Twenty-two-year-old Jordan Carroway has a plan--marry his best friend, Alyssa and start a family. A month before the wedding, he meets Nicole O'Roarke during a physical education class. Nicole--the woman who tips his canoe, steps on a cactus, and makes him laugh. They fall madly in love, though neither confess it as they both feel the weight of responsibility. Jordan ultimately keeps his promise and marries Alyssa. Nicole also returns to her life, not realizing that love left its mark, and it's not through with either of them. BUY KINDLE COPY HEREBUY NOOK COPY HERE
November is almost here, and that means my life is about to get very crazy. No, I'm not talking about teaching--that part of my life is always crazy. I'm talking NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. I'm going to spend the thirty days of November completing 50,000 towards a novel. For most of the month, I had a poll up on my website which allowed readers to vote on three different novels for me to work on. The one with the most votes turned out to be Witness, an edgy YA issues novel. Here's the blurb and the cover, and if you click on the image, it'll take you to the Facebook fan page for Witness where I'll be posting my progress throughout November.
What happens when you witness the unthinkable?
For two years, sixteen-year-old Cee Cee Montgomery has had a crush on David Johnson, and she’s been waiting for him to notice her, and he does—at a party that Cee Cee wasn’t supposed to be at. She even promised her best friend, Stacy Eddings, that she wouldn’t be there. But she is. She’s there when David is stabbed and no one calls for help. She’s one of the silent witnesses who bears the guilt of his death, and it’s tearing her apart.
Stacy is a silent witness of a different sort. He’s been in love with Cee Cee since he met her, but she never saw past David, and while he doesn’t know she went to that party, he does realize that something is wrong, that sometimes, no matter how painful, the truth has to come out.
I figure it's about time for a post about my writing progress since things have been so hectic. So here it comes. Right now I'm on the downhill slide of finishing my current work-in-progress. It's a science fiction/women's fiction novel titled Surrogate. At present, I'm probably just at about 20,000 words from completing it, and I'm really hoping to have the first draft off to the editor by November 1st for a late December/early January release. I also have the edits back on a paranormal romance called A Willing Sacrifice. This time around, I'm looking at changes in the story, so I didn't want to start on that until I finish Surrogate. Unfortunately, November is also looming, and that means NaNoWriMo is coming up faster than I expected. For those of you who aren't familiar with NaNoWriMo, it's an annual event in November where writers try to complete a work of 50,000 words in 30 days. Last year I did finish over 50,000 words of Skunks, Trunks, & Pedro. This year, I'm toying between two projects: Dreamwalker Abattoir, Dreamer, and Witness. So, here's where you, my readers, come in to help me figure out what November is going to be about. I'm putting up a poll on the home page with these two choices. Help me figure out which novel you really want to read first, and I'll write it. Of course, you do have to vote here, because I'm a lousy mind reader, and at the end of October, I'll look at the poll, and that will be my next novel.
I'm going to put up links to the two different novel pages to look at the choices. And if you like the cover art for Witness and Dreamer, you really should check out Claudia McKinney (otherwise known by her company name: Phatpuppy Art. Her page is at http://phatpuppyart.com/. You won't be sorry. Just don't blame me if you never want to leave her page....
I was on Amazon today and spotted different quotes from my novels that had been highlighted by Kindle readers. It's always interesting to see what passages in novels that readers find interesting so I picked my four bestselling novels and I thought I'd share one of the quotes highlighted. I'll put the name of the novel after the quote for those of you who are interested.
"How do you define life when, very soon, the one person you love above all others will no longer be a part of it?" (Sojourner)
"Maybe because we don't always recognize happy moments when we're in them, so we let them go, thinking the future will be even better--and sometimes it's not." (October Breezes)
"You know the one thing I hate about parents: they play dumb, and then when they decide to tell you about what they know, you realize they're not blind or deaf and know what's going on the whole time. It ought to be illegal." (Summer Sunsets)
"Leaving starts as a desire, and if that desire is strong enough, it turns to action. I don't have that desire." (When Angels Cry)
Writing is hard work sometimes, especially if the author has never written a book before and is in elementary school. So what would possess someone with those obstacles to undertake such a challenge? How about worrying about other people?
Cameron Titus has done just that, and while I could say a whole lot more on the subject, I think it would be better if you heard about his book and his cause from him.
1. Tell me a little bit about yourself.
(Cameron) Well I am in fifth grade now. I play video games. I read a lot; books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants, The Lightning Theif, The Hardy Boys, The Grim Doyle Series (a friend of mine wrote that, he's a really great author, one of my favorites), and I read the Goosebumps series, Mark Twain books and all other sorts. I love to draw. I draw by hand and also on the computer. I take after my dad that way; he's an artist (but doesn't really do it anymore). I also love to write and make up stories. I take after my mom, she's an author. I like to discover stuff outside, and pretend I am a CIA guy. I believe in giving back, like when my sister and I found a woman's purse. My mom took us to the police and we brought it there. It made me feel really good knowing that that lady would get her money back. I have a heart condition and have to go to Boston Children's Hospital every other year for a echo and stress test. I like to save money, so I can go to college and have a good life. I would like to be a professional author or a police officer. I really would like to go into the army, but they probably won't accept me because of my heart condition and I'm a wimp. (heheheh) I tried to play football last year, but then I realized it was torture and not fun. I did it for 4 days. I like hip-hop, rap, a little bit of country, and rock music. I am a good singer. My mom always tells me I should be on tv because I make people laugh, and I act really good. She says I am an oscar contender. I think that would be cool if I could be on Nickelodeon. I like Drake and Josh, Spongebob, Jimmy Neutron, Invader Zim, I like to watch Chopped with my mom, Planet Sheen, Fairly Odd Parents, I-Carly, Victorious, and Cake Boss (oh, and a Thousand Ways to Die - my dad likes that show).
