May 2013 – Indie Author Month

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IAM Book of the Day…Expect Civilian Casualties

Guest Feature

Guest Feature

Our featured author today is Gary Bonn and we’re showcasing his novel Expect Civilian Casualties. 

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Expect Civilian Casulaties Synopsis Jason has spent the last six years living wild on beaches. Now he’s seventeen and a feral girl walks into his life.

A girl with no name.
He calls her Anna. She’s fun, she’s kind—and she’s the most dangerous person in    the world.
The most unusual love story, and a truly strange war story… Expect Civilian Casualties turns how we see the world upside down.

Author Interview 

What’s the craziest writing idea you’ve had?  Hey… I could be a writer!

If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play the lead role and why? I’d be happy to play the lead role in my life. This time I’d like some warning of what was going to happen next, a decent script and I’d ask for a more professional director and a bigger budget.

Can you see yourself in any of your characters? Lol. A writer has to be their characters. You must be an old woman struggling upstairs, a child sitting beside his mother’s dead body, a suicidal teenage girl, a soldier knowing he’s going to die, a…

If you can’t live it – how are your readers going to?

There’s a huge picture here. A writer has to get into character as much as an actor. You write romance or tragedy – you have to live through the emotions. Write Sci-fi and you must wear the buttons and levers down until you are as familiar with them as the veteran astronaut (or whatever) you’re writing about.

I wrote a book (that I’d dearly like published) some years ago. In it, a number of people struggled to earn a living in the most unusual circumstances. I spent weeks, just being each of them, going through their daily routines until I felt the blisters and sunburn – and their excitement, hopes and fears. This sort of immersion pervades your waking life and it can be hard to concentrate on reality. Asleep, I dreamt of the morning-bell being struck. I shivered and clambered into my coarse overalls, stumbled though ill-lit sleeping quarters, tested my weapons and prepared to clear the working area of the most horrific monsters.

I still go there in my imagination, not that I like the place, but I love the people.

This level of immersion is so obvious when I read another writer’s book. I love it and I’m inspired when a real person leaps at me from the page.

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? I hardly noticed – Firedance keeps me busy – but I don’t mind, because I like the intoxicating whirl of it all.

How do you react to a bad review? Anyone who gives me a bad review falls into one of four categories:

1)    I think they are the most wonderful people on earth and will help me strengthen my writing. This amounts to 99.99% of the people who give me negative criticism.

2)    I think they are stupid and don’t fit into the first category – but I’m wrong.

3)    They are 13 year old internet trolls who haven’t read my work, but still spout negativity – but may actually read my books one day and like them. It’s best to treat them with kindness and respect – or they may grow into adult trolls.

4)    It’s my mother.

Which authors have influenced you most, and how? I’d like to say Morris West (Clowns of God), Neville Shute (Round the Bend), |Laurens Van Der Post (A Story like the Wind), William Blake, etc, have most defined me as a person – as if they were surrogate fathers. However, Tove Jansson got to me first (when I was 8 years old). I grew up to be her character Snufkin. I like to be alone in mountains; I like few, but intense relationships. Jansson taught me to be considerate and kind. If Tove Jansson were alive today, I’d give her a big hug and say thank you.

As far as writing is concerned, the writers at WriterLot have been my greatest influence – constantly challenging and encouraging. My work would not be half so good without them. What you see on the site does not indicate the huge amount of support and development that goes on behind the scenes.

The editors at Firedance Books Ltd have been wonderful too. They know so much, and they’re only too happy to give me advice and encouragement.

Most recently, my son, Christy, has been an inspiration. Not only is he a great writer – but he’s the engine behind the UFOAI stories, (See WriterLot).

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? Ooh, now we’re getting serious. Learning how to write takes longer than you could possibly believe – there are 3 and 4 year degree courses in creative writing. Learning to take negative criticism takes as long as you try to resist the fact that it’s the soil in which your writing grows. Learning to work with editors takes as long as your ego is big. Think 3 years to get the writing skills (and thick skin for editorial). If you are a beginner and have a good story, don’t let this put you off, write it – we all need good stories.

The most earnest piece of advice goes to those people who self publish. Often this is  without understanding the need for rigorous developmental/structural editing, copy editing and proof reading. I’ve been asked to review books that haven’t been through these processes – and it’s been heart breaking. I can’t stress the need for editorial support enough. For every hour a reader spends reading – you spend 200-300 hours writing, revising, revising, revising and revising again. Revision can only happen with the help of editors who are experts in fiction – or even better, in the genre of that book – you are blind to your own errors. However, working in this environment makes you a seriously good editor for other writers who will bless you for being objectively hard on them. It’s teamwork.

