Artificial Tour: Interview with Jadah McCoy

Today we're chatting with Author Jadah McCoy about her book ARTIFICIAL.

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

Hey there! Thanks for having me! I’m 24, live in Nashville, and work in law. Now that the boring stuff is out of the way… When not doing that, I like to make costumes, pole dance, teach yoga, travel the world, and partake in general debauchery with my pals. I’ve been to seven countries. I love sangria. I hate cucumbers and tomatoes. I think those are all the important things!!

Author Links:

https://jadahmccoy.wordpress.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14903289.Jadah_McCoy

https://www.facebook.com/Jadah-McCoy-Author-1570450153179469/

 Tell our readers a bit about ARTIFICIAL. What’s the story about?

ARTIFICIAL is the story of a young woman, Syl, who lives in a post-apocalyptic city ravaged by Cull—genetically spliced bug monsters. She’s abducted while scavenging and her genes are spliced. Syl slowly begins to turn into one of the Cull and ventures to an android city to find a cure and stop the person responsible for the splicing.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28682101-artificial?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true

Purchase:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Jadah-McCoy-ebook/dp/B01CDAA1IA

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/artificial-jadah-mccoy/1123599684?ean=9781620074978

How did the idea of the story come to you?

I knew I wanted to write something post-apocalyptic. I had this amazing, tragic world stuck in my head, full of shadows and broken glass, memories and monsters. The plot was a bit harder to nail down. I thought, what drives this character? Where does the tension in her story line come from? And then bingo! Why not make our heroine turn into the very creature she’s running from?

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Short answer: plotter. Long answer: my whole life I’ve been a pantser, and I’ve always had a huge issue with plot. The second I sat down and really brainstormed my plot, I had no issues with it anymore. It’s a lot easier to get the words onto the page when you know where the hell you’re going with it. I highly recommend plotting! Snowflake method, baby!

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

The actual writing part. I am the biggest procrastinator. YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, FaceBook, Tumblr—my worst writing enemies. I will do anything to distract myself. I honestly find editing so much fun. I’m working with something that’s already there. I think of writing kind of like a whole world trying to slip through a keyhole, all at once. That kind of thing can get overwhelming!

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

My phone. For distractions (duh) and to look up scenes in previous books in the series (I’m writing the third now). For some reason I prefer to look it up on my phone and not my computer!

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

Flight. Kind of generic, but I think it would be amazing. I’m kind of obsessed with the sky. Also, could save a lot of money on airfare…

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

Robot dicks. LOL. When you’re writing about a sassy male sex bot, you gotta have a firm grasp on how his junk works.

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

Lost on YouTube.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs
.
Huge thank you to all the friends and family who’ve bought my book and come to my signings so far. Even bigger thank you to the people who have no idea who I am but took a chance on my debut. I can’t even tell you how much it means to me. Shout out to my chicas at #WO2016. Couldn’t have asked for a better support group.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!

Thanks for having me!!! ☺

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Guest Post: Using Flashbacks to Deepen Character by Pat Esden

Using Flashbacks to Deepen Character

by Pat Esden

Often writers are told to avoid flashbacks. In some cases this advice is wise. However, if used judiciously flashbacks are a powerful writing tool, especially for deepening character. What’s important is when and why characters choose to remember, what they remember, and the emotion or emotions the memory evokes.

One of the most important things to remember is to only use flashbacks at a point in the story where they will have a direct impact on the ongoing action. For example, a flashback can justify a character doing something that goes against how they have behaved up until that point in the story by showing a past event that serves as a trigger for this seemly strange behavior.

The flashback itself needs to be an emotional high or low point. But it doesn’t have to be a long or extensive memory. In fact, tiny and more personal flashbacks tend to covey a stronger emotional impact on the character and reader.

For example, a withdrawn and prudish Victorian school teacher might risk social rebuff by rescuing a drunk prostitute from ridicule because a yellow ribbon in the woman’s hair reminds the teacher of her own mother who was an opium addict. Perhaps the flashback has to do with her mother putting a yellow ribbon in the teacher’s hair, the sensation of a loving touch in the teacher’s otherwise harsh childhood.

Equally important is the character’s attitude toward the flashback. If the teacher’s memory of the yellow ribbon makes her feel hatred or envy instead of compassion or confidence, then her behavior toward the prostitute might be entirely different.

The flashback doesn’t just deepen the character that’s remembering it. The flashback also can show a lot about the character or characters being remembered. Was the teacher’s mother kind but a victim of circumstance? Or was she in reality abusive and the ribbon was used for both kindness and punishment? Is there a third character in the scene, the teacher’s brother who in the past was ridiculed by the mother and now is treating the prostitute in a similar manner?

