ACCUSED Blog Tour: Interview with Yasmin Shiraz @chapterxchapter @yasminshiraz

Today we're joining the ACCUSED blog tour by chatting with author Yasmin Shiraz. Come meet Yasmin and learn more about her new adult contemporary.

Hi, Yasmin! Welcome to We Do Write. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I was born in Delaware. I went to school there, and I went to college at Hampton University in Virginia. I am a sociologist according to my college degrees and I use sociology to create great backstories for my books.

How long have you been writing?

I've been writing in journals since I was a pre-teen. Writing in journals allowed me to begin to write poetry. From poetry, I started writing television scripts, movie scripts. I, finally, started writing books after I tried so many other mediums of writing.

Tell us about ACCUSED. What’s the story about?

Accused is the 2nd book in the Retaliation series and its about a high profile athlete who gets falsely accused of a crime, while the perpetrator--a real charming sociopath-is going free and continuing to terrorize campus. It's also about how easy rumors and perceptions can change in the era of social media.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

I had been sitting in my office and the thought for Accused shot across my mind like blinding light. I heard, "I didn't do it," in one voice. Then, I heard, "They won't catch me," in another. I immediately thought, "Oh no, Ahmed's been accused of something." "Somebody is raping girls on campus," was the theme in my head that finally sat me down and guided me through the Accused outline.

Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I would love to work with a critique group or beta readers. Right now, I use an editor after I've self-edited a bunch of the book.  I thoroughly research story lines so I, generally, produce a solid first draft.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

My process for developing a story changes from time to time. Retaliation, the first book in the series, I wrote in 28 days without an outline. I wouldn't necessarily recommend that to anyone, but its the first book that I received a Top 10 Award from the American Library Association.  Other times, I've had the theme of the story and simply create an outline for the story.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Getting started! I love procrastinating much more than I should!

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Black warrior pencils. I like the feel of the pencils, and I like the name of the pencils. I wanna feel like a warrior when I'm writing. I'm also known to occasionally gnaw on a pencil when a plot twist overwhelms me.

What are you reading right now?

How to Market A Book by Joanna Penn

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

I'd like to fly. It just snowed again where I live. I'd like to fly to the Bahamas or at least, Miami to be rid of it all.

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

Topics relating to sociopaths.  In researching the antagonist for Accused, I wanted to write a real person.  I did extensive research on sociopaths and what they liked, what kinds of things do sociopaths do. It was disturbing and weird!!!

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: accuse, stain, chocolate.

If you accuse me of creating the enormous chocolate stain on your couch, I will not speak to you again.

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

Doing research on the internet.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

I'd like to thank readers for caring about books, stories, characters and authors. Without the readers to motivate us, encourage us and be our light, many of us would be sitting in a dark room without much hope. I'd like to thank the Young Adult bookclubs who are contributing to the success of young adult literature worldwide. I'd like to thank bloggers who care enough about books to create blogs and write about the books that matter.  Finally, I'd like to thank librarians. Many of my books have reached readers because of the love of librarians.

And finally, where can people find you and your books online?

People can visit me online at www.yasminshiraz.net, but I'm on twitter too @yasminshiraz, facebook at www.facebook.com/stilleyerisemedia and I'm pinning various book related things on my pinterest page www.pinterest.com/yasminshiraz  

Get my books online at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble ... Many of my books are also in stores as well. Just ask for them.

Book Blast: Hawthorne by Sarah Ballance

Hawthorne by Sarah Ballance

After a terrifying encounter with the unexplained, it takes ten years and the news of her grandmother’s passing for Emma Grace Hawthorne to return to her childhood home. She seeks peace in saying a proper goodbye, but what she finds is an old love, a sordid family history, and a wrong only she can right.

Living in the shadow of Hawthorne Manor, Noah Garrett has never forgotten about Emma Grace. In a house full of secrets, his search for missing documents reveals a truth that can cost him everything. What he finds gave Emma the freedom to walk away from the mansion, her heart free and clear, but at what price to Noah?