Whew, rant over – and, hopefully, a few tears saved.

What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year? Ah, lucky you… I’ve know of some books that should go into print soon…I’m looking forward to:

The Devil’s Poetry by Louise Cole. The ending of which had me holding my breath for what felt like 6 hours…

Stillness Dancing, by Jae Erwin, which had me gasping over a single line of mind-bending dialogue which gave me a new way to understand people.

Coil, by Ren Warom (writer of Umwelt). This book sears images into your brain that will never leave you. You’ll beg for her next book.

Serpent, by Alison Gardiner – if only that had been written earlier. I could have read it to my children when they were younger. Think “Kick-ass hamster meets wizards and goblins…”. Vivid, hilarious and very clever.

The Kinless Sword (working title), by Stephen Godden, (author of Tales of the Shonri, City of Lights). No one builds worlds and whole cosmologies that suck me in so hard as his. You finish his stories and have to remember you live in this world.

There are others, wonderful books, but I think these will be published soonest – keep an eye out for them.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. Lol, last week, one of my editors said, ‛See your therapist before you write another book.’

When you were little, what did you want to be when you “grew up”? I never managed growing up – and with good reason. I decided all adults are mad. My first assessment of them was rather traumatic. Think of a six year old boy and lots of snow. I had weeks of fun and asked passing adults what they thought of snow. Almost all said they didn’t like it, or they did – but.

I learned that ‛but’ often meant ‛no’. Snow turned to slush, driving was tricky, snow makes your feet wet…

Adults were clearly stupid and I decided never be one. Since then I’ve worked out that adults don’t drag their children out to make snowmen.

You’ve found a time machine on your driveway this morning – where are you going to go in it? I would use it to enter the Dr Who story, ‛Blink’ – or meet the author. The author needs a hug/pint of beer for the incredible amount of effort that went into the timeline. I’m sure there are flaws in it – but I can’t find them (I forget to look after a few minutes). I’m impressed – really impressed. Well done.

If you could choose only one time period and place to live, when and where would you live and why? I would choose here and now. Writing takes a lot of time and the rest you spend in fantasy land. I miss out on reality and would like to catch up a bit.

Seriously, this has led to problems. People have asked me things like, ‛What do you think of Libya?’ To which I may reply, ‛It’s a hot place in the north of Africa.’ Somehow I missed the fact that we’d invaded it (or something) three weeks before.

I swear that, if I were to undergo a test for dementia, I’d be hospitalised. ‛Who is the current Prime Minister?’ (Er… dunno, do we have one?). ‛What day is it?’ (Today!).

 What are you working on at the moment – do you have any other books in the works? Another Y/A-crossover – but guess what? – I’m to do total revision of it. There are two humorous fantasy books ready for rejection… lol, (I love witches). Two speculative fiction books await inspection as well – although I need to cut 20% out of one and that’s going to be a lot of work. The UFOAI stories have added chapters now; Christy and I are pulling them together into a coherent book.

 What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?  ‛Gary, shut up.’

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

WriterLot: http://writerlot.net/writerlot.htm

WriterLot: Gary Bonn. http://www.writerlot.net/GaryBonn.htm

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IAM Cover Reveal…To Be Maria by Deanna Proach

Guest Feature

Guest Feature

Today’s guest author is Deanna Proach – May 2013 sees the re-launch of her novel To Be Maria with Amazon KDP and here we can reveal the brand new cover for the book! 

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To Be Maria – Synopsis 

Seventeen-year-old Anya Preschnikov wants to become a famous actress but she’s faced with two problems. Her father ignores her and doesn’t have any money to support her. At school, she’s bullied on a daily basis, yet she believes that she will gain her stepping-stone to stardom if she’s accepted by her peers.

All of this changes when Maria Hernandez–an immigrant from Spain–comes to Peach Valley Senior High. Maria knows what it takes to fit in. She’s assertive, confident and she dresses suggestively, characteristics that all of the popular kids admire. Yet she sees in Anya what no one else sees: beauty and talent.

When Maria extends her hand of friendship, Anya is elated. Her rise to popularity is about to become a reality, but it ends at a house party when a boy’s rude comment sends her into a rage.

Desperate to belong somewhere, Anya and Maria seek new friends outside of school. They meet Alex and Marissa, a young couple who eagerly welcomes them into their world of parties and drugs. Anya and Maria soon find out that Alex is a drug dealer, but they are so lured by his wealth, good looks and aggressive confidence that they can’t resist his friendship. They don’t know that Alex’s gang is at war with a rival gang–one that’s run by Anya’s older brother, Adrik–until one incident puts their lives in danger’s path. To make matters worse, Alex won’t let Anya and Maria out of his sight. The two teens are forced to make a decision that’s a matter of life or death.

