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5 Questions with Katie Shea

Published May 24, 2012 by LS Murphy

Katie Shea joined the Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2011. She was previously an agent with the Johnson Literary Agency. She specializes in fiction and memoir, especially women’s fiction and commercial-scale literary fiction.  She is also seeking memoir, narrative non-fiction, food, pop culture, health and lifestyle, and realistic YA.  She is most interested in coming-of-age stories and stories of unique relationships. Some of her favorite authors include: Joan Didion, Mary Karr, Michael Cunningham, Alice Sebold, and Jean Kwok (Girl in Translation). She is a graduate of Marist College.

Now on the FIVE Questions

1.      How important is a platform for new and established authors in the 21st century?

Platform comes in various ways nowadays. With self-publishing and ebooks, it seems that authors have more options to get their work out there. However, you must be smart about it. Traditional publishing is still here, and I believe won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Authors must be very careful in the decisions they make because sometimes they can make-or-break you on getting an agent. For example, if an author has a project they want me to take on, but they have been self-pubbed with previous work, how I can rebuild them as an author if they have already ‘branded’ themselves through self-publishing? Try to have a clean slate when going out with your first project, and make sure your pass work that is somewhere out there in Internet world is something you are proud of. Story stories, articles, awards are all wonderful things I like to see. But be smart about the things you do if you are serious about getting a publisher behind your work.

2.      What’s it like for you to make “The Call”?

When I finish a manuscript, I know. I usually have been non-stop thinking about the story, bombarding my mind, and simply, I just can’t get enough of it. Sometimes I even have dreams about the characters! When I know I am about to offer representation, I contact the writer, schedule a call and then we talk. I explain to them what I love and how excited I am, and then offer rep. The conversation always goes deeper – to what edits I may suggest, what they are looking to do next, what ideas they may have on the project, and just understanding each other on a business level so that we know how it will be to work with each other. It is always a great moment to be able to connect with a writer and his/her story. It is a beginning of a new relationship.

3.      According to your bio, you’re seeking realistic YA. What does the story need to win you over?

Realistic YA is a tough category to breakout in. The first pages are so important to me when it comes to grabbing my attention. As far as YA, I want the main character to have a strong voice. A strong enough voice that will make me what to follow them wherever they go. Make sure the character is unique enough for her to stand out. I always want to writer to think ‘MAINSTREAM’ – how can you develop this character to connect with any young reader? Presenting a conflict is also very important when I read YA – what is going on in their life that make them different? What is happening to them that makes me want to keep reading? Life is so complicated as it is. Take a deep look at everyday problems and build a story from it.

4.      What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Listen and watch. Listen and watch the world around you. To people. To agents. To editors. To other writers. To family. To friends. Understanding the ‘world’ is the best way to write a novel. Observe what goes on around you and put it into a perspective for ANY PERSON to learn from. Take the reader from their ‘world’ into another ’world’. If you are able to do this successfully, you have a work that anyone will be able to read and connect to, in some way or another.

5.      Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

The Beatles. They are the definition of timeless.

 

5 Questions with Katie McGarry

Published May 22, 2012 by LS Murphy

Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Her YA novel, Pushing the Limits, will debut with Harlequin Teen on July 31, 2012.

 Now on to the FIVE QUESTION

1. Congrats on Pushing the Limits. How long did it take you from concept to publication?

I began writing Pushing the Limits in late December of 2009. I began querying the story in the spring of 2010 and landed my agent in the fall of 2010. I sold several weeks later. My book will be released on July 31, 2012. So from start to finish the process has taken over two years.

2.  What was the spark of inspiration for Echo & Noah?

The original spark came when I was free writing for another story. I thought it would be fun to write a scene with my characters in therapy. Halfway into the scene, I realized that my heroine’s voice had changed. That new voice became Echo.

I gave Echo room to play and when I asked myself who would be the best person to bring her out of her shell, Noah was created.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

To never give up. The publication process is a very long and arduous one. It is full of rejection. Remember, for every no you receive, you are one step closer to a yes.