Now here’s a tricky thing. A character’s emotional reaction to or understanding of a flashback can change as a story progresses. Instead of being stagnant, the flashback can transform into a marker of a character’s growth. For example, if we go back to the schoolteacher story, perhaps at first she hates the prostitute because of her memories of her mother. But as the story goes on, the teacher’s experiences make her realize that she was cruelly judgmental of her mentally ill mother. At the end of the story, the teacher might see the flashback through new eyes and have a different reaction to a woman and yellow ribbon.

One of the best ways to experiment with flashbacks is to think about your own past. What tiny moments in your past do you recall with strong emotions? Do certain smells or tastes affect you emotionally because of something in the past? Now add similar experiences to your characters’ backstories and let them surface at moments when a hot spike of emotion is needed.

About the Author

PAT ESDEN is an antique-dealing florist by trade. She’s also a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and the League of Vermont Writers. Her short stories have appeared in a number of publications, including Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, the Mythopoeic Society’s Mythic Circle literary magazine, and George H. Scither’s anthology Cat Tales.

Her new adult paranormal novel, A HOLD ON ME (book #1 in the Dark Heart series) is available from Kensington Books and BEYOND YOUR TOUCH (book #2 Dark Heart series) will be released August 30th.

Author Links

WEBSITE |GOODREADS |FACEBOOK|TWITTER | BLOG |PINTEREST|

A Hold on Me

She never wanted to return.

He wants nothing more than for her to leave.

But the fire between them is as strong as the past that haunts them.

Annie Freemont grew up on the road, immersed in the romance of rare things, cultivating an eye for artifacts and a spirit for bargaining. It’s a freewheeling life she loves and plans to continue—until her dad is diagnosed with dementia. His illness forces them to return to Moonhill, their ancestral home on the coast of Maine—and to the family they left behind fifteen years ago, after Annie’s mother died in a suspicious accident.

Once at Moonhill, Annie is shocked when her aunt separates her from her father. The next time Annie sees him, he’s a bizarre, violent shadow of his former self. Confused, she turns to an unlikely ally for support—Chase, the dangerously seductive young groundskeeper. With his dark good looks and powerful presence, Chase has an air of mystery that Annie is irresistibly drawn to. But she also senses that behind his penetrating eyes are secrets she can’t even begin to imagine. Secrets that hold the key to the past, to Annie’s own longings—and to all of their futures. Now, to unlock them, she’ll have to face her greatest fears and embrace her legacy…

Order Today!

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There Once Were Stars Blog Tour & #Giveaway

There Once Were Stars

YA Dystopian

Month9Books, LLC

April 26, 2016

Peace. 

Love. 

Order. 

Dome. 

That’s the motto that the Order has given the residents of Dome 1618 to live by. Natalia Greyes is a resident of Dome 1618, a covered city protected from the deadly radiation that has poisoned the world outside for four generations. 

Nat never questioned the Order, until one day she sees a stranger on the outside of her dome. 

Now Nat wants answers. 

What else might her government be hiding from the good and loyal people of Dome 1618?

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

Tour Schedule:

Week 1:

6/6: Fiction Fare - Q&A

6/7: The Irish Banana Review - Review

6/8: The Petite Book Blogger - Mood Board

6/9: Reading Is Better With Cupcakes - Review

6/10: The Story Sanctuary - Q&A

6/11: The Plot Bunny - Review

Week 2:

6/13: Arctic Books - Top 10

6/14: Quite the Novel Idea - Review 

6/15: The Cover Contessa - Guest Post

6/16: Cosying Up With Books - Review

6/17: Resch Reads & Reviews - Playlist

6/18: Wandering Bark Books - Review

ABOUT MELANIE McFARLANE:

Whether it’s uncovering the corruption of the future, or traveling to other worlds to save the universe, Melanie McFarlane jumps in with both hands on her keyboard. Though she can be found obsessing over zombies and orcs from time to time, Melanie focuses her powers on writing young adult stories to keep the rest of the world up reading all night.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Giveaway:

5 ebook copies of THERE ONCE WERE STARS  (US Only)

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Book Blitz: Tempting Death by Elizabeth Holloway

Today we're joining the book blitz for TEMPTING DEATH by Elizabeth Holloway! Take a look at that cool cover! Be sure to read an excerpt from this thrilling YA paranormal!

Tempting Death
Elizabeth Holloway
(The Grim Trilogy #1)
Publication date: May 30th 2016
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

The truck should have turned Libbi Piper into a Libbi pancake, but a mysterious boy named Aaron saved her life. The problem? Aaron’s the local Grim Reaper. The bigger problem? He saved Libbi’s life so she can take over his job.