To be Maria - Cover

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

www.deannaproachwriter.com

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IAM Guest Post…Why I Write YA

Guest Feature

Guest Feature

Our featured author today is MB Mulhall, telling us why she writes YA books and showcasing her novel Tears of a Clown. Let’s find out more!

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Why I Write YA…

I am long past what is considered my “Young Adult” years, but I find myself drawn to writing stories dealing with teens and young adults more than anything else.  I think it’s because so many people can relate to them. Even though they’re meant for teens, most adults have fond (or not so fond) memories of that time in life and can take a trip down memory lane by reading the books I write.

Young Adult novels aren’t fluff and dumbed down writing.  They deal with serious topics and situations and I think it’s important for me to bring some of those issues to light whether it drug use, gay relationships or eating disorders.  I don’t tone down the language or the severity of the situations because I want it to be as realistic as possible.

I also love the idea of first love and all that comes along with it. Those butterflies in the stomach, the worries about whether they’ll do it the right way, say the wrong thing, that first kiss.  I love to be able to recreate it and have readers relive their own memories as they read along.

There’s so much growth and self-awareness in the teen years that leaves for so many writing possibilities and character development.  Writing young adult novels allows me relive the good and bad moments of my youth and hopefully instill in those reading my books that change is possible, a broken heart isn’t the end of the world, that high school won’t last forever and there’s plenty of good times to come.

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Tears of a Clown Some girls wear makeup to enhance their natural beauty.

Some wear it to make themselves look sexy and mature, in the hopes to attract the attention of a paramour.

Darcy wears hers as a mask, a deterrent, a tribute of sorts to the musical group who got her through her parents’ messy divorce.

When she’s uprooted from her hometown in Detroit and plopped down into rural Georgia, the townsfolk don’t know whether she’s an escapee from the circus or a devil worshiping antichrist looking to kill their pets and corrupt their children.

Much to her surprise, Darcy finds herself in the middle of a bizarre love triangle; the preppy good-looking popular boy that all parents would love on one side, and the bad boy heartthrob that would have fathers sitting on their porches with shotguns and mothers buying chastity belts on the other.

Not surprisingly, Darcy also finds herself the object of cruel jokes, bullying and pies in the face. While she’s trying to stand up for what she believes in and exact revenge on those who treat her and her friends badly, she also has to decide between the two guys vying for her attention.

Will one of them really be able to see beyond the makeup and love her for her? Or will she end up just being a pawn in a long standing rivalry between the boys?

*Recommended for older teens age 15+*

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About the Author 

MB Mulhall is the author of Young adult novels, Near Death and Tears of a Clown, as well as a budding photographer. When she’s not pecking away at her keyboard or looking at the world up close through her lens, she’s got her nose stuck in a book.  A Jersey girl, born and bred, she spends much of her time scouring the boardwalks for images to capture and conversations to overhear. MB dreams of filling bookshelves with her own work  and of plastering her walls with photographs she’s taken from places around the world.

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IAM Book of the Day…Once Removed

Guest Feature

Guest Feature

Today’s guest author is K B Walker and we’re featuring her novel Once Removed – let’s find out more!

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About the Author 

 “Once Removed” is KB Walker’s second book.  “A Life Less Lost”, the memoir of her teenage son’s battle with cancer, was published in 2009 to great acclaim.

Originally from Michigan in the USA, Kimm moved to Yorkshire and took up a career in teaching.  She’s had several poems, short stories and articles published and has been invited to speak about her work at events in both the UK and America.   Kimm is married with two grown up sons.

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   Once RemovedA silent cry for help…

   Suspecting self-harm, newly qualified teacher, Abriella Garside, risks everything for a troubled pupil. An incident with a craft knife and unexplained injuries are not enough to secure help for the girl.

  Unsure whether Beth is being bulied or has problems at home, Abby tries to win her trust and the two begin a friendship. But has the teacher gone too far?

  In the midst of Abby’s own complicated life, Beth diappears. Rumour and suspicion ignite, fanned into an inferno with Abby at its heart.

   Two lives hang in the balance.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

You can follow Kimm’s work at www.nutsandcrips.wordpress.com

Copies of “Once Removed”  are available from www.crookedcatpublishing.com, http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/156950

or from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Once-Removed-KB-Walker/dp/1908910283/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357215298&sr=8-1 Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

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IAM Interview…with author David Estes

Guest Feature

Guest Feature

David Estes is today’s featured author – this morning you can find out more about him in a full-length interview. 

