Book Launch: MINDERS by Michele Jaffe

Today marks the release of the young adult thriller/mystery/sci-fi/dystopian/romance MINDERS by Michele Jaffe. This book sounds so good, and it seems like it has everything! Take a look.

"A dark, dangerous and twisty near-future mystery from the incomparable Michelle Jaffe. Don't miss this book!"--Melissa de la Cruz, New York Times Bestselling Author of Blue Bloods

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?

Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She's been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she'll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There's just one problem: Sadie's fallen in love with him.

Q: What if the crime is murder?

Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.

Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?

Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford's life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves.

A high concept, cinematic read with a surprising twist, MINDERS asks the question: who is really watching who?

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Interview with Mat Nastos

Today, we are pleased to have Mat Nastos, author of THE CESTUS CONCERN, here to discuss his novel.

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

People know me for one of three reasons - either as artist for the cult-classic independent comic book, ElfQuest, back in the 90s, or as one of the guys who writes those really awful B-movies for places like the SyFy Channel or Cinemax, or, if someone has kids, as a writer who has worked on Phineas & Ferb at the Disney Channel.

In other words, I'm a professional nerd.

Well, I guess I fall into the someone-with-kids category. My kids and I love Phineas & Ferb! It's such a smart and well written show. You seem to have a lot of experience in the industry. How long have you been writing?

Professionally, I've been writing for about 15 years. I started out writing comic books and then moved to film. From there it was into television for the Disney Channel and now prose. I was lucky enough to have a strong grounding in storytelling from my work as a comic book and storyboard artist. That training, and having worked with hundreds of scripts from other writers, helped me more than anything else.

What a fun way to get started. I imagine your journey has been very helpful in your writing career.

So, tell us a bit about THE CESTUS CONCERN.

The story is about a US Army Ranger who is shot down while on a mission in Iraq and comes to with a year missing from his life. It's a hardcore action/sci-fi story about a man on the run from a government who wants information that is locked away in his head. I've been describing it as "Johnny Mnemonic meets Wolverine."

That sounds seriously cool!  How did you come up with the story?

I am a completely unabashed, unrestrained, and unapologetic fan of action flicks. I love every shape and every variation of them - the iconic 80s actioneers, hardcore Asian action, crappy 70s Chinese martial arts, Blaxploitation, Hong Kong action cinema, and everything in between. 

I love action.

With my first full-length novel, THE CESTUS CONCERN, I wrote what I like to think of as my love-letter to my favorite action films. It was everything I ever wanted to read in an action/adventure/sci-fi novel. After writing so many films with low budgets, it's great to be able to sit down and write something with an unlimited one.

I totally get the love affair with action. I was raised with those 70's Chinese Martial Arts movies playing in the background while I played with my ninja Barbies. I can even do a mean English-voice-over impersonation.

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

I have a few beta readers that I trust and I work with a couple of different editors once things get closer to being finished. It's always good to have another set of eyes check out your work before it is released out into the wild - there's nothing worse than being called out on the Internet for crappy work!

Too true! So, plotter or pantser?

I'm definitely a plotter. I always start with a synopsis to solidify the story idea for myself, then go to an excessively detailed outline (20-30 pages for a screenplay and 10,000 words for a novel) before getting in to the "real" writing. It's all about making sure I have a strong foundation when I start.

As a full-blown pantser, I'm always impressed by those who plot. It must make writing so much easier to have it all figured out before you start. What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Getting over that hump in the middle - that point where you're in the center of the ocean and can't see a shore on either side. Inevitably, getting from the halfway point to the last quarter of every story kills me, regardless of its length. It happens to me with short stories, movie screenplays and novels. 

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

My Star Wars Slurpee cup and my phone. I've decided along the way that checking my email or Twitter while I'm writing doesn't count as slacking off as long as I'm doing it on my phone.

Ha! I think I need to adopt that philosophy! And learn how to tweet with one hand and write with the other.

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

Well, I've already got the super power of dance...aside from that, I'm a flight guy. The idea of soaring through the air is pretty intriguing. 

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

I'm going to refrain from answering that for fear it might damage any hope at a future political career. :D

Oh, darn! Well, how about you finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ... 

...Googling something really weird and highly inappropriate.

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

The biggest shout out goes to my wife, Athena, and my kids who put up with a crazy guy who spends way too much time sitting at his desk working. Beyond that, my best friends (Marc, Alden and Jimmy Jay) who are supportive beyond what I deserve, and my editor, Arlene Taylor, for polishing things up very nicely.

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

THE CESTUS CONCERN is available at in print and e-formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, Drivethrufiction.com and a few other places. I am all over the Internet and easy to find. 

My home page is at http://www.matnastos.net

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mat-Nastos/e/B005FNCMAI

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/matnastos

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NiftyMat

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theMatNastos

Thank you, Mat, for joining us!

Cover Reveal: Purgatory Reign

Enter to win a paperback ARC copy of PURGATORY REIGN!

Something evil this way comes, unfortunately for it, Peter Saints is waiting.

Seventeen-year-old Peter Saints' life stinks. But things are about to get much worse. First, his parents are murdered in front of him. Then another victim dies in his arms.

Visions plague Peter with warnings that something wants him for a sinister cause. It desires the one thing that Peter refuses to give - his blood.

On the run with Angel, a scruffy kid, Peter starts to unravel the mystery. It's the one secret the heavens sought to hide from the world. Unfortunately, when Peter finds the answer he hopes that will save the girl he loves, he opens the door to a great evil that happens to be salivating to meet him.

