Tracy Tam: Santa Command Book Tour - Interview with Krystalyn Drown @chapterxchapter @KrysteyBelle @TantrumBooks

Today we're joining the TRACY TAM: SANTA COMMAND book tour by chatting with author Krystalyn Drown. Take a look at Krystalyn's middle grade book and get to know all about the author. And be sure to check out the giveaway!

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

I spent thirteen years working at Walt Disney World in a variety of roles: entertainer, talent coordinator, and character captain. My degree in theatre as well as many, many hours spent in a dance studio, helped with my job there. My various other day jobs have included working in zoology at Sea World, as an elementary teacher, and currently as a support technician for a website. In the evenings, I do mad writing challenges with my sister, who is also an author. I live near Orlando, Florida with my husband, son, a werecat, and a Yorkie with a Napoleon complex.

Tell our readers a bit about TRACY TAM: SANTA COMMAND.

Tracy doesn’t believe that Santa can deliver all of those presents in one night with out a little help from science. A flying sleigh can only be powered by jet engines, and Santa’s magical abilities can only be the result of altered DNA. In order to test her theories, she sneaks onto Santa’s sleigh and ends up at Santa Command, the place where a team of humans monitors Santa’s big night. When Tracy attempts to hack into their computers, she accidentally introduces a virus to their system. As a result, three states get knocked out of sync with the rest of the world. Before the night is over, Tracy has to fix time and help Santa finish his deliveries. And she has to do it all with Santa’s magic, which she doesn’t believe exists.

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How did the idea of the story come to you?

I had a dream where I imagined that all of the seasonal characters (Santa, Easter bunny, etc) were robots controlled by someone else. Tracy Tam doesn't have any robots in it, but the first scene in Santa Command came from that idea.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Very much a pantser. Every time, I try outlining, I fail miserably.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Getting past the middle. In nearly every book I've written, I've had to start over once I reached the mid point.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Just my laptop. I like quiet, so I don't have music or the TV going. Sometimes, I have a pet snuggled up beside me, but it's not necessary.

What are you reading right now?

The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

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

I want to fly. I always have these dreams where I can truly fly. I soar all over my house and hover by the ceiling. It's amazing. I took a trapeze class recently, and that was pretty darn close. I can’t wait to go back.

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

Hmm. Probably when I wanted to know if a skeleton would remain intact for several hundred years under certain conditions.

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

Working my day job or taking care of my 5 year old.

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

Oh yay! Shout outs to my critique partners and the first readers of Tracy Tam - Dianne K. Salerni, Amy Christine Parker, and Jenn Baker. Also my husband, son, mom, and father in law!

Connect with the Author:

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Call Me Grim Blog Tour: Interview with Libbi Piper @eholloway300 @month9books @chapterxchapter

Today we're joining the Call Me Grim blog tour by chatting with main character Libbi Piper. Let's get to know Libbi and find out what her "life" is all about.

Hi, Libbi! Thanks for stopping by and chatting with us. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hello! Thanks for having me.

My name is Libbi Piper and I’m a sixteen-year-old aspiring artist, though the aspiring part sort of went out the window recently. You see, I was supposed to get hit by a truck and die, but the local Grim Reaper, Aaron, saved my life. He gave me the chance to either take over his job—which pretty much sucks, by the way—or die like I was supposed to. Not much room for moving up in the art world in either of those scenarios.

He wants you to become a Grim Reaper? What a horrible job! But I guess it’s better than death, right?

I guess … if you don’t mind being trapped inside Crappytown, U.S.A., invisible and inaudible to every living person, forced to see death daily (including the deaths of the people you love), plus you have to deal with the worst boss in the history of worst bosses. Seriously, only Hitler can compare. So, to answer your question, I’m not sure.

What is your worst fear?

This one’s easy. My worst fear is knowing someone I love is about to get hurt and there’s nothing I can do about it. Oh, and heights. I’m terrified of heights.

If you could make one wish, what would it be?

Honestly, I wish I didn’t have to make this choice at all. I wish that truck just passed me by without Aaron’s help. I wish I could finish high school, go to college, have a family, and a career, and a life. I want to live. But, I guess that’s too much to ask.

If you could turn back the hands of time, what one thing would you change?

Barring the answer to the above question, I would probably go back in time a few months and NOT kiss my best friend. Big mistake.

How do you plan to get out of this mess?

I think, if I decide to stick it out with Aaron, I might be able to find a loophole. Only time will tell, I guess.

Any last words?

Wow! That sounds so final, like we’re already at my funeral! I haven’t given up hope yet, people. Give a girl a chance!

ABOUT CALL ME GRIM:
Call Me Grim
Publication date: September 9, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Elizabeth Holloway

The truck should have turned Libbi Piper into a Libbi Pancake — and it would have, too, if Aaron hadn’t shown up and saved her life. The problem? Aaron’s the local Grim Reaper… and he only saved Libbi’s life because he needs someone to take over his job. Now, Libbi has two days to choose between dying like she was supposed to, or living a lonely life as Death Incarnate. Talk about a rock and a hard place.