David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. He grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife and soul mate, Adele, who he’s now been happily married to for two years.
A reader all his life, David began writing novels for the children’s and YA markets in 2010, and has completed 10 novels, 8 of which have been published.  The Star Dwellers will be his 8th published novel. In June of 2012, David became a fulltime writer and is now travelling the world with his wife while he writes books, and she writes and takes photographs.
David gleans inspiration from all sorts of crazy places, like watching random people do entertaining things, dreams (which he jots copious notes about immediately after waking up), and even from thin air sometimes! Recently he’s been inspired by some of his favorite authors, like Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, and Maggie Stiefvater.
David’s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, an obsessive Goodreads group member, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.  He loves responding to e-mails, Facebook messages, Tweets, blog comments, and Goodreads comments from his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends.

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 If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?

1. A magic lamp with a genie (preferably the Robin Williams voiced genie from Aladdin) who will grant me three wishes
2. A boxed set of The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien (Favorite. Series. Ever.)
3. A sturdy beach chair
How do you react to a bad review?
Sob, scream at the walls, rock back and forth. All three things at the same time. It’s messy, you don’t want to see it.
Kidding aside, I’ve had to grow some pretty thick skin, pretty fast. I never want someone to dislike my books, my writing style, my characters. But the truth is, everyone has different opinions, which is what makes life interesting. I mean, have you ever hated a book that all of your friends said was amazing? I know I have. My goal as a writer cannot be to please everyone. It’s simply to improve my writing with each and every book and do my very best to entertain my incredible readers. So when I do occasionally get a negative review, I read it and try to glean any constructive feedback from it that may help me in the future. Anything I disagree with or that is mean spirited, I just ignore. It’s all about having the right attitude and always striving to improve.
Give us a glimpse into a typical day in your day starting when you wake up till you lie down again.
Absolutely! Sleep in (yeah, not a morning person) first. Get up around 9am, have breakfast with my wife. Then I start writing, putting in at least two hours in the morning (2,000+ words). Lunch with my wife and then we try to do something fun together, like if we’re near a beach (which we usually are), we go to the beach, go swimming, read books together, etc. I’ll put in another hour or two of writing in the afternoon, too, to bring my word count to between 3 and 4 thousand, or the occasional 5,000+ word day. We have dinner and spend the evening either at home watching movies, watching our favorite TV shows, or hanging out with friends, or going to watch live music.
Throughout the day and into the evening I do all the other stuff that comes with being a full time writer, like interviews, blog appearances, answering reader mail, doing blog posts, and publishing my books.
I always read before bed, too, usually 50+ pages of whatever book I’ve currently got my nose in. That’s it! That’s a day in the life. Day in and day out I put in 3-4 hours of writing a day, and at least that much time doing other author activities, which is the commitment required to publish a book every 2-3 months. It’s a lot of work, but the flexible lifestyle and creativity of it makes it all worthwhile. And, of course, all the support from my readers, who are absolutely incredible, the best people in the world, and my dearest friends!
If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?
Besides my OCD, which I’ve blogged about as my real superpower (I’m not kidding), I would want to fly! There’s a reason I chose flying for my nine-year-old child superhero Nikki Powergloves (from my The Adventures of Nikki Powergloves series) as her favorite superpower. Namely, who doesn’t want to be able to fly? I mean, really, what kid doesn’t dream of being able to fly above the trees, above the clouds, and over buildings? IT WOULD BE AWESOME!
What are you working on at the moment – do you have any other books in the works?
I’m always working on something! Having recently released The Star Dwellers, the sequel to The Moon Dwellers, my focus is on publishing the third book in the Dwellers Saga, The Sun Dwellers, which I’ve already written. Currently I’m working on editing and revising it and getting it ready for publishing. At the same time, I’m working on the first book in my sister series to The Dwellers Saga, titled Fire Country, another YA dystopian novel that will eventually connect with the underground world of the Tri-Realms.
For those who love YA dystopian novels with lots of twists, turns, a bit of comedy and a whole lot of emotion, you’ll likely enjoy the Dwellers Saga.

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The Moon Dwellers In a desperate attempt to escape destruction decades earlier, humankind was forced underground, into the depths of the earth, creating a new society called the Tri-Realms.

After her parents and sister are abducted by the Enforcers, seventeen-year-old Adele, a member of the middle-class moon dwellers, is unjustly sentenced to life in prison for her parents’ crimes of treason.