4. What is your solution to writer’s block?

I listen to music and go for a jog. I often talk about the scene I’m stuck on with my husband or beta readers. If all else fails, I go back to the last place in the manuscript where I had no problems writing and analyze what I had done between that point and where I became stuck. Often, I’m paralyzed because I’ve taken a wrong turn. This means I need to delete and rewrite.

5.  Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?

Definitely Star Wars.

Cover Reveal: Make Believe

Published May 21, 2012 by LS Murphy

Make Believe

by J.A. Belfield, Jennifer M. Eaton, J. Keller Ford, Terri Rochenski, Kelly Said, Lynda R. Young

Release Date: December 3, 2012


Back of the Book

Sacrificial Oath by Terri Rochenski

An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.

With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.

The Amulet of Ormisez by J. Keller Ford

There is only one way to save Elton Fletcher’s brother from an insanity-ridden death.

After years away from home, fighting for his people, Elton returns to discover his only sibling, Cayden, possessed by greed and malice, and responsible for malicious, unthinkable deeds. Cayden, though, isn’t the only one afflicted by the Amulet of Ormisez, and Elton finds himself in yet another battle, where the price of failure could be his own life.

Birthright by Lynda R. Young

Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible.

She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she’s never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her.

Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead.

Petrified by Kelly Said

A mysterious storm has replaced summer with winter, devastating crops and smothering Castle lands in snow.  Prince Sterling August stands alone as a leader, lost in personal grief as well as a desire to help his people but with an inability to do either.

The answers he needs await him, but without Lochlyn, a woman who’s just as isolated as Sterling, he’ll never see what stands before him, cloaked in illusion.

Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton

Emily is a Red, a woman whose sole purpose in life is to produce offspring. When her husband dies and leaves her childless, she risks her life and forsakes the safety of Terra—a disease-free city born after the nuclear holocaust. Beyond its boundaries, she knows, survives a man with whom she can be properly paired.

The Outside, though, holds secrets the government struggles to keep, and what Emily discovers on her quest for a mate will change her life forever.

Escort to Insanity by J.A. Belfield

From a charity auction, to a stroll in the park, to the craziest night of her life. Nicole Harrington can’t help but wonder how a simple event went so drastically wrong.

Of course, the male escort she booked is wholly to blame. Not only charming but shrewdly intelligent, Benjamin Gold drags Nicole into a platoon of unimaginable problems—ones from which she’ll have to find the courage just to survive.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/17

Katrina and Winter: Partners in Courage Book Trailer

Published May 19, 2012 by LS Murphy

The fabulous Nancy Stewart has a new book coming out soon.

Synopsis:

All Katrina Simpkins longs to be is a normal girl. Because she must wear prosthesis as a leg, she feels anything but. When she meets and befriends Winter, the tailless dolphin, at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, everything changes, including Katrina’s whole life. Read the story of these real life partners in courage!

Katrina and Winter: Partners in Courgage is now Available from Guardian Angel Publishing, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound Books

Excerpt from Katrina and Winter: Partners in Courage

“I can’t wait to see everything!” eight year old Katrina shouted. Palm trees seemed to speed by the car window. She gathered her hair into a ponytail. “Know what?” she asked her parents in the front seat. “In won’t mind using my helper leg. It’ll be crowded at Disney World, and no one’s gonna notice.” I hope, she thought.

As they drove toward the aquarium, Katrina began to get nervous, the way she always did in new surroundings. She felt a thin sheen of sweat above her lop in spite of the car’s chilled air.

She stepped into the brilliant sunlight and looked around. Parking lot’s not very crowded, but maybe more people will come soon. Entering the building, Katrina said, “What’s with this place? It’s tiny. I don’t see any fish either.”

Around the corner of the lobby, she noticed a large aquarium window. Through it she saw an animal that looked unusual.

Here’s the Book Trailer:

Book Review: A Stiff Kiss by Avery Olive

Published May 17, 2012 by LS Murphy

Synopsis: Who knew kissing a corpse would change everything?

Death always hits Xylia Morana too close to home, but she likes it that way. She hangs out with the terminally ill, attends random funerals, and every so often, when the weather is right, she sleeps in open graves.