Libbi has just days to choose between dying like she was supposed to or living a lonely life as Death Incarnate. The choice only gets harder when she learns Aaron’s reasons for wanting out of the whole morbid business. Basically, his job sucks.

Still, when Aaron looks at her, there’s something more in his eyes. Something dark and secret. Something he’s hiding. Libbi will be damned if she’ll die without figuring it out. And she’ll be damned if she lets him go.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

EXCERPT:

The creep is back.

I may not be able to see him, but I know he’s here, somewhere. Call it intuition. Or maybe it’s just the eerie memory of when the guy stared me down last night. I don’t know, but I’m not taking any chances.
I hunch over my history final and release my thick hair from behind my ears. It swings forward like a dark-brown curtain and hides my face.

Show’s over, buddy.
I can’t look around, not with Mr. Winkler on “cheater duty.” Hopefully, the guy will get bored and go wherever the hell he went last night when he took off.
The final is what’s important. I need to focus on this test.
I read the next question on the page, but the loser’s gaze bores through my dark shield of hair and my arms erupt in gooseflesh. Before I can skim the multiple choice answers, my eyes betray me and shoot up to scan the classroom.
Mr. Winkler sits at his desk scratching at some poor schlub’s paper with his red pen of doom. His bald head gleams in the harsh fluorescent light. God, I hope it’s not my paper he’s destroying. I can’t afford another bad grade in this class.
I quickly scan the rest of the classroom through the part in my hair, but everyone is working. Eerie feeling or not, nobody’s looking at me.
But I know someone is watching. Just like last night, I can feel his stalker stare.
This is ridiculous. I shake my head and rub my arms to dispel the goose bumps. This guy has freaked me out so much I’m imagining his eyes on me now. I don’t have time for this. I have an exam to finish.
The tip of my pencil hovers over the letter C, and something in my peripheral vision shifts. I snap my head up and finally see him.
The guy I caught staring at me at the art show last night, the guy who warned me something bad was going to happen to me today, stands at the tiny rectangular window in the door. He tilts his head and his ice-blue eyes lock on mine, sending a shiver through my body.
Shake it off, Libbi, I tell myself. He’s just a crazy boy with a crush.
Actually, with his tousled black hair and his nose pressed against the glass like that, he looks a little like a lost puppy. If he wasn’t so creepy, I’d almost feel sorry for him. But couldn’t he choose a better time than the middle of my history final to eyeball me? Plus, he said he wanted to talk to me alone, and this is most certainly not alone.
I point to my partially finished test and mouth, “Final exam.”
He nods. A half-smile lifts the corners of his lips.
“Bye.” I wave my hand.
“I need to talk to you,” he mouths.
“No,” I reply, but he continues to stand at the door.
Dude, catch a clue already. I spin away from the door, sneak a peek at Mr. Winkler, and shove the eraser of my pencil between my teeth. I yank the eraser out of its metal holder and flick it at the back of Haley’s head. Her chair squeaks as she jumps and whips around to glare at me.
“What?” she whispers.
“Look.” I point over my shoulder with my pencil to the classroom door. “That crazy guy I told you about is at the window.”
We turn to the door together, but the window’s empty. He must be a shy creeper.
“Where?” Haley says.
“Never mind. He’s gone.” I slump back in my chair. At least I can finish my test in peace.

Author Bio:
Elizabeth Holloway is a writer of young adult fiction living in Southern Pennsylvania with her two teen children and their growing number of pets.
In addition to writing, she is a registered nurse, an avid reader, an out-of-practice artist, a karaoke singer, and a music lover. She is still trying to decide what she wants to be when she grows up.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!

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Hosted by:

Suzanne Van Rooyen's Scardust

A Q&A with Scardust author, Suzanne Van Rooyen

 

Miranda's May Reading Update

Here's what Miranda's been reading this past month and what she plans to read in June!

Author Interview: Caroline A. Gill #blogtour #giveaway

Flying Blind
Caroline A. Gill
(The Flykeeper Chronicles, #2)
Publication date: May 21st 2016
Genres: Dystopia, Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:

In a broken America, seventeen-year old Iolani Bearse encounters a world full of wonder and danger.
Lani discovers a secret: houseflies have magic.
Stealers have no mercy.
Armed with memory-draining lanterns, the stone-cold hunters relentlessly follow catastrophes, laying traps, preying on the weak.
Together with her father, Eleanor, Sam, and Mango, her beloved pinto mare, Lani rescues victims from the grasp of Memory Stealers. One by one, she saves whomever she can, looking for any path that leads to safety. When her family’s farmhouse is attacked, Lani must act quickly to save those she loves.
Can Lani unmask their powerful, hidden enemies before the flies’ magic fails and everything burns to ashes?
Will the loss of one of her greatest friends become her downfall?
Can Lani overcome the evil that is tearing her world apart, flying blind?