Against all odds, Adele must escape from the Pen and find her family, while being hunted by a deranged, killing machine named Rivet, who works for the President. She is helped by two other inmates, Tawni and Cole, each of whom have dark secrets that are better left undiscovered. Other than her friends, the only thing she has going for her is a wicked roundhouse kick and two fists that have been well-trained for combat by her father.

At the other end of the social spectrum is Tristan, the son of the President and a sun dweller. His mother is gone. He hates his father. Backed by only his servant and best friend, Roc, he leaves his lavish lifestyle in the Sun Realm, seeking to make something good out of his troubled life.

When a war breaks out within the Tri-Realms, Tristan is thrust into the middle of a conflict that seems to mysteriously follow Adele as she seeks to find her family and uncover her parents true past. In their world, someone must die.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

His Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/davidestesbooks
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IAM Guest Post…Why I Write YA

Guest Feature

Guest Feature

Today’s guest post on about why she writes YA books is by lovely author Ron C. Nieto. We featured a cover reveal for Shattered Silence earlier in 2013, which is Book 2 in the Ghostly Rhapsody series.

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Ron C. Nieto is a fantasy and romance author who has been writing in her secluded fortress for the longest time. Recently, she had a talk with her cat and decided that she should share her creations, because it was selfish to hoard them all for herself.

Why do I write YA?

Because it’s my very own version of Dorian Grey’s portrait: allows me to live vicariously through my characters and be forever seventeen. Mwahahahaha!

Or perhaps not.

You know, the first time I thought about writing YA I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, genre wise. It looks like a ridiculous question now but I spent my teen years reading Homer, Walter Scott and Dostoevsky, so… forgive my ignorance?

The truth is that time passed, I began to read what most normal teenagers do (albeit in my twenties) and, suddenly, YA happened. Only after I had completed my first draft and had gone a first round of revisions and edits I began to consider the “Why” of it:

I realized I wanted to say something.

Which might sound obvious, but cheekiness aside, it isn’t. Up until I began writing YA, I thought I only wanted to tell a story, to meet new characters and have a fun time. Then, all of a sudden, I had this bunch of ideas about love and about dreams and about fighting chances, and my characters wanted to do something more than taking a stroll: they wanted to be passionate, and a little bit crazy, and they weren’t scared of crashing down every time they took a leap.

And when you think about it… isn’t that what being young is all about?

If I remember correctly, ten years ago I saw the world painted in extremes of happiness and sorrow, love was the greatest thing of all, trust was something earned and given over a shared laugh and a can of coke, and if a cause was good enough to believe in it, then it was good enough to fight for it. These days I’m much calmer. I think about crisis and about making it to the end of the month. Worst of all, I usually double-check when confronted with an act of kindness, looking for the catch.

I think I’m not the only one who changed like that overtime. I think it’s happened to all of us—it’s this dreadful thing called “growing up”. And I can’t help but believe that those golden, teen years were much purer, more… genuine.

I write YA because I want to remember what it was to be “me”, to care for the truly important things like friends and crushes and annoying family members. Because I want my older readers (yes, I know a lot of you are there!) to remember, to go back a little and rescue those feelings.

And because looking back, in my memories everything was simpler and easier… but when I was living those memories, some silly things were huge, so I want my younger readers to see themselves in perspective, to find themselves in my stories, to hopefully entertain them and maybe, just maybe, change them a little too, so they stay true without all the extra grief involved.

It took me a lot of time and effort to realize it, but I think I write YA, quite simply, because I need it.

Silent Song

   The princess of the school, Alice, is keeping a secret that could strip her of her high school fame. She is obsessed with the school’s outcast, Keith, but not just him – his music. 

   Since the inspiration for the song hit, Keith can’t get it out of his mind. The song must be played; it demands to be played. He knows the music is changing him, but he is unable to stop it. 

   Music has the ability to move you, enlighten you, and take you to places you have never dreamed of. And this particular piece? It has a life of its own and makes you forget who you really are. 

   As Keith and Alice learn of one another to the notes of that one perfect tune, they can overlook their roles and discover who they could be together. But they also discover someone else is listening and intends on keeping Keith to herself, possibly for an eternity.

 

 

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Author website
Twitter account
GoodReads profile

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IAM Excerpt…As You Wake by Amy Martin

 

Guest Feature

Guest Feature

One of our favourite YA books in 2012 was Amy Martin’s debut, In Your Dreams. Today she joins us for a feature on the sequel As You Wake, which is out now! You can check out an exclusive excerpt right here, and enter our grand prize competition to bag a copy of your own!