Praise for Hawthorne

"This is a marvelous ghost story. The mystery, the suspense, the eeriness - all collaborate to weave a spell-binding tale . . . The story seamlessly flows to a shocking ending that is utterly brilliant." -- Coffee Time Romance

"When I finished it, honestly, all I could do was sit there - a little awestruck." -- Kick Back & Review

Hawthorne will be FREE on Amazon from April 10th to 14th

Excerpt from Hawthorne

Noah closed in on the convertible, giving the nearby grounds a cursory look. The lawn was meticulous, the beds overflowing with sprays of purple garden phlox which trailed around the bend in the road and disappeared. A riot of white and rust-red irises backed the smaller purple flowers, their leaves deep green and glossy. Overhead, Spanish moss swayed only occasionally atop a maze of live oak, more likely a result of a passing swarm of insects than an actual air current. The land was still. If there were tourists snapping photos of the historic plantation — or doing anything else — he didn't see them. But someone had been there. The car was certainly real, even if that too-familiar scream had been a figment of his imagination.

Wasn’t it always?

Resigned to another night alone with his memories, Noah pivoted.

And found himself nose to nose with Emma Grace.

Astounded, he opened his mouth, then closed it. He wanted to reach for her, but his arms refused the notion; they hung uselessly by his sides, the effort futile. His mouth wasn't much on cooperation, either. Finally, he found his tongue. "Em—"

Her expression cut him off. Green eyes wide, skin pale, her small frame shaking, she spoke. "I saw her, Noah. She's back." The words, nearly soundless, seemed to catch in the thick air. Lingering. Threatening.

And ripping the heart from his chest.

Author Sarah Ballance

Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids). When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or seeking that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her.

She loves creating unforgettable stories while putting her characters through an unkind amount of torture—a hobby that has nothing to do with living with six children. (Really.) Though she adores nail-biting mystery and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, Sarah writes in many genres including contemporary and ghostly paranormal romance.

BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 4/30/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Excerpt of Unearthed by Rachael Wade + GIVEAWAY!

Unearthed by Rachael Wade

(The Resistance Trilogy #4)

Publication date: August 25th 2013

Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis

*Warning*
This is a short novella (approximately 25,000 words) and is intended to be read after The Tragedy of Knowledge. It takes place after the events of The Resistance Trilogy.

For Gavin and Camille, the Amaranthian war is over. But they’ve evolved since then, and so has the realm they’ve come to know as home. Now comfortable and happy in their new life, they soon discover that something groundbreaking is brewing, threatening to disrupt the peace they’ve worked so hard to secure. And whether they’re prepared or not, it’s about to be unearthed.

                 

Excerpt

“Tomb?” I gulped, glancing around. “Gav…”

“This isn’t just a secret passage,” he said, looking up to study the ceiling. “It’s a grave.”

“What kind of grave?” I slowly rose to my feet, crossing my arms over my chest. A cold, slithering chill crept down my spine, and I could have sworn I felt the temperature drop. “I’m ready to get out of here, now.”

“Wait, baby, we need to do what the Book of the Ancients says. Isn’t that how this stuff works?”

“That was before. We’re not frozen souls anymore, Gav. Gérard’s positively gone. There are no witches trying to help us destroy the curse. Whatever this is, it’s not the same. I can feel it…something’s off.”

“We can’t defend ourselves like we used to,” Gavin said quietly, his gaze roaming the floor. “If this is some kind of threat, we’re at its mercy. We have to know what to tell these people when we leave this passage.”

“Tomb,” I corrected him, feeling another chill skate over my spine. “We’ll figure out what to say when we get home. I don’t care. I’m getting out of here. I don’t want to know…whatever’s in that box, I just don’t want to know, okay?”

“Cam,” Gavin stepped in front of me, taking my face in his hands, “we can’t just walk away from this, you know that, love.”

“No.” The word came out hard and cold. A stern plea. “The second we do what that book tells us, there’s no turning back. I’m not ready.” I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. “Everything’s been so good…so, so good here. Let’s walk away from this, please.”


“You know that’s not an option."

----

About the Author

Rachael Wade writes edgy New Adult and Adult romance and science fiction. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling PRESERVATION SERIES, THE REPLACEMENT, and LOVE AND RELATIVITY, as well as the paranormal romance series THE RESISTANCE TRILOGY.

When she's not writing, she's busy going to concerts, watching too many movies, and learning how to protect animals and the environment. She's an avid Brandi Carlile fan and loves all things Tim Burton. Visit her at RachaelWade.com and LightsOnLove.com, and come chat with her on Twitter @RachaelWade.

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Interview with Screaming Divas author, Suzanne Kamata

Today, we feature an interview with Suzanne Kamata, author of Screaming Divas, a book my fifteen-year-old daughter just told me sounds awesome. So, count me and her in!