But after Landon Phoenix, the high school hottie, dies in Xylia’s arms, she sneaks into the morgue to say goodbye. How could she know stealing a kiss from his corpse would wake him up?

With Landon returned to the living and suddenly interested in Xylia, life has new meaning. But what Xylia doesn’t realize is that by kissing Landon back to life, she’s thrown Life and Death off balance. The underworld demands a body, and it might just have to be Xylia’s this time

The Cover: Xylia has a thing for death so this cover really represents her quite well.

The First Line: “When I was twelve, I found my mother dead on Christmas day. Since then I’ve always found death fascinating.” This gives such great insight in Xylia right from the get go. She tells you from the start that she’s fascinated by death instead of terrified of it. I love how her reaction is not what you would expect!

The Good: This is a lot to love about A Stiff Kiss. Xylia is a great character. She’s smart, funny, and enchanting. There’s also a scared little girl hiding beneath all the black that peeks out every now and then.

Landon seems like the polar opposite. He’s one of the popular jocks determined that soccer is his future. When we finally dip into Landon’s head (the story is in alternating points of view), we see somebody who’s just as lost as Xylia.

The idea that someone obsessed with death is willing to kiss a corpse is a great premise. And the journey is heart wrenching.

The Bad: There were a couple of things left unexplained that I would’ve loved a little closure on.

Recommendation: This is a great read for lovers of YA romance with a paranormal twist.

Cover Reveal: Darkness & Light by J.A. Belfield

Published May 14, 2012 by LS Murphy

Darkness & Light

A Holloway Pack Story

by J.A. Belfield

Release Date: July 1, 2011
ebook Re-Release Date: June 1, 2012 (with bonus scene content!)

Jem Stonehouse, a housewife with a neurotic husband bent on keeping her in line, dreams about werewolves in, what she believes, is a bid to escape boredom.

Sean Holloway is a werewolf, living a charade within the human race, whose mind drifts to a bond he shares with a woman he hasn’t met — at least, not in this lifetime.

Apart, the two are safe but live unfulfilled lives.

Together, they’ll become prey to rival packs just as they have been for hundreds of years.

When their worlds collide, and not for the first time, instinct takes over. Dreams become reality. Futures are uncertain. To keep history from repeating itself, Sean must teach Jem about his heritage, convince her of her role, and win her love.

Can Jem accept her destiny before it’s too late, or is her inner wolf buried too deep to save her future with Sean?

Bonus!
The re-release of the Darkness & Light ebook will include three bonus scenes from Sean Holloway’s perspective.

Double Bonus!
For the month of June (June 1 – 30, 2012), Darkness & Light will be on sale for just $.99 USD.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/1

Other Books in this series include:
Instinct (#0)
Eternal (#0.5)
Blue Moon (#2)

5 Questions with Robin Renee Ray

Published May 10, 2012 by LS Murphy

BIO: Robin Renee Ray is known as a Multi-genre Author. She’s only been writing for five and a half years, but has come to love everything about being a novelist. She began in the paranormal romance genre, then jumped into horror, then right on into suspense thrillers. She has also co-author a children’s book with her oldest grand, A.L. McBee…. 18 novels and numerous short stories later, she is well on her way in the writing world! She resides in Southern New Mexico with her husband, David, and lives very close to her two granddaughters.

Her main dream in the writing world, now, is to be the female version of the late, great, Alfred Hitchcock. She has also added scriptwriting to her list and has a project with a film production company in New Orleans for future consideration that goes along with her soon to be released story: Zombies, Sex and Chocolate Cheesecake with Hellfire Publishing. A mini series in three parts…Book one: Before It Began…Book two…Zombie, Sex and Chocolate Cheesecake and book three…Stopped by a Single Bullet. All three books are going into script form and being turned in as Seasons Projects to the film company.

Next project…Who knows..LOL “Thinking I may try a novella ‘Christian Love Story’ for my mother?”