As You Wake - Cover

Zara “Zip” McKee and Kieran Lanier thought they had put the threats from Kieran’s past behind them in the first installment of the In Your Dreams series. But when danger comes for them once again, Zip, Kieran, and their families find themselves on separate summer road trips that none of them had anticipated. When all paths converge in North Carolina, the two families are forced to deal with each other and the secrets they’ve kept out of love and fear.

But Kieran is keeping the biggest secret of all from everyone but Zip. He hasn’t had a dream—about the future, about anything—for months. And while Zip and Kieran are grappling with what the new twist in Kieran’s sleeping disorder might mean, a mysterious stranger reveals information that could change Kieran’s life–or end it.

Excerpt from As You Wake: 

I grab the section of chain link fence that’s rusted away from the pole and hold it aside just enough for Kieran to crawl through to the grassy area under the press box. As I follow him, the fence snaps back into place, scraping my skin through my shirt.
“You okay?” Kieran asks after he turns just in time to see the fence smack against me. He helps me to my feet, and I lean back against one of the metal pillars hidden away in the shadows.
“Yeah. I’m good,” I assure him before changing the subject. “You probably shouldn’t have rushed through your chem final.”
His arms circle my waist, strands of hair falling into his face as he looks down at me. “It was worth it,” he whispers, the smile I give him quickly swallowed by a wave of kisses. My hands wander up underneath his plain white t-shirt, my thumbs grazing the base of his rib cage on either side. Once we finally come up for air, my head foggy and my fingers nearly stuck to his skin with sweat, Kieran takes my face in his hands and looks at me dead on. “I love you,” he says, my ears ringing on hearing him say those words to me for the first time. “I couldn’t let you leave for Chicago without telling you that.”
I don’t hesitate. “I love you, too.”
“And I’m not just saying it because we’re going to be apart for a while,” he goes on, and I hold myself back from saying Or forever in my head or out loud. “I’m saying it because I’ve known all along.” He must see the question in my eyes, because he continues with “But not because I dreamed something beforehand. I’m talking about after we met…I just…I’ve always known somehow. And I kept telling myself, ‘Kieran, you need to stop being such a wimp and tell her. If she doesn’t say it back, then she doesn’t say it back, but at least you’ve told her—‘”
“You’re babbling,” I point out, and he gives me the goofy grin that endeared him to me the day we met.
“Yeah. Little nervous, I guess.”
I put my hand to his cheek. “Don’t be. I love you, Kieran.” My mouth enjoys saying the words, words I’ve never said to anyone outside my family. “I love you. I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it, because it’s the truth.”

He doesn’t make me say it again. We merge once more, the now-familiar ache of desire in my stomach and the early afternoon heat building up under the press box conspiring to make me weak. I just want to lie down with him in the scrubby grass so we can kiss until all thoughts of Frank Dozier or anything else become a distant memory, but after a few minutes, Kieran pulls away, my lips straining to stay on his.

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Author Biography

Amy Martin wrote and illustrated her first book at the age of ten and gave it to her fourth grade teacher, who hopefully lost it in her house somewhere and didn’t share it with anyone else. Not counting that early experiment in self-publishing, In Your Dreams is Amy Martin’s first Young Adult novel.

A native of St. Charles, MO, Amy currently lives in Lexington, KY with her husband and a ferocious attack tabby named Cleo. When not writing or reading, she can usually be found watching sports, drinking coffee, or indulging her crippling Twitter habit (and, sometimes, doing all three at once). You can follow her on Twitter at @ThatAmyMartin.

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You can read our 2012 review of In Your Dreams here and an interview with Amy here. 

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

http://www.theamymartin.com
http://www.facebook.com/amy.martin.writer
Twitter: @ThatAmyMartin

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IAM Book of the Day…Saving Saffron Sweeting

Guest Feature

Guest Feature

Today’s guest author is Pauline Wiles and we’re featuring her novel Saving Saffron Sweeting – with a mini-interview and peek at the book, there’s plenty to see!

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About the Author and Mini-Interview

 British by birth, Pauline Wiles moved to California eight years ago and, apart from a yearning for afternoon tea and historic homes, has never looked back. Her work has been published by House of Fifty, Open Exchange and Alfie Dog Fiction. Saving Saffron Sweeting is her first novel.

Night owl or early bird? Early bird. I like to give the day a good talking to, before it runs away with me.

One food you would never eat? Escargot – snails – really do not appeal to me.

What was your favorite book when you were younger? Sparkle the Pony. This was followed by The Digging-est Dog and then anything by Enid Blyton.

