Thursday 27 August 2015

T4T: The Pretty Dark Nothing Series by Heather L. Reid!

 
Welcome to this week’s Two for Thursday Book Blitz #T4T presented by Month9books/Tantrum Books!

Today, we will be showcasing two titles that may tickle your fancy, and we’ll share what readers have to say about these titles!

You just might find your next read!

This week, #T4T presents to you:

The Pretty Dark Nothing series by Heather L. Reid!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!


    Pretty-Dark-Nothing-cover  
It’s been twenty three days since Quinn has slept for more than minutes at a time. Demons have invaded her dreams, stalking her, and whispering of her death. The lack of sleep and crippling fear are ruining her life. Energy drinks and caffeine pills don’t make a dent. When Quinn dozes off in the school hallway, Aaron, an amnesiac with a psychic ability, accidentally enters her nightmare. The demons are determined to keep them apart, and Aaron from discovering the secret locked away in his memory. Together, they could banish the darkness back to the underworld for good. That is, unless the demons kill them first.
add to goodreads
   
What Readers are Saying:
  “This is a surprisingly very psychologically draining book and reminded me of the first season American Horror Story and Stephen King's Carrie.” – Syahira – Requiem for More Books  
“The characters, the world building, the plot... I really think the author had great control over her craft.”Alyssa – Eater of Books
 
“This is a thrilling story that will keep you up at night!” Katie - Curse of the Bibliophile
    Pretty-Dark-Sacrifice-Cover  
It’s been five weeks, two days, and eight hours since the demons forced Quinn to throw herself into the raging river, since Aaron sacrificed himself to save her, since his body disappeared without a trace.
Everyone wants Quinn to move on, but she can’t, not after a spirit appears to her at Aaron's memorial, convincing her he’s still alive.
When a mysterious box materializes on the very spot Aaron disappeared, Quinn finds she’s at the center of an ancient prophesy of betrayal, revenge, and sacrifice that takes her to the depths of the underworld to face Lilith—Adam’s first wife.
If Quinn can stop Lilith from unleashing the demon horde Eve, trapped inside the box during the Battle of Eden millennia ago, she will save the human realm and free Aaron from an eternity in torment.
All it will cost is her blood.
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What Readers are Saying:
 
“A love story that lasts for eternity.”Sherry, Fundinmental
 
“This book was engrossing and engaging, and functioned well as a sequel novel.”Alyssa – Eater of Books
 
“…I definitely recommend giving this series a try if you're looking for a refreshing take on demons or like paranormal romance.” – Analee – Book Snacks
    about-the-author    
Heather
 
Heather L. Reid is both American and British and has called six different cities in three different countries, home. Her strong sense of wanderlust and craving for a new adventure mean you might find her wandering the moors of her beloved Scotland, exploring haunted castles, or hiking through a magical forest in search of fairies and sprites. When she’s not venturing into the unknown in her real life, she loves getting lost in the worlds of video games or curling up by the fire with good story. For now, this native Texan is back in the Lone Star State, settling down with her Scottish husband and writing new tales of fantasy and horror.
Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr | Pinterest | Instagram
  Giveaway  
Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!
 
 

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Tuesday 25 August 2015

Interview: Sheila A. Nielson, Author of Shadow in the Sea



Today, we are joined by author Sheila A. Nielson, author of Shadow in the Sea, a YA Fantasy. Check it out!

Shadow in the Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
Publication date: July 15th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:
When sixteen-year-old Sadelyn Hanson washes up on the shores of Windwaithe Island, her beauty
and the strange marks on her wrist make superstitious locals suspect she is a mermaid. Feigning amnesia, Sade hides a far worse secret: she was sailing to her own murder trial when she was thrown overboard by the real killer, the cunning and cruel Captain Westwood.

Sade’s quiet effort to rebuild her life on the island is threatened when she meets an actual young merman. Unable to speak his language, Sade still longs for the warm companionship he offers, despite the locals’ dire legends about merfolk and their dark magic. But her confused feelings for the impossible boy become the least of her problems when Captain Westwood’s ship docks at Windwaithe. With nowhere to escape, Sade must trust in the one person who doesn’t fear the merfolk. A woman who had dealings with them herself—years ago.


                 

INTERVIEW

Welcome to We Do Write, Sheila! Your newest book, Shadow in the Sea is a follow-up to the mermaid novel, Forbidden Sea, published by Scholastic Press. Do you have to read Forbidden Sea first in order to enjoy Shadow in the Sea?

Shadow in the Sea is more of a companion novel rather than a true sequel to Forbidden Sea.  I knew this book would be the first time visiting Windwaithe Island for many readers—so I wrote Shadow in the Sea as a stand-alone. If readers decide they like Shadow in the Sea, they can always go back and read Forbidden Sea to find out what happened before.

Why mermaids? Or should I say, mermaids and mermen—since one of the main characters in Shadow in the Sea is a handsome merprince. 

I was first introduced to Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairytale, The Little Mermaid, as a child. My family had an illustrated version of the story and I used to look at the pictures in it again and again. I hated the whole lose-the-guy-and-turn-into-sea-foam-ending—so I would imagine my own mermaid stories to go along with the pictures. Ones with much better endings.