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

 

1. Where did the spark of inspiration for Renee come from?

Robin: The character’s life came from my mother’s world, down to where she was born in the small town of Burkett Texas. Everything about Burkett and Renee’s life on the farm is true. The cemetery with that oval Tomb of Doc Hills’ wife is there to this day, the one where Martin (Marteen) takes her, the very place he had been staying throughout two months worth of days while he watched Renee during those nights. His love for her grew long before he knocked on the door that first night. Renee is strong like my mom and I gave her the Crocker name, my mother’s maiden name. Her people are buried in the Burkett Cemetery so it looks cool for those who have read the books and know and have been there and seen Renee’s mother’s headstone…My mother’s grandmother…to this day there is no death date and she was born in the 1800′s??? A cool strange note for Bloodbreeder Fans. ; )

2. Bloodbreeders is set during the 1930s. Why did you chose that era?

Robin: Once again, because it’s the time from when my mother and her people lived and ran the family farm. I know the area like the back of my hand and everything else I got in conversations with my mom. I keep the first 5 books in the series in the 30′s and 40′s showing how Renee’s walk in darkness began and how she chose to take action at the treatment of others, Bloodbreeders or normals.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Robin: Write everything that hits your thoughts, even if you have to stop a key project for a few hours. Write the main idea down so you can get back to it. And never stop writing no matter what you think your story/stories may be…we all get down on ourselves at times…think the flows not going the way we thought it would be, but who cares??? You just keep hitting those keys until you complete that tale and you will be surprised at how truly wonderful it really is!!!

4. What is your solution to writer’s block?

Robin: Start a new project….never let writer’s block run the show..LOL Leave whatever has you blocked and open a blank page. If nothing comes to mind then snag a photo and write a tale about it, whatever comes to mind. It will get you back on track more than you think and if you can bounce into a different genre, even better. ; )

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Robin: This is gonna show my age, but Beatles..LOL  Come Together and Let It Be are songs that will live forever. ; )

5 Questions with M. Molly Backes

Published May 9, 2012 by LS Murphy

M. Molly Backes has taught students of all ages and abilities. As an English teacher in a struggling rural New Mexico school, she designed and taught curricula to a wide spectrum of students, with a close consideration of state and national standards and benchmarks. In honor of National Novel Writing Month, Molly got 150 middle schoolers to write their own novels. As a teacher, she developed classroom writing workshops, pushed for greater emphasis on interdisciplinary writing in core classes, ran trainings for educators in writing workshop implementation, led her school’s Educational Plan for Student Success Goal Team and served as English Department Chair in 2007.

Her YA novel The Princesses of Iowa will be published in Spring 2012 by Candlewick Press. In addition to novels, Molly pens the “Writing Tips” column for The Prairie Wind (the newsletter of the Illinois Chapter of SCBWI), blogs at Bittersweet, has been a guest blogger at Puffery, Brood, and This Wasn’t in the Plan, and is a frequent contributor to StoryStudio’s own blog Cooler by the Lake. Her story “Teacher’s Pet” appears in the anthology Good Dogs Doing Good (LaChance, 2009).

Molly is the Assistant Director at StoryStudio, where she’ll be happy to answer all your questions about life, the universe, and all our classes.

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Congrats on The Princesses of Iowa. How long did it take you from concept to publication?

Thank you! I started working on the first draft in May 2005 — I was supposed to be packing up the house in preparation of a big move, but instead I spent a whole weekend writing the first chapter. So it was seven years from first draft to publication.

2. What was the spark of inspiration for Paige and her journey?

To be honest, I don’t exactly know. I always tell my writing students that the subconscious mind is like a crock pot — you put a bunch of stuff in it, turn on the heat, walk away, and come back to find something cooking and ready. I think the subconscious mind is way smarter than the conscious mind, and it builds bridges between disparate ideas, making connections between moments and images that you’d never link with your conscious mind. So I suppose a lot of random ingredients went into the Princesses of Iowa crockpot — my experiences as a teenager, my time in the classroom surrounded by teenagers, questions about conformity and gender and tolerance and bullying, homesickness for Iowa, etc — and one day the story appeared to me, pretty well formed.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Don’t even think about the market or marketing until your book is a fully formed, finished, polished draft. Don’t worry about building a platform; worry about making sure your book is the best possible book you can write.