 

Author Interview

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

Thanks for having me here! I am a novelist and I say that proudly, it’s been quite a journey to get here. Growing up in southern California, Florida, and Utah gave me a perspective on what it means to be American. There are so many ways we are all different, but we are still the same. I met the love of my life at UCLA, and married him nine years later. We have four sons and a daughter who rules us all and now live up in the midst of the sequoias of northern California. Trained as a fine artist, I received an MFA in printmaking and metalsmithing, and a Masters in Art History. I love teaching but for now that skill is limited to the small copies of myself running around the house. I started writing to keep myself sane. The kids can mess up a room in five seconds flat, but what I write or draw stays safely tucked away. At the end of each day, I know I accomplished a measurable thing. It makes the weirdness of kids’ messes tolerable. Dishes are dishes. They never end. But page by page, a novel is written.

Tell our readers a bit about FLYING BLIND. What’s the story about?

Flying Blind is the second book in the Flykeeper Chronicles. It is the continuation of Iolani and Malcolm’s journey.

Flying Away started when Lani was fourteen. She is sixteen when Flying Blind begins, living on her family’s farm, saving people when she can. She sees the danger around her and feels that it is her responsibility to fight what others cannot. Using flymagic, she watches the memory stealers arrive at emergencies in fake ambulances and use the disorder of disaster to empty the minds of stragglers and other abandoned people. Lani fights to save whomever she can.

And then, she is betrayed. Her farmhouse is attacked and Lani must flee for her life, saving all those who are precious to her with the flysight and hope.

She tries to find safety only to be turned away and imprisoned.

Now, Lani must bargain for her life in order to escape a lifetime of slavery and misery. Can one girl outsmart the traps laid all around her? Can Lani save those she loves, flying blind?

How did the idea of the story come to you?

I wrote Flying Away two years ago as part of National Write a Novel in the month of November. I had these ideas of an orphaned girl staring out the window, lost in sorrow and of the houseflies that flew around her. And I thought, “Why can’t there be magic?” Magic comes from wonder and belief. Magic is found in the simplest of things. Even unattractive objects become beautiful when they are loved. That is what houseflies are, for me: pests who hide a wild, unknown magic that can save the world.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

The characters are pantsed. They write themselves for the most part. But I sketch a skeleton of a story frame, following a plot line and interacting surprises. I feel like that is the only way to write: I have to know where I am going to find my path there.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Quiet.

In a household full of children, there is only so much ps3 or Disney I can absorb before I can’t concentrate. Ear plugs are my friends. With them, I can hear what is happening but the shrieking is more of a soft lullabye ;)

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

A brilliant light, a leather chair, some sunshine, dark chocolate, a Monster drink, and a cuppa.

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

Stopping Time. It marches on, so quickly, so relentlessly. It really is true: we are all dust in the wind. Seize the day, my friends, and hold on tight.

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

What are the symbols and meandings of the words written on the carpet in the Oval Office?

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

Sitting at a park, drawing or napping whilst madly planning the next chapter.

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

I really appreciate you taking the time to support Flying Away and Flying Blind. Writing a novel about something as pest-y as flies has meant getting down and dirty in so many ways.

Giselle at Xpresso Book Tours has been really helpful to me. SASS has promoted my work and cheered me on with enthusiasm. Thank you, Mel, Julie, Sabrina, Gaynor, Stacie, Jo, and Casey.

Cheer Papworth has been a HUGE help as has Amy Bartelloni, Audrey Southwick, and Jennifer Long. There have been so many times when I was frustrated with the book’s cover, and all of them were so patient with me as I finessed the final design. Kate Corcino has had my back almost daily as I work through plot and marketing challenges. Maria Pease has been an absolute joy to work with as an editor. I really value both her insights and her enthusiasm. Mostly, I really want to thank Lathe Gill, my husband who shares his life with me, through thick and thin. You are my anchor, baby.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!

About the Author

Unusual stories attract me, ones in which the reader cannot easily see the ending or most of the journey. Visiting Rome during university studies, I found a simple truth sitting on buses, traveling all over the ancient city: the joy is in the Journey, in the people I meet, not in the destination. So, I write for you. I write for sanity. I write for chocolate and really good pizza.

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
$10 Amazon Gift Card + signed copy of Flying Blind


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Follow the rest of the tour clicking the link below: