she lets him in. In the end she will have to choose between exacting vengeance, staying alive, or loving Daniel.

~ COVER DESIGNER ~

Sarah Hansen – Okay Creations

www.okaycreations.com

~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~

AMY GIUFFRIDA

Amy Giuffrida teaches language arts to teens by day, while working nights as supermom and a bookseller. The teen in her is never far away, calling to her to crank the tunes and write stories about the darkness that surrounds us all.

Amy is known for taking the path less traveled, but can always be found on Twitter @kissedbyink or online at one of her haunts: amygiuffrida.com, kissedbyink.com, midnightsocietytales.com, or bookish.nu.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

TWITTER | WEBSITE | KISSED BY INK | THE MIDNIGHT SOCIETY