What is your favorite Quote? It’s never too late to be what you might have been. True, I’m only 41, but I wish I’d been blessed with knowing my purpose in life when I was 18!

Who are your favorite authors of all time? Enid Blyton and Jane Austen.

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you? It’s a marathon, not a sprint. This applies to so much in life, especially these days when I think we’re all becoming more impatient and technology seems to reduce the need to wait for gratification.

Cats or Dogs? Dogs. They’re less moody and more loyal. Also, they’re more likely to keep you company on a three mile run.

Favourite quote from a movie? Everything will be all right in the end… if it’s not all right, then it’s not yet the end. ~ Sonny, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

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Saving Saffron Sweeting - Cover

   Grace Palmer’s British friends all think she’s living the American Dream. But her design business is floundering and when she discovers her husband is cheating with her best client, she panics and flees home to England.

   The tranquil village of Saffron Sweeting appears to be a good place for Grace to lick her wounds, but the community is battling its own changes. Reluctantly, Grace finds herself helping her new neighbours as they struggle to adjust and save their businesses. However, not everyone has the same opinion on what’s good for the village. The charismatic new man in her life may have one speculative eye on Grace, but the other is firmly on profit. How will she navigate the tricky path between her home and her happiness?

With gentle humour and generous helpings of British tea and cake, Saving Saffron Sweeting explores one woman’s need to define herself through her career and community, before she can figure out who should be by her side.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Website: http://www.paulinewiles.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17411115-saving-saffron-sweeting
Facebook: www.facebook.com/scribinglimey
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/paulinewiles

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IAM Excerpt…from ‘Bronze’ by B B Shepherd

Guest Feature

Guest Feature

Today’s guest author is B B Shepherd and we’re featuring her YA novel Bronze (The Glister Journals). Earlier this week we posted an interview with her, and now you can check out an excerpt from Bronze…

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 Synopsis 

Allison Anderson is a normal but not exactly average fourteen year old girl. She knows she’s a little different, but it hadn’t bothered her too much—until now. Moving away from everything she has ever known to a new house, new neighborhood, and new school is bad enough, but it’s her first year of high school too. She’s more aware of her social and physical limitations than ever before. And then there are the new people she meets: the tough-looking girl in her home room; the cute but dangerous-looking boy she first saw before school even started; the quiet, older girl who keeps to herself; the sullen-looking, seemingly isolated junior that doesn’t seem to trust or like her at all. Can they be friends? She’s been the victim of bullying in the past. Can she trust them? While her peaceful new home only amplifies her doubts, she begins to learn that things are not always what they seem. Her world is turned upside-down by these and other new friends, two-legged and otherwise. Life soon becomes more complicated, and much more interesting!

Bronze

Bronze

Excerpt from the first chapter of Bronze

 

I slowly put the sketchbook down, took the earphones out, and turned my complete attention to the dog. It likewise faced fully toward me and stood, panting, as if waiting for a cue.

“Come here,” I said in a soft voice, patting my leg encouragingly.

The dog stopped panting for a moment, its head coming up and ears twitching forward as if to encourage me in return. I laughed a little and continued to talk in the quiet voice, telling it how pretty it was, and wouldn’t it like to come and see me? It hopped through the decorative split-rail fence at the edge of the yard and walked calmly toward me. As it got closer it began wriggling, its stub of tail seeming to wag its whole body. I was struck by its beautiful, pale blue eyes.

“Who are you?” I asked it.

The dog was so fluffy I couldn’t even tell if it was male or female. I waited for it to sniff my hand which was resting against my knee, then reached to the top of its head and scratched. It tried to lick my face and I laughed again, scratching a little more roughly around its ears and neck. We sat together for quite some time, me stroking and scratching the lovely, soft fur, and the dog obviously basking in the attention, occasionally taking the opportunity to lick my hand, my leg, and continuing to try to lick my face if I bent too close.

It was leaning contentedly against my leg as I stroked it and I was wondering where it had come from—probably from a neighboring property—when the dog’s ears perked up and its shoulders tensed. Its body didn’t move, but its attention turned toward the street and the direction it had come from. After a moment I could hear an engine, a high, uneven revving approaching from that direction, and a rider on a motorcycle came into view around the corner in the road. As he slowly drew closer, the engine noise dropped to a lower, even drone. He was looking from side to side, ahead, and sometimes behind as he drove. He had almost passed the house when he caught sight of me, looked away, did a quick double take, rode the bike in almost a full circle in the middle of the road, then sat staring at me, legs to the ground, his bike idling.