4. What is your solution to writer’s block?

Writing. There’s only one solution, and it’s to write. Start a totally new project, write page after page about how much you hate writing and what a talentless loser you are, whatever. Just write. Writing begets writing.

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

“Wild Horses” is one of my favorite songs ever (particularly the cover by The Sundays), but I walked down the aisle to a Beatles song, so I feel like I owe it to my marriage to say The Beatles. :-)

5 Questions with Jennifer Lane

Published May 8, 2012 by LS Murphy

People fascinate the psychologist/author (psycho author) known as Jennifer Lane. Her therapy clients talk to her all day long about their dreams and secrets, and her characters tell her their stories at night. Jen delights in peeling away the layers to scrutinize their psyches and emotions. But please rest assured, dear reader, she isn’t psychoanalyzing you right now. She’s already got too many voices in her head!

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love and empathy. She is the author of the Conduct Series—romantic suspense for adult readers—and is currently at work on the third and final installment: On Best Behavior. Streamline is her first foray into writing for young adults, but she’s found this sort of writing even more fun. A former college swimmer, Jen was able to put a lot of her own experiences into this book.

Whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and hanging out with her sisters and their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1.      Where did the spark of inspiration for Streamline come from?

The actor Wentworth Miller inspired this story. I loved him in the TV show Prison Break, and when I found out he was a former competitive swimmer (like me), my imagination ran wild. Learning about Wentworth’s mixed ethnic heritage also intrigued me, leading me to create the character of Leo Scott.

2.      How long did it take from initial concept to publication?

This one was longer that normal. I started writing the story in July of 2007 and finished six months later at a whopping word count of 213,000 words! I’d become obsessed, writing every day. When I showed the finished manuscript to a friend, he thought it lacked a target audience (this was before we knew much about YA). I thought it was too long and unpolished, so I went on to write an adult romantic suspense series. After Omnific Publishing released the first two books in this series (With Good Behavior and Bad Behavior), I reconsidered Streamline. After a MAJOR edit, the 129,000 word novel launched on 3-27-12.

3.      What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

I’m still new to this publishing thing but I hear this is the best time there’s ever been for authors because there are so many opportunities with self-publishing or small-press publishers. Still, I’ve talked to many people who have a great idea for a novel or who have started a novel, but haven’t finished. The most important advice is just write. Write and write, and you get better as you go.

4.      What is your solution to writer’s block?

If I’m not feeling a scene, or if I’m not properly rested or caffeinated, I don’t write. Writing is still secondary to my career as a psychologist, and I don’t try to push it. I want to keep writing fun. I’ve also found that writer’s block can come when the scene isn’t working, so a block might be an opportunity to try a different angle.

5.      Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of either, but I’ll choose the Beatles simply for their great song “Twist and Shout” sung so eloquently by Ferris Bueller, ha!

Check out Streamline at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Book Review: Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn

Published May 3, 2012 by LS Murphy

Synopsis: Madison Daniels has worshipped her brother’s best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can’t stop bickering.

Forced together for her brother’s wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they’re forced to shack up in a tacky 70’s honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of “accidents” as the family tries to prove their “spark” can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don’t strangle each other first…

The Cover: Sexy, but not a fan of the font.

The First Line: “The ivory invitation with its elegant calligraphy and lacy embellishments felt more like a humiliation time bomb just waiting to blow up in Madison Daniels’s face than a beautiful wedding announcement.” Great visual and really drew me into the story. I like the balance of the “elegant calligraphy and lacy embellishments” with “humiliation time bomb.” The voice explodes in this sentence.

The Good: The heat level in this book is S-C-O-R-C-H-I-N-G. (That’s about ten knots about hot if you’re keeping track.) Madison and Chase have a great chemistry with very real differences. I love that their story doesn’t start here but has a deep history that adds to the drama and romance.

The Bad: The resolution seems a it rushed. I felt like there was a missing confrontation that would’ve added depth to the story.

Recommendation: Jennifer Armentrout (writing as J. Lynn here) is an author to keep your eye on. Tempting the Best Man is a fun, adult romance worth checking out for a quick summer beach read.