After I became a children’s librarian, I noticed that many girls who came in asked for mermaid books. We didn’t have a lot of them so the kids left looking very disappointed.  I thought to myself, Someone needs to write more mermaid stories. That’s when I realized that person could be me. When I finally got around to writing my mermaid stories, I found myself revisiting some of the things I’d first imagined about mermaids back in my elementary school days.

Do you think there are real mermaids out there in the ocean somewhere?

You would be surprised how often I get asked that question. I, myself, am a complete skeptic, though, nothing would make me happier than to be proven wrong. I will say this—while doing my research for Shadow in the Sea I discovered there are a lot of people who strongly believe in mermaids—both in present day and historically.  In fact, the Orkney Islands have an extensive history when it comes to mermaid sightings. (Try Googling “Deerness Mermaid” sometime and see what you find!)

What part of Shadow in the Sea did you enjoy writing most? 

The Sea Prince, Araedyn, was the most complicated (and enjoyable) character to write in Shadow in the Sea. Because he speaks only merlanguage, I had to find other ways to communicate his story and personality to the main character, and the reader. As an author, I know a great many private details about my characters. Some of this information can’t be fit into the final story. In the first book, Forbidden Sea, I didn’t have time to flesh out Prince Araedyn the way I wanted to. Shadow in the Sea finally gave me a chance to bring the mysterious merprince front and center, the way I’d been dying to from the start. 

Are any of your characters based on real people?

An author writes what she knows, so bits and pieces of real people do sneak in here and there. However, there is only one character in Shadow in the Sea who is completely based on reality. Dartemore, the horse. My grandfather owned an animal just like him while I was growing up. He was a one man horse who adored my grandpa and hated everyone else. If he could have slept at the end of my grandfather’s bed like a dog, he would have. When grandpa rode the horse, he lifted up his feet and let his tail fly high. When I got on him he tried to kill me. Every. Single. Time.

Fictional characters often find themselves in situations they’re not sure they can get out of. Have you ever found yourself in a situation like that? What did you do?

I almost drowned when I was young. I was swimming in a lake all alone. (A really stupid thing to do!) I felt something swim into my legs under the water—either a good sized fish or a water snake—I‘m not sure which. I panicked, started thrashing around, and quickly went under. I remember looking down through the water and realizing that I couldn’t see the bottom because it was so dark and deep.

Luckily, I was able to calm down enough to stop flailing and float back up to the surface before it was too late. I’ve had a phobia of fish and deep water ever since.  This made writing about merfolk who live fathoms beneath the surface of the ocean an interesting experience. There were times I had to take a break from writing because I would start to feel like I couldn’t breathe.

You are a children’s librarian as well as an author. Do you find this affects your writing in any way?

Children want to share their joy when it comes to reading. I’ve had the plots of far too many novels spoiled for me by eager young library patrons who just wanted to tell me everything about their favorite book. I don’t mind one bit. This has given me a unique understanding of what kids do and don’t like when reading a book. Sometimes, I find myself thinking, What would the kids at the library like to see happen in this chapter? then I write the scene accordingly. Kids love fun little details that don’t necessarily have anything to do with the book’s main plot. The game of Quiddich is a great example of this. In Shadow in the Sea, the Sea Prince has eyes that change color based on his emotions and moods. I recently had a young fan write me an email to ask if I could please make a list of every eye color and its corresponding emotion and send it to her as quickly as possible.

There is one other perk to being a librarian author. Kids will sometimes come to the reference desk and ask me for one of my own books—never realizing I’m the one who wrote it.

Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?

A couple of years ago, I wrote a paranormal romance story about a haunted doll museum. It was much scarier and darker than anything else I’ve ever written.  It was so creepy one member of my writer’s group decided they didn’t want to finish it. That book is one of my favorites despite the fact that it may never be published.

What would Sadelyn, Shadow in the Sea’s protagonist, think about you if she could meet you?

After everything I put her through in this story--she would probably refuse to even speak to me. Sade would forgive me in time, but then find some sneaky way to let me know she didn’t approve of my methods of entertaining readers at her expense.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sheila never did figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up. She graduated from college with a BFA in illustration, has worked as a children's librarian for over eighteen years, and would eventually like to be a full-time author. Why pick one career when you can have many? Sheila lives with her two pets, a goffin cockatoo and a tiny toy poodle. She was born and raised in California but has come to also love her adopted home in Utah where she currently resides.


                 

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Monday 24 August 2015

Friday 21 August 2015

Guest Post: Caroline T. Pattie, Author of Into The Dark


We Do Write is pleased to welcome Caroline Patti, author of YA novel Into The Dark. Caroline is here to share five things she wished she new about publishing before she was published. But first, a little about the book!

Into the Dark
Publication date: August 18, 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Caroline T. Patti

A girl’s sweet sixteen party is supposed to be among the most memorable events of her life. But on
the night of hers, Mercy Clare wakes in the waiting room of a hospital with no memory of how she got there. To make matters worse, she’s wearing something she’d never be caught dead in: her best friend Lyla’s clothes.