I realized at once, of course, that it was the sight of the dog which had caught his attention, not me, but that didn’t stop my cheeks from feeling like they had burst into flames. It wasn’t a response I was used to and I hoped that he wouldn’t be able to notice it that far away, or that my sunburn was covering it. I thought he was the most attractive boy I’d ever seen. It was difficult to tell how tall he was, but the one jeans-clad leg I could see looked long and slim, and the tanned arms holding the handlebars of the motorcycle were very well-muscled for someone who didn’t look too much older than myself. I guessed he was probably about sixteen, but could have been older. I would be turning fifteen in January, but was sure I looked about twelve.

The boy’s hair was a medium brown and even at this distance I could see highlights of a lighter shade. It was a little on the long side, longer than most of the boys I’d gone to school with anyway, and slightly wavy. His face was tanned too, and while I couldn’t tell the color of his eyes, his eyebrows were dark and finely shaped. From what I could tell, at this distance and with my imperfect vision, he looked really cute.

My mind was racing. Should I just sit here? Maybe he was waiting for me to do something. Should I stand up? Not a good idea. Long expanses of skinny burned flesh with welts and scratches from my ramble the other day could hardly be attractive. He probably wouldn’t see them from the road, but I knew they were there. Should I talk to him?

‘Um . . . hello . . . is this your dog?’ Of course it was his dog. Why else would he even be looking over here? That would sound way too stupid.

‘Um . . . nice dog. What’s its name?’ I’d have to yell if I wanted him to really hear me. I didn’t like yelling. My voice would probably crack and squeak; it always did if I tried to talk loudly.

The next thing I knew, he gave a loud, high-pitched whistle—I was impressed that he didn’t have to use his fingers in his mouth to do it—revved his engine twice, and raced back down the street the way he had come. The dog hadn’t shown any inclination to move until hearing the whistle, though it had been watching the boy the whole time. Now it didn’t hesitate or look back at me, but tore after him and soon disappeared from sight.

For some unknown reason, I shivered violently—then mentally slapped myself. I was such a wimp. My friend Brenda was always telling me so. Sometimes I was a dork and a couple of times I had thought her on the verge of calling me a loser, but she was right. I had no social skills to speak of and absolutely zero experience with boys. And, so far, prospects for change didn’t look good.

Aside from Writing: Remember to enter the MASSIVE book giveaway here on the blog, where you could win books by all our featured authors!

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Series website: http://www.theglisterjournals.com/

Author’s Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4984592.B_B_Shepherd

Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780982893609

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982893612

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IAM Guest Post…Why I Read Indie Authors

Guest Feature

Guest Feature

Today’s guest post about why she reads indie is by Adrianna Stepiano, author of the Memoir of a Mermaid series.

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Recently, I was carrying on a perfectly random conversation with a woman at a dollar store. The conversation began while we were standing in front of a bin of $1 books–mostly novels. In her opinion, the books were not worth reading, her reasoning was based solely on the price of the book. She said as she carelessly tossed the paperbacks around, “Nope, wouldn’t be nothing good, they’re a dollar.” She let out an annoying laugh, she smelled like cheap perfume (perhaps a past purchase from the dollar store), and chomped on a wad of gum.

Really, I didn’t want to look up at her, I didn’t want to talk to her, I didn’t want to try to change her mind–but, in the bin full of books, I saw names, and those names belonged to authors, and those authors deserved more. More of what though? Money? Nah, most authors don’t care about money. They deserved to be “worth reading”, no matter the price of their book, or the store it was being purchased at.

What they didn’t deserve, was a double negative–or maybe it was a triple negative, I wasn’t sure. I took a deep breath and I said, “Anything.”

She said, “Huh?”

I elaborated, “..wouldn’t be anything good.”

Of course, she didn’t catch on to my correcting her, and instead mistook my words for an agreement. “Yeah, there ain’t nothing good in there.”

This is the type of narrow minded thinking that causes so many indie authors grief. (Just so you’re completely in the loop, I am an indie author.) Can you believe that many people have refused to read my book because it was not traditionally published? It’s true. They put my book in a ‘bin’, much like the overlooked dollar bin. The reasoning is this, “Indie authors tend to not know how to write, or they’ve been rejected by the publishing industry.” I tell you, that is absolutely not true.

I read, a lot. I read indie, I read traditional published books, I read blogs…really, I’ll read anything. However, I won’t read past the first few lines if the piece, book, post has been poorly written. The thing is, I don’t care ‘where’ it came from, I care about how it is written, I care about how interesting it is, I care about all the right things. That, in truth, is why I read indie, I simply do not discriminate.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

www.memoirofamermaid.com