2. What inspired you to write the book?
(Cameron) A tornado hit Jolpin, Missouri and Massachusetts and I felt so sad and worried of what was going to happen to those people. So I thought of a few ideas to earn money for a charity that brings in money for people to have homes that have been destroyed. I thought of doing a stand, but I realized I needed a $500 permit from the city and that it wouldn't earn that much money. Then I thought of selling some of my stuff, but I realized it would only be about $300. Then I thought about my mom writing her book and getting money for it. So I figured if I write a book, and since there's a lot of children, I thought some people would buy a children's book.
3. I hear the profits from sales are going to a charity? Who is going to benefit from all your hard work?
(Cameron) Yes, all of my royalties will be going to Habitat for Humanity. They build houses for people who can't afford to have one, and they also help rebuild houses that were destroyed, like in hurricanes and tornadoes.
4. What was the hardest part of creating the book?
(Cameron) The hardest part was the writing. Because I had to think of something really good, something that people would want to see or read.
5. What did you like best?
(Cameron) Having a real author help me with the pictures. He listened to me and took my ideas, and put them all into pictures.
6. What do you hope comes out of this experience?
(Cameron) Happiness for the people who will now have a home.
7. What advice can you offer for other people who want to make a difference?
(Cameron) Don't give up. Keep on making a difference even if it's something small like giving your change to a donation box or a homeless person on the street. Don't judge, just do!
This morning I woke to a wonderful surprise. Naj finished the cover art for A Willing Sacrifice. Here's what she came up with!
Lots of different projects going on right now. First of all, I'm currently about a fourth of the way through Surrogate. I'm still hoping for a December or earlier release, but I'm guessing I'll have to play that one by ear. As far as what's coming down the pike to be released next, I have the complete edits for Skunks, Trunks, & Pedro, and since I've found a cover image to go with the book, I'll be working on those edits soon to release it this month. My editor is currently working through my paranormal romance A Willing Sacrifice, and I'm hoping to get that one out next month. I know I said I'd never write a vampire novel, but the idea I came up with intrigued me too much. Currently, you can see a cover image for A Willing Sacrifice on my novels page, but Najla Qamber is currently working on a design I came up with, and considering what I've seen of Naj's work, I'm really excited. After I finish the first draft of Surrogate, I'll be working on a novel inspired by the book and movie Atonement. It's called December Rose, and the stunning cover is courtesy of Naj, as well. I just got the cover for Dreamer, a young adult paranormal I'm going to be writing. This one is from Claudia at Phatpuppy Art. I've also just released the e-book version of Dreamwalker: Reckoning, and it's currently available at Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com. I've ordered the proof for the print copy, and hopefully I'll be approving that soon. And I think that pretty much covers what's going on over here. Hopefully everyone is having a safe and festive Independence Day tomorrow!
As a reader who loves young adult issue novels, I'd like to introduce you to another young adult writer--Jennifer Snyder, author of Shattered Soul.
Hellish Nightmare... If seventeen-year-old Seth Bradson were to describe his life in two words, those would be the two he’d choose. Seth prefers to cope with his crappy existence by spending his days in a drug-induced haze. But when Ali Carson steps into his life, Seth finds something he’s subconsciously been seeking—a new drug, one that consumes his mind unlike any other. Love. In a moment of unforgivable weakness, Seth allows Ali to try crystal meth, his most addictive temptation. This single event begins the unraveling of both their lives and forces Seth to learn the definition of regret the hard way. Shattered Soul is available on Amazon.com, Kindle, Nook, and through Smashwords. You can also read the first chapter at Jennifer's blog: http://jennifersnydersblog.blogspot.comAnd now, let's hear from Jennifer. 1. Tell me about your novel. Shattered Soul is an Edgy YA novel which deals with the serious issue of teen addiction. 2. How long have you been writing? Honestly, I'm one of those writers whom have wrote since they were a small child--silly short stories and funky poems mostly. I've even kept a journal since I was about fourteen. As far as my novel writing goes, though, close to four years now. 3. What do you hope people take away from your stories? With Shattered Soul I really hope people take with them both sides of the coin when it comes to addiction. How for some it can truly be all they know. Sadly, some kids are raised around this sort of lifestyle making it easily assessable and normal even. And for others, how it's just one bad choice that changes them forever. Addiction can be a serious problem, for some it can grab a hold and never let go. 4. What are you working on now? I'm actually working on a YA Paranormal Romance novel that has been blossoming in the depths of my mind for a while. 5. What's your favorite novel? It's a tie between Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause and Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice! Jennifer Snyder lives in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina with her husband and two children. She finds great joy in blank notebooks and a smooth writing pen.
One of the things I've diligently been working on is redoing some of my old book trailers and getting new ones up. I finally finished trailers for all of the Sojourner books. My goal is to get a trailer finished for each of my novels, but that's going to be a work in progress. You can view the trailers in different places. I've put all of them up on my YouTube channel. Or at my Goodreads author page. I've also put them on each of the novel pages. Now back to Dreamwalker: Reckoning!
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