Screaming Divas by Suzanne Kamata

Publication Date: May 18th, 2014

Publisher: Merit Press

Pages: 208

Genre: YA Contemporary

At sixteen, Trudy Baxter is tired of her debutante mom, her deadbeat dad, and her standing reservation at the juvenile detention center. Changing her name to Trudy Sin, she cranks up her major chops as a singer and starts a band, gathering around other girls ill at ease in their own lives. Cassie Haywood, would-have-been beauty queen, was scarred in an accident in which her alcoholic mom was killed. But she can still sing and play her guitar, even though she seeks way too much relief from the pain in her body and her heart through drugs, and way too much relief from loneliness through casual sex. Still, it’s Cassie who hears former child prodigy Harumi Yokoyama playing in a punk band at a party, and enlists her, outraging Harumi’s overbearing first-generation Japanese parents. The fourth member is Esther Shealy, who joins as a drummer in order to be close to Cassie–the long-time object of her unrequited love–and Harumi, her estranged childhood friend. Together, they are Screaming Divas, and they’re quickly swept up as a local sensation. Then, just as they are about to achieve their rock-girl dreams, a tragedy strikes.

Welcome to We Do Write, Suzanne. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m an American, but I live in Japan. I came here just after graduating from the University of South Carolina, met a guy, and wound up staying. We now have two lovely children and a naughty kitten.

Awesome. My daughter would be jealous. How long have you been writing?

I decided that I was going to be a writer when I grew up when I was in about first grade. Maybe it was due to a lack of imagination, but nothing else ever occurred to me. I started to panic when I was in college and realized that it would be hard to make a living writing fiction, but I never stopped.

Tell us about SCREAMING DIVAS. What’s the story about?

It’s about four very different girls -- Trudy, Harumi, Cassie, and Esther -- who don’t really fit in. They find each other through this punk rock band, Screaming Divas. In spite of their vastly different backgrounds, they become friends.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

I was always a big fan of The Supremes, and I’d wanted to write a novel about a 1960s all-girl Motown group, but I thought that not being African-American, and not having been old enough to remember the 60s, there was a pretty good chance I’d get it wrong. Later, I was excited by the Riot Grrrl movement in the Pacific Northwest, but I’ve never spent a lot of time there, so I decided to write a novel about an all-grrrl group in South Carolina.

As they say, write what you know. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Definitely a pantser, for better or worse.

I hear you on that, for sure. What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

I’m not very good with plot. Maybe because I’m a pantser? I always worry that I won’t have enough story to stretch out for the whole book. I’m more interested in character.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

To be able to clean my house by twitching my nose.

Umm ... Can I have that power too? 

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ... reading.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.


A big thanks to Helene Dunbar, my college roommate and long-time friend (and author of the intensely beautiful THESE GENTLE WOUNDS, coming soon to a bookstore near you) who was the first cheerleader for this book. Without her encouragement, it would still be in a drawer. I’m also grateful to Mary Chamard, who, as an intern at Merit Press, read and loved Screaming Divas, and Jacquelyn Mitchard, one of my favorite authors, and also the editor of this book. I’m thankful to Beth Fehlbaum, author of BIG FAT DISASTER and supporter of YA fiction via her site UncommonYA, the editors of Hunger Mountain (where an excerpt of Screaming Divas first appeared), and my previous agent Caron K, and present agent Carrie Pestritto.

And finally, where can people find you and your books online?

                 

About the Author

Back in the day, Suzanne Kamata spent a lot of time hanging out in a club in Columbia, South Carolina, much like the one in Screaming Divas. (The beat goes on . . .) She later wrote about musicians for The State newspaper, The Japan Times, and other publications. Now, she mostly writes novels. In her free time, she enjoys searching for the perfect fake fur leopard-print coat and listening to the Japanese all-girl band Chatmonchy. Her YA debut, Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible was named the 2013-2014 APALA YA Honor Book and Grand Prize Winner of the Paris Book Festival. For more info, visit http://www.suzannekamata.com or follow her on Twitter @shikokusue.

 

Of Breakable Things Blog Tour: Interview with A. Lynden Rolland @month9books @chapterxchapter @AmyRolland

Today we're taking part in the OF BREAKABLE THINGS blog tour by speaking with author A. Lynden Rolland. Join us as we get to know her and learn about her book!