And the choice goes from hard to sucktastic when her best friend shows up marked: condemned as a future murderer. Libbi could have an extra week to stop the murder and fix the mark… but only if she accepts Aaron’s job as Reaper, trapping herself in her crappy town forever, invisible and inaudible to everyone except the newly dead. But, if she refuses? Her best friend is headed straight for Hell.

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Cover Reveal: VESSEL by Lisa T. Cresswell and Giveaway #M9BFridayReveals

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

VESSEL by Lisa T. Cresswell

presented by Month9Books!

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

The sun exploded on On April 18, 2112 in a Class X solar storm the likes of which humankind had never seen.

They had exactly nineteen minutes to decide what to do next.

They had nineteen minutes until a geomagnetic wave washed over the Earth, frying every electrical device created by humans, blacking out entire continents, and every satellite in their sky.

Nineteen minutes to say goodbye to the world they knew, forever, and to prepare for a new Earth, a new Sun.

Generations after solar storms destroyed nearly all human technology on Earth, humans reverted to a middle ages-like existence, books are burned as heresy, and all knowledge of the remaining technology is kept hidden by a privileged few called the Reticents.

Alana, a disfigured slave girl, and Recks, a traveling minstrel and sometimes-thief, join forces to bring knowledge and books back to the human race. But when Alana is chosen against her will to be the Vessel, the living repository for all human knowledge, she must find the strength to be what the world needs even if it's the last thing she wants.

Title: Vessel
Publication date: May 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Lisa T. Cresswell

Lisa, like most writers, began scribbling silly notes, stories, and poems at a very young age. Born in North Carolina, the South proved fertile ground to her imagination with its beautiful white sand beaches and red earth. In fifth grade, she wrote, directed and starred in a play "The Queen of the Nile" at school, despite the fact that she is decidedly un-Egyptian looking. Perhaps that's why she went on to become a real life archaeologist?

Unexpectedly transplanted to Idaho as a teenager, Lisa learned to love the desert and the wide open skies out West. This is where her interest in cultures, both ancient and living, really took root, and she became a Great Basin archaeologist. However, the itch to write never did leave for long. Her first books became the middle grade fantasy trilogy, The Storyteller Series. Her first traditionally published work, Hush Puppy, is now available from Featherweight Press.

Lisa still lives in Idaho with her family and a menagerie of furry critters that includes way too many llamas!

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Cover Reveal: Lucas Mackenzie and the London Midnight Ghost Show by Steve Bryant and Giveaway #M9BFridayReveals

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Lucas Mackenzie and the London Midnight Ghost Show
by Steve Bryant

presented by Month9Books!

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

Lucas Mackenzie has got the best job of any 10 year old boy. He travels from city-to-city as part of the London Midnight Ghost Show, scaring unsuspecting show-goers year round. Performing comes naturally to Lucas and the rest of the troupe, who’ve been doing it for as long as Lucas can remember.

But there’s something Lucas doesn’t know.

Like the rest of Luca’s friends, he’s dead. And for some reason, Lucas can’t remember his former life, his parents or friends. Did he go to school? Have a dog? Brothers and sisters?
If only he could recall his former life, maybe even reach out to his parents, haunt them.

When a ghost hunter determines to shut the show down, Lucas realizes the life he has might soon be over. And without a connection to his family, he will have nothing. There’s little time and Lucas has much to do. Can he win the love of Columbine, the show's enchanting fifteen-year-old mystic? Can he outwit the forces of life and death that thwart his efforts to find his family?

Keep the lights on! Lucas Mackenzie’s coming to town.

Title: Lucas Mackenzie and the London Midnight Ghost Show
Publication date: November 18, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Steve Bryant

Steve Bryant is a new novelist, but a veteran author of books of card tricks. He founded a 40+ page monthly internet magazine for magicians containing news, reviews, magic tricks, humor, and fiction; and he frequently contributes biographical cover articles to the country’s two leading magic journals (his most recent article was about the séance at Hollywood’s Magic Castle).

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

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Cover Reveal: Shadows Fall Away by Kit Forbes

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Shadows Fall Away by Kit Forbes

presented by Month9Books!

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

Mark Stewart is one incident away from becoming a juvenile delinquent, and his parents have had enough. They ship Mark off to London England to stay with his eccentric aunt Agatha who is obsessed with all things Jack the Ripper. After a strange twist of luck, Mark is struck by lightning, and he wakes to find himself in 1888 Victorian London. 

His interest in a string of murders Scotland Yard has yet to solve make him a likely suspect. After all, why would a young boy like Mark know so much about the murders? Could he be the ripper they've been searching for? Convinced the only way to get back home is to solve the murders, Mark dives headfirst into uncovering the truth. 

Mark's only distraction comes in the form of the beautiful Genie Trembly, a girl who is totally out of his league and who may have already caught the attention of the infamous ripper. To save her, he'll endanger both their lives, and risk being trapped in the past forever.

Title: SHADOWS FALL AWAY
Publication date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Kit Forbes

Kit Forbes has been a lover of books, history, and all things paranormal for as long as she can remember. She lives in Western Pennsylvania with her youngest daughter and an assortment of cats who give new meaning to the world bizarre.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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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.
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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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