Mercy’s nightmare is just beginning. The doctor arrives to tell her that it’s she who lies in the hospital bed waiting to die. A trip to the bathroom confirms Mercy’s fears, as Lyla’s face stares back at her and Lyla’s curvy figure pokes through her tight clothes.

But finding out what’s really going on won’t be easy. Because if Mercy wants her body back, it might just cost her Lyla’s life.


          
               


5 Things I Wish I Knew About Publishing
By: Caroline T. Patti

1. There is a vast difference between being able to tell a story and crafting a novel.
2. Just like your childhood, it’s not fair.
3. You will someday have an argument about a comma.
4. It is a thin line between joy and panic.
5. No one really has success overnight.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caroline T Patti is the author of The World Spins Madly On and Too Late To Apologize. When she’s not writing, she’s a school librarian, mother of two, wife, avid reader and Green Bay Packer fan. You can chat with her on Twitter:@carepatti or find her onFacebook.
                 


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Thursday 20 August 2015

5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Was Published, by Charles Curtis


We are so excited to have Charles Curtis here with us today discussing five things he wished he knew before he was published! Charles is the author of the Middle Grade Paranormal novel, Strange Country Day. But first, a tidbit about the book!

Strange Country Day
Publication date: August 18, 2015
Publisher: Tantrum Books/Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Charles Curtis



Alexander Graham Ptuiac, the son of an inventor, wants to play for the school’s football team. During tryouts, and under the watchful eye of the team’s coach, he suddenly manifests mysterious superhuman powers. Alexander makes the team, but not before the some ill-intended adults take notice, putting his life in danger.

Alex struggles to suppress and control his strange new abilities, worried about exposing his secret and being kicked off the football team. Then he befriends Dex, a diminutive classmate who can somehow jump as high as ten feet in the air. Seems Alex isn’t the only one at school with a secret.
As the school year unfolds, Alex will find himself the target of bullies, holding hands with his first crush and discovering the shocking truth about himself and his parents.


          
                  

5 Things I Wish I Knew About Publishing Before I was Published
By: Charles Curtis

 1) Releasing your book to the public is like sending your kid to kindergarten the first time. I wrote a little bit about this on Father’s Day. Book Con was my first-ever signing and the first time I got to physically hold my book, the result of years of work and multiple rounds of editing. And when I sold a few copies, I felt a ball of icy nervousness in my stomach. I thought, “I’m sending my ‘child’ into the world.” I never thought about that until the moment the doors opened up at Book Con.

2) I’m not just an author. I’m now a marketing manager and a member of the sales force. Another thing that hit me at Book Con: Authors are no longer just the writers of their works. The pressure is on me to get the word out to the public through things like Twitter (@charlescurtis82, come say hi!) and to convince readers why they should sift through the thousands of titles available and pick mine. I have an awesome team behind me doing just that, but I have to be more active than I originally expected. Here’s my elevator pitch I’ve been honing: X-Men meets football when a couple of seventh graders suddenly find out they’ve got special powers they use on the field. Why do they have abilities? And who’s chasing them to answer that question? 

3) Writing the second novel in a series is much harder than producing the first. I’m experiencing this literally as you read it. I wrote the first “Strange Country Day” on spec over quite a few years with no deadline, no expectations and no pressure. All of that, of course, has changed. Added to that are the expectations of your readers and the complexity of a story filled with twists, increased drama and new characters.  

4) The “young adult” books I used to read are no longer what’s known as “young adult.” YA is now for an older crowd.  In its place is “middle grade.” I’m more familiar with the 21st century definition of YA (I’m a big fan of series like “The Fifth Wave”) and the more adult themes that come along with it, so I had to find the right voice and vocabulary for a younger audience, all while making sure I didn’t cross certain lines when it came to violence and the romantic lives of my characters. The other challenge? Not talking down to my audience at the same time. It’s a tricky balance. 

5) You’re writing and marketing as much for parents, teachers and librarians are you are for kids.  I hear what you’re thinking: “Hi there, Captain Obvious!” But when you write a middle grade novel, you think about what the kids want to read.  However, who buys books and vets them to make sure their kids will enjoy them? The answer is now more obvious to me and helped focus on my target audience going forward. I would love to see this book featured in a school book club – I can see students debating the morality of using special powers to win a football game in a sports world where performance enhancing drugs are a hot topic.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles Curtis is a writer and journalist based in New York City. He has reported and written for publications including NJ.com (where he is currently the site’s sports buzz reporter), The Daily, ESPN.com, ESPN the Magazine, Bleacher Report, TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly. Charles has covered the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, golf, tennis and NASCAR. He has also written about television, film and pop culture.
In addition, Curtis has also written, produced and was featured in videos for ESPN.com and The Daily. He has made radio appearances on stations including 92.9 The Ticket in Bangor, Maine, WLIE 540 AM in Long Island and on morning shows across Canada via the CBC.
He can be reached on Twitter: @charlescurtis82.

            

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