Welcome to We Do Write! Thank you for joining us. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Thank you so much for having me! I love your site!

A bit about me. I’m a teacher, a tutor, a mother, a runner, a gymnast, a worrier, a perfectionist, and a now an author.

How long have you been writing?

I started keeping journals when I was little. Writing became therapeutic. It’s how I organize my mind. (Maybe that’s why my characters in Of Breakable Things have the ability to shuffle through their thoughts like notes in a card catalog.)

I began writing Of Breakable Things a few years ago. When my first son was born, I took a leave of absence from teaching high school English. My son was such a horrible sleeper that often I only had my imagination to keep me company during the endless nights of rocking and sitting the dark. When he was eight months old, I began to write down the story my mind had created.

Tell us about OF BREAKABLE THINGS. What's the story about?

Of Breakable Things is about the fragility of life and love but also about the fragility of perspective.

My main character, Alex Ash, suffers from vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Her tissues can’t properly support her organs, and her bones break easily. Regardless, she tries to keep up with her best friends, the boys next door. When tragedy strikes, Alex’s illness becomes a blessing in disguise, but death isn’t nearly as peaceful as she imagined.

Without a body, Alex’s world is dictated by her mind, but her mind is more than a little cracked. Reality is manipulated by perception, and that’s even more powerful when the mind is boundless.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | The Book Depository | IndieBound

How did the idea of the story come to you?

I can’t pinpoint one thing, but I had an idea that wouldn’t leave me alone. I thought about how much people love things. How much people hate things. How much knowledge they gain in a lifetime. I couldn’t imagine that when the body died, that all of the mental energy just … disappeared. So I started thinking that maybe those emotions and that intelligence could come alive into a projection of a person.

Then I needed characters. I needed a girl who would die prematurely, to be physically breakable. And once I began researching Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Alex came alive in my mind. And Chase Lasalle just appeared there beside her one day, holding her hand.

Do you have critique partners, beta-readers, or do you self edit?

I edited Of Breakable Things myself but only because I didn’t tell anyone I was writing it. I didn’t begin the manuscript with the intent to be published. I think everyone benefits from critique partners, so I should probably start looking for one, huh? I do have beta-readers, though. I trust them to let me know what makes sense and what doesn’t. What dialogue seems forced or fake.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby while writing?

Pen, notebook, mug of something (coffee, tea, hot water w/ lemon).

If you could have any superpower what would it be?

The power to eat doughnuts and never get fat, haha. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

The government is probably tracking me. Let’s leave it at that 

Totally understandable. Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: breakable, flower, wild

They ran wild through the flower fields, disregarding the judgmental eyes, and their fingers intertwined to fight the breakable force of adolescence.

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing I'm probably ...

…not awake.

LOL. Who would you like to thank for supporting you throughout the publishing process? Let's hear your shout outs!

I’m going to stick my writer support system. The goat posse: Bethany Crandell, A.G. Howard, A.M. Supinger, Mary Frame, Eric Devine, Precy Larkins, Darke Conteur, Suzanne Payne, Jennifer Lopez, Lisa Ann O’Kane, Angela Leidy Cook, Riley Redgate, Jennifer Prescott, Kerri Maniscalco, Kalen O’Donnell,  Justin Holley, and Michelle Simkins.

The YA Valentines: Sara Raasch, Sara B. Larson, Bethany Hagen, Bethany Crandell, Phil Siegel, Paula Stokes, Lynne Matson, Anne Blankman, Kristi Helvig, Kristen Lippert-Martin, Jaye Robin Brown, Lindsay Cummings, and Jen McConnell.

And of course thank you to my agent, Rachael Dugas, for dealing with my neurotic OCD and to Georgia McBride and M9B, for understanding the vision for Of Breakable Things.

Thank you so much for having me!

ABOUT A. LYNDEN ROLLAND:

A. Lynden Rolland was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, a picturesque town obsessed with boats and blue crabs. She has always been intrigued by the dramatic and the broken, compiling her eccentric tales of tragic characters in a weathered notebook she began to carry in grade school. She is a sports fanatic, a coffee addict, and a lover of Sauvignon Blanc, thunderstorms and autumn leaves. When she isn’t hunched behind a laptop at her local bookstore, she can be found chasing her two vivacious children. She now resides just outside Annapolis with her husband and young sons.

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