Read a sample: http://www.freado.com/book/13273/purgatory-reign

Release Dates:
eBook (March 2013)
Print (May 2013)

Pre-Order:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Purgatory-Reign-Series/dp/0985025131/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344012202&sr=8-1&keywords=purgatory+reign+by+lm+preston

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Interview with Ashelynn Sanford

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone for stopping in and reading my blog. I'm glad others find it interesting to hear about other aspiring writers. I like the fact that it seems more like a community when we can be here for each other and cheer each other on!

Today we're talking with Ashelynn Sanford.

Welcome, Ashelynn. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a young aspiring author who lives in Northern Wyoming. I teach a group of five nine-year-old girls dance every Wednesday, and I spend two days of the week learning the routines that I teach from my boss. I go by the name Ashelynn D. Sanford, or Ashy.


You lead a very artistic life. What is the name and genre of your manuscript?

"The Year the World Ended" is the novel I’m focusing on now, and it’s a action/adventure. A genre I don’t normally write in.

And what is this action/adventure story about?

The Boudoirs are a French couple who know one secret, and if that secret lands in the enemy’s hands, North America’s empire is going to expand from just one continent.


Elijah Anson and West Anderson have been assigned the mission of getting the information from Pierre Boudoir. Eli’s only issue with the assignment is his burning desire for Chance Boudoir, Pierre’s wife.


When Pierre becomes sick with a plague, Eli reacts irrationally and takes Chance Boudoir with him to Florida, where the last space shuttle to the moon is launching. West is tracking them down, determined to get the information from Chance who pretends she doesn’t know the secret…


It’s a race against time, enemies, and trust. How can Chance trust the one person who captured and saved her?

The description's got my blood pumping already. How did the idea of the story come to you?


I believe it came when I was sitting my history class, watching a movie about World War II and the great depression. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been rethinking the plot, trying to further it along, and those ideas came to me when I’m in the shower…like always…

Is your manuscript complete or still a work in progress?

A work in progress.

Do you have a word count goal, and how far along are you at this point?

I don’t at the moment, but I’d like if it was over 75K. I’m still in the beginning stages, but hope to be much, much further, at least 1/3rd of the 75K goal by the end of March, early April.

What will be your next step when you're done?

Querying for an agent. I think everybody should try to get an agent before going to self-publishing; a lot of bestselling authors received a ton of rejection letters before somebody decided to take them on. Self-publishing isn’t something I’m looking into, and I hope I don’t have to.

I agree with you on trying for an agent. Good advice. So do you have a critique group or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

When I get to the editing phase, I’ll send it my close friends—Mireyah being one of them. I think being in a critique group helps writers and even friends whose advice you trust.

Yes, a fresh set of eyes helps a lot. What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Finding time to write. You’d think for a nineteen-year-old not going to college would have a lot of time to write, right? My mother seems to think that I’m her housemaid, so I’m usually away from the computer nine hours in the day, and then when I am able to get on the computer, I either get distracted by the shiny things (Oo, internet…) or my mom has decided the fridge needs to be cleaned.

I'm sure most of us are often distracted by the internet. Can't be helped. Any tips you’ve learned about writing you’d like to share?

Manage your time very well; if you have a few hours to kill, open up your MS and start writing. Whenever you can write, write. It will help you in the long run, even if it’s just baby steps. A lot of people say you need to write every day, but I don’t. As long as you’re thinking about it, I think that’s good enough. Some days you don’t have time to write at all without sacrificing something, and writing shouldn’t be your top priority. Family, job, relationships, etc. should be your top priority.

That's a healthy perspective. So who are your inspirations?

Kate Chopin because she wrote scenes that weren’t safe to write about in her time, and she was a woman and not a lot of women wrote “unsafe” scenes in the 1800s. I have a lot more other inspirations, but I’m just going to leave it at Kate Chopin because I could go on.

She sounds awesome! Let’s get to know you on a deeper level. Can you name three things about yourself people may not know (or maybe they do know but they are special traits/hobbies/quirks)?

1. I love perfume and body spray. I can six bottles on my desk right now, and that’s not including all the bottles I have in my bathroom! Since I have decision-making issues, I have somebody else pick what perfume I’m going to wear that day. My Stepsis really likes this job.
2. I can’t read one book at a time. I usually read two-three books at the same time, but right now I’m reading seven (yes SEVEN) published books and TWO manuscripts from two very talented young writers.
3. I don’t want to write a bestseller; sure, it’d be cool, but it’s not something I’m aiming for when I become published. I’d rather have my book become banned than a bestseller. Not because banned books make a lot of money or anything, I’m not doing this for the money, but because I could say, “Yeah, my novel so-and-so is banned. Pretty cool, eh?”

Aha, I see. Well, that's one way to stand apart from the crowd. Okay, here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Who would you like to give a shout out to?

My best girls: Dawn, Amy, Mireyah, and H. C. They’re always there for me, and even though there are a lot more people who support and are always there for me, these four are *always* there and not afraid to kick my butt into gear if I’m stalling with writing!

And finally, where can people find you online?

My blog: http://ashelynnsanford.wordpress.com
My twitter: @AshelynnS

Thank you so much for chatting with us, Ashelynn. Good luck with your book, and be sure to let us know when you've reached the next step